The Seven R's of Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan Kwan Jhang Nim Charles Ferraro Reprinted from Mi Guk Kwan News - Spring 2000

When I was asked to write an article for this newsletter, I asked the editor what he would like me to write about. He said it would be a good idea if I wrote a few words on the 7 R's of Tang Soo Do Mi Guk Kwan. 

As is my custom prior to writing on a subject, I thought about the 7 R's for a few weeks. Writing on them certainly seemed simple enough: 

1. Right Thought -- Chong dang sa-sang,
2. Right Meditation -- Chong dang muk-sang,
3. Right Faith -- Chong dang sin-nyom
4. Right Resolve -- Chong dang kyol-sim
5. Right Effort -- Chong dang no-ryok
6. Right Speech -- Chong dang yon-sol
7. Right Action -- Chong dang haeng-dong.

However, on further contemplation I began to realize how extremely difficult it would be to effectively cover all seven of the R's in one short article. This is especially true because the seven R's can be intimately connected to an individual's own personal belief system. Any discussion of the seven R's must be centered on absolute truths. Truths that transcend personal belief systems, truths that ring true regardless of race, religion or creed.

There is the obvious connecting thread running through the 7 R's. One can see a progression of one "R" giving rise to the next one. For instance, when one begins to indulge in right thought there is a tendency towards eliminating all improper thought, which leads to right meditation. When one practices right meditation on a regular basis confidence in the truth of one's thoughts give rise to right faith. As one's faith becomes solidified, it will produce right resolve. Being in possession of a firm and correct resolve will begin to foster within an individual the desire to put forth the right effort. Once an individual puts forth a persistent and true effort, it will result in disciplined and right speech as one begins to put into words the results of that effort. Truth will prevail and right action will have been achieved. We often have no control over the things that happen to us, but we do have control over how we perceive and react to those things. Enacting the 7 R's as a daily routine in our lives will insure that our actions are a result of a disciplined, responsible process, rather than an irrational, emotional response to the circumstances and events that we are confronted with.

For the purpose of this article I will discuss the first "R", right thought. Before I get into the heart and soul of the subject, there are a few universal truths worth mentioning: All form (created reality) follows thought; energy flows where attention goes; that which receives our attention grows.

The fundamental conflict in this world is between creation (reality) and miscreation (illusion). 

All fear is implicit in miscreation and all love is implicit in creation. The conflict is therefore one between love and fear. When it comes to your thoughts, you have choices. You can choose thoughts pertaining to love or those pertaining to fear. Few appreciate the real power of the mind, and no one remains fully aware of it all the time. Make no mistake, everyone expresses fear. However, if you hope to spare yourself from fear, there are some things you must fully realize and realize fully. The mind is very powerful and never loses its creative force. It is hard to recognize that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains. It appears at first glance that to believe such a power about yourself is arrogant, but that is not the real reason you don't believe it. You prefer to believe that your thoughts cannot exert any real influence because you are actually afraid of them. If you believe that what you think is ineffectual, you may cease to be afraid of it but you are hardly likely to respect it. There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level.

It may seem that your body and your circumstances control your thoughts but quite the opposite is true: your thoughts control your body and your circumstances. As you think in your mind, so it is in your body.

The shocking truth is that many diseases are self-inflicted. Wrong thoughts, opinions and beliefs moving upon and within the body constricting the life force cause disease. Envy, hate and fear when habitual are capable of starting organic changes and genuine disease. The Hebrew and Greek words for "salvation" and "health" when translated in the Bible are often the same. Permanent health comes from freeing the mind of its beliefs in ignorance and sin rather that adding to those beliefs. Right thinking is the greatest form of salvation and it leads to good health. 

Because of the fluid content of your body, thoughts move easily in and through the body to reshape it -- to build it up or tear it down, according to the focus of your thinking. The body is soft, pliable and even plastic to your thoughts. It is our habitual wrong thoughts, deep hates, secret resentment, and strong prejudices that play such havoc on our health. Invariably, those people who persist in such negative thoughts and emotions suffer a diseased result of the mind, body or affairs. It is these negative emotions of long standing that must be cleared out of the conscious and subconscious levels of the mind in order to relieve serious health problems.

Your body as fluid substance is filled with mind power. This fluid substance feeds your thoughts. When you focus on uplifting thoughts it can sometimes surprise you how fast your body responds with good health. Although human beings are about two percent physical and ninety eight percent mental and spiritual, the average person spends about 98 percent of their time thinking about the 2 percent of their physical nature. That is why we often suffer ill health. We are trying to attain good health from the outside in, rather than the inside out.

Stop feeding your problems the substance of your negative thoughts, words and emotions. Also watch that you do not criticize in secret, that you cease from even silently finding fault with another. Put away sarcasm from your speech. Stop complaining. Do not prophesize evil for yourself or another. Refrain from accusing others of evil in any form. Cease from petty statements about yourself and others. Do not call your children "bad". Stop referring to the faults of your family, business associates, neighbors and friends. Have a good word for yourself and others or keep quiet. Let you silence represent your denial of perceived evil. By persistently dwelling upon thoughts of love, you can change your beliefs and rebuild your body cell by cell. Love is the force that dissolves all opposition to true thought and thus smoothes our every obstacle that presents itself. When the substance of love is powered out upon alien thoughts, they do not bother you anymore. When love harmonizes with the consciousness, you find outer affairs are put in order too, and where there was opposition and fear, cooperation and trust prevail. 

Disease is not so much in the body as it is in the mind, which envelops the body. You do not live in the body so much as you live in your thoughts and feelings, which envelop your body. This is where disease or lack of ease first occurs. Health does not come and go, it is eternally present. It is our awareness of it that comes and goes, according to our thoughts, moods and deep feelings which are constantly affecting our body.

In closing I would like to leave you with a few thoughts. The realization of all your dreams: joy, prosperity and good health is just a mere thought away. Try to keep in mind the words of the modern Reggae singer, Bobby McFerrin, "Don't worry, be happy." Finally, your thoughts are certainly worth more than a penny.