LT.Div1. Chapter 1

Oneness and Nothingness be to be born together with each other


"How should I begin Taekwondo?" 
Master stood up with no word and I followed him.



It is necessary that a man is born with his mind and body on earth, and it is impossible to control his mind and body in harmony unless he relies on the principle that has been existing since the time when there was nobody. This principle, according to which everyone can control his mind and body and live his life, has been called "TAEKWONDO"1) by senior masters. There are the ways along which the planets move in the sky; the ways along which birds and beasts travel on earth; and also the rules that mankind should obey in society. Just like these again, there is also the right way along which we should control our hands and feet whenever we make any motions. This is another aspect of TAEKWONDO. Man's life can be constructed only in his own motions and it is everything of his with the nature in. Owing to these reasons, we can call Taekwondo a <Do>(道)>, which contains the eternal principle.

<Do> is what makes everything be such, i.e, it is the principle that penetrates everything. The very principle that penetrates or founds the suchness of everything given naturally is <Do>. It transcends every distinction and discrimination. So there is neither a part nor a whole in it. Because it has neither a part nor a whole, if you know it you know everything. Therefore, every single word written here is not a piece of knowledge on TAEKWONDO. It is an entirety of itself that includes everything.

Since early times many men, relying on what each of them attained, have divided the TAEKWONDO into three aspects, i.e. Musool(martial technique), Muyae(martial art), and Mudo(martial principle). Musool(martial skill) refers to those techniques with which you can control and surpass your opponent as you want. Muyae(Martial art) is to obtain the harmony of mind and body in which you use martial techniques at the level of arts sublimating distinctions between mind and body into perfect harmony. Mudo(Martial principle) refers to comprehension of the ultimate truth with its realization in addition to the level of Muyae(martial art). However, all of these distinctions among Musool, Muyae and Mudo will and must disappear at the end. If you do not know this truth, talking about Taekwondo as Mudo, you can never realize the eternal truth of Taekwondo. You would hide it by yourself. A thing looks different from another as if all kinds of distinctions were real. The real affair, however, is the existence of the entirety of everything mixed in changes with one another all the way. So it shows itself whenever you just practice Taekwondo. Therefore, everyone should know that each word written here lies not in a book, yet rather in correct motions of those who practice Taekwondo.
<Do( )> exists in real. But since it transcends every distinction man cannot explain even though he knows it. Therefore, there is no one who can talk about Taekwondo as just Mudo(martial principle). Owing to this reason, those antecedent masters have called it only "Muyae(martial art)" but not "Mudo(martial principle)" even though such a profound martial principle has been alive and not forgotten for several thousand years. It is but to teach people the meaning hidden behind words in direct way that I say here the word "Mudo(martial principle)". Taekwondo has been the Oneness of Musool(martial skill), Muyae(martial art), and Mudo(martial principle) all the way; past and present. There already is <Do> in every aspect of Taekwondo.