Div.7 Chapter 54

Something both Simple and Difficult

“Why is it so difficult to learn Taekwondo?”

“Because the world is partial to no one.”

The beginning and the end of Taekwondo training meet in one thing, simply basic Taekwondo. Mastering the basic motions of Taekwondo is both the beginning and the end of all training. Many general students, often with poor understanding, seek TAEKWONDO in the brilliant aspects of Poomsae or in fierce sparring actions. However, the enlightened man must grasp its nature in commonness and naiveté, so that he rarely reveals his strength.

What is the basic of Taekwondo? It is that which possesses all necessary factors of Taekwondo compressed and summarized, and it is the joint that links a Taekwondo-Een with TAEKWONDO. Through training in the basics you can advance to perfect TAEKWONDO. Because of this, everyone commences his Taekwondo with training in the basics, while he who has completed training returns in his final step to a retraining in the basics. Although the basics appear simple, they are intimately related to every skill and the entire system of Taekwondo. They embrace in their simplicity every principle and technique of all motions. When the ancients created the basics they did so not with momentary and unformulated ideas but through the accumulated and well-considered experience of lifetimes. This accumulated experience is the source of the vitality from which the basics of Taekwondo spring. Therefore, the meaning of the basics is multi-dimensional, and though simple, infinite. The viewpoint from which you choose to consider a motion determines how effective it will be.

On the other hand, the basics comprise the foundation of universality in Taekwondo. Brilliant and complex techniques of kicking and punching can be very effective in certain cases, but they cannot always be used to protect yourself and subdue an opponent. If you perform such brilliant and complex maneuvers in Taekwondo they can be valuable only when performed upon a firm foundation of basics. Only a  building built on a firm foundation can be considered solid. Just as its foundation supports the giant building when the earth shakes, so the basics of Taekwondo enable you to subdue an opponent, adapting yourself without error to a host of unexpected situations. Everything returns to one, which stands on its own place as invisible.

Thus, everything of TAEKWONDO lies concealed in the basics and around this basic center each individual Taekwondo motion holds the potential of boundless change and application. Therefore, as you struggle with your opponent in Taekwondo performing a perfect basic motion will result in your natural control over him. This is to protect oneself with no resistance relying upon Do. What more could be required to defend against and subdue an opponent?

In this manner, the basic motions of Taekwondo can include everything of Taekwondo because Taekwondo is simple just as the principle of everything is simple. When you cut yourself off from everything you can achieve this simplicity and achieve correct Taekwondo. If you cut yourself off from everything then everything artificial will disappear along with all that conceals TAEKWONDO. Taekwondo always lies within not outside of you. The correct Taekwondo movement is always the simplest one because you, who practice Taekwondo, have only this simplicity left, having abandoned all extemporaneous things. It is your true self. Simplicity is both difficult and easy.