The Tao of Tang Soo Do – Part 10

contemplative-young-woman-in-soft-purplish-hue

by MASTERSEGARRA

Integration, Humility, and Leading Without Possession

If Chapter Nine warned us about excess and knowing when to stop, Chapter Ten asks a deeper question:

Can you hold everything together—without trying to control it?

This chapter is about integration: of body and mind, strength and gentleness, leadership and humility. It challenges the practitioner not just to develop skill, but to embody it without attachment.

This was a core principle for Tang Soo Do as Grandmaster Hwang Kee taught it—not mastery for ownership, but mastery for stewardship.

Chapter Ten – Original Text (Chinese)

载营魄抱一
能无离乎
专气致柔
能婴儿乎
涤除玄鉴
能无疵乎
爱民治国
能无为乎
天门开阖
能为雌乎
明白四达
能无知乎

生之
畜之
生而不有
为而不恃
长而不宰
是谓玄德

English Translation

Can you carry the soul and embrace the One
Without letting go?

Can you concentrate your breath and become supple
Like a newborn child?

Can you cleanse your inner vision
Until it is without flaw?

Can you love the people and govern
Without controlling?

Can you open and close the gates of perception
And remain receptive?

Can you understand all things
Without clinging to knowledge?

Give birth and nourish.
Create without possessing.
Act without relying on results.
Lead without dominating.

This is called profound virtue.

The Core Teaching of Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten is about wholeness without force.

It asks:

  • Can body and mind move as one?
  • Can strength remain soft?
  • Can leadership exist without domination?
  • Can wisdom exist without ego?

This is mature practice—not beginner effort, but refined embodiment.

Chapter Ten in Tang Soo Do Practice

This chapter is one of the deepest teachings on true mastery—and it flips everything most people believe about strength.

In martial arts, beginners think:

  • Strength is force
  • Power is domination
  • Leadership is control

But Lao Tzu teaches something very different…

👉 True mastery is control without force.

Breath: The Foundation of the Warrior

“專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎？”
(Can you concentrate your breath and become soft like a child?)

This is everything.

In Tang Soo Do, breath is not just physical—it is:

  • Your rhythm
  • Your timing
  • Your emotional control

When a student panics:

  • Their breath becomes shallow
  • Their movements become rushed
  • Their mind becomes chaotic

But when they breathe like a child—calm, natural, effortless…

👉 They become dangerous in the best way.

This is why we train breathing in:

  • Hyung/Kata
  • Sparring
  • Meditation
  • Breaking

Because breath is the bridge between body and mind.

Leadership Without Control

“愛民治國，能無為乎？”
(Can you lead and govern without forcing?)

This is one of the most important lessons for instructors.

You’ve seen both types:

  • The instructor who controls through fear
  • The instructor who inspires through presence

One creates compliance.
The other creates transformation.

👉 The best instructors don’t control students… they develop them.

The Mother Bird Principle

“天門開闔，能為雌乎？”
(Can you open and close like the feminine?)

This is about timing.

A mother bird:

  • Knows when to protect
  • Knows when to push
  • Knows when to let go

👉 Mastery is knowing when to apply pressure and when to release it.

The Highest Level of Training

“生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰”

(Create without possessing. Act without relying. Lead without controlling.)

As instructors, we:

  • Build students
  • Shape confidence
  • Help create stronger individuals

But Lao Tzu reminds us:

👉 They are not ours to control.

The Final Level: Act Without Ego

This is the essence of 玄德 (Mystic Virtue):

  • Act without expectation
  • Lead without control
  • Give without attachment

That’s when:

  • Your technique becomes effortless
  • Your presence becomes powerful
  • Your influence becomes lasting

Why This Matters

Most martial artists spend years trying to become stronger…

But the real journey is becoming:

  • More calm
  • More aware
  • More controlled

👉 The most powerful warrior is the one who doesn’t need to force anything.

Final Thought

“Courage comes in all sizes.”

And sometimes…

The greatest strength you can show
is the ability to remain calm, patient, and in control
when everything around you is not.

Continue your study of Tang Soo Do philosophy, history, and living practice:
👉 http://tangsoodoresource.com/