This will be a historic day for many reasons….

On April 18th, 2009, Chief Master Lee successfully tested for his 8th Dan promotion in front of his father and founder of Hwa Rang Do, Supreme Grandmaster Dr. Joo Bang Lee during a private examination at the World Hwa Rang Do Headquarters in Tustin, CA.

Supreme Grandmaster Lee will formally award the 8th Dan Grandmaster title to his eldest son and heir to the Hwa Rang Do® legacy, on May 23rd, 2009 during a private banquet in Tustin, CA.

This is the last promotion Chief Master Lee will be formally testing for.

Very few people in the world can fathom the dedication, skill, knowledge and time it requires to achieve an 8th Dan title in Hwa Rang Do®. Hwa Rang Do® is the only martial art which has curriculum all the way through 7th Dan, encompasses over 4,000+ techniques and requires a rigorous test for promotion in each degree, through 8th Dan.

Only 3 other people in the world hold an equal or higher rank in Hwa Rang Do.

Chief Master Taejoon Lee has proven himself to be one of the world’s finest martial artists, in a style that spans an unusually broad skill-set of striking, joint locking, throwing, grappling, submissions and training in 108 different weapons.

His speed, precision, power, and encyclopedic knowledge of body mechanics converge into a beautiful yet lethal blur of movement, which can only be appreciated by seeing him in action.

Not surprisingly, his talents have been recognized by industry press, which has featured him in nearly two dozen articles including two covers of Black Belt magazine (World’s Leading Martial Arts Journal). He has trained many members of the Elite U.S. Military & Law Enforcement, and has performed celebrated demonstrations in the United States, Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

Aside from physical ability, over the 30 years of teaching Hwa Rang Do®, Chief Master Lee has selflessly given his life to his students, with the goal of self-betterment. Personal development and spiritual growth is a central focus of training in Hwa Rang Do® and his mentorship has been directly responsible for the extraordinary success of many of his students, which include leaders in corporate America, entrepreneurs, actors, singers, medical and legal professionals, to touch on a few.

With the current commercial focus on violence in the martial arts industry, the unusual focus on personal development and developing important life skills stands out as a powerful testament to the mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as the physical, benefits of martial arts training.

For more information about Chief Master Lee, details about his 8th Dan ceremony, and to join his students in celebrating his life’s work and passion, please visit: www.HwaRangDo.net/8thdan

Before Tae Soo Do, the 60s through the 80s, a 5 year old student had to start as a Hwa Rang Do white sash and had to learn 8 basics, a long form, 30 three-step sparring techniques, 2 kicking tests, and had to memorize the entire Hwa Rang Do Mengsae which included the Nine Doctrines. They did all this for their Orange Sash test in 4 to 6 months. Compared to now, a 5 year old student only learns 4 basics, only one of the Hwa Rang Do Mengsae and it takes them on the average 3 to 4 months.

We now have two programs: Basic Training where one learns only striking techniques with no weaponry and grappling and Warrior’s Path which includes everything – striking, weaponry, grappling. We have no students in Basic Training.

Before our school, we used to have only two classes – one for juniors and one for adults, 6 days a week. The students came as many days as they can, averaging at least 3 to 4 days per week. Now, even with a mandatory attendance of 2 days per week, less than 50% of our student body meets the 8 classes per month requirement.

What has changed? Did people get dumber? Is global warming frying our brains? Did people get more lazy? Did time speed up and so we have less time?

Are there too many distractions? Absolutely…

I have been observing people and their pattern of living for the last 30 years. What I have learned about human behavior is through my students and the lessons are many. The countless excuses and explanations of why they can’t do this or do that from literally thousands of students for the last 30 years have made me sort of an expert on the subject.

And this is what I have learned about excuses:

• Everyone has one and they all stink. (There’s a military version of this.)
• They all think theirs is original.
• They all think the other person doesn’t understand.
• They all say, “I don’t want sympathy, but …”
• They don’t realize that they are wasting the other person’s time.
• It’s a waste of time to listen to other people’s excuses because there’s nothing of value.
• One shouldn’t hang around with people full of excuses, because it’s contagious.
• There is no such thing as a valid excuse because in the end the validation is not given by the listener, but must be validated by the self, which of course no self in their right mind would validate; hence the need for the listener.
• Making an excuse to avoid consequences or trying to make yourself out to look good is not the same as explanation. Explanations are given to inform and to improve in the hopes of changing one’s situation as to not repeat the same offense.
• Giving an excuse is not an apology. An apology starts with I am sorry. An excuse starts with, but or because.
• An excuse does not waive one’s responsibilities. Because you missed a class does not waive your responsibility to know what was taught in that class.
• Time does not repeat, so if you missed something, you must make it up in a timely manner.
• In the end, the people with the most excuses only hurt themselves and have lost the most valuable commodity in the universe, TIME.

Yes this might seem a little harsh, but why think of it any other way. If at the end of reading the bullet points, if you were able to refute or think that there’s something to refute because surely there are good excuses, then you’re not in the right frame of mind. Of course there are always exceptions, but why waste time thinking about them, especially when it’s not going help you in a positive light.

Oh and what about medical excuse. Surely that’s a valid excuse. If you think this, then your mind is still in high school. How many times did you make yourself feel sick to convince your mom so that you can stay home, which didn’t help you in the long run? You are your own judge and you must self-regulate. You know when you are too sick or too injured to perform and restrain yourself from training because you are so eager to get on the mat, right? Doctors are not gods. They are not always right and they have to be concerned about malpractice suits. Sure, with a broken arm in a cast you can’t do things with your one arm, but you still got one good arm and two legs. Yes, I have been injured. I was bed ridden for a week after a 50 foot fall onto my neighbor’s concrete driveway and three weeks later, I made my first film. There was no way that I was not going to do it. What I did was nothing; be like Prof. Randy Pausch or Lance Armstrong.

Point being, yes there are medical situations that limits us, but we can always find a way if we really want it. That’s the key – how much do we want it! That’s always been the key, the secret, or whatever other fanciful word you want to use. The key to unlocking life’s treasure chest is first, knowing what you want and more importantly, never relenting in its pursuit.

Please realize that time is finite for us, human beings, as we will all certainly die. The only question is when and how. We have no control of ‘when’ without being damned and/or cowardly, so definitely not a choice as a warrior. However, we can control ‘how’ by focusing on how we will be remembered.

This is my mission, my passion to help others reach their full potential and get the most out of life.

And, even if you disagree with everything thus far (which I don’t see how, but I am sure one can find a way), you must agree that nothing is accomplished by thinking about it. It’s only through action that anything is achieved. Not just action, but 100% commitment to the action without reservation. One foot in and one foot out will get you exactly that, one shoe or a pair of mismatching shoes.

There is so much I want to say and soon I shall, in the way of a book on life as a warrior is the 21st century. But for now, I want to get back to what I originally wanted to tell you.

Everyone has an ego and that ego always tells them that they can do more, be more, and just more of everything. So, they come to us to do more, to do everything, to participate in one of the most demanding martial art programs in the world to be comprehensive, all around, balanced, complete. However, soon after they start training, they realize that its hard work and the romantic superhero created by the mind soon diminish as doubt sets in. Often it’s not even doubt, but one regresses to infancy and just plainly says to the self, “I don’t like it. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it.” How can they even know that they like or dislike when they have nothing to compare it to? And, wasn’t it trying out something new the motivation for starting in the first place? When doubt sets in, it’s all over. The mind’s imagination takes over and gives credence to the doubt and sugarcoats the idea of quitting.

“No, it’s not quitting” and with that, the gun fires and excuses start racing to see which excuse appeases the ego most. Please understand that I know this best from self-reflection. We are all in it together and together we must support what is true and strong and fight against what is delusional and weak.

This last Saturday’s New Year’s Bootcamp is a perfect example. Less than 50% of our students participated in what was a mandatory event.

I am sure many who were present were anxious and frightful of what was to come as I and the Instructors have fed their imagination throughout the entire week.

“Oh you’re all gonna die,” I said with a smile. “Hope you guys can make it through without getting sick.” “I am jump starting you for the entire year!” etc., etc.

With that we started the class. The class of about 50 students went through everything I could muster. It was reminiscent of my college years when we conducted a week long hell week, which was later renamed T n’ T week for Trials & Tribulations.

This is some of what they had to do:

This is some of what they had to do:

• 100 punches/shuffling
• 100 punches/shuffling with 100 climbs in push up position
• 1000 punches, 200 blocks, 100 punch/block combo all in horse stance
• Approximately 1000 kicks all together
• Punching, parrying, trapping 1000 times
• 20 duck/under pickups on each side
• 400 speed kicks
• Partner training: leg presses, multiple one leg kicking, speed knees and jumps, ducking, side falls
• 20 forward hip movement drill, forward hip slide several time across the mat, rear hip slides
• And, 100 group sit-ups… (this is all I can remember at the moment)

We did all this is 2 hours. Although there were about half dozen people who had to frequent the restroom, everybody made it through. Come on, when in your wildest dreams did you ever think that you can do all that? You can absolutely do more, just like your ego says, but instead of just thinking it, I am here to help you achieve it and when you finally do, there will be no need for the ego.

So, this is my challenge to you for the New Year and evermore. Don’t think you’re strong – be strong, don’t think you’re intelligent – be intelligent, don’t think you’re not lazy – get busy, don’t think you’re doing enough – do more, don’t get humiliated – be humble, think less and do more. Remember the more you do the more you want to do; the less you do the less you want to do.

We have all the classes you need, to be what you wanted to be when you first started. So, let’s get busy.

This morning, Master Lee was explaining the finer points of the second HRD hyung to me, demonstrating the proper body mechanics for the reverse punch. I’ve seen plenty of high level practitioners throw a reverse punch, and I myself have thrown thousands of them. But when you see it done properly, as if every cell of the puncher’s body is in perfect harmony with that movement, that punch is no longer just a punch. It’s an expression of transcendence.

The beauty of that transcendence is lost, however, on 99% of the people that walk through the dojang’s doors. The average person, even a so-called “educated consumer”, lacks the perspective or experience to see the value of what’s being given to them so freely for nothing more than the price of enrollment. I see it almost every time I walk into the dojang: “That which comes too easily, you esteem too lightly,” It’s a bloody shame. It expresses itself with every rude comment, every careless action, every half-hearted kick, every defensive response to criticism, and every moment when our ego allows any sort of behavior that is anything other than respectful, diligent, committed, and generous. This is the cold, hard truth of every asset or precious commodity – from money, to relationships – not just martial arts. We get into the habit of taking things for granted, and we do it with the things that we cherish, let alone the things that we cannot comprehend the value of.
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Almost 2 decades ago, when I first came to Los Angeles, I was at Caltech, watching Tsutomu Ohshima teach his Shotokan karate class. As a newcomer, I knelt just inside the door of the gym in the corner, watching the class train and observing the instruction. Master Ohshima noticed me kneeling, and came up to me after maybe 30 minutes and invited me in, asking me to sit more comfortably on the bleachers. When he came up to me, I bowed down, touching my forehead to the ground in the same way that you bow at the beginning of class.
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At the end of class, one of Master Ohshima’s higher ranking brown belt students came up to me and snidely asked why I was brown-nosing “Mr. Ohshima” with all the kneeling and bowing. I shot back a glare that would have cut through a tree and told him that if he had any clue who his teacher was, how his teacher was the prized pupil of the father of modern karate, how his teacher’s skill is legendary in the world of martial arts (even in Japan), he should cry at the number of times he failed to kneel down and show the utmost respect for his sensei. Embarrassed, he skulked off to change out of his uniform and find his pocket protector. In all his years of training, that student never comprehended the value of the moments he had with this great master. If you knew the kind of level of achievement and genius that Do Joo Nim has accomplished, if you knew the kind of persistence and dedication Susuk Kwan Jang Nim has put into training and continuing Do Joo Nim’s legacy, and if you knew how little you appreciate it and respect it, maybe you’d cry too. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Don’t show your thanks with a Honey baked ham, or some cheap words. Show how much you understand what is being given to you and how much you esteem the Hwarang ethos by pushing yourself in every moment to be stronger, more dedicated, more respectful, and more aware not just in the dojang, but in every moment of your life.

Dr. Mark Cheng

First I want to say how extremely proud I am of our students from West Coast and all across the country, who came to participate in this year’s World Championships.

The competition was fierce, yet with great sportsmanship.

The stands were full of friends, family and Hwa Rang Do fans.

The entire event went off without a single glitch or problem.

The referees, judges, time keeper, organizers and all the Black Sashes did a superb job running the event… and they still competed in all 5 events!

On top of that, today not a single martial arts organization has done what we accomplished this past Sunday. I don’t know if you may understand the magnitude of what happened this past weekend, but many of our students essentially competed in 3, 4 and even 5 tournaments in a single day!

One martial art having 5 tournaments in a single day in weapon forms, open hand forms, sparring, grappling and sword fighting is unheard of…

Hwa Rang Do is truly the WORLD’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE MARTIAL ART and it would not be possible without the hard work and dedication YOU put into your training and preparation.

Like I’ve said many times before, we are a different breed of martial art and our goals are not simply to teach kicking and punching. Our goals are to impact the world in a positive and powerful way.

As a result, the vision which was realized last week in developing our own competitive venue will continue to expand until the growth of Hwa Rang Do is so massive, we will have people knocking down our dojang doors begging to become a part of our competitions, organization and family.

I know at times, I can be a very tough and hard teacher to have. But EVERYTHING I do is done with purpose and the very best intentions for you as an individual, Hwa Rang Do and our society.

I push you because I want you to fulfill your potential.

I bark because at any given moment I know you can be 100 times better than you think you are.

And I will continue to do so, because as your teacher I love you and want the very best for you.

You are all awesome warriors — hwarang!

And next year will be even better and bigger than ever with the addition of a visiting Italian Team and transforming the sport of Kumdo/Kendo with our own unique brand of weapon fighting the world has yet to witness…

Hwa Rang Do will be first!

HWA RANG DO, HWA RANG DO, HWA RANG DO FOREVER!

Your very proud,

Chief Master Taejoon Lee

KCC: From the 30 years of teaching, what are some of your discoveries, experiences, and understandings of being human?

CML: Wow, that’s a loaded question. Let me see how I can best answer that. First off, I am grateful and feel blessed for having the opportunity to have come across so many diverse people of all walks of life, culture, and nations. Literally I have taught thousands if not tens of thousands of students and you can say I heard it all, seen it all, but human beings are very tricky and I am sure I will gain new insights, (smiling) good ones. But then again what are bad insights? I guess all insights are good, depending on how I apply them, and yes I already knew that. I was just checking to see if you’re awake.

There are many that I could mention, which is my inspiration for my next book, but for now just a few thoughts. I have heard over and over again from my students that they wish they started training earlier when they were children and that they wish they finished many things that they started when they were younger. There are several clues to our human nature from this. For one, perseverance is not innate; it is learned or in my case teachable. So, this is one of my most important missions as a teacher is to teach the qualities of perseverance and tenacity to my students.

How is that possible? Well, before one can be tenacious, he/she must have fortitude, endurance; before one can persevere he/she must have strength and courage. One must understand the reasons why people quit things.

And, if you ask a thousand people why they have quit, they will give you a thousand different answers with the most popular answer being, “I don’t know.” For those who have put some thought into it, their answers will range from the most absurd to the most creative elaborations from their infinite imagination, the intellect. However, if you look deeply, there are two fundamental reasons – loss of interest and hardship.

There are many versions of why they lost interest and why it was so difficult and all of them are justifiable and reasonable. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that they have quit.

Most have learned the art of quitting from their early childhood when you (the parent) have enrolled them in piano lessons, but now they want to play the guitar which is actually okay as it is in the same discipline of music. So at least, that’s what we tell ourselves as parents. Then, the child wants to do martial arts, but now he wants to play football and that’s okay because at least they are doing something physical. So at least, that’s what we tell ourselves as parents.

As young children, they seek what is pleasurable and avoid things that are not pleasurable. This is why I might find my 6 year old nephew rubbing himself on the couch and when asked, “Why do you do that?” His answer is simple and in a way profound, “It feels good.” Profound? Because ultimately this is the state which we all seek – that state of purity, innocence, and happiness, often called heaven, nirvana, enlightenement.

But for now, we must grow to maturity and become adults. And being an adult, being mature means that we must learn to do the things that we don’t like to do, things which do not give us pleasure. We may even do them well and sometime very well — like taxes.

So, if we let the child decide, then they will be fickle and rightly so with so many things to do and so eager to do them all.

Then what is the answer?

You can’t just have them do one thing forever or can you? Actually that’s what makes people the best at something – look at Tiger Woods or better yet, me (with a smile). To clarify, it’s not just one thing, but one focus. Well, that’s highly unlikely and you don’t want to limit your child’s experiences. Then, what can you do?

How about setting smaller goals and timelines for example: if they want to play the guitar, then you make them promise that they will try it for one year whether they like it or not and at that time, you’ll re-evaluate whether the child wants to continue or not.

At least this way, they did not quit, but more importantly they don’t feel like a quitter and also learned to keep a promise. Also, they did not get stuck wasting time on something that they don’t like doing and it’s not their forte. This is why the martial arts are so perfect as it breaks down the art’s curriculum into small parts, the belt ranking system, that are more digestible.

Boy this has become a long winded answer, so I’ll try to wrap it up and you’ll just have to wait for my book to know the rest.

No matter how you disguise it, quitting is quitting, and it’s a learned behavior. As a child when they quit something, they don’t feel bad, they feel liberated, happy. It’s later on in their lives that this behavior impacts them negatively and is the cause of low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and self-destructive behavior.

Human beings cling to things that are familiar and stay away from things that are unfamiliar whether they are positive or negative has no bearing on their decision. We want more than anything – security. The fear of the unknown is far greater than the impending doom of self-destructive behavior. And, even when we know that what we are doing is not good for us, we will continue as that is what’s familiar. Their lives will continue to spin out of control and not knowing how to stop it or change it, their ego for the sake of self-preservation will convince them that it’s not their fault that their live are so messed up, but it’s everyone and everything else that’s is to blame.

KCC: We can’t change our past, so what are we to do now as adults?

CML: Quit! (laugh). There are so many things I want to share with you, my students, and the world. This is why I am relentless in my efforts to teach, teach, and then teach some more. With the help of some of my students, we will utilize the new technologies to disseminate my teachings and have it more readily available worldwide.

KCC: Okay Master Lee, but what do you want to teach?

CML: Whether you believe in God or not, our lives are in our own hands. And, if there is a God, we must be self-reliant for what kind of god would want a nagging, whining child. Our destiny lies within our own hands and it is up to us to make happen what we want to be like, what kind of life we want to live. Whether the glass half-full or half-empty, what you must remember is that it is the same glass of water and it’s up to the individual to decide.

The goal should be to do the best that we can in all that we do by constantly improving, strengthening, and educating ourselves towards betterment. That should be the goal of our lives, not “lets be a millionaires”. Money is a means to an end, not the end itself and usually it ruins everything of true value, the human spirit. So if you do not enjoy the journey of life and spend money accordingly, then you’ll have amassed a lot of wealth, spend much time and stress protecting it, some will literally bury it underground as they do not trust the banks, then die a rich, bitter, lonely man, only to leave all the wealth that you could not carry into heaven, to your children. Then they won’t be able to understand why people have to work so hard to make money and constantly complain about it and also can’t figure out why they are so miserable.

Earlier, I have defined two fundamental sources for quitting and both are within our control – boredom and difficulties. Grass is not greener on the other side; the grass is greenest where I step.

In order to maintain our interest in others and the things we do, we must first make ourselves interesting by constantly improving in all areas of our lives, reaffirming our purpose each and every day, crush the demon of apathy that lies deep within ourselves, and not live to enter heaven, but make this our heaven.

Then, we must fortify and strengthen all three elements of the self – mind, body and heart, keeping our spirit balanced and strong. With this renewed strength, we can now face any hardship and accept it as a challenge that stands in defiance of our growth, of our goal towards self-betterment.

I am not interested in living a long life; I want to live a full life. This is what I have learned from my life as a Hwarang and this is what I want to share with the world. I thank my teacher, my mentor, my father and most importantly the silence between the words that give everything meaning.

Hwarangdo Forever!

Thirty years later, Taejoon Lee finds himself answering the question he posed to himself so long ago. With hundreds of rang do (students) under his direct tutelage, and thousands more internationally following the martial way, Susuk Kwanjangnim is poised to achieve a monumental feat.

The Kwan Chang Chronicles sat with Chief Master Lee to discuss his achievement, and get his reflections from thirty years of teaching Hwa Rang Do in the United States, and what he envisions for the coming years.

KCC: Susuk Kwanjangnim, what is the most vital aspect of your teaching? What one thing do you hope students take away from their training?

ML: When you look back into the history of the Hwarang and whom they were, their martial training was not just to develop skills for combat, they were life skills as well. Everything they did, be it raise a family, the arts, teach, heal, etc. was guided and congruent with how they lived as warriors.

In battle, there are no excuses. Failure was equivalent to dying. Now even though in our modern everyday lives, we normally don’t pay that high of a price for our failures, as modern warriors we need to be guided by that same philosophy. I always tell my students, “don’t be the exception, be exceptional”.

Now that being said, often in life we do fail and make mistakes. Once a mistake has occurred, there’s nothing you can do to change it – it’s in the past. But as warriors if we have faltered and still have the opportunity to live on, we must view that failure as an opportunity to learn and grow and continue moving forward with our new found wisdom.

Most people view failure or success as the only two possible outcomes for a venture. But there are many opportunities for personal growth as you work toward achieving your objective. Only focusing on the outcome can be dangerous, because it opens you up to temptation – to cheating your way to get to the end, cutting corners or even just becoming complacent.

But as warriors, the journey and how we conduct ourselves and what we gain during that journey is just as important. Every great warrior, every great leader shares an inherent dissatisfaction with status quo and a desire to challenge themselves, to become better people in the process of achieving one’s goals. As a result, the journey becomes even more important than arriving at your destination.

From international martial arts exhibitions and seminars, to private instruction where he teaches one-to-one, Master Lee has taught thousands of people Hwa Rang Do’s martial way. We asked him, then, what has the largest obstacle been to imparting the Hwarang philosophy to the public at large.

ML: In our western society, we have become conditioned and told that it is acceptable to avoid responsibility for ourselves. It’s even engrained in our legal system, where they make a distinction between premeditated murder and just murder… “crimes of passion” versus just crime. This conditions us to believe that there are times when we can avoid taking full responsibility for our own actions. This is ridiculous. Everything we do and don’t do, is our responsibility regardless of the circumstance!

This is my biggest challenge, but it is also my responsibility as a teacher to help everyone who walks into my dojang understand this. From the little tiger who forgets his sparring gear to the adult students not taking responsibility for their test material, everyone is accountable for their own actions. If a little tiger comes to the dojang without the necessary equipment, it’s not the parent’s responsibility, it’s the little tiger’s responsibility and he/she is the one who will be disciplined.

The encouraging part about my job is that as students progress to the higher levels of Tae Soo Do and into Hwa Rang Do, most do become more responsible and self-critical. It’s a great joy of mine to watch them mature and progress.

However, I also rarely acknowledge my students for these achievements, because I want them to improve for themselves, and not for the sake of pleasing me. It is very difficult for me to bottle up this silent pride for my students. There is nothing more I want to do than to hug them and tell them “great job”. But, I am reluctant to do this because I want them to be proud of themselves, while still never being satisfied and remain hungry for more.

KCC: How do you translate that concept to the dojang?

ML: Well, my life’s journey as a teacher has taught me quite a bit as you can imagine. Early on, I focused quite a bit on techniques, application and execution of Hwa Rang Do inside the dojang. While obviously, there is no one more strict on the proper execution of techniques than I, instilling my students with the desire to better themselves has taken precedent over anything else. I want my students to be able to be self-critical and stand up to the challenges in their lives, no matter the circumstance..

Now so you don’t’ misunderstand me, I have excellent students. They are the best! However, we must all strive to improve ourselves, our lives, our environment and those around us… until we reach our full potential.

That is what it means to be a Hwarang – a warrior.

As Hwarang, we don’t seek to improve to please others or win a prize or medal. Achieving one’s human potential means achieving and doing as much as you possibly can during your lifetime, with your God given strengths and overcoming any weaknesses or shortcomings.

If you are three feet tall, be the best three footer you can be. Don’t worry about those taller than you. Focus on being the best, period.

KCC: Besides teaching, how are you striving to reach your full potential?

ML: Fifty knuckle push-ups! (laughing) Just kidding. Over the past 15 years, I’ve been working to fulfill a dream of mine. It is to improve upon our Kumdo (the Korean version of Japanse Kendo) techniques. I have developed a new set of techniques to be added to the traditional mori, hori and son strikes. When I started, I did not know how I would do this, but I knew it was a goal worth striving for.

Constantly challenging myself with new dreams and goals is how I reach for my full potential. As long as I have new dreams, goals and ideas, my job is not done yet.

KCC: What were the obstacles in fulfilling your dream?

ML: This is changing one hundred years of tradition! I had the idea, but I couldn’t just introduce the concept. I had to set the foundation – I had to create the armor, and create the Hwarang Kum Sur (Hwa Rang Do sword techniques). This is the legacy that has been handed to me, which I must honor and respect by very carefully thinking it through.

This isn’t capricious, this is methodical. I had to be able to envision this change fifteen years out, to work on it, develop the techniques and train students in the new techniques.

KCC: So as you encourage and challenge your students . . .

ML: I continue to challenge myself. It is liberating to have achieved this, but I strove because the journey was important. And each of us should continue to do this in our lives. We train to afford ourselves very real challenges, to push ourselves and to grow. This is more than a formula, more than a set of numbers to add up and say “Ah! I have the answer!” No, this is not it. It is defining perfection, establishing goals, and then working until you’ve achieved them. No one is going to reach perfection. It is an impossibility. But in striving for perfection, in attempting to reach the infinite possibilities in all of us, THAT is where we experience growth!

I look at the Hwarang way of life, the philosophy of growth and achievement, and I want to share it with as many people as possible. Where else in our modern society does someone experience the challenges necessary to grow on a regular basis? Think about it. The characteristics you need to succeed in training – discipline, perseverance, awareness, balance – are the same characteristics you need to succeed in life.

Do Joo Nim once told me a story: A man wanted to climb a mountain, wanted to achieve something in his life. So he set out up the mountain. He worked and sweated, strained and struggled, but finally, he stood on the peak. He achieved it. The wind was cool, chilling him. The sun shone bright, and the colors of the mountain were bright and vivid. Slowly, he turned all the way around, looking out across the vast range. Do you know what he saw? More peaks.

This is life. This is our philosophy. This is our way. Once you have achieved something, earned it, worked at it, there are other peaks to climb. But you do so with the confidence that comes from having reached the first peak. And the converse is, those who never try to climb the mountain, who never reach the first peak, don’t know what is possible, don’t know about the other peaks, because they haven’t conquered themselves, conquered their fears and attempted anything at all. This is the Hwarang way. Once you know that you can achieve in here, once you see that discipline and practice, awareness and balance, that perseverance allow you to achieve, then what is there you cannot achieve in life?

KCC: Is this something you believe people can achieve by themselves?

ML: No. No one can do it alone. Everyone is in need of ongoing mentorship, including myself. I will be disciplining a student for some transgression, challenging them to help them learn and grow, and days later, Do Joo Nim, my teacher, would be disciplining me for the exact same thing! This just shows that we all need a teacher, a mentor, someone to help us become honest with ourselves and be self-critical. For most of us, being self-critical is very difficult, because most human beings have a very high opinion of themselves, and we often need someone to step in and point out where we are lacking integrity. That is why beyond teaching and training, I am also going to begin offering Life Coaching.

KCC: For students?

ML: For students. For non-students. For everyone. As I said before, the didn’t just train for combat, their martial training served as a compass for their lives. Through live coaching, Hwa Rang Do will be able to reach a portion of humanity, which would otherwise not benefit from our training as life’s warriors.

This may seem like a lofty goal, but I’ve yet to find anything else, which offers more of an opportunity for personal growth and achieving one’s potential, than Hwa Rang Do. Life coaching is yet another peak to climb, with many more to follow.

Since 30 years cannot be summarized into a few mere paragraphs, our interview with Chief Master Lee will be continued in the next issue of the Kwan Chang Chronicles – West Coast Hwa Rang Do Newsletter.

“I guess it comes down to a simple choice really – get busy living or get busy dying.”
The Shawshank Redemption

Chief Master Taejoon Lee faces off against Jokyo Simon Lee

I had a student come to me and ask for a private lesson to show him how to execute a jump spin kick. Of course I feel that it’s long overdue and he should have asked me many months ago when he was first introduced to it as a Tae Soo Do (TSD) Brown Belt. Nearing his TSD Black Belt graduation where he must complete the final part of his Black Belt Testing Requirements by successfully breaking five boards with kick combinations, finishing with a jump spin/low spin
kick break, he felt the need to get some extra help to ensure his success.

It’s a good thing he was proactive in trying to control the future outcome by increasing his preparation, but what really motivated him? We’ll come back to this. As we continued his private session, he was having a terrible time fixing his old habits. Finally I blurted, “What are you afraid of, what?!”

He answered, “I am afraid of falling.”

I replied, “You have been here almost three years, learned how to fall properly, are standing on two inch thick mats, and yet you are still afraid of falling? Well, that’s it then. You must become unafraid and accept the worst outcome before you can move forward or perish (not in so many words).”

Human beings are motivated strongly by fears; mainly fear of injury, pain, hardship, embarrassment, and of the unknown. We try to balance our fears by creating comfort zones of predictable patterns to limit our uncertainty, deluding ourselves to think that we have some grasp on our lives. As we are taught in Hwa Rang Do to never retreat in the face of the enemy, we must first clearly define and understand this enemy of ours – fear. Let’s think for a moment what that is. Fear is anticipation of negative results from a particular event, action, or set of conditions that has been learned from past similar events.

The important thing to understand is that fear is not real. It is imaginary. It did not happen, and might never happen; it’s only our imagination, our mind which creates images with emotional and psychological attachments that become so real that we create our lives, our responses, and our choices based on fear – our imagination.

There are two types of fear discussed here: let’s describe them as good fear and bad fear. Good fear causes motivation for action and bad fear creates reasons for inaction. Good fear prompts proactive behavior while bad fear immobilizes our minds, causing either no response or complete abandonment – quitting. The good fear prompted the student to take action to prevent the negative result that he was anticipating with planning and preparation by deciding to take a private lesson. The bad fear prevented him from creating the necessary changes for betterment and advancing. He took refuge (as
many do) in the comfort of what’s most familiar. Whether that’s good or bad, negative or positive, self destructive or self enriching has no bearing on the decision. Just as a hermit crab hides in their shell, so do we hide in what’s most familiar.

The student was not willing to give up what’s familiar and clung to it like a safety blanket (however old, filthy, or smelly it may be), fixating only on the potential negative result rather than focusing on the possibility for growth and change for the better.

Once I helped the student think through the worst that can happen to him – a broken leg, perhaps, maybe even death (highly unlikely but let’s give our imagination the benefit of the doubt) the student was willing to move into unknown territory. Where before he kept doing the same wrong movement, once he accepted the worst-case scenario, he began to try different ways. Finally after almost an hour of what was to be a thirty-minute session, he made some progress. However, something very interesting occurred. He made some advancement, but quickly regressed to his old ways when he felt he was losing control, uncomfortable with the new body positioning. I think he even fell once. Well, that confirmed it.

His fears were right – he did fall. Fear is not logical, it’s not just mental or emotional, it’s all consuming, and it’s powerful. Fear cannot be underestimated, and the demon that has taken a lifetime to take root and grow cannot be defeated in a single brief encounter.

Furthermore, fear cannot be eliminated and should not be. Everything serves a purpose and so does fear. However, like all things, we must learn to control it, using it as fuel for action and exercising caution in making decisions. Being able to do this requires strength, which in turn increases our selfconfidence, and enhances our self-image. These are all necessary weapons when facing the demon of fear.

Primarily, we need the strength to accept the worst-case scenario. If one cannot, then they must quit their task and hide from fear, as many people try to hide from death. The problem is that death will come and we have absolutely no control over when or how. The only thing we have control over is life. Hiding is only a temporary solution. Also, have you noticed that when we quit things, or give up on dreams, that in our minds it’s perfectly justified and we have all the right reasons to do so? Of course we do! How could we live with ourselves if it weren’t the case? This is how our mind works for self-preservation.

Letting go of these justifications and delusions by being true and honest to oneself is the first step in battling our fears.

As warriors then, by definition, we must train ourselves to be unafraid of confrontation and engage our enemy. We must accept and embrace death as a guest, a friend that walks next to you with life on the other side. Only by embracing death, by truly understanding it, can we begin to appreciate and respect life. Not to abuse our life and live recklessly, which would be disrespecting death, but by honoring life so that our deaths become more meaningful.

This is the beauty and the power of Hwa Rang Do. We exercise dealing with fear on a daily basis as we take on physical, mental, and emotional challenges set by the art, fellow students, and me in a controlled safe environment. Hence, realizing our limitations, weaknesses, and the truth about ourselves, we can practice taming our personal demons and making them our friends that we may call upon for help – sources of motivation.

As the protagonist, Andy, in the acclaimed film, “The Shawshank Redemption,” was forced to make a decision when all hope was lost, so do we – either to get busy living or get busy dying. After losing all hope, when facts were revealed that could prove Andy’s innocence were brutally suppressed by the prison warden, Andy was forced to contemplate the meaning of life. Hopefully, we do not need to be in such extreme conditions to realize that the choice is ours – to live or to die, to be living or to be dying. Death is inevitable and tomorrow may never come.

To live life by allowing fear to force our hopes and dreams into hiding, never realizing our full potential, is slavery epitomized. We must look deep within and bring to the surface our innermost fears, confronting them face to face as we do our opponents, sparring until imminent victory. The fear you suppress most, that lurks in the dark crevices of your mind, is what enslaves you and it’s that enemy that we must overcome in order to truly live life with freedom.

I hope to continue gettin’ busy living with all of you for many more years to come.

With gratitude to death in making our lives more fulfilling,

Taejoon Lee
Susuk Kwanjangnim