Gaebyeok

The Word Gaebyeok (개벽 開闢) comes from the Korean expression Chongae Jibyeok (천개지벽 天開地闢), Chongae (천개 天開) meaning “heaven opens” and Jibyeok (지벽 地闢) meaning “ earth opens” Later, it has been called chunji-gaebyeok (천지개벽 天地開闢). Originally, chunji-gaebyeok means that heaven and earth are born from the ocean of life.

Gaebyeok (개벽 開闢) is often translated as “renewal,” “transformation,” or “a new beginning.” In Jeung San Do, gaebyeok (개벽 開闢) signifies a transformational renewal of myriad manifestations: a renewal of heaven and earth; a renewal of civilizations; a renewal of a person’s body, mind, and spirit.

A Gaebyeok is a transition between seasons during the cosmic year, which spans 129,600 calendar years. In cosmology of Jeung San Do, gaebyeok is the epochal transition between cosmic seasons, the two foremost such transitions being the Early Heaven Gaebyeok (the transition from the cosmic winter to the cosmic spring) and the Later Heaven Gaebyeok (the transition from the cosmic summer to the cosmic autumn).

The most significant of these transition is the Autumn Gaebyeok (the Later Heaven gaebyeok), which occurs between the cosmic summer and cosmic autumn. Given the importance of the impending Later Heaven Gaebyeok (aka the Autumn Gaebyeok) to humanity, Jeung San Do’s usage of the term ‘gaebyeok’ typically refers to this particular event.”

THE COSMIC YEAR
(129,600 Calendar Years)

The concept of gaebyeok in Eastern culture is related to the creation of the universe. It was in explaining the origin of the universe — the birth of heaven and earth—that the idea of gaebyeok was itself born. When we use the term in the context of the creation of the world, gaebyeok means ‘heaven opens; earth opens’ or ‘heaven and earth are born.’

In Jeung San Do’s teaching, Gaebyeok is a transition between seasons during the cosmic year, which spans 129,600 calendar years.

Gaebyeok embraces the changes that take place in the world at the transition of the cosmic seasons. When discussing gaebyeok, the Early Heaven Gaebyeok and the Later Heaven Gaebyeok must be clearly differentiated. Thus, the transition to the Early Heaven is called the Later Heaven is known as the “Later Heaven Gaebyeok.”

Since the transition to the Early Heaven also marks the transition from cosmic winter to cosmic spring, it also bears the name “Spring Gaebyeok.” Similarly, the Later Heaven Gaebyeok coincides with the Autumn Gaebyeok, and hence these two terms-Later Heaven Gaebyeok, Autumn Gaebyeok- signify the same momentous epoch.

And above all other gaebyeok looms the ultimate of all renewals : the Autumn Gaebyeok, the onrushing and imminent epochal transition between cosmic seasons that shall renew the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Gaebyeok signifies a transformational renewal of infinite manifestations: a renewal of a person’s body, mind, and spirit; a renewal of civilizations; even a renewal of heaven and earth themselves.

The most significant of these transitions is the Autumn Gaebyeok, which occurs between the cosmic summer and cosmic autumn. For humanity, it is about the wisdom of “How to adjust to constant changes and prepare for the major crisis occurred by environmental changes.” In this new age, humanity’s ascendance as enlightened beings shall bring to pass the Paradise of Immortality on earth.

The Greek term “apocalypse” (apo = reversal + kalyptein = to cover) encompasses “birthing-at-death.” In the words of Thomas Robbins and Susan Palmer, “An apocalypse is not simply an end. It is also and more importantly a beginning, an uncovering, an illumination unveiled precisely at the very moment of the greatest darkness and danger.” This Greek concept of the apocalypse has basically the same meaning as the Korean term “Gaebyeok” which means “the opening or the beginning of the world.” It is significant, however, that the Korean term emphasizes
the beginning of the world more than the ending of the world.

– Asian Millenarianism –

The key to seeing the difference between the East and West lies in the understanding of the difference between Creation and Gaebyeok. When one compares Creation and Gaebyeok, the main similarity is that both of them have a beginning point. The difference is that in the concept of creation, the beginning point was initiated by the “hand of God”; and in the concept of Gaebyeok, the beginning came about according to the “universal order itself.”

Through the universal principle of Gaebyeok, we can understand how the universe first opened, how it started to have its own order of time, and how it began to have a direction in its change. By understanding such an opening and the direction of time, and the cycle of cosmic year, Jeung San Do presents the principle of the changing universe.

-Words from Jongdosanim in 1996-

When you study cosmology of Jeung San Do, you will discover that we live at the transitional juncture between the cosmic summer and the cosmic autumn. This transitional juncture can be compared to a stage in the cultivation of plants and trees.

After spring gives life, summer nurtures it, and then autumn brings a harvest of seeds in preparation for the next year as the earth’s plants and trees experience gaebyeok at the release of the autumn frost by heaven and earth.

In a similar process, humans will also experience gaebyeok, a time when the seeds of humanity will be selected.

–Words from Taesang Jongdosanim on April 25, 2004–

Within the word Gaebyeok, it contains at least ten different meanings. In general it means “to be opening up a new time”, but it also explains the process of opening up this new time as well as the resulting state of this new time.

The most general meaning is “to be opening up a new structure within the universe and to be entering into a new life structure for us as well as for the universe.” Again Gaebyeok means “to be opening up a new structure, a new principle, a new order, a new organization, for a new life.”

The word Gaebyeok originally comes from Chunji – Gaebyeok’ which means “to open up the Heaven as well as to open up the Earth.” So it literally means “to be opening up a new structure, a new principle, a new order, a new organization for a new universe.” As the universe opens up and brings forth a new structure, humanity understands and learns from it.

To say it again, within our universe there is Heaven, Earth and humanity; and for they to be beginning a new life altogether, all along together, all at the same time, it is to be Gaebyeok-ing, this is what Gaebyeok is.

– Jongdosanim’s second lecture to America from London Expo on May 26, 1996.–