The foundation of SunDo’s mental health is formed by 5 principles, which are not some special convictions or any religious rituals. Each of the 5 precepts is born from the previous one. They are: True Mind, True Seeing, True Awakening, True Path and True Behavior.
SunDo Precepts (Hoon)
The precepts are recited before starting the practice session. We recite them as to restore our focus and to remind ourselves the purpose of our practice.
Jung Shim (True Mind) – With the genuine mind of the heavens,
Jung Shi (True Seeing) – Observing correctly all things in the universe,
Jung Gahk (True Awakening) – Perceiving and acquiring accurately the real truth,
Jung Doh (True Path) – Up to the way to honestly live as obeying the laws of the universe,
Jung Haeng (True Behavior) – Without standing against the law of nature, act properly.
The human mind is reasonable, but also self-interested and selfish. It is thus influenced by emotion and greed. By cluttering the human mind and blocking the cosmic energy, emotion and greed obstruct the circulation of Qi (energy) and blood in the human body. Only when we transform our selfishness into the spirit of the universe, are we able to live in harmony with the laws of nature.
To transform selfishness into the spirit of the universe the practitioner should keep Jung Shim (True Mind) all the time. True Mind is the mind of man who dwells in the heavens. “Right mind” is expressed in various ways by different beliefs. In Christianity, “right mind” it is expressed as love, in Buddhism as mercy, and in Confucianism as perfect virtue.
Jung Shi (True Seeing) is to correctly observe all things in the universe, that is, to observe all things in the universe with the mind of the heavens. If you observe all things through this mind, you can see all things as being the heavens will. Then, you will naturally see the things, which are against the will of the heavens, such as jealousy, envy, and inordinate competition and struggle, and then all dispute and trouble among people will of their own disappear.
Jung Gahk (True Awakening) is to perceive and accurately acquire the real truth. That is, to see things in the way of their own intrinsic nature, their appearance, and their will.
Jung Do (True Path) is to go the true way, to honestly live by obeying the laws of the universe. The true path is the way that is right in all directions. It is hard for us to determine which is the right way, but if you look into your consciousness you will hear the voice of consciousness. That is the right way.
Jung Haeng (True Behavior) is to act properly without standing against the laws of nature. In other words, it is virtuous conduct. Virtue is that we act and think as though we are in the other person’s place. We have empathy. With virtuous conduct, life blooms, you understand mercy and behave accordingly.