I recently received a shipment of books on the history and art of taekwondo. Also, this past Friday afternoon I purchased James Clavell's book, Shogun, a fictional account of the events leading up to the civil war that followed the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Taiko of Japan, . Mixed in with all of that is what the Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13, commonly refered to among Christians as "the love chapter."
Clavell's depiction of the samurai is impressive. With an enemy, the samurai is cold, ruthless, merciless, striking fast with his blade. With a loved one, the samurai is capable of deep feelings of compasion and tenderness. The samurai knew that the beauty of life is not taken for granted, for it is fleeting. Japanese poetry reflects this so well. Life is heard and seen, then is gone, as is the beauty of falling cherry blossoms in the wind. The samurai understood this.
Clavell shares the Japanese proverb that one is of six faces and three hearts. The first heart is revealed to the world. The second heart is shown only to loved ones and close, intimate friends. The third heart is only known to oneself, and noone can know it. The only thing that truly matters to the samurai is his honor, and it must be defended with a fanatic zeal, to the point of death if one is dishonored. While a number of samurai and daimyo converted to Christianity, many continued to hold to Buddhism, for they could not understand love as it was taught by Christ. Equality of all men and women in God's sight was difficult for them to accept, for the society that the samurai upheld was strictly Confucian, resulting in a caste system that didn't offer hope for anyone to rise above their station in life.
I am sure that the conflict they may have heard about in Europe between Catholic and Protestant did not help, for this message of love was not exactly practiced by members of each sect that was too busy casting curses and damnation at the other side to remember Christ's words: They will know you are my disciples by the love you share one with another.
For the samurai, honor was the priority. Love as they understood it was not. Honor demanded sacrifice for the lords, for it was what society expected of them. I do not doubt their honor. I do not doubt their courage. As I look at Confucianism, I understand the love the son must have for the father, the love the student must have for the teacher, the love the people must have for the king. As I have read it, "Father, Teacher, King one and the same." In my eyes, it is more of a loyalty to each with no love (as I understand it) attached. The wife would die for her husband, but would the husband die for the wife, or the children? A student would put his life on the line if it is believed the honor of the teacher has been questioned. Would the teacher put his life on the line for the student? Jesus Himself said that "no greater love has anyone than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." What king has ever died out of love for his people? Besides Jesus Christ, that is. Many kings have gone to war to expand his power base, to add to his reputation as a great and mighty warrior, and to earn himself a place in the history books. It is expected that loyal subjects sacrifice themselves for their king. Then again, I would expect the king to honestly love the people in his kingdom to the point that he would sacrifice himself to save them, if it were possible. How many kings have done this, only to fall in battle and their names were lost to the ages?
As I study taekwondo, I see love being the motivation and honor being the result. Love is my motivation for behaving honorably. I have read that "taekwondo begins with defense and ends with defense." A true martial artist will defend, but will not be the first to attack, with the exception being in sparring and in organized competition. A true martial artist will seek to end conflict peacefully, but is prepared to be judicial in his or her defense, seeking to end the conflich as quickly as possible, with as little physical damage as possible.
Without love, honor is meaningless. When one begins with returning love to their deity, then honor will come naturally, first to their god, then to those they live with in their family and in their society, and it will be reflected in how he or she treats himself or herself. From love comes the honor and dignity we should have for each other, and this is a gift from God.
As I reflect on the history that I have studied, I see that the honor of the aristocracy of Europe, the samurai of Japan and the yangban of Korea had a foundation in selfishness. Among gentlemen of the aristocracy, dishonor usually resulted in a duel. It did not have to be to the death. It would end when the offended gentlemen felt that honor had been satisfied. If dishonor came from a peasant, the peasant would be punished by someone serving the aristocrat. If the dishonor was severe enough, the penalty could be death. There was honor in the form of self-respect, but the love for others was lacking. In that, the aristocracy brought upon themselves the greater dishonor. It is a shame they brought upon themselves, but their pride kept them from acknowledging the sin and they were blinded to the resulting shame. It is no wonder that the commoners, the peasants, held members of the aristocracy in contempt.
I know the time will come when I will bow to an honorable man. In silence it will be returned, as we thank each other for putting our bodies at risk in practicing the skills we need to defend the innocent and to see justice done. This happens in sparring. It is required at certain levels for belt tests in the dojang. It is not just an act of honor, but it is also an act of love. "Use my body to test your skills. I trust you to do what you must as you prepare for a moment that we both pray will never come. But if it does, then may the things you do to me in training save your life when trouble finds you unaware."
Of course, I hope you will feel the same way when I am the one throwing the kicks and punches your way as we spar.
Honestly I do not look forward to it. I don't like being the one in the fight. I watch wrestling, I've watched K-1 and UFC, and in a subway station in Seoul I 've seen a guy pick a fight with someone who just wanted to be left alone. But I know that fights happen. Love dictates that life held sacred must be put on the line to defend the most precious gifts God shares with us in family and in friends. It is war between good and evil. I do not believe in doing evil for the sake of good, for this is opposed to what my faith teaches. I do believe that there are times in this world when evil overcomes good. I do know that when all debts are settled, Good will be victorious and Evil will cease to exist, never again to raise its ugly head. No more need to put our bodies at risk to test skills that are not needed in the world to come.
I can live with that. Until then, I want love for my fellow human beings to be one of my motivations in studying taekwondo. Honor will follow me after the time of trouble has past.
Tags: Love Honor Taekwondo Samurai Philosophy Japan Shogun James Clavell Proverbs
