Heaven, Earth and Man; Reflections from Korea
Skyline of Busan October 16th. 300
By Roy Rolstad, ITF Radix
"When you move correctly, you realign yourself with Heaven and Earth."
- Grand Master Yoo Sun Lee
A Journey Beyond Training
My recent trip to Korea was a visit to the homeland of Taekwon Do. It became a philosophical pilgrimage, a journey of friendship, reflection and rediscovery.
I travelled together with my friend GM Henrik Hunstad, who has been exploring deeply the philosophy of body and mind in his own work. His insights and our conversations along the way helped me see how those ideas connect naturally to Korean philosophy, where the harmony between Heaven, Earth and Man is also the harmony between body, mind and spirit.
Between those talks with Henrik, long philosophical discussions with Sabumnim Dr Sanko Lewis (who now lives in Seoul), and training under Grand Master Yoo Sun Lee in Busan, I began to see patterns that go far beyond martial technique. They reach into the structure of reality itself.
Dr. Lewis, myself, and GM Lee at a restaurant in Busan.
The Korean Triad: Chon, Ji and In
Korean cosmology begins with relationship. The trinity of Chon (Heaven), Ji (Earth) and In (Man) describes how consciousness (Heaven) manifests into form (Earth) through the living bridge of awareness and action (Man).
When Heaven and Earth unite, Man is born.
Human beings are not separate from the universe; we are its point of connection, where thought becomes movement and potential becomes reality.
This triad is present in every aspect of Taekwon-Do. When we perform Chon-Ji Tul, the first pattern meaning Heaven and Earth, we are reenacting that same creative dialogue: principle becoming motion, and motion returning to principle.
Within the human being the same order exists;
Mind as Heaven
Body as Earth
Spirit as Man
As Spirit/Man is he living force that binds the two.
Training in Taekwon-Do is therefore a practice in uniting mind, body and spirit, and in doing so, reflecting the structure of the universe itself.
Me and Dr. Lewis on our way to a mysterious hilltop in Seoul. Looking to be the connection between Heaven and Earth.
Dan Gun, The Moral Birth of a Nation
In the second pattern, Dan-Gun Tul, we encounter the legendary founder of Korea, Dan Gun Wanggeom, son of Heaven and woman of Earth. His story is both myth and mirror.
Hwanung (Heaven), the descending spirit, the origin of consciousness.
Ungnyeo (Earth), the bear mother, symbol of transformation through endurance.
Dan Gun (Man), their union, conscious, moral and creative.
Dan Gun’s mission was to create a ethical civilization, the creation of harmony between Heaven, Earth and Man. This same idea is woven through the moral foundation of Taekwon-Do:
Courtesy and Integrity reflect Heaven (the moral and mental plane).
Perseverance and Self Control reflect Man (the conscious will in action).
Indomitable Spirit reflects Earth (grounded strength and endurance).
When these values are united, they form the living triangle of mind, body and spirit, the true aim of Taekwon-Do practice.
GM Lee conducting a physical demanding training at the beach in Busan.
Chon Ji In and the Modern Mirror
In my talks with Dr Lewis, we reflected on how ancient and modern thought seem to circle back to the same truth.
I’m fascinated by the simulation theory, the idea that consciousness may generate its own reality, and came to think of how it echoes the triadic structure of Korean cosmology.
In Korean philosophy, the triad of Chon, In and Ji is reflected both in cosmology and in myth:
Chon (Heaven) represents consciousness, the source and guiding intent of all creation, personified by Hwanung, the heavenly son who descended to bring order and moral purpose to the world.
In (Man) stands for the creator and mediator, symbolized by Dan Gun, the first human king born of Heaven and Earth. He embodies conscious action, the power to shape reality through awareness and moral will.
Ji (Earth) signifies manifestation, the field of transformation and experience. It is represented by Ungnyeo, the bear mother who, through patience and devotion, transformed into human form and gave birth to the union of spirit and matter.
Together they express one living process:
Consciousness (Chon) gives rise to creation through Man (In), and manifests as form and experience in Earth (Ji).
Whether we speak of spirit, awareness or computation, the pattern remains the same: Consciousness becomes form through creation, and creation reflects consciousness back to itself. This is also the dance of mind, body and spirit
Awareness shaping action, and action awakening awareness.
Patterns on the beach.
Training as Creation
Grand Master Yoo Sun Lee said something during our training session while doing the Chon-Ji Tul, at the beach in Busan, that stayed with me:
“Taekwon Do is alignment of Heaven, Earth and the person between them.”
Each stance, each motion and every breath becomes a meditation on unity:
Heaven, the mind that conceives the movement.
Man, the spirit that gives it direction and will.
Earth, the body that makes it real.
When these three work together, movement becomes creation itself. Training ceases to be only physical exercise; it becomes the harmonizing of the total human being; mind, body and spirit in rhythm with the universe.
The Moral Return
Dan Gun’s call “to build a nation based on moral principles” can also be seen as an inner instruction, to build a personal nation founded on integrity, perseverance and respect.
Spirit descends into discipline, and discipline rises into wisdom. This cycle never ends, just as Heaven and Earth continually meet through the awareness of Man.
Unity of the Three
All triads, Chon Ji In, Dan Gun, or modern philosophical models, point toward the same universal truth. Reality is relational. It exists through the constant harmony of consciousness, creation and form, or in human terms, through the unity of mind, body and spirit.
When we train, think and live with awareness, we bring those three into balance. Taekwon-Do becomes a mirror of existence itself, where movement and meaning are one.
“Perhaps that is the real purpose of Taekwon-Do, to awaken the unity of Heaven, Earth and Man, within the harmony of mind, body and spirit.”
Roy Rolstad
Roy Rolstad, VI Dan Taekwon Do, ITF Radix