Author Interview

1.
I'm curious as to why you wrote this book.
I understand that the previously published 《?Wanshan Shang Han Lun Lectures》 received relatively good reviews, although it is embarrassing.
However, there was an opinion that it was difficult to 'go through the entire book', which is essential for studying 'Shang Han Lun', because the content included in the book was so vast and the volume was so long.
If you cannot consistently read a medical book whose main purpose is practicality, it is of no use, no matter how good it is.
So, I wanted to create a simple book that would be easy to read and immediately useful for clinical practice, and this book, “Easy to Understand the Truth,” is the result.

2.
Please give us a brief introduction of your new book.
This book has been organized systematically to provide a clear overview.
The existing original version of the Shang Han Lun was influenced by the Ming Dynasty's Jo Gaemi edition and has the order of the Six Classics and Military Chapters, but its content and arrangement of the articles do not seem to have taken into account the learning of scholars.
Because the symptoms were scattered and arranged in various places, there were factors that caused those who started studying to give up immediately.


So, we rearranged each article in a new order that is convenient for learning, regardless of the order of the original text.
In addition, at the beginning of each of the six meridians, the physiology and pathology of each meridian, which are essential for learning, are summarized and described.
In addition, the names of the articles, which were previously only called Tangjeung, were replaced with the names of Byeonggi and Palgang, making the contents of the articles more intuitive.
And, to help beginners easily understand the outline of the Shang Han Lun, he added it to the later chapters under the name of ‘Lee Beop Bang Yak’.
In this way, the original text's system was reorganized into a modern one.

3.
What are the unique advantages of this book?
That fits the purpose of my writing this book.
The title of this book is “The Theory of the Ideal”.
If you write it in Chinese characters, it is 易知, and if you write it in English, it is Easy.
I guess that means it's easy to understand.
Generally, we perceive the Book of Changes as difficult.
This is not a wrong statement, but in reality, the content is a book that records the changes in the celestial energy and the earthly energy in preparation for the movement of heaven and earth.
I believe that all ideas and learning can be long-lasting and universal only when they are easy to learn and master so that everyone can understand and accept them.


Although the Book of Changes is said to be difficult to understand, its basic principles of the operation of heaven and earth are simple and easy.
The sky easily becomes morning and night, spring and fall.
Then the earth also simply accepts this and produces the result of growing trees.
The sun rises and the moon sets easily, grass grows and fruit is produced simply.
If the events of heaven and earth are difficult, how long can the Earth last?
It may be presumptuous, but if our medicine were as simple and easy as the events of the heavens and the earth, of course a beginner might say that it would be impossible, but there would be nothing to wish for.
If you learn and practice it, you will realize that the fundamentals of Oriental medicine are simple.
While writing this book, I always had in mind the idea of ​​completing a commentary on the Shang Han Lun that could be easily learned and mastered.
I'm not sure if it worked as I intended, but the advantages of this book are its convenience and simplicity.

4.
How can Korean medicine doctors and Korean medicine students utilize this book?
I have a lot of concerns about this point.
I have heard that in modern times, the trend of neglecting the Shang Han Lun in schools has been around for a long time.
I heard that people just go out and learn various techniques, saying that they are difficult to use and not very useful in clinical settings.
It's very heartbreaking.
First of all, I think the cause is that I didn't learn properly at school.
What could be wrong with the students?


It's my experience that it's a truly flawed education for students who have just entered college to only remember and learn the Five Elements and the Yin-Yang theory.
Gradually, we will become further and further away from the true essence of our medicine without even being able to experience it.
First of all, we need to adjust the professors' thinking.
《Shang Han Lun》 is not just a book on prescription medicine.
Of course I use a prescription.
But in that book, the basics of physiology that we practice, the basics of pathological observation, the basics of all diagnoses, the basic theories of medicine and pharmacology, and even the practice of herbal medicine are written.


I often say that we should first learn Shang Han Lun before learning Neijing in school.
Only then can both the 《Neijing》 and the 《Shang Han Lun》 be saved.
Right now, I'm in the process of getting rid of both of them.
After studying the concise and clear 《Shang Han Lun》, you will naturally be able to understand 《Neijing》.
On the contrary, I think it is difficult.
This type of approach, where students study the Internal Classic for one or two years and then learn the Shang Han Lun around the time of graduation, could be said to be putting an end to our medical practice.
Professors and students should definitely abandon the idea that this "Shang Han Lun" is a means to earn graduation credits or that it is the exclusive property of a select few.
We must lay the foundation of our medicine with the Shang Han Lun.
That way, both the doctor and the patient can live.
The ancients always said that the 《Shang Han》 and the 《Golden Chest》 make a true doctor.

5.
Who would you recommend this book to?
I hope that students majoring in Korean medicine will use this book to establish a sound foundation in oriental medicine.
Through this book, Korean medicine practitioners working in clinical practice can diagnose the most appropriate pulmonary system for their patients and select the appropriate herbal medicine for their illness.
Teachers of the church can refer to the exact meaning of yin and yang, the external and internal heat and the external and internal emptiness and the six meridians.
I also believe that researchers of Oriental medicine will be able to re-establish their understanding of the value of the "Shang Han Lun", which is consistent in both logic and clinical practice.

6.
If you have any additional comments, please feel free to share them.
Hearing news from outside, I wonder if modern medicine has been reduced to a tool for economic profit.
Using only a part of Oriental medicine.
Even if it is economically feasible, it can be considered shameful as a doctor if you cannot immediately apply the medical skills you have learned to your own body or the illnesses of your family.


There also seem to be many misunderstandings about the Shang Han Lun.
I also hear vain remarks like, "What use is the knowledge of two thousand years ago today?"
So then, why do we learn the Naegyeong, what is the use of the Nanggyeong, and why do we memorize the Donguibogam?
《Shang Han Miscellaneous Diseases》, or 《Shang Han Lun》, can be said in one word to be the foundation from which all later medical books emerged.
Can there be a branch without a root? If you grasp and understand the root and origin, it's not difficult to acquire the branches and fruits.


The contents of 《Shang Han Lun》 consist solely of the fundamental theories and disciplines of clinical medicine, as well as the methods of prescribing and using prescriptions.
In terms of individual contents, it is based on the discipline of yin and yang, cold and heat, inside and outside, and empty and empty, and it is governed by the six meridians.
It's very simple.
All you have to do is combine the eight strengths and six strengths.
It's just that the old characters are a bit difficult and the teaching methods are lacking.
If a smart modern scholar studies with sincerity, he or she can learn it quickly.


One thing that concerns me is that there are people who interpret the theories and rules of the Shang Han Lun in their own way or change them in a way that they consider convenient, thereby creating new logic.
By grafting a new theory onto something that can be learned naturally by following the fundamentals, you are adding to the burden.
On the one hand, such sects form a family and deceive scholars, and on the other hand, they themselves become immersed in such ideas.


In particular, I urge beginners who are just beginning to study the Shang Han Lun not to wander off the right path.
《Shang Han Lun》 is about learning the two methods of medicine and only mastering the Six Classics and Eight Bonds.
Therefore, I hope that this book will be of some help, however small, in proper learning and clinical practice.