Whenever my children are bold or caught doing something they know is not right I always explain to them about the importance of being pure of heart (poh). If you were fortunate enough to be my neighbour you would no doubt hear me shouting ‘poh’ at the kids through an open window or over the garden fence. The dictionary description of pure hearted is: of a person without malice, treachery, or evil intent; honest; sincere; guileless. Of course just saying this isn’t going to inspire the child to take the right path; the idea grows through example and continues guidance from those around them.
YMAA Gorey aims to equip the young student with many tools for life like this concept of ‘poh’. For example, martial morality is a huge part of their training and introduces them to concepts such as humility, righteousness and loyalty.
So in class they may well learn how to generate powerful kicks or how to weald a deadly sword but they will also understand how their words, and how they choose to use them, can also be weapons.