Stopped mind
In kumdo, jisim (지심, 止心) is the state in which the mind becomes fixed on one place. Once fixed, the hands and feet stiffen, so the practitioner can neither use technique nor respond flexibly.
How to say it
- Korean
- 지심jisim
- Spanish
- Mente detenida en un punto
- English
- Stopped mind
- Japanese
- 止心ししんshishin
Jisim (지심, 止心; literally “stopped mind”) is a kumdo theory term for the state in which the mind becomes fixed in one place.
- The Korea Kumdo Association (대한검도회) glossary defines it as the mind being fixed on one spot. When this happens, the hands and feet stiffen, so the practitioner cannot use technique or respond flexibly.
- Other Korean kumdo glossaries explain it as concentrating the mind on a single point (일점, iljeom) instead of seeing the opponent as a whole. For example, the mind is captured by receiving or deflecting the opponent's jukdo (죽도, bamboo sword), and one's own movement becomes sluggish.
- One of these sources glosses it in English as “stopped mind for moment”: a mind seized by one thing, unable to attend to anything else.
The Korea Kumdo Association glossary contrasts it with pyeongsangsim (평상심, “ordinary mind”), the usual state of mind. It says that what disturbs that state are the four warnings, sagye (사계, 경구의혹: surprise, fear, doubt and confusion), because an agitated mind cannot attack or defend properly.
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