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Taekwondo Philosophy


 

Chapter 55 of Lao-tsu.

 

He who prossesses virtue in abundance

May be compared to an infant.

Poisonous insects will not sting him.

Fierce beasts will not seize him.

Birds of prey will not strike him.

His bones are weak, his sinews tender, but his grasp is firm.

He does not yet know the union of male and female,

But his organ is aroused,

This means that his essence is at its height.

He may cry all day without becoming hoarce,

This means that his (natural) harmony is perfect.

To know harmony means to be in accord with the eternal.

To be in accord with the eternal means to be enlightened.

To force the growth of life means ill omen.

For the mind to employ the Ki(vital force) without restraint means violence.

After things reach their prime, they begin to grow old,

Which means being contrary to Do(Tao).

Whatever is contrary to Do will soon perish.


<Comment>

The infant is idealized in this book more than once. Furthermore, Mencius says: "The great man is none who does not lose his child's heart." And Jesus taught that only as children may we enter the kingdom of Heaven. For Chuang Tzu, the newborn calf, like the newborn child, is an ideal being.

Here Lao Tzu uses the infant as an analogy for Tao because he is talking about substance. Since the infant does not know how to respond to things it cannot act functionally. But as substance it is perfect.