Prepared by the Researcher, Hwang Hyeon-Ha

Translated by Jason Greenberger

1. Introduction   

I once lived alone and tended to a farm in the middle of nowhere without any running water or electricity. One unusually cold winter day, it snowed over 30 centimeters which piled up all over the fields outside and the moonlight was remarkably bright and lush. I began reading a book under the candlelight to pass time, and suddenly a youngster from the neighborhood saw the light of my house, came by, and remarked, "You must be very lonely living all alone in a cold room." The youngster left after staying with me for a while, and I thought to myself I do not feel any loneliness at all, but, to him, I am sure that I looked rather lonely.  

I deeply pondered this word, ‘loneliness,’ and was hit by a sudden realization. “Loneliness is not an innately existent thing.” I awoke to the actual nature of loneliness, and discovered that it is something created by the mind through cognitive processes. Thereby, it is actually the case that, from within falsely perceptions of loneliness, humans create their own karma, and that karma propels them to be incarnated back into Samsara (cyclical existence). I deeply realized that all things and matters in the universe, the sum total of the phenomenal realm and furthermore, even all thoughts themselves, are merely what has been created by our own mind. Based upon this realization, now, I’d like to explore the concept of a ‘singularly-focused mind’ as contained in the teachings of Kang Jeungsan.

2. Body Section  

To achieve the goal of our spiritual cultivation, what is required first and foremost for all of us who cleanse ourselves through Dao is a singularly-focused mind. This singularly-focused mind can be described in many other ways, such as ‘one-mindedness,’ ‘a unified mind,’ ‘an unchanging mind,’ ‘a pure and pristine heart,’ and ‘true suchness (the true nature of all things throughout the universe).’  

In The Jeon-Gyeong, a singularly-focused mind appears in the following teachings:  

“...At the time of Choi Ik-Hyeon's uprising, the reason that the divine beings actively helped him can only have been attributed to his sincere devotion...” (Reordering Works Chapter 1 Verse 24)  

"With only fire and water, you shall sustain your life even though you live on a stony peak."

(Reorderings Works Chapter 2 Verse 18)

“I am in charge of people's happiness and wealth, but I have no means to act upon it. How unfortunate this is! It is because there are none with singularly-focused mind who have awakened. I will immediately give bliss to whoever possesses singularly-focused mind.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 4)  

“Now, the reason why one cannot succeed in every matter results from the fact that no one possesses singularly-focused mind. There is nothing you cannot do with it.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 5)  

“Even Heaven is afraid of a man who believes in Me and keeps his mind right.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 7)  

“Even though I stay in very remote and secluded places like West Shu (Seochok, 西蜀), I will, without exception, visit anyone who possesses one singularly-focused mind.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 13)  

"The power of a singularly-focused mind is great. In the same barrage of bullets, Im Nak-An was killed while Choi Myeon-Am (Choi Ik-Hyeon) was left alive. His survival was made possible by his singularly-focused mind. A man with a singularly-focused mind can easily destroy a warship ten thousand ri away with a flick of a finger.”

(Dharma Chapter 3 Verse 20)   

If you have a singularly-focused mind like that of the cases described in the above teachings of Sangje,[1] you will be able to move the deities of Heaven and Earth and whatever you apply your mind to will surely be realized. Maintaining a singularly-focused mind is actually the source of all blessings, and even the deities of Heaven and Earth are in absolute awe of those who keep a singularly-focused mind in their devotion towards Sangje. It is said that Sangje will exceptionally take care of those who possess a singularly-focused mind. However, maintaining a singularly-focused mind is said to be even harder than dying. Why exactly would maintaining a singularly-focused mind be even more difficult than dying?  

1) Why Maintaining a Singularly-Focused Mind is so Difficult  

There are waves of greed, debauchery, hatred, and various other kinds of impure thoughts throughout the universe that house the realms of Earth and Humanity. In the Former World, there were divinities that dominated and led that world, and also ancestral spirits and grievance-harboring spirits. Each soul had its own destiny and all longed for grievance resolution. The human mind is such that people find themselves carried away by stray thought-waves and the karma of their ancestors. They lose their original minds through unwanted thoughts, mysteries, and delusions. Their minds end up divided and dispersed, and consequently, it is extremely difficult to maintain a unified mind free from both temptation and fluctuation.  

“Like day turned to night (joseok ji byeon 朝夕之變)” or “a resolution broken after only three days (jaksim samil 作心三日)” are among many Korean expressions that describe the how quickly and easily one’s mind can change. Sangje once said:  

“The mind is a pivot, gate, and gateway for gods; They, who turn the pivot, open, and close the gate, and go back and forth through the gateway, can be either good or evil. Instruct that which is good and rectify that which is evil. The hinged door, doorway, and road of my mind is more enormous than Heaven and Earth.”

(Acts Chapter 3 Verse 44)  

In other words, the mind is like a central organ used by divinities, and the mind can even embrace Heaven and Earth. Hence, whatever we hold in our minds, will be responded to by divinities. This is just like how televisions and radios tune in set frequencies. Therefore, Dao cultivators have to carefully exercise control over their minds.  

By way of explanation, even though you may strive to act as the master of your own mind, supervise it with autonomy, and make proper use of it. If your efforts are insufficient, then many unwanted spirits that have some connection with you will invade your mind. Inner conflict and confusion will then arise from trying to regain control over your mind, and it will be extremely difficult to return your mind to its original state.  

2) The Reason Why Nothing is Impossible for Those Who Possess a Singularly-Focused Mind  

① All existent phenomena throughout the universe is nothing more than manifested mental phenomena. Early on, thousands of years ago, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva entered into a state of meditative concentration (禪定 dhyāna)[2], and the The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (般若心經 Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra), details Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva’s discovery of the original substance of all phenomena in the universe. This sutra contains the verse "Form is emptiness and emptiness is form (色即是空。空即是色)." 'Form (色 rūpa)' means everything that is visible, has a shape, and has emptiness (空 śūnyatā) as its original material substance. In modern day physics, this theory could be reworded as follows:  

Matter can be broken down to a single molecule which is the smallest unit for measuring a chemical substance. When the molecule is broken down even further, atoms are revealed. Atoms are composed of an atomic nucleus and electrons. Atomic nuclei are made up of protons and neutrons. When, in turn, they are also broken down, the smallest of all known particles are revealed and these are called ‘quanta.’ When quanta travel in space as light, they are called light quanta. This form of quanta is also energy. The following diagram depicts this in an easily understood manner:  

※Matter → Separates into → Molecules → Separate into → Atoms  

 Atoms → ① Electrons → Separate into (Electrons and a Nucleus)→ Quanta → Energy  

Atoms → ② Nucleus → <Protons + Neutrons>  

As shown in the diagram above, matter is energy (氣 ki), and energy is also emptiness and can be referred to as a mental phenomenon. Therefore, the universe is a condensation of mental activity; a universal or collective mind.  

As Sangje taught: “The proper usage of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity all depend on the mind.” (Acts Chapter 3 Verse 44). Namely, Heaven, Earth, and Humanity depend on the action of a unified mind. Likewise, the Buddha also said 'all phenomena are created by mind-only.' These statements support the observation that all existent phenomena throughout the universe are nothing more than manifested mental phenomena. This principle can be applied, not only to the three dimensional material world, but also to all the spirit realms which formlessly exist in four, five, or even limitless dimensions.

② Human life is recorded in the universe. It is said that all past actions that accumulate over the course of one’s life are recorded in space throughout the universe. If you look to the scripture of esoteric Tibetan Buddhism known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the option of lying one’s way out of a postmortem judgement scene does not exist because all the events from the life of the deceased were recorded just as they took place. When the judge plays back those scenes before the deceased after they attempt to lie, the images flash by, all the faults are exposed, and the dead feel overcome with guilt and shame. They attempt to flee from the scene; however, since the screen before the dead is nothing more than accurately depicted past actions, it will not disappear from their eyes.  

When the deceased grow tired of running away, they will instead try to hide and seek refuge. They will eventually enter into the womb of a human or animal. This is the nature of reincarnation and cyclical existence. However, reincarnation and cyclical existence are only a small part of the larger picture. As we can see from what is presented above, all great historical figures still exist throughout space and time. Therefore, to discover paths traveled by great figures that are not well-known historically, you can enter into deep meditation and match the wavelength of your heart with the wavelength of that person's life. In doing so, you can discover details about the lives of various figures that were not recorded in the history. In the past, a yogi (master of yoga) in deep meditation discovered historical events regarding Jesus during the period of his life from ages 13 to 29, which were not recorded in historical texts or the Bible.  

③ Making decisions in one’s mind is just like taking pictures with a camera. As mentioned earlier, the universe is a manifestation of mental activity. In other words, the realization of anything can be realistically achieved so long as it has been properly assigned to one’s mind. Hence, this process is like snapping photos. If you decide upon something in your heart and in your mind, it is like the opening and closing of a shutter that imprints upon film and is later developed into photographs. These photos are imaged through a light source and appear before you the same as they truly were after the film has been developed.

Consider the following verses from The Jeon-Gyeong:  

“A great man's words reach the Ninth Heaven. Not even a word of Mine will ever vanish in vain. Therefore, have good faith in My words.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 2)  

“...Whatever I do, even if it's just a small joke, all of it is related to Degree Numbers and spreads to Heaven and Earth.”(Acts Chapter 4 Verse 15 )  

As you can see from Sangje’s teachings above, He possesses a singularly-focused mind, and consequently, His words are instantly realized in the spirit realm by the great deities of Heaven and Earth. However, in the human realm, His words can be achieved through a process of effortless and natural transformations throughout space and time.  

He is the Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven and the great ruler of the Three Realms. He is the host over all with the authority to perfectly implement His own will. For instance, He could even raise the dead, suspend the activities of the sun, and control and administer all heavenly bodies and phenomena such as the sun, moon, stars, celestial bodies, wind, clouds, rain, dew, frost, snow, thunder, and lightning. When He existed in human form as Kang Jeungsan, He was the greatest figure among all great figures. Even when He told jokes, they echoed throughout Heaven and Earth and resulted in the recalibration of Degree Numbers. The true intention of these jokes instantly manifested in the spirit realm, and then in the phenomenal realm, they were realized via effortless transformation affecting humans, times, and locations. However, the people of the world are cloudy, diffuse, divisible, and easily subject to change, and hence, if thought of in terms of photography, this film is unclear and it is hard to know what will develop. Therefore, it is only possible to achieve one’s aim after continually strengthening one’s mind and maintaining singular focus; free from miscellaneous thoughts that distract from one’s ultimate goal.  

In addition, from the following verses we can know that the principles behind mental phenomena move in accordance with the utterly impersonal and strict rule of karmic causality, and thereby, the direction of a wrongful mind of is destined to bring about its own destruction:  

“Happiness will be brought to you when you have a pure heart. A man who covets what others have, shall fail to acquire happiness due to having the thief's energy in tow.”

(Dharma Chapter 1 Verse 21)  

“When people commit a great sin, they shall be punished via Heavenly penalties, whereas those who commit a petty sin shall be punished via divine penalties or via human penalties.”

(Dharma Chapter 1 Verse 32)  

“...If a true mind is adamantly guarded, blessings are that which comes first.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 3)  

“There is a saying that 'mu-cheok jal sanda (one lives very well),' which can also be interpreted as people can live happily only without cheok (grudge). Do not provoke grievances from other people, or those grievances will turn into a cheok that will come back to you. Furthermore, do not hate others. Even if that hatred is not consciously known, their spirits will notice it first and return it upon you back as a cheok.”

(Dharma Chapter 2 Verse 44)  

Therefore, Dao-cohorts should always strive to maintain a singularly-focused mind devoted to Sangje.  

3. Conclusion  

So far, it has been shown that the singularly-focused mind is the center of both the universe and also the spirit realm. In truth, those who possess a singularly-focused mind can exert its power freely over themselves and the universe, which is itself a kind of collective or universal mind. However, since the vast majority of people have utterly no means to solve problems involving the dominant divine spirits that led the Former World and other negative spirits such as resentful ancestral spirits or grudge-harboring spirits, only the disciples of Sangje's Dao will be able to cultivate themselves according to the principle of ‘Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence’ and thereby reach the state of truly possessing a singularly-focused mind. In addition, Sangje has designed the complete blueprints for constructing the Earthly Paradise of the Later World during His nine-year Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth.  

Therefore, the Later World has been built in the spirit realm. As Sangje proclaimed:

“If all things, no matter how large or small, are dealt with by the Dao of gods,

profound and inscrutable accomplishments shall be gained. This is a natural resolution without need for action. With the Dao of gods, all things can be performed in accordance with righteousness. By doing so, I will determine the destiny of boundless paradise. A new foundation shall be opened when the Degree Number reaches the right time.”

(Prophetic Elucidations, Verse 73)  

In other words, Sangje came into the world and laid down the blueprints for the Earthly Paradise of the Later World, and thereby, there can be no doubt that this world will emerge. All Dao cohorts will have to increase their involvement, cultivation, and propagation throughout the world so that all the people can join us in the coming earthly paradise of the Later World.

[1] Sangje (上帝): The Supreme God of the Ninth Heaven who descended into the world as the historical figure, Kang Jeungsan.

[2] The phonics in this paragraph are the original Sanskrit words that were translated into Chinese in this Buddhist scripture.