Tang Soo Do
Reference
The Ten Articles of Faith on Mental
Training
In a structured society, laws are
created to bring about order, keep the peace, and protect the
individual members. In a perfect society this would not be necessary
because its members would share a common set of guiding principles
and ideals. Throughout history specialized groups have been formed whose membership was
carefully selected and trained to ensure that they possessed the
right character to uphold those ideals in service to the ruler
and community as a whole.
One such group was the Hwa Rang
(Flowering Youth), an elite warrior class created in Korea during
the Silla Dynasty around the 6th century A.D. The institution they
formed was the Hwa Rang Do. They were generally young and well
educated, coming from the noble class and with good moral character.
As Hwa Rang they received instruction in literature and the fine
arts and were taught the art of warfare. They were also given a code
of ethics that were divided into five doctrines and nine virtues for
correct living called Hwa Rang Do O Kae and Hwa Rang Do Kyo Hoon.
Tang Soo Do adopted the five doctrines and expanded
them into the Ten Articles of Faith that we train by. The first five
are directly from the Hwa Rang code.
1. Loyalty to one's country
2. Loyalty to one'sparents
3. Trust and brotherhood among friends
4. Courage never to retreat in the face of the enemy
5. Justice never to take a life without cause
6. Be loving between husband and wife
7. Be respectful to your elders
8. Be faithful between teacher and student
9. Be cooperative between brothers
10. Always finish what you start
For historical reference, the nine
virtues of the Hwa Rang were:
1. Humanity
2. Justice
3. Courtesy
4. Wisdom
5. Trust
6. Goodness
7. Virtue
8. Loyalty
9. Courage
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