THE TENETS OF TAEKWON-DO
Courtesy
Integrity
Perseverance
Self-Control
Indomitable Spirit
COURTESY
Courtesy
is the act of respecting others. To show courtesy is to be kind, gracious,
polite and considerate. Students should attempt to practice the element of
courtesy in and out of the dojang. Courtesy is action symbolizing respect. The
person without courtesy has no respect for others, and without respect for
others, there is no self-respect, and thus, true achievement in life is
impossible. The practice of courtesy itself leads to respect, and is therefore
highly valuable.
1) To promote the spirit of mutual
concessions
2) To be ashamed of one's vices, contempting those of others
3) To be polite to one another
4) To encourage the sense of justice and humanity
5) To distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior, and elder from
younger
6) To behave oneself according to etiquette
7) To respect others' possessions
8) To handle matters with fairness and sincerity
9)
To refrain from giving or accepting a gift when in doubt
INTEGRITY
The
quality or state of being of sound moral principal,
uprightness, honesty, and sincerity. A person must have basic honesty to others
and to himself in order to achieve anything worthwhile in life. Another facet of
integrity is loyalty - to your country, your friends and associates, your
family, and most importantly, to your principles.
1)
The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper
techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy.
2) The student who misrepresents himself by "fixing" breaking
materials before demonstrations.
3) The instructor who camouflages bad technique with luxurious training halls
and false flattery to his students.
4) The student who requests ranks from an instructor, or attempts to purchase
it.
5) The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power.
6) The instructor who teaches and promotes his art for materialistic gains.
7) The students whose actions do not live up to his words.
8) The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors.
PERSEVERANCE
The act of
persevering; continued, patient effort.
The quality of one who perseveres; persistence. There is an old oriental saying,
"patience leads to virtue or merit." To achieve something, whether it
is a higher rank or the perfection of a technique, one must set his goal, then
patiently overcome all obstacles and work towards this goal until it is
achieved. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Taekwondo is
to overcome every difficulty with perseverance
There
is an old Oriental saying, "Patience leads to virtue or merit, One can make
a peaceful home by being patient for 100 times." Certainly happiness and
prosperity are most likely brought to the patient person. To achieve something,
whether it is a higher degree or the perfection or a technique, one must set his
goal, then constantly persevere. Robert Bruce learned his lesson of perseverance
from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this perseverance and
tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the fourteenth century.
One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Taekwon-Do is to
overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Confucius said, "one who is
impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve success in matters of great
importance."
SELF CONTROL
This tenet is extremely important inside and outside the dojang, whether
conducting oneself in free sparring or in one's personal affairs. A loss of
self-control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent.
An inability to live and work within one's capability or sphere is also a lack
of self-control.
According
to Lao-Tzu "the term of stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather
than someone else."
INDOMITABLE
SPIRIT (Baekjool Boolgool)
"Here lie 300, who did their duty," a simple epitaph for one of the
greatest acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces
of Xerxes, Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermoplylae showed the world the
meaning of indomitable spirit. It is shown when a courageous person and his
principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.
A
serious student of Taekwon-Do will at all times be modest and honest. If
confronted with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent without any fear or
hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of whosoever and however
many the number may be.
Confucius declared," It is an act of cowardice to fail to speak out against
injustice." As history has proven, those who have pursued their dreams
earnestly and strenuously with indomitable spirit have never failed to achieve
their goals.
Note: Some of these explanations are from Master Malm's website and the ones in italics are from the International Taekwondo Federations website