A Lesson from Won Hyo Dae Sa

By Robert McLain (From a parable told by Grandmaster Kim Soo)

This article was printed in the July 2001 issue of Black Belt Magazine in "The State of Taekwondo" column.

During the Korean Silla Dynasty (57BC-918AD) a famous martial artist, Won Hyo Daesa, decided to embark on a pilgrimage to India to seek the origins of Buddhism. One night while he was on the road a storm rolled in and obscured the light of the moon, making the countryside very dark and travel dangerous. Rain poured down and the wind blew furiously.

 Won Hyo frantically searched for shelter from the storm. He stumbled upon a small, dry cave and crawled inside.  It was so dark that he had to use his hands to guide his way.  The floor felt as though it was padded with straw. He thought this was wonderful since he was quite tired from his journey.  Now, not only did he have a dry place to sleep, but also a very comfortable one.  Won Hyo Daesa lay down on the straw floor and pondered the good sleep he would have.

The hypnotic rainfall and hours of walking began to take its toll and he fell fast asleep.  Later he awoke to find he had developed a terrible thirst. After feeling around the dark shelter he found a cup with water in it.  "How wonderful," he thought.  Not only did he have a dry place to sleep, he had water to quench his thirst. He drank up and laid down to finish a good night's sleep.

When morning came Won Hyo woke up, stretched, and thought about his good fortune from the night before. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he gazed around the shelter -  and was shocked by what he saw.  The shelter was a tomb with bones strewn about its floor. He looked down to find the cup of water he drank from was actually a human skull with old, stagnant water inside. Upon realizing this, he became physically ill and staggered to a corner to vomit.

Afterwards, he meditated on the events that occurred the night before and that morning. During his meditation he found a valuable lesson and left the shelter to travel back to Korea.

The lesson Won Hyo learned was: Nothing can harm us unless we let it.

When Won Hyo thought everything was wonderful, he was physically comfortable even when he drank the old, stagnant water. But when he was exposed to mental prejudice and saw the actual event that occurred, he became physically ill.

This lesson can be applied in our modern times. If someone gives a dirty look or shouts a foul word, it cannot affect the targeted person unless the person lets it affect them. The mind ultimately controls the body.

When confronted with a problem, some people become excited, nervous, sick, or worried. These sort of harmful things are everywhere and can lead to physical health problems. Problems can be combated by building a strong mind.

Building a strong mind is the goal of ChaYon Mu Do.

The benefits of ChaYon Mu Do are obvious in their physical manifestation. But these physical benefits are feint in importance when compared with the mental and spiritual benefits of confidence, humility, and focus. Confidence brings defense against the mental enemies of stress, fear, and worries. As Won Hyo Dae Sa found during his journey, mental enemies are just as real and dangerous as any foe.

ChaYon Mu Do prepares students not only for the physical dangers in life, but the more common mental dangers as well.