Climbing Diamond Mountain
some thoughts on receiving my 3rd Dan Black Belt
I recently took my final black belt test to receive the rank of 3rd Dan in Taekwondo. In addition to the physical and mental challenges, part of the process is to write a reflection paper on your own struggles and learnings. For me, this is the spiritual aspect of the test, where I am able to reflect on what the past three years of training (and the past decade) have taught me. I always find that the spiritual gifts Taekwondo offers me are of a value that is frankly difficult to put into words. I’ve found, too, that at each level of black belt, the symbolism of the primary form strongly echoes the exact need or situation I have in my life.
The primary form for a 2nd Dan training to become a 3rd Dan is Keumgang, which means “Diamond Mountain.” It is named after the Korean mountain, Keumgangsan, which symbolizes unbreakable strength, indomitable spirit, unwavering resilience. The phrase “diamond mountain” speaks to a kind of hardness, which you can feel in the stomps and blocks throughout the form. But this hardness has a beauty to it, and a clarity, because it represents the spiritual strength of perseverance. It is the kind of strength you need to cut through all the distractions that life throws at you.
Personally, my life has been (mostly wonderfully, sometimes dauntingly) busy the past three years. The simplest thing to say is that you make time for what’s important, and so despite all of that, I got myself to practice twice a week every week I was in town. There’s a real honesty in Taekwondo that you can lose sight of in your spiritual practices, where if you skip a week or two, you’re going to notice a difference. (Or at least, at my age, I sure do.) You can’t go months without refreshing your kicking skills, or you’ll find old habits creep in. You forget your forms and step matches. Those fast twitch muscles don’t quite move as quickly. Taekwondo is, in a good way, a little relentless in requiring you to show up. I don’t think everything in life needs to be at this level of commitment, but it’s worth thinking about the few things on your list that might benefit from the strength and perseverance of Diamond Mountain.
Most people say Diamond Mountain is the most difficult of the black belt forms. If you happen to watch it, you may think it looks easy. Don’t be deceived. Those round punches are very difficult to keep on a straight line. The crane stance on one leg requires much more balance than you’d guess. And despite three years of practice, I still can’t seem to get my foot stomp to make the kind of noise it’s supposed to make. Diamond Mountain requires work from you. There isn’t a way to cut corners. You just have to keep showing up, and trying.
This has been a valuable practice in the torrent of difficulties that continue to surround us, with no clear end in sight. It is a time for resilience and strength.
Keumgang form is also related to the Buddhist warriors, Keumgang Yeoksa. These warriors serve as guardians over thresholds, which could be gates, doors, or shrines. For this reason, they usually come in pairs, one for each side. The Keumgang Yeoksa protect the Buddhadharma as well as the sacred space. They fight or frighten away anything negative, unwholesome, or unworthy. When you see a Keumgang Yeoksa, you are to think of them as reminders to guard your own words, actions, and heart against such things, especially as you enter into sacred space. So, with very similar symbolism to the Diamond Mountain, these warriors fiercely protect and guard the sacred. They are both beautiful and strong, both light-filled and ferocious in conviction. Like diamond mountains, they are immovable.
The statue in the photo below are from the entrance of Seokguram Grotto. They have a large halo behind their heads, which indicates that Keumgang Yeoksa is not only a warrior of strength but one of sacred wisdom. His face is turned attentively toward the entrance. His fist is ready to strike. And wow, the abs are impressive.
I have been reflecting on the Keumgang Yeoksa as a symbol for how to be in the world at this time. So much is threatening our sacred spaces, our holy convictions about human dignity. In a very real way, we need protectors who stand guard at our temples that we might have sanctuary, that we might have a place reserved for adoration, and awe, and wonder.
I think of all my friends in Minnesota, who continue to run carpools for children whose parents fear of leaving home. Neighbors who bring groceries and cooked meals on doorsteps. I think of my clergy friends who stand watch outside of the ICE facility here in Dallas every day, offering this very kind of sanctuary to those who need it. I think of all that is happening in Iran and Lebanon and beyond, and all the innocent who are caught up in these quests for domination and power. I think of all the ways we are getting talked out of our humanity, and our human ways of doing and being.
This is a time for fierce protecting. And I feel a sense of deep gratitude that, without knowing it, I have been training for it, embodying it in these steps and movements and in this energy that calls up a holy boundary.
Keumgang calls us to radiate light in all directions, and reject evil at every turn. It demands us to be tough and resilient, to hold our center firm, like a mountain, even while in motion, even when under attack. The deeper lesson here is that as our bodies move, our values and our integrity and our honor must remain unshakeable. Our commitment to protection, to holding this sacred boundary, must be resolute. This is what it means to become a Diamond Mountain.
It’s a lofty goal, one that is never finished, of course. With every belt level earned, you remember: this work is never completed. It is to be continued, improved, and added onto with every passing year. It is not about arriving, but allowing the process of this work to form us, day after day.
So may the sacred work of fierce protection continue, for all of us. And may you call up a holy boundary around whatever sacred space within and around you needs protecting.