Skip to main content

See Half, Farm Half: The Eightfold Path on the Board

Master Cho Han-kyu, interpreted by Kim Chang, Founder of Korean Natural Farming (Janong)

Spoken in Korean. Translated to English and checked line by line.

Cho writes the Eightfold Path on the flip chart: see rightly, think rightly, speak rightly, live rightly, first alone and then with others. The eye sees only half, and farming by the outward shape is what made the mangosteen rotten inside. Then religion, a plan to record his farm visits, his fee (a tenth of the extra profit) and one last IMO5 question.

What they found

The question

Why does Cho say the mangosteen failed because the farmer only saw half, and what does he ask of farmers next time?

How they tested it

Cho at the flip chart. Left column: 肉眼 (naked eye) 正見 正思 正言 正生; right column: 心眼 (heart's eye) 正觀 正念 正行 and one unreadable character; 八正道 (Eightfold Path) at the bottom. Clearest at 42:00–44:45. No slides. The page closes with admin (fee, royalty) and an audience question about IMO5.

What was compared
  • Where IMO5 goes — At the drip line: around the edge of the tree, as wide as its spread (the interpreter, checking with Cho in Korean at 59:05).
Results
  1. See rightly, then think rightly, speak rightly and live rightly

    Board: 正見 正思 正言 正生 under 肉眼 (naked eye); 正觀 正念 正行 under 心眼 (heart's eye); 八正道 at the bottom.

    ▶ 37:58

  2. Left column: the self alone, seen with the naked eye; right column: life with others, seen with the heart

    Cho: before marriage and after marriage. Thinking alone versus thinking with the other person; speaking, then acting.

    ▶ 39:28

  3. In the mirror you see only half your body; saying you saw it all is a lie

    'I saw it with my own two eyes, why call me a liar?' But they saw half.

    ▶ 42:03 As spoken

  4. Farming by the outward shape made the mangosteen rotten inside

    You have to grasp the crop's physiology and ecology (생리생태). 'This is seeing only the tree, not seeing its life force.'

    ▶ 43:24

  5. Cho says what to give when; you have to act on it and check the result

    'Then next time I come, I'll drink delicious coffee.'

    ▶ 46:44 As spoken

  6. Keep the Eightfold Path and you farm properly

    Cho credits the saying to Chinese Taoism. In Buddhism and Confucianism you reach the Way by effort; in Christianity God gives grace, and you only make the bowl to receive it.

    ▶ 47:57 As spoken

  7. The mangosteen problem holds for papaya, banana, paprika, ginger, onion and garlic

    Same timing logic across crops.

    ▶ 50:57 As spoken

  8. Next visit: bring a recorder, write it up and send it to Cho to check

    He'll mark what was misheard and send it back.

    ▶ 51:55 As spoken

  9. Cho's fee: a tenth of whatever extra you earn, paid afterwards, on your conscience

    Not in advance. The money is to spread natural farming in Hawaiʻi. The room settled on calling it a donation.

    ▶ 54:11 As spoken

  10. IMO5 goes at the drip line

    Around the edge of the tree, as wide as its spread.

    ▶ 58:57 As spoken

Hold it loosely
  • Most of this page is philosophy and religion, not technique. The farming link is the mangosteen.
  • The fourth character in the right column of the board can't be read from the frames.
  • The fee and the China royalty are admin; the royalty number reached the room wrong (see corrections).
For your farm
  • Look at the whole crop, its physiology and life stage, not just its outward shape.
  • When you get a prescription, act on it and check the result.
  • Record farm visits and write them up; Cho offers to check the write-up.
  • IMO5 goes at the drip line, as wide as the canopy.

Next to Master Cho's teaching

  • Agrees

    See rightly, think rightly, speak rightly Cho uses the same see-think-speak chain for farming in his DVD lectures.

    Cho - DVD rips/NAT_FARM_15 @ 0:03:28 (translated)

  • Agrees

    Two kinds of seeing: with the eye and with the heart In Hawaiʻi in 2018 he again splits the physical eye from the spiritual eye and says farmers must use both.

    2018/Cho - advanced hawaii/cho advanced 2018 3-1 @ 1:13:02 (translated)

“You have to see rightly to think rightly, think rightly to speak rightly, and speak rightly to find your way to a right life.”

▶ 37:58

“You see only half and say you saw it all.”

▶ 42:10

“Because you farmed by looking only at the outside, this mangosteen, rotten inside, was made.”

▶ 43:44

“This is seeing only the tree, not seeing its life force.”

▶ 44:26

“A person only has to make the bowl that receives grace.”

▶ 50:01

In this talk

  1. 37:10The Eightfold Path on the board
  2. 41:57Half seen is a lie: the rotten mangosteen
  3. 46:44Talk, act, see the result
  4. 48:13Taoism, Buddhism and grace
  5. 50:44Next time: farm walks and a recorder
  6. 52:57Admin: Cho's fee, a tenth of the gain
  7. 58:20IMO5 goes at the drip line

Transcript

English translation, checked against the Korean as spoken.