Fun with chinese Knotting-(Berkeiey)
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72 BUTTERFLY KNOT
Butterfly Knot
One night Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, flying through the air,
totally at ease, unaware of his existence as a man. But when Chuang awoke,
much to his surprise he found he was still a man. Did Chuang dream that he
was a butterfly? Or did a butterfly dream it was Chuang? Or do the very con-
cepts “butterfly” and “Chuang” create arbitrary divisions in the singularity
that gives rise to all things? The butterfly in this parable intimates the essen-
tial oneness of all being, a basic tenet of Taoist philosophy.Tying
The body of the butterfly knot is a simple pan changknot (page 64). In the
course of tying, the cord travels through two of the pan chang’s outer loops to
form a double coin knot (page 60) at the corner. The process is repeated at the
opposite corner. These double coin knots serve as the butterfly’s wings while
the remaining outer loops make up the head and the lower wing tips.Tip
- Tighten the pan changand double coin knots completely before taking out
the slack. When you take out the slack, rotate the double coin knots in oppo-
site directions so that the two outer loops will be at the top rather than the
bottom.
1 First tie a double coin
knot to form one wing.2 Use one loop of the double coin knot and
both cord ends to start a pan changknot.TB