So what exactly IS a Taeguek anyway?

[skribs]

This whole discussion is something that really bothers me about the TKD online community. Everyone is so pedantic about doing things exactly the way they think they should be done, and most of it is about pomp and circumstance and ceremony, and not the martial art itself.

I see @isshinryuronin 's point about @BaehrTKD , that technically these may be true, and may be an interpretation that someone has had at some point. I disagree that this is a woke attitude. It's simply acknowledging that over thousands of years of history, these very basic symbols have probably had many different meanings ascribed to them by different cultures. Trying to argue which one is "true" and "correct" is largely impossible. It's like arguing whether the sky is blue or gray. Most people would say blue, but try to tell that to a Washingtonian or Englishman.

I also see the point being made by others in the thread, is that there is an official answer from the authoritative source on Taekwondo and the Korean flag, which is the Korean government.

Then there's me, I don't know what any of these mean. I just know we show respect to the Korean flag because that's where Taekwondo comes from.

We could get all in a tizzy because someone doesn't have the same opinion as us on something entirely unrelated to the martial art itself. Especially because the vast majority of us have no connection to Korea except maybe where our Master was born and where the signature on our certificates came from. But to get to the point where "You should know this to be an instructor" is just silly. This has nothing to do with how well you can perform a poomsae (or hyung, pattern, tul, kata, form, whatever you call them), or how well you kick, or spar, or fight. It's flavor text.

Maybe I'm just saying this because it's not something I've learned and not something important to me. But it seems like everyone gets so caught up in irrelevant minutia and proving how much you know about TKD based on arbitrary trivia. And I'd be fine with that, if it weren't taken to the point that you're a fraud just because your trivial pursuit answers are slightly different.

 

[Pooja Gulati]

Loosely translated, the Palgwes are the "Forms of the 8 symbols" each is represented by a trigram (the 3 barred symbols on each corner of the Korean flag)
Il=Keon or Heavens
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Ee=Tae or Joyfulness
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Som=Ri or Fire
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Sa=Jin or Thunder
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Oh=Seon or Wind
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Yuk=Gam or Water
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Chil=Gan or Top Stop (Mountain?)
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Pal=Gon or Earth
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There is also a complimentary pairing, 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4,5. Viewing the trigrams for this pairing yeilds representative harmony, Heaven and Earth, fire and water etc. As stated earlier, these trigrams are also used in the taegeuk forms. Hope this helps

Thanks kindly for this information!

 

[Pooja Gulati]

Actually no. When writing Korean words in English there is a distinct set of rules in translating. Kwae and Gwae are not the same thing.

Not to be the Korean/English spelling nazi here...well yeah...I guess I am....it is kwanjangnim (there is no 'g' in 'kwan').

my Kwanjangnim corrected on this pronunciation

As a non-native speaker I know pronunciation is important for learning a new language

 

[Pooja Gulati]

PHILOSOPHY​

OF THE TAEGEUK FORMS

From Master Dan

To my students realize that your movements are more that just punches and kicks.

Taegeuk forms are representation of the Tae Kwon Do system of martial arts. They include all the movements that you must learn on your journey to 1st Dan black belt.
Also they include mental aspirations or what you should be thinking of when performing these forms. These thoughts go beyond that of who is attacking me from where and how should I respond.

All Martial art styles including any of the heavy contact sports are simulating life and death struggle. Even though death does not occur as a rule during practice or competition the fact remains that the practitioner comes away with a feeling of heightened awareness related to life and death. Over time as a person matures they cannot escape the contemplation of what is the meaning of life.

There have of course been many books written over the ages regarding the meaning of life. In Asia one of the leading books from the 13th century B.C. is the Jooyeok, Book of Changes. This book is the work of several Chinese philosophers for a period of several hundred years. One of these was Fuh Hi, the original author of the Book of Changes, who identified eight combinations of positive and negative forces.

Please study the graphic diagram of Yin and Yang. This symbol is familar to most of us as the opposing or balance of positive and negative force or a balance between good and evil. Some would even call this a constant battle with never ending conflict and change.
The Koreans call this um and yang. Fuh Hi decided that these forces combine in a harmonious relationship all dependant on each other in a continuous circle representing the symbol of life and the universe. These eight symbols or concepts are part of everything we have and know past present and future.

In all literature through out the ages you will always see the identification of two opposing forces however they are dependent on each for their existence or you cannot have one with out the other. Example, (mixing paint) you need different variations of black and white to get the required result of color that you need. Each combination has its own useful color that you may desire to have at that moment.

The eight symbols arrange themselves starting with 1. being the pure form of Yin or all white as if on a color chart and 8. the pure form of Yang or all black. All numbers or symbols in between are the result of combining greater or lesser portions of Yin and Yang in combination.






PHILOSOPHY OF TAEGEUK FORMS


PAGE TWO


As you study the chart and the meaning of each of the eight symbols contemplate this as you practice your forms. All Tae Kwon Do forms have mental, physical and spiritual
implications.

As you train for advancement we would hope that you consider the balance between your martial skills and the traditional values of Tae Kwon Do in your life.

It is believed that a persons perception becomes their reality, hence what you think is what you are. This means if you think something is good for you it will be. If you think something is bad for you it will be. The issue of who wrote a form, where it came from or even should you be doing a certain technique such as inside or outside is not as important as your thoughts and attitude related to the performance of that form.

Poomse is a spiritual journey that no one can say they have arrived. This is why we say that no one can ever master any form. Your experience and relation ship with each form will change depending on how much time and effort you put into that form. So each form will always be changing just like life.

1. Keon Pure Um./Yin. Heaven and Light.
2. Tae. Joy
3. Ri. Fire and the sun. Creative passion.
4. Jin. Thunder suggesting courage in the face of danger.
5. Seon. Wind. Varies like the weather.
6. Gam. Water A river that never stops.
7. Gan Wisdom of know what to do and when.
8. Gon Pure Yang opposite of Yin. Earth bound providing elements
Needed by Yang. Gon requires more in depth study to understand
It and Keon and their relationship to all mater and universe.

I am not sure about Palgue having anything to do with Tageuk. I can tell you when I was there when Grand Master Choi first introduced Tageuk to us his first explanaiton was that they were made for Caucasians who were out of shape and the stances were easeir to do? Obviously there is way more to it and some of the forms are tied spirtually to actual places in Korea as well. Before becoming a Master I pushed him hard for along time wanting to know who was the actual author and finally he replied that no single person wrote the Taeguks it was done by committee from many different Korean Martial Artitsts. I think it may go deeper than that with some Chinese and Japanese influence as well. I would love to here Ray Terry comment on this.

Hope this helps

Do these forms have anything to do with the variations found in each trigram of the Jooyeok?

 

[Pooja Gulati]

This is interesting. I heard something very different about what the four trigrams mean.

May I know your definition?

"And do me a favor, on whatever whole post I do, I don't really like when someone breaks it down into sections and critiques the individual sections as if they are statements in themselves."



Hmm.
I guess its only okay when you do it.

EDIT: Going back again, you actually did this quite a bit by quoting small parts of peoples replies, then replying to them separately in separate successive replies. You sir, are a hypocrite.

I think, the notion here was to focus on a point and expanding through that to keep cohesive context? Not necessarily hypocriticism

 

[Pooja Gulati]

Here. Taeguek is in the middleView attachment 19853

The shape: yes

Is colour important?

Reminds of the notion: starting at white to be an honourable black belt

 

[Pooja Gulati]

From Wiki:
The flag's background is white, a traditional color in Korean culture. White was common in the daily attire of 19th-century Koreans, and it still appears in contemporary versions of traditional Korean garments, such as the hanbok. The color represents peace and purity.

The circle in the middle is derived from the philosophy of um-yang (yin-yang in Chinese) and represents balance in the universe. The red half represents positive cosmic forces, and the blue half represents the opposing negative cosmic forces.

Together, the trigrams represent movement and harmony as fundamental principles. Each trigram (hangeul: 괘 [gwae]; hanja: 卦) represents one of the four classical elements,[2] as described below:

Trigram Korean name Celestial body Season Cardinal direction Virtue Family Natural element Meaning
☰ geon
(건 / 乾) heaven
(천 / 天) spring
(춘 / 春) east
(동 / 東) humanity
(인 / 仁) father
(부 / 父) heaven
(천 / 天) justice
(정의 / 正義)
☲ ri
(리 / 離) sun
(일 / 日) autumn
(추 / 秋) south
(남 / 南) justice
(의 / 義) daughter
(녀 / 女) fire
(화 / 火) fruition
(결실 / 結實)
☵ gam
(감 / 坎) moon
(월 / 月) winter
(동 / 冬) north
(북 / 北) intelligence
(지 / 智) son
(자 / 子) water
(수 / 水) wisdom
(지혜 / 智慧)
☷ gon
(곤 / 坤) earth
(지 / 地) summer
(하 / 夏) west
(서 / 西) courtesy
(례 / 禮) mother
(모 / 母) earth
(토 / 土) vitality
(생명력 / 生命力)

From the I Ching:
The I Ching Trigrams

Eight Basic Principles

I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams, but it's really the eight trigrams they are combinations of that are the basic components of the I Ching. The trigrams explain the nature of each hexagram. Here they are, and the principles they represent.








There are 64 hexagrams in the I Ching, which are used in divination, consisting of six lines that are either full or broken. Each hexagram has its specific meaning and divination text. But they in turn are made up of pairs of trigrams, with three lines each. And those trigrams are the real keys to the I Ching and its logics.

Each of the eight trigrams represents a baisc force of nature. They are:

1. Heaven, the Creative
2. Lake, the Joyous
3. Fire, the Clinging
4. Thunder, the Arousing
5. Wind, the Gentle
6. Water, the Abysmal
7. Mountain, Keeping Still
8. Earth, the Receptive

Since the trigrams consist of three lines that can either be broken or whole, the number of possible combination of lines is eight (2 x 2 x 2). And each of the hexagrams is a unique combination of two trigrams. That makes for a total of 64 (8 x 8). That's the whole of the I Ching.

Humsamnida!

Rooted in 7 spaces…

I’m in reverence of the art in this martial light of being!!!