Ilgiyae Ch.6-9-4

Relation of Distance, Tide and Balance

Like this, knowing distance, tide and balance with knowledge of the ways of Samjae you can read breath, rhythm and temperance of the opponent. This is what is meant by saying in Cheon Bu Kyeong; “These big Three make Six, producing Seven, Eight, and Nine.”^{1) 2)}

On the other hand, as “the truth of Han Baegeom is just three and one”³⁾ Samjae is already of one, so that breath, rhythm and temperance are one, and distance, tide and balance is to be unified in oneness. Therefore you control distance with your tide, modulate tide with your balance, and make balance with your distance. How can it be so?

In Taekwondo, “you should harmonize two kinds of distance between you and him: One is your attacking distance of that you penetrate his center, and the other is your defending distance of that you don't draw back from him but move aside suddenly to an unexpected spot.”(Ch.38) Here the key point of controlling distance is your tide. Therefore I say you control distance with your tide.

On the other, “in Taekwondo, when you offend or defend your opponent, you should always control balance to keep your tide and to find out his blind point.”(Ch.22) Therefore I say you modulate tide with your balance.

And “as the balance of Taekwondo is for the sake of his offense and defense centered on” yourself (Ch. 22) “you can always protect yourself controling over your opponent when you keep this right Taekwondo distance.”(Ch.20) Therefore, I say you make balance with your distance.

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<footnotes>

1) 「天符經」, 大三合六生七八九.
2) In a foregoing footnote I explained distance, tide and balance added to breath, temperance and rhythm as “大三合六”. Here, however, I'm explaining it different way. These different interpretations of same thing can be right because the basic concept of Cheon Bu Kyeong is the formless one principle that is explained in various ways. Remember, its text begins with "oneness and nothingness are born with each other[一始無始一]" and ends with "Oneness and nothingness finish with each other[一終無終一]".
3) 『한얼 이치 책(神理大全)』, §神敎. “大倧之理, 三一而已”