6-9. Big Three

“The distinctive factors of Taekwodo can be analyzed as three of distance, tide and balance, each of which consists of compositions among the ways of Haneul(heaven), Tang(earth) and Saram(man); Haneul and Tang when united make distance; Haneul and Saram when united make tide; and Tang and Saram when united make balance.”(Ch.19) That is to say, each of three pairs of Samjae makes distance, tide or balance. This implicates same thing as was meant by saying “These big Three make Six”¹⁾ in Cheon Bu Kyeong. On the other hand, it was also taught in I Ching: “The <Yeok> is a book of wide comprehension and great scope, embracing everything. There are in it the way of heaven, the way of man, and the way of earth. It then takes (the lines representing) those three Powers, and doubles them till they amount to six. What these six lines show is simply this, - the way of the three Powers.”²⁾

Each of three pairs among the ways of Haneul, of Tang, and of Saram makes distance, tide or balance, which are six in total. This is the Big Three at the same time. If you know only the ways of Haneul, Tang and Saram, as it is too simple and ambiguous, you have difficulties to understand every change. With more knowledge of distance, tide and balance, however, you can recognize the invisible framework in motion in detail and comprehensively.³⁾ And, distance, tide and balance can be generated because it is based on Samjae, which is dependent upon the formless One again. This formless One is verily Ilgiyae, so if you lose rhythm, breath and temperance as Ilgiyae you cannot get the control of distance, tide and balance.⁴⁾

1) 「天符經」, "大三合六".
2) APPENDIX III, Section II, Chapter X, 63. 易之爲書也, 廣大悉備, 有天道焉, 有地道焉, 有人道焉. 兼三材而兩之, 故六, 六者, 非?也, 三才之道也.
3) 천부경에서 “큰 셋이 합하여 여섯이 되어[大三合六]” 다음에 오는 구절이 “일곱, 여덟, 아홉을 만들어낸다[生七八九]”이다. 이 구절을 만가지 변화가 생겨난다는 것으로 이해한다면, 주역에서 팔괘가 두 개 겹쳐져서 64괘가 되며 이 64괘로 만가지 변화를 표상하는 것과 일치함을 알 수 있다. 밑에서는 ‘일곱, 여덟, 아홉’을 박자, 절제, 숨으로 이해하는 방식을 말할 것이다. 이 때 “일곱, 여덟, 아홉”을 만가지 변화의 생성으로 이해하는 것은 사물을 객관적으로 관찰하는 입장이며 이를 박자, 절제, 숨으로 이해하는 것은 사물을 다스리는 입장을 표명한다. 태권도는 수련의 <도>이므로 후자가 더 적절하다. 하지만 학술적 목적에서는 전자가 필요한 경우도 있을 것이므로 밝혀둔다.
4) In a consideration from another point of view I can say you get the ways of Haneul, Tang and Saram with distance, tide and balance. Thus we can understand "大三合六" of Cheon Bu Kyeong as that the unified Samjae is divided into six formless factors of technique.