Mo Duk?

[JamesHFYofAZ]

Why do we bother with mo duk (Family code of honor) in the martial arts world? Due to a resent thread, I figured we could talk views on the mo duk guidelines of the martial way.
Here is a quick link to a brief understanding of mo duk. Mo Duk (http://www.alanorr.com/htdocs/wingchun/codeofhonour.html)
When if at all should this brief discription of mo duk be overlooked? Is it when your family name is offended? When ones ego has been affected? Maybe disregarded all together? Please express all views, and all views are welcome here. If you have a link to your schools code of honor, please post a link.

[Cang Long]

James,
You said it in another post without a good rule of law there can be no practical order. Mo duk is a tool in assisting us in seeing that everything has a time and place helping us to weng kiu.

Proper mo duk is like a good tan sau if you know its proper time and space it will work everytime if you don't what you run into is a tan sau that may or may not do what it was intended. Have you heard the saying "the best defense is a good offense." Well consider proper mo duk your offensive strike to prevent having to use your defense skill.

[JamesHFYofAZ]

Tony-This is true, and following this code is a way to insure a healthy family environment. I understand what you say, lets ask others out there!
Do you follow a code or do you follow what every works to ones advantage? Anyone ever viewed others in their family environments and noticed lack of proper conduct, is this western mind set influencing eastern martial arts? Add this to the questions above for conversational purposes.
Thanks again for your views Tony.

[Steve]

Do you follow a code or do you follow what every works to ones advantage?

When I was a child, my parents signed me up for the Cub & Boy Scouts. I like to think that part of their moral code has been instilled in me for life. Things like physically, strong, mentally awake and morally straight." I don't remember all of the individual parts o fthe code, but it is there, in me. I cannot easily do something I believe to be inherently wrong. I am honest to the point of being brutal most of the time, or else I say nothing.
I try to live by the simples code though, the Golden Rule. "Do unto others as you woudl have done unto you." I think that si the best advice regarding morals. Unfortunately, it is not always possible for everyone.

Anyone ever viewed others in their family environments and noticed lack of proper conduct, is this western mind set influencing eastern martial arts?

I spend alot of time around children, teaching them and watching them develop. It is easy to see which families are more keen on proper conduct and are able to raise their children properly, by societal norms anyway. These are the families with parents and grandparents with strong personal identities and beliefs, values and all kinds of experience. The parents work and sacrifice for the good of the child(ren). They have or make th etime to to what is necessary for their child's life. When I meet these parents, they are respectful and polite, and are worried about their children's positive progress.

One the flip side, I also see parents who could care less about their child(ren), treating them like an unwanted pet. It is hard for me to see this take place and not want to speak my mind, my tongue gets bit alot when I meet them. These are typically parents younger than I am, who are still trying to have a life of their pwn in which to party and live it up. They don't understand that their life now should now be devoted to the proper cultivation of their child(ren). They complain about their child's behavioral issues and such, that they are too lazy/weak to deal with on their own in order to guide their child down a decent path.


This is what I see in family structores alot. It is most unfortunate, but true......


Does it translate to affecting the gong wu? I think it does. it is inescapable. Part of this is on the teacher, part is on the student. Imagine multiple scenarios such as the Karate Kid: bad sensei, students who end up with identity crisis, bad attitudes, leave sensei. I'm sure there are other scenarios, and sometimes, there are specific personal situations that cannot be evaded, lest something worse happen down the line. Sometimes what we may consider bad mo duk perhaps is not seens that way to another. As one of my profs in college said. One of the most important words in the world is: Perspective.....

[JamesHFYofAZ]

Steve seeing this thing in others only betters self by enhancing self-awareness, it’s a wonderful thing to view the other side of the coin but never truly deal with it in your immediate life.
As far as individual kung fu families, some tend to have the same traits as which you speak of. Their parents/teacher is their mentor and as that one person does, they all will follow. Now if we can see these things, way can they not? A bad seed that can still grow a tree of bad apples can only be noticed by the trees surrounding.
:spanka: Smack'em upside the head!