Huh Kyung young | Lecturer | Delivers a lecture on the “truth of honesty” and various philosophical and spiritual concepts.
Kim Go-mun | Audience Member | Frequently addressed by Huh Kyung young for questions and participation during the lecture.
Park Hoe-jang | Audience Member | Frequently addressed by Huh Kyung young for questions and participation during the lecture, also coughs at one point.
Jesus | Historical/Religious Figure | Referenced as an example of expressing “public indignation” by overturning tables in the temple.
Sakyamuni | Historical/Religious Figure | Referenced as an example of advising a king to abandon worldly possessions for enlightenment.
An Jung-geun | Historical Figure | Referenced as an example of someone whose actions, though involving killing, are seen as beautiful because they upheld truth.
Haila | Biblical Figure | Son of Yokdan, Adam’s 15th descendant, who migrated to the East.
Yokdan | Biblical Figure | Adam’s 15th descendant, father of Haila and 12 other sons who went to Judea.
Adam | Biblical Figure | First human, ancestor of Yokdan and Haila.
Amita Buddha | Religious Figure | Referred to as the manager of the celestial world, equivalent to God in Christianity, and associated with the “Ah” sound.
Maitreya Buddha | Religious Figure | Identified as the same as Amita Buddha, prophesied to come to the Korean Peninsula.
2. Scene-by-Scene Summary
#1 (00:00:00) The Importance of Honesty in Business and Life
The speaker emphasizes that honesty is the best business secret** for success in companies and human relationships, contrary to complex management theories .
He criticizes MBA programs for teaching how to extract money from people rather than promoting honesty .
The speaker highlights that even financial experts and companies fail if they lack honesty, citing the example of Dongyang Securities .
He points out the increasing national debt and public enterprise debt, attributing it to a lack of honest officials .
The speaker suggests that public enterprise executives should have their salaries cut if their companies incur deficits and that those running deficit-making businesses should be fired .
He expresses “public indignation” (공분) over the mismanagement and debt, stating it’s not personal anger but anger for the future of young people .
The speaker mentions that if he becomes president, he will change the currency to expose hidden wealth, making it difficult for those who hoarded money to convert it .
#2 (00:17:30) The Three Elements of Religion, Faith, and Philosophy
The speaker introduces the three major elements of religion: discipline (계), honesty (정), and charity (해) .
He clarifies that charity without honesty is meaningless, as stealing to give is not true charity .
The speaker then discusses the three major elements of faith: belief (신), hope (망), and love (애) .
He explains that these three elements must be interconnected; faith is incomplete if one only prays for things without belief .
The speaker moves on to the three major elements of philosophy: emptiness (공), honesty (정), and harmony (원) .
He uses the example of Jesus telling a rich young man to give up his wealth to achieve eternal life, illustrating the concept of “emptiness” .
The speaker also references Sakyamuni advising a king to abandon his kingdom and possessions for enlightenment .
He emphasizes that honesty must be accompanied by emptiness and harmony; for instance, acting “righteously” by harming family members is not true righteousness .
The speaker concludes that these three elements are interdependent, and one cannot achieve truth by isolating them .
#3 (00:39:00) The Three Elements of Value and Status
The speaker introduces the three major elements of human value: truth (진), goodness (선), and beauty (미) .
He explains that human value is zero without truth, and upholding truth leads to goodness and beauty .
The speaker uses the example of An Jung-geun, whose actions, though violent, are seen as beautiful because they were based on truth .
He contrasts this with someone who is physically attractive but dishonest, whose beauty is not true beauty .
The speaker states that if truth is replaced by falsehood, goodness turns into evil, and beauty becomes ugliness .
He then discusses the three major elements of human status (위상): body (체), appearance (상), and action (용) .
The speaker explains that “body” refers to one’s physical appearance, which can influence initial perceptions of status .
“Appearance” refers to one’s demeanor and impression, which can be changed through effort .
“Action” refers to one’s deeds, which can significantly elevate or lower one’s status, regardless of physical appearance .
He concludes that these elements are interconnected, and improving one can positively affect the others .
#4 (00:49:00) The Concept of Reincarnation and the “Ah” Sound
The speaker discusses different levels of existence beyond reincarnation (환생), which is being reborn on Earth .
He introduces higher levels like eternal life (영생) and celestial beings (상생), and lower levels like animal rebirth (축생), microbial rebirth (기생), and ghost rebirth (귀생), which is hell .
The speaker explains the Buddhist concept of the Six Paths of Reincarnation (육도윤회), starting from hell (지옥계) and progressing through hungry ghosts (아귀계), animals (축생계), humans (인간계), Asuras (수라계), and finally celestial beings (천상계) .
He states that the ultimate goal for humans is to reach the celestial world, which is managed by Amita Buddha, equivalent to God in Christianity .
The speaker highlights the significance of the “Ah” sound in various important terms like Amita Buddha (아미타불), Asadal (아사달), Eden (아덴), Adam (아담), Asia (아시아), Africa (아프리카), America (아메리카), and father (아버지) .
He claims that words starting with “Ah” are connected to the Korean people (한민족) .
The speaker connects the Sumerian civilization (스메르 문명), which used comb-pattern pottery (빗살 토기), to the “Ah” sound and the Korean people, suggesting it originated in Eden and moved to Baekdusan .
He asserts that Haila, the 12th son of Yokdan (Adam’s 15th descendant), came to the Korean Peninsula and established a civilization that created its own language (Korean), unlike the other 12 brothers who went to Judea and did not develop their own language .
The speaker concludes that the Korean Peninsula is where the Messiah (Maitreya Buddha/Amita Buddha) will come, and Huh Kyung young is that Messiah .
#5 (01:00:00) The Most Beautiful Words
The speaker asks the audience to identify the most beautiful word in the world, based on a global survey .
He reveals that the most beautiful word is “mother” (어머니) .
The speaker explains that “mother” is cherished because it represents selfless giving and sacrifice .
He then asks for the second most beautiful word, which is “love” (사랑) .
The third most beautiful word is “thank you” (감사) .
The speaker notes that “father” (아버지) is not a highly favored word, ranking around 17th .
He concludes that humans fundamentally prefer words associated with receiving and giving .
3. Other Useful Information
Lecture Title: The Truth of Honesty (정직의 진리)
Date: October 12, 2013
Key Concepts:
Public Indignation (공분): Anger for the future of young people, not personal rage .
Three Major Elements: The lecture frequently uses a framework of “three major elements” for various concepts (religion, faith, philosophy, value, status).
“Ah” Sound Significance: The speaker attributes special significance to words starting with “Ah,” connecting them to the Korean people and important spiritual/historical figures .
Idolatry in the 21st Century: The speaker claims that in the 21st century, people’s own bodies and families have become idols, leading to a materialistic ideology .
Critique of Modern Education/Society:
MBA programs teach how to exploit people for money .
Public officials are dishonest and mismanage national finances, leading to debt .
Modern philosophy professors lack fundamental knowledge of human values .