Martial Art and Morality

Master Yu HuaLong’s life was anything but ordinary. He had many fights when he was young, and he did hurt many people with his martial art. However, none of the fighting was for his own personal gain: he did what he believed to be the righteous thing to do, and he was constantly driven by his passionate heart to help the weak whenever he could.

Born into poverty, Master Yu never had a chance to go to school and receive a standard education. He was sometimes used by people and did make mistakes in life. He taught over and over that being someone who practices martial arts, it is equally important that we receive as much education as possible, since the morality of a martial art master is more important than the skill of his martial art: “Learn to respect and follow ethics first, then improve your mind and body at the same time, and don’t ever act on impulse.” Master Yu’s teaching was the summarization of his lifelong experience, not only in the skills of martial arts, but also in how to become a moral person. It is something that all of us should ponder over and practice in our daily lives.