Proficiency in the martial arts proved a valuable asset to
those living in the seventh century on what would later become
the Korean peninsula. But political and geographical considerations
have evolved dramatically over the years. Clearly, the martial
arts of today are vastly different from those practiced by the
Hwarang warriors of the past both in form and spirit.
Historically, these styles of empty-hand combat were instituted
as a means of unarmed self-defense by those unable to acquire
weaponry due to tribal economics or social standing. In all probability,
these arts held little philosophical value other than that
found in the pride of victory, or the humiliation of defeat.
It was not until the time of Wonkwang Popsa and the Zen
patriarch Bodhidharma that a spiritual and ethical tradition
began to flourish and permeate the underpinnings of martial
philosophy establishing both a virtuous response to threat and a
‘way’ or ‘path’ towards superior living. Once imbued in the warrior’s
structure of thinking, however, it was only a matter of
time (albeit centuries) before these elements would cause what
was once exclusively battlefield tactics to evolve into the martial
Taekwondo—Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior