ACTS 2
1. In the Jeongyu Year (1897), Sangje opened a village school once again at Jeong Nam-Gi´s house, where He taught His younger brother Yeong-Hak and Hyeong-Ryeol´s son Chan-Mun as well as the students from the neighborhood. At that time, Sangje read through the books on Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, in addition, He spent time reading through the books on the yin-yang school of thought, prophecy, and other books related to philosophy. By reading these books, He hoped to use the knowledge within them to save the world by rectifying its faults. After teaching at the school for a while, He went on a journey to observe public sentiments and circumstances.
2. After leaving Inland-Core (Naeju) Town in Golden Ditch (Geumgu) County, Sangje passed by Inner Village (Iri) in Added Mountain (Iksan) County. The day after passing through, Sangje met Kim Il-Bu. In those days, Il-Bu was working to spread the practice of Yeonggamudo (詠歌舞蹈, simultaneous chanting and gentle movement) to his disciples. One day, Il-Bu had a dream that is said to have occurred as follows: ´A divine messenger came down from Heaven and delivered a Celestial Worthy´s order to come up to the Jade Palace of Heaven with Kang Sa-Ok (Sangje). Il-Bu ascended there with Him following the messenger. The divine messenger guided them to the Yowun-jeon (曜雲殿, the Hall of the Splendid Clouds), a heavenly palace which is magnificently covered with jewels, and let them have an audience with the Celestial Worthy. The Celestial Worthy praised highly Sa-Ok´s will to save the world by rectifying faults and treated Him with utmost courtesy.´ Il-Bu kept thinking about his strange dream and serendipitously, he was paid an unexpected visit by Sangje, allowing the two to finally meet. Il-Bu presented Sangje with the honorific name ´Yowun (曜雲, Splendid Clouds)´ to honor Him.
3. Sangje stayed there for a few more days and then continued His journey to various places throughout Gyeonggi (Capital Area), Hwanghae (Yellow Sea), Pyeong-an (Peace-Comfort), Hamgyeong (All Brilliance), and Gyeongsang (Celebration-Admiration) Province. Once He reached Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital, Sangje was warmly greeted by the residents who treated Him with respect as a man of divine power.
4. During His Journey, Sangje, arriving in All Joy (Hamyeol 咸悅) County, declared with great delight, “All share joy [萬人咸悅].”
5. When Sangje arrived at Inner-Embraced (Naejang) Mountain one day, He recited: After the world came into being, this mountain arose. As autumn approaches, all embraced creatures flourish. It should be Fuxi, the progenitor of civilization, to whom prostrations are due, wherefore do followers of the Dao lavish the Buddha with hymns of praise? 世界有而此山出 紀運金天藏物華 應須祖宗太昊伏 道人何事多佛歌
6. And another day, Sangje recited a poem to His disciples: Ascending to sightsee upon Geumgang Mountain, the 'green' mountain is now just bare and skeletal. A donkey-riding wayfarer comes, he loses interest and just hovers around. 步拾金剛景 靑山皆骨餘 其後騎驢客 無興但躊躇
7. In the Gyeongja Year (1900), when Sangje finished His three-year journey, He came back home to Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village. Sangje relocated His grandmother´s grave to Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron (Siru-san) after deliberating with the feng shui consultant (jisa), Ryu Seo-Gu. From that time forward, whenever Sangje practiced Holy Works (gongbu 工夫) on the summit of Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron, He always did so after untying His topknot and letting His hair down. One day, when Sangje was sitting, He transformed Himself into a tiger. Some woodcutters were passing by and saw a tiger where Sangje usually sat. They were so frightened that they told Sangje´s father about what they had seen. His father, being at a loss, climbed up the summit, but he could not find the tiger. He only saw Sangje sitting there calmly and practicing Holy Works as if nothing happened.
8. During the days when He was practicing Holy Works on Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron (Siru-san) in Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village, Sangje occasionally went down to Yu Deok-Ahn´s house at night, asked him for a handful of small black beans (juinuni-kong), and ate them with cold water. Finding Deok-Ahn´s son Chil-Ryong there one night, Sangje remarked, “You´ve been begging Me to save your life.” Whenever Sangje climbed up to Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron, He yelled so loudly that mountains and streams reverberated. All the villagers were too scared of the noise to step outdoors.
9. While Sangje was practicing Holy Works on Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron (Siru-san), He sometimes cried around the spring site under the mount. Once, Sangje´s father saw this sight while climbing up the mountain carrying a meal for Sangje.
10. One day, when Sangje resumed Holy Works again, He recited the Incantation of Perfected Dharma (Jinbeop-ju) and proceeded with the Reordering Works of the Divine Generals of the Five Directions, the Forty-Eight Divine Generals and the Divine Generals of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, respectively, on Mount Steamer-on-Cauldron (Siru-san). Afterward, Sangje, wearing a red cloth around His neck, went to Kim Gi-Jin´s house in Pair-of-Workers (Ssangjeong) Village and told him about the Reordering Works. In that house, many of the villagers used to gather eagerly around to listen to Him.
11. News that Sangje was practicing Holy Works began to spread throughout the region. The Primordial Hill (Gobu) Constabulary heard the news. They believed Sangje was a deluder who was learning black magic, so they went to arrest Him. Sangje knew in advance that they were coming and sat out by the road wearing a satgat (cone-shaped hat) while creating a dense fog. The constables just passed by Him because they did not recognize Him in the fog.
12. In the fifth month of the Shinchuck Year (1901), Sangje traveled to Great Court Temple (Daewon-sa) at Mount Mother (Moak-san) in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County and, there, occupied a quiet room that had personally been prepared by Abbott Park Geum-Gok. Sangje asked to be left alone in order to practice a Holy Work uninterrupted, even so far as going without food or rest. Geum-Gok grew increasingly worried as Sangje stayed entirely devoted to His work for 49 days. On the fifth day of the seventh month, Sangje finally opened the great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and as He did so, a great wind was blown by the Five Directional Dragons. From within His room, He called out to Geum-Gok asking for a bowl of rice gruel, and the monk was glad at last to be able to serve Him. A few minutes later, Sangje came out of the room. His clothes were so disheveled that no one dared look at them. Geum-Gok soon sent someone to Sangje´s house, requesting that a new outfit be brought Sangje´s wife (Jeong Chi-Sun), said impious words as she handed over the clothes. She had grown frustrated with His indifference to the household duties. As Geum-Gok offered Sangje that outfit, He said, “This outfit is permeated with the flippancy of a frivolous woman, so throw it away quickly.” So Sangje did not wear the clothes. When Geum-Gok sent someone once again to inform Sangje´s wife about this, she repented of her faults, apologized for what she had said, and brought down a new outfit.
13. One day, Venerable Geum-Gok politely sat beside Sangje and requested, “Please tell me something about myself.” Sangje said to him, “You were Venerable Wolgwang (Moonlight) in your previous life, have now come to Great Court Temple (Daewon-sa) in this life. Your duty is to remodel this temple. I will extend your lifespan so that you shall pass away sometime after your 90th year.”
14. One day, Sangje said, “If we work inside the present frame, relying on existing dharmas, we will be faced with the obstacle of unwanted attention, therefore, our aims shall be accomplished outside the present frame.”
15. Sangje, who had been finishing the Holy Work of Great Court Temple (Daewon-sa), changed His clothes and went out of the room. When He stepped outdoors, many varieties of birds and species of animals gathered together quite suddenly in the valley around the temple. They greeted Him as if they were begging Him for something. Sangje looked around the group of birds and animals with interest and said to them: “Do you also wish for the resolution of grievances for the Later World?” In reply, the animals bowed to Him as if they understood. When Sangje told them, “I see. Now step aside.” The multitude of animals followed His order.
16. One day, Sangje said, “I am Maitreya. The 16-foot-high golden icon (yukjang-geumshin 六丈金身) enshrined in the Maitreya Hall of Golden Mountain Temple (Geumsan-sa), held the Cintamani Stone (Wish-fulfilling Stone) with his hand, but I have one in My mouth.” When Sangje showed His lower lip to His disciples, there was a red spot on its inside, and His countenance appeared to them as that of the golden icon of Maitreya at Golden Mountain Temple. Completing the picture, between His two eyebrows were white twinkling bead-shaped hairs (Baekhoju 白毫珠) and on His left palm was the character 壬 (Im) and on His right the character 戊 (Mu).
17. As Kim Hyeong-Ryeol served Sangje, he told Him, “A man named Jeong Jip-Jeon had mysterious insights and intuition. While my great grandfather was alive, Jip-Jeon stayed in my family´s house for a long time. The villagers were worried that the famine known as ´spring poverty´ was coming. Noticing their worry, Jip-Jeon told them where to find a gold mine, so they were able to avoid the hardship. He also dug out many mystical wild ginseng roots and saved the sick. Furthermore, he had predicted the peasants´ riot that broke out in Gyeongsang (Celebration-Admiration) Province in the previous Imsul Year (1862). My great grandfather did not have a chance to utilize Jip-Jeon´s knowledge to acquire a myeongdang (luminous court), and therefore he failed to exercise a positive influence on future generations. This has caused my sorrow today.” After listening to him, Sangje said, “How did such a man of great wisdom come to owe such a debt of gratitude to your family who took him in as a stranger and then fail to reward them? The ultimate nature of heavenly principle leaves no room for self-serving biases driven by the desires of humanity.”
18. One day, Sangje told Hyeong-Ryeol to remember the following words for later recitation: In using men, you should treat them with courtesy and pay them sufficiently. You can acquire men of loyalty if you emphasize courtesy, and men of high fidelity do not dread death if you give them a high salary. Therefore, when you pay a wage to a man of generosity and wisdom, you should not look to save money. And if when conferring awards for achievement, you avoid missing the right time, you shall defeat the enemy state with men gathering in crowds. 夫用兵之要在崇禮而重祿 禮崇則義士至祿重則志士輕死 故祿賢不愛財賞功不逾時則士卒並敵國削
19. After Kim Do-Il came down with an illness, he decided to go to visit Sangje. Do-Il had such a pain in his back that he depended on a cane. Sangje watched as Do-Il approached, and then He took the cane and broke it. Without his cane, Do-Il had no choice but to stand on his own feet. From that moment, he recovered from his backache. Thereby, Sangje said to Do-Il, “Go out of the gate and see if there are reddish clouds floating in the western sky.” After going outside, he came back and confirmed the clouds were there. Again, Sangje said, “It is extremely difficult to get a map of Golden Mountain.”
20. During the Gyemyo Year (1903), Sangje stayed at Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village. One day in the third month of that year, He asked Hyeong-Ryeol, “I will pay the divine beings a fee. So, go to Yun Gong-Sam living in Grinding-Stone-Mountain (Yeosan) County to obtain some money.” Just then, Kim Byeong-Wuk, who was attending to Sangje, suggested to acquire some money from Baek Nam-Shin, a man of great wealth in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County, instead of from Yoon Gong-Sam. After telling Hyeong-Ryeol to visit Baek Nam-Shin, suddenly, Sangje intentionally drank until drunken, wore a bamboo satgat (cone-shaped hat), removed His shoes, and went to Byeong-Wuk´s house, preceding Byeong-Wuk. Jang Heung-Hae was already there and Nam-Shin just so happened to enter the house as they arrived. Byeong-Wuk told Sangje that a guest had just arrived. Then, Sangje, who had been lying down, sat up. But despite this being His first encounter with Nam-Shin, Sangje, foregoing a greeting, suddenly asked him, “Read My countenance.” And Nam-Shin replied, “I do not know anything about physiognomy.” Sangje said, “Since physiognomy is not reliable, just use conventional knowledge.” In response, Nam-Shin said, “Accordingly, if one´s face looks well-balanced and fleshy, it is said one will become wealthy. And if there are white twinkling bead-shaped hairs between one´s eyebrows, one is seen as destined to become noble. Therefore, you may live well with both wealth and honor.” Sangje, with a smile, responded, “As for your countenance, your saliva is bubbling out around your mouth. This refers to the cow chewing the cud diligently. You shall be rich, indeed. I have something to spend money on, so bring Me 100,000 nyang.” After remaining silent for some time, Nam-Shin asked Him, “I can give You 70,000 nyang. Would that be fine with You?” But as Sangje did not accept his suggestion, Nam-Shin told Him, “I would have to sell my house in Seoul to make 100,000 nyang.” He finally agreed to bring Sangje 100,000 nyang. Byeong-Wuk, acting as a guarantor, wrote a promissory note and brought it to Sangje. He received the note and entrusted it to Byeong-Wuk. Byeong-Wuk and Heung-Hae were so struck by the experience that they expressed their wonder and admiration for Sangje. Some time later, Sangje burned the promissory note. Afterward, Baek Nam-Shin started to follow Him.
21. In the fall of the Gyemyo Year (1903), a devastating drought continued in Copper Valley (Donggok) Village. Kim Seong-Cheon was barely able to make a living by farming a field in the area. Due to the drought, aphids spread across his vegetable field, causing most of the plants to die. Sangje observed the terrible conditions of Seong-Cheon´s farm. He said, “Bringing the dying back to life by imbuing them with energy is the same as reviving these vegetables.” Soon afterward, He opened the sky and made the rain fall. Following a short trip elsewhere, Sangje came back and visited Kim Ja-Hyeon. Sangje asked him, “What happened to Kim Seong-Cheon´s vegetable field?” Ja-Hyeon replied, “The recent rains revived his field, so the vegetables are growing the best in the area.” Then Sangje said, “Human affairs are similar to this, the sick and the dying shall be revitalized once they are imbued with energy.”
22. The Gyemyo Year (1903) was coming to an end, and farmers were busy drying rice on the fields after the harvest. Sangje´s father was also busy drying rice and driving away birds and chickens. Seeing this, Sangje held him back saying, “How could you possibly feed human beings if you are so displeased with the birds´ pecking at a single grain?”
23. Sangje, who had put away His gwan (hat for formal attire), had been wearing a bamboo satgat (cone-shaped hat) since the commencement of the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship). After staying in Wellspring-Town (Jeongeup) County, though, He began dressing up in formal attire.
24. When Ahn Pil-Seong was about to leave home, carrying rice seeds on his back for a rice seedbed, he ran into Sangje. Sangje said, “Have a rest and perhaps a drink before leaving.” However, Pil-Seong declined His offer. Sangje again said, ‶You look so busy making the rice seedbed. Here, I will do it for you.” Just then, Sangje tossed aside the roughly three or four mal of seeds from the A-frame onto an abandoned farm field. Pil-Seong merely sat watching without complaint, but as he was having the drink which Sangje had given him, he began to worry. The tavern-keeper came in and told Pil-Seong that the rice seeds still remained in the container that he had brought. Pil-Seong, thinking it strange, went outside to investigate, but he could not find even a single rice seed left scattered on the ground. Instead, he found that all the seeds were now back in the container. Pil-Seong gained an even greater respect for Sangje than he had previously held.
