American Buddhist Shim Gum Do Association

Claire Kinder _{on Google}

Jun 6th, 2017

Free meditation clinic on the first Friday of every month (5:45pm)! Also includes a dharma talk, sword and karate demonstration and barley tea.

Scott Julien _{on Google}

Mar 27th, 2017

This is a very special martial art. It integrates meditation with physical activity. I have been training here for almost two years, now. Prior to joining Shim Gum Do, I had practiced daily sitting meditation for six years at a Zen practice center in St. Louis, Missouri. I did sitting meditation, every day, to relieve compulsive worrying and physical tension from anxiety. Then, when I moved to Boston and found Shim Gum Do, I found a physical discipline that did the same thing, but with the added component of well-being that is obtained through exercise. Shim Gum Do does this by leading you through prescribed forms--sequences of movements with a wooden sword or with your body that are each like a musical piece, transitioning from one movement to another in a clear, flowing way. I find that, after practicing my forms for 45 minutes to an hour, my mental state is completely changed, in much the same way as practicing sitting meditation for 45 minutes to an hour--but with the added benefits of exercise. I would recommend Shim Gum Do to anyone who has an inclination toward meditation--as well as an inner, deep-seated need for physical expression.