Choi Hyung-guk's Pen (15) 'The Blind Men Touching an Elephant' and 'Truth'

Worldly affairs are always complex. They are so tangled and knotted that it takes considerable time to properly grasp them. The broad strokes are difficult to understand, and the details are not easy to examine closely. In some ways, the broad strokes can be the external appearance or results, and the details can be seen as essence or causes. Only by observing the overall outline and examining each detail one by one can we understand the flow.

There is an old tale called 'blind men touching an elephant.' The story goes like this: Several blind men went to see—or rather, touch—an elephant. The elephant is an enormously large animal. One blind man, A, touched only the elephant's leg, B touched only its body. C touched the elephant's ear, and D touched only its long trunk.

Later, they gathered to discuss what kind of animal the elephant was. A said the elephant was shaped like a thick pillar, firm and solid. B said it was wide and firm like a wall. C said it was wide but moved somewhat softly. Finally, D explained that it was not so thick and moved quite softly.

And each insisted their own claim was correct, arguing loudly. Even after three days and four nights of discussion, they could not narrow their differences. Having parted ways, A, B, C, and D never understood the whole elephant and lived their entire lives picturing their own elephant in their minds. Each considered a 'part' as the 'whole.'

Each of their accounts was true. What they truly touched with their fingertips was indeed a 'fact'—a 'fact.' That fact never changed until the day they died. However, all their accounts, while each being their own 'fact,' could never constitute the complete 'truth.' Thus fact and truth can be different. Because they lacked the mental flexibility to accept that fact and truth could differ from one another, they could never approach the whole truth. In this way, their 'elephant' became dismembered, and passed down through generations, with each person's separate elephant becoming the legacy.

For someone lacking mental flexibility, any philosophy or ideology is merely a part of the elephant the blind man touched. Only what I directly experienced, what I touched with my own hands, and what I confirmed with my own eyes—that is what I define as true 'fact.' And for such a person, it develops into a 'belief' that this 'fact' transcends mere fact and becomes the substantive 'truth' of all things. When this happens, other opinions become absolute evils that contradict one's 'noble belief.' And thus people close their hearts to one another.

We are all blind men touching an elephant. It is all too common to make hasty judgments, understanding the whole from merely a part. It is difficult indeed to read the minute details within the whole and to examine the whole through those minute details.

Lee Deok-moo (李德懋), the chancellor who oversaw verification when 『Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts』 was compiled, emphasized that one must observe the whole even within martial arts and precisely investigate the details. He explained this by comparing it to the art of healing people:

"Your Majesty has the virtue of humility. Long ago, in 『Comprehensive Military Classic』, you discussed the movement of military formations, and in 『Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts』, you took technical combat (技擊), the actual technique of striking, as the core. Mastery means being clear and comprehensive. Its principles and applications must be used interchangeably, the root and branches must correspond and connect with one another. When military strategists discuss military affairs, what else could they use if they set aside these two military texts? Using medicine as an analogy: examining the meridians (經脈) that verify vital energy (運氣) is akin to military formation; herbs and minerals are like weapons; boiling, roasting, cutting, and grinding are like striking and thrusting. If a physician were to say, 'I only need to know the great matter of examining the meridians of vital energy; how could I have someone assist me with the details of medicinal materials?'—such a person would be but a mediocre physician."

『Comprehensive Military Classic』was a military formation manual completed in the 9th year of King Jeongjo (1785) for unified collective formation training of soldiers, and 『Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts』was a martial arts manual created in the 14th year of King Jeongjo (1790) to standardize martial training for individual soldiers. These two military texts complemented each other, finding the individual soldier's small bodily movements within the whole formation's movements, and enabling efficient military formation movements through each soldier's detailed techniques.

This was explained more simply by analogizing it to the art of healing people. The examination that checks a person's overall physical condition is akin to military formation (陣法). It is checking the meridians to ensure the body communicates organically across the entire system following the blood vessels. When a problem arises in the body, medicine is prescribed, and the herbs, trees, and minerals used as medicinal materials are like weapons. In fact, soldiers in formation do not fight with bare bodies; they engage in combat wielding various spears, swords, and other weapons.

What makes the analogy even more interesting is that the various methods of boiling, roasting, cutting, and grinding different medicinal ingredients to enhance their efficacy correspond to martial training methods. A sword must be wielded well, a spear must be thrust well, and a cudgel must be struck well for their force to be effectively expressed. It expresses the diverse training methods using weapons as one would handle medicinal materials.

And finally, it states that a physician who merely examines a patient's overall physical condition and leaves the handling of medicinal materials to an assistant is merely a mediocre physician. After observing the patient, a good physician carefully prescribes each medicinal material to treat the illness.

In the military camp, the physician is the commander. To tactically operate a great military formation, one must understand the characteristics of the weapons each soldier possesses and the properties of martial techniques utilizing those weapons. Only then can proper tactics be deployed. If one merely looks at the surface of formation movements and ignores the weapons and martial arts of the soldiers within it, one becomes an incompetent commander. Going to war like that results in defeat in every battle (百戰百敗). One must know the enemy and know oneself; but if one knows neither the enemy nor oneself well, how can one properly conduct battle?

King Jeongjo's favorite classical text was the 『Doctrine of the Mean』. It was also a manifestation of his will to govern the state without leaning to one side, maintaining the center. Among its contents is this passage:

"其次 致曲 曲能有誠 誠則形 形則著 著則明 明則動 動則變 變則化 唯天下至誠 爲能化"
(Giza chigok, gok neung yu seong, seong jeuk hyeong, hyeong jeuk jeo, jeo jeuk myeong, myeong jeuk dong, dong jeuk byeon, byeon jeuk hwa, yu cheonha jiseong, wie neung hwa)
<『Doctrine of the Mean』 Chapter 23, 其次致曲章(Giza Chigok Chapter)>

A brief interpretation goes like this: The next matter to strive for is that of zhigqu (致曲: earnest sincerity even in trivial matters). It means bringing utmost sincerity to all things, down to the smallest details. In doing so, sincerity is present in each small thing. When sincerity is present, the righteous principle within that thing is concretely embodied. When embodied, it is revealed externally. When revealed, it becomes clear. When clear, it moves. When it moves, it changes. When it changes, it transforms. Only the most sage under heaven can accomplish such transformation. Explained very simply, this means 'by devoting all sincerity even to small matters, one can move others, and these small sincerities gathered together can change the world and oneself.' In short, it means 'sincere devotion moves heaven.'

It is impossible to receive positive evaluation from everyone in the world. But if we gather small sincerities and examine things starting from the small to understand the whole, one day heaven too will understand our intention. Living this way, even entering the grave, there will be no shame.