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I. Han..Head or High Position

A. Head of State

The first characteristic of Han is head or high position. By 2333 B.C., Dan Kun united many tribes and established the first tribal nation in Korean History. This was called Cho Sun (Land of the Morning Calm). The first head of state of Cho Sun was known as Han Bi Kum or the "bright head of the tribal nation."

The philosophy of Han provides the Korean Head of State a simple lesson: "When the water from the upper portion of a stream is clean and clear, the water in the lower portion of the stream will be clean and clear." Similarly when the Head of State governs the country with love and care, the subjects of the nation will follow with respect. On the other hand, if the head of State governs the country for his own personal benefit and glory, the subjects will become selfish and corrupt and will turn away from the Head of State. In the Han philosophy, the Head of State should not only be educated intellectually in the affairs of politics, economics, culture and martial arts, but must also be well versed in the affairs of ethics, love, respect and care for his fellow citizens.

B. Parents

In the Koryo Kingdom, a book was written by great Zen Master Il Yun. In his book, Sam Kook Yu Sa, there is a celebrated story of a daughter's devotion to her mother. The young woman lived in the Silla Kingdom during the regime of Queen Jin Sun. She had lost her father at a very early age. She worked as an unskilled laborer to support herself and her blind mother. One year famine swept the kingdom. The young woman was out of work and destitute and, without telling her mother, she sold herself as a servant to a rich household for the price of thirty bushels of rice. She was allowed to work during the day, and return to her house at night to take care of her mother.

A few days went by, and then the blind mother spoke to her daughter. "In the past, I have enjoyed peace of mind, even though the food was not the best", she said. "Recently, the food has been very good, but I do not know why my mind is not at peace. I do not know what is wrong with me." Said the blind mother. With that the daughter told her mother the truth and they embraced and wept. The young woman realized that she was only thinking about physical satisfaction, food for hunger, for her mother, but failed to understand the peace in her mother's mind.

The Han philosophy states that devotion to one's parents is not considered submission or repayment, but it is an honor and a privilege that comes from the pure hearts of the sons and daughters. This level of devotion has been maintained throughout Korean history, despite age, wealth or social position.

The devotion to the parents does not end with the parents death, but is continued as ancestor worship. Even Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher (500 B.C.), wrote that he admired the devotion of the Korean sons to their parents, especially the fact that they mourn the death of their parents for three years.

Han philosophy does not believe in the separateness of life and death. Life in this world is the continuation of life in a previous world and will continue into another world. In other words, at birth, the journey in the previous world is at the end and a new journey in this world is beginning. At death, the journey in this world is at an end, but it is at a beginning of another journey in the next world.

To illustrate this idea, let's examine the following analogy. You decide to travel from New York to San Francisco by train. You must first go to Grand Central Station in New York to purchase your ticket and then board the west bound train. At this point, relate the actions you took before you boarded the train to your life in the previous world. As the train begins the cross-country trip, relate this to being born in this world. The trip across the country is wonderful and life aboard the train is a very enjoyable adventure. Relate the activities on the train (i.e. enjoying the scenery, eating, sleeping, and talking to fellow passengers) as life in this world. As you arrive in San Francisco and get off the train, relate this to death in this world. However, does getting off the train constitute the end of the journey? No! You can visit the Golden Gate Bridge or go to Fisherman's Wharf or Chinatown. By the same logic, after death we will life on in another form of life in the next world. This philosophy not only gives psychological comfort to living persons, but also helps perpetuate ancestor worship.

C. Teacher

Along with the Head of State and Parents, the Teacher is also a very respected member of the Korean culture. Han emphasizes education. Without the teacher to educate, human beings would be no different from other animals that only try to satisfy instinctual needs such as hunger, sleep and reproduction. Because of the teacher, one can have intellectual and martial arts training.

Compare the teacher to a mountain guide. Climbing a mountain without an experienced guide may lead to disaster. However, having an experienced guide leading the party will allow the party to reach the mountaintop and enjoy the view.

From a teacher's point of view, there are three groups of students. The first group listens to the teacher's instructions very well. Following the teacher's guidance in sequence, they reach the top of the mountain and enjoy the view. The second group is full of doubt and mistrust of their teacher. Inevitably, they will separate from their teacher and wander about the middle of the mountain. The third group never pays attention to the teacher and never will step from the bottom of the mountain. The teacher should know how to handle each of these three different groups.

Respect of a teacher does not come naturally. The teacher must earn the respect by becoming role models for their students in morality and ethics and in their chosen fields.

During the early period of the Lee Kingdom, a very wise teacher tutored the son of the King. The prince saw the teacher as a perfect gentleman and could not find any weakness. One day the prince arrived early for class and decided to test the teacher's reactions by placing a very sharp nail in the teachers sitting cushion. The teacher came to class, sat on his cushion and began lecturing on the lesson. Time passed and the Teacher continued lecturing without any signs of emotion. Curiosity about the nail preoccupied the prince, and he soon began to neglect the lesson. He wondered if the teacher sat on the nail or if the nail was not pointing up when he say.

Soon the prince saw a pool of blood emerge from the cushion and stain the teacher's white pants. The teacher continued his lesson not giving the slightest notice to the blood. Astounded, the prince explained to his teacher that he had placed a nail in the cushion and begged for forgiveness. The prince asked the teacher, "I see the blood in the cushion and on your pants. Do you not feel the pain?"

The teacher replied, "Of course I feel pain, but I cannot jump off the cushion to express my personal pain in front of you. I am your teacher and I must teach you how to control your emotions in case of pain or emergency. When you become King, you may face painful situations such as famine, foreign invasion, or internal rebellion. If you jump off the cushion and do not know what to do, people will fault me as a teacher for not educating you properly. Therefore, this incident is a living lesson to show you how to control pain and emotion." For this, the prince respected the teacher more than ever.

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