Sunday, October 15, 2006

About "Cheon Bu Kyeong"(天符經)


"Cheon Bu Kyeong"(天符經) means "The Bible Given by Heaven" in Korean. This text is composed of only 81 Asian letter, which was shared by all the countries of eastern Asia 2000 years ago. Many Korean philosophers have been interested in this small bible, which is known very difficult to understand instead of its profound and abundant implication.

This CBK(let me call it this way) has some characteristics. The first is that it doesn't comment on human morality or who to live, yet only on the change and some kind of cosmos. The second is that this text is very short. It is composed of only 81 asian letters. And, of course, another characteristic is that this text belongs to Korean only. China or Japan don't have even another similar to this.

Many philosophers tried to interprete this text but no one is satisfiable, I think. This is why there are so many kinds of interpretation of this, yet no one of consensus. I think this result is owing to their thinking way; they didn't have full understanding the essence of Korean philosophy, or that of oriental philosophy, particularly compared with western's. Then, am I only man who know it? Well, I have to say I'm not sure though I believe so. The readers may be able to make objective decision about it.

The Text of Cheon Bu Keong(天符經)

一始無始一析三極 無盡本天一一地一二人一三一積十鉅無(櫃-木)化三天二三地二三人二三大三合六生七八九運三四成環五七一妙衍萬往萬來用變不動本本心本太陽昻明人中天地一一終無終一.(See also the foregoing image)

My Interpretation

Oneness and nothingness are born with each other. Divided into Three, which produce boundless change without exhausting its origin. The one Sky is one, the one Earth is two, and the one Man is three. Accumulating those onenesses to be big ten, never-ending change is caused by those Three. The Sky when two is three, the Earth when two is three, and the Man when two is three too. These big Three make Six, producing Seven, Eight, and Nine. Through Three and Four it makes a ring by Five and Seven. Since this One is profound and mysterious, coming and going innumerably, its use changes while its root never changes. Intrinsically the mind is root of everything, when looking up the bright sun, so the Sky and the Earth make one in Man. Oneness and nothingness finish with each other.

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