Some interesting fun facts about the Hwarang class. The items I'm about to post are from the book
"Sources of Korean Tradition Vol. 1" by Peter H. Lee & Wm. Theodore De Bary. This particular book is a nice source of material because they gathered information from many different sources of Korean History. It tells you up front that it is a selective abridgement of the
"Sourcebook of KOrean Civilization, Vol. I" published by Columbia University Press. Anyway, I was reading through this and came across the first tidbit which explains the origin of the Hwarang O'gae. (Please note that this is a very brief version of a longer tale and I recommend reading the book for the full information on who Master Wongwang was and his place in Korea history. Master Wongwang, who was well known throughout the Silla kingdom was approached by Kwisan & Ch'uhang from the Saryang district. They asked Master Wongwang to give them a maxim to which they could live their lives by. The master told them that there are 10 commandments in the bodhisattva ordination and since neither of them were monks he doubted they could practice all of them. With that said he gave them five commandments for laymen: Serve you sovereign with loyalty, attend to your parents with filial piety, treat your friends with sincerity, do not retreat from the battlefield, be discriminating about taking a life.
He was asked to explain the fifth to which he said "Not to kill during the months of spring and summer nor during the six meatless feast days is to choose the time. Not to kill domestic animals such as cows, horses, chickens, dogs, and tiny creatures whose meat is less than a mouth ful, is to choose the creatures. Though you may have the need, you should not kill often."
These became the basis five Hwarang O'gae practiced in the art today:
1. (Il) Sa Kun E Choong – Loyalty to One’s Country.
2. (E) Sa Chin E Hyo – Loyalty to One’s Parents and Teachers.
3. (Sam) Kyo Woo E Shin – Trust and Brotherhood Among Friends.
4. (Sa) Im Jun Moo Tae – Courage Never Retreat In The Face Of The Enemy.
5. (Oh) Sal Saeng You Taek – Justice Never to Take A Life Without A Cause
There is your bit of fun knowlege.