At Jung SuWon Martial Art Academy, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches us meditation in its most basic form.  Sit still, breathe deeply, and relax for a moment. Let things settle down!

There was a great example (a kind of meditation class lab exercise) that Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim performed for the class.  A tall glass was filled with fresh clear water.  We could all see through the glass, through the water and out the other side.  We could see down the top all the way to the bottom of the glass.  All was crystal clear.  Then a spoon full of garden dirt was slowly sprinkled in the glass and we all saw a variety of things.  Small stones in the dirt dropped to the bottom of the glass almost immediately.  Heavy dirt clumps spiraled down leaving a swirling trail.  Bits of bark and wood stayed floating on the surface.  A bug seemed to stay suspended halfway down the glass.  Next the spoon was used to swiftly mix the glass of water and dirt vigorously.  Result:  The entire glass became one murky muddy messy blur.  We could not see through it any longer.  Nothing was identifiable whatsoever!

Great Grandmaster Kim explained that when our environment initially affects us we have a brief chance to clear identify what is happening.  After things get shaken up then they all mix together and become one big mess!

The lesson continued:  We placed the glass on the counter and started the regular Jung SuWon martial art work our class.  Two hours later at the end of the class we gathered around the glass and took a fresh look. 

Wow – all the murky water had settled!  While the water was not as clear as it was before, you could see through it.  The color of the water was best described as “stained” yellow.  At the bottom of the glass we could see the rocks and a pile of the simple dirt that had settled.  On the surface we could see the wood chips and other objects that had floated.  On the edges on the glass we could see the objects that didn’t quite sink – these had been attracted to the sides of the glass.  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim explains:  This is why we meditate.  We sit still, breathe deeply, and let our mind settle down so that we can more clearly see what’s going on in our minds and our lives. 

I find now in simple meditation exercises things come to me.  I remember things I wanted to do.  I remember things I forgot to do.  Things occur to me in the sense that things seems to sort themselves out. 

By simply giving myself a period of time to let things settle they seem to sort themselves out!