(380) Saju: Noblesse oblige
By Janet Shin
On May 20, Koo Bon-moo, the chairman of LG group, passed away at age 73, which was followed by many moving stories about his life. In addition to achievements in business, he was also known for being well-mannered and had an admirable legacy in general. It seems such a contrasting public response compared to other chaebol who have been rebuked for immorality.
“Gapjil,” a buzzword these days, means misbehavior by taking advantage of one's power.There is also a “gap-eul relationship,” which originates from contractor for “gap” and subcontractor for “eul.” Then this became a term meaning an unfair contract or discriminatory relationship between an indulged or privileged party and supressed or underprivileged groups. It often means an unjust relationship between employers and employees.
It drew public attention and provoked condemnation when Korean Air's owner family and their “gapjil” came to light. “Gap” is the first saju letter while “eul” is the second of the 10 heavenly stems while “jil” means misbehavior or an informal term just meaning “the act of doing.” The New York Times even cited it as “the abuse of underlings and subcontractors by executives who behave like feudal lords” on April 13.
Why do they use “gap” of saju letters? Because it represents something or someone to initiate, lead and grow, being positioned above all other letters. Also it implies someone who wants to show off and be higher than others because it is yang wood, a tall tree, in saju readings.
When it comes to one's way of thinking and newly coined words, there are many comparisons with traditional thoughts. It actually originated from ancient philosophy in Asian culture. For instance, people mentioned what makes a happy life. The first factor is “endowed luck” by heaven, which is saju. The second is “acquired luck,” like an opportunity to do something. The third is “feng shui,” an environmental factor. The fourth is “studying” which is often translated as making effort. The final is “good deeds.”
Considering saju means innate destiny, the most critical factor to determine a happy and successful life, people also take other factors into consideration. Feng shui, for example, has an interesting episode that auspicious places can only be found by those who deserve it. That means only the eligible can find good feng shui sites.
As another instance, the teaching of a noble family, the rich Choi, during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, gives us a good lesson how noble people should behave. It is impressive because this Choi family maintained their wealth and reputation for over 500 years. It is supposed to be a respectful family that has been rich since 1500 until now.
The six precepts of the rich Choi family are as below.
First, do not covet a high government position even after passing the state examination. It implies wealth and power cannot go together.
Second, do not try to possess too much property (it is stated as a number of rice bags, 10,000).
Third, host all visitors with devotion and care.
Fourth, do not purchase an additional estate when it is a year of poor harvest.
Fifth, those who became a daughter-in-law to this family must wear humble clothes for the first three years.
Sixth, you must be concerned about others so that there is no famine in your neighorhood (within 40km).
It may sound simple but implies significant teachings. The first teaching for example, gives a lesson not to be close to power. It also teaches to take good care of others and live well together with neighbors. The fifth precept is about modest behavior by exemplifying how to dress.
For some chaebol, or the sudden rich, it is imperative to learn lessons from it. It is said the rich can not retain their wealth over three generations because their existing wealth may disappear quickly if they lack virtue. Otherwise the wealth they currently hold will simply slip out of their hands.
Information : Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teachings, the “Four Pillars of Destiny” and oriental ways of fortune telling or fortune tellers? Janet teaches Saju for the public at Seoul National University of Education. For further information, visit Janet's website at
or her blog,
https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin
.You can also contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin.kor@gmail.com
The writer is the author of “Life's Secrets”.