Chief Master Taejoon Lee's Journey

With strength of character
Nothing is impossible.
When your heart expands
To embrace the impossible,
You are able to lead with Tao.

Lao Tzu

I began my journey in life and self-discovery in a small, worn-down Dojang in Seoul, Korea. My life was set in motion and destiny etched into the fiber of my being from the very first breath I consumed. My father, my mentor, my master has transferred the energy of his passion into my body. He has single handedly rekindled the "Spirit of the Hwa Rang®" into the modern society. His passion and vision of spreading this ancient body of knowledge throughout the world did not come without consequences. His master, Suahm Dosa, ordered my father to pass down the knowledge of the Hwa Rang only to his family and not to teach it to the public. My father, in his ambitious nature, wanted to share with the rest of the world, the full benefits of Hwa Rang Do® and could not contain it within himself as a secret.

In this one action, my father changed the modern history of martial arts, as we know it. It has brought formidable challenges as well as immense joys into our lives. After being disappointed with the Korean government, when President Park accepted the proposal from General Choi to make Tae Kwon Do a national sport, my father left the country. He realized that fulfilling the dream of teaching Hwa Rang Do® world-wide could only be accomplished when the most influential nation could be persuaded. This brought him and our family to the United States. I would then call America my home.

This brought new challenges into our lives, which we were not prepared for. For the first time I understood what racism is. I never knew at the young age of nine years old that a person could be discriminated against because of the color of his skin - something I could not alter even if I wanted to. Many times I felt bitter and angry that my father brought us to America. As I began to understand and realize my potential as a human being, not Korean, not white, not colored, I became empowered through education and Hwa Rang Do®.

It was at this point that I realized that a person must be strong both in mind and body. Without advances in both areas of one's life, true confidence and empowerment cannot be possible. First you must gain the knowledge to know what you want, then have the power and the abilities to act. A human being is not all mind nor all body, but a single working unit of the most intricate orchestration of both. With this realization, I started to train intensely as well as excel in the educational institutions.

I then entered college with the goal of becoming a lawyer, fulfilling my father's wishes. This he thought would be of most benefit to Hwa Rang Do®. Understanding that in today's society the pen is truly mightier than the sword, I attempted to honor my father's wishes. However, I maintained my Hwa Rang Do® training as well as my education. Even earlier in my secondary school years, I started a Hwa Rang Do® club in school as well as instructing a P. E. class. Along with these commitments, I also managed and taught a Dojang, located in the City of Laguna Hills. Hwa Rang Do® and education became my life. At the University of Southern California, I once again started a Hwa Rang Do® Club during my freshman year. This was an awesome experience to teach in an arena of highly motivated people with the greatest aptitude for learning. I proceeded to establish the Intercollegiate Hwa Rang Do® Society, which led to other clubs. Hwa Rang Do® clubs were created at University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Irvine, University of California at Riverside, University of California at San Diego and California State Long Beach. It was at this time that I realized the fruition of what I learned earlier, that intellectual study and martial art are inseparable. The needs of the mind and the needs of the body must both be met.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, I set out into the real world. I came to the decision that I wanted to teach more than anything and I would not attend Law School. I wanted to teach Hwa Rang Do®. I have seen what it can do to others and experienced what it did for me. This decision disappointed my father, wanting a better life for his children through higher learning. This decision would not be fulfilled without a price.

I had the opportunity to work in a mental hospital where I was teaching Tai Chi and physical therapy to patients of the Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Co-dependency Unit. This exposed me to a world that I never knew existed. I learned of the most atrocious acts of inhumanity, which made me disillusioned about people and questioned my spiritual faith. I realized from this experience that the development of the "self" must also include the heart. My journey to understanding the essential needs of human beings to maximize their life was becoming complete. Now, the challenge was to make the connection and motivate others in understanding the full benefits of the martial arts training and incorporate it into their lives.

In the spring of 1994, I came across an old Tae Kwon Do school that was up for lease. With a small loan, I leased the building. It was really run-down and there was much work to be done. I took on the challenges and with the help of one of my first students at my first dojang whom I knew for the past 20 years, we started to tear down walls and build. Two years later with a student body of over 250, we had our grand opening. It was a great success.

It was at this point, that my father, my master, accepted my decision to teach and follow in his footsteps. It was my choice, but I must thank my father, my teacher, for instilling within me the strong values of character at a young age. Without his strength, unyielding spirit and most importantly his love, I could not have matured into the person I am today, a teacher. I dedicate this web site to my father and his dedication to the betterment of humankind through these ancient teachings of the Hwa Rang.

"A Teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

Henry B. Adams