ACTS 3
1. As the Gyemyo Year came to an end, the Gapjin Year (1904) began. Sangje fell into a sound asleep on the night of the first full moon. Without any notice, Jang Heung-Hae´s father, Hyo-Sun, rushed to tell Sangje about his dying grandson and beg Him to save the boy´s life. Sangje said to him in His sleep, “Have the child drink some cold water.” After Hyo-Sun went back home, he did so. Even so, not long after, the child died.
2. Jang Hyo-Sun was a violent-natured man, so much so that he was called ´Thunder´ by his neighbors. The death of his grandson enraged Hyo-Sun. He blamed Sangje for the death and said: “It is evident that Jeungsan killed my grandson on purpose. With my own eyes, I have clearly seen Him bring the dying to life and even cure any number of serious illnesses with merely one word. He must have killed my grandson intentionally. Otherwise, He could have easily cured him of the illness through some miraculous arts of the Dao with something even as lowly as soil, let alone water.” Overwhelmed with fury, Hyo-Sun returned to find Sangje. He had brought a club along with him and with it he gave Sangje a brutal beating. Only when the beating began did Sangje wake up and try to stand. Hyo-Sun began to shout that Sangje was a murderer, tied Him up, and dragged Him to the constable´s office. His rage subsided just as suddenly as it had arrived. Hyo-Sun untied Sangje and seemed to repent of his violent response by saying, “It was all my fault. How can I blame You for the little boy´s death from a sudden illness?” And telling Him he would like to go back to the way things were, Hyo-Sun persuaded Sangje to come along with him to his house. Sangje rejected the offer and went to Seo Won-Gyu´s house, where He stayed the night. The next day, He headed for Lee Jik-Bu´s house at East-of-Here (Yidong) Township in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County.
3. The reason Hyo-Sun, who had just been dragging Sangje to the constable´s office, let Him go was because he knew Sangje had received a promissory note from Baek Nam-Shin. He intended to seek monetary compensation from Sangje. However, as Sangje saw through this and knew his real intention, He did not follow Hyo-Sun to his house.
4. The next day Hyo-Sun looked in vain for Sangje at Seo Won-Gyu´s home. His rage reignited, so he sought out Sangje in the various places where He was most likely to be seen. As he did so he spread the slander that Sangje had killed his grandson and run away. When he failed to find Sangje, he instead sought out Sangje´s family at Flower Pavilion (Hwa-jeong) Village in Silver Grass Field (Nanjeon) Township of Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County and made a disturbance. At that time, His family had moved there and was living in a small room in Lee Gyeong-Oh´s house.
5. Not knowing about Hyo-Sun´s rampage at all, Kim Hyeong-Ryeol came to Flower Pavilion (Hwa-jeong) Village to hear about Sangje´s situation. Then Hyo-Sun´s family tied up Hyeong-Ryeol and dragged him to Seo Won-Gyu´s house. They threatened the two people, demanding they reveal Sangje´s whereabouts. Seo Won-Gyu and Kim Hyeong-Ryeol, neither of whom had any idea where Sangje had gone, had no choice but to accept their beatings by the family.
6. As a result, Sangje´s family went to Winding Hill-Path (Gul-chi) Hamlet in Great Benevolence (Taein) County to avoid further disaster. Hyeong-Ryeol fled by night, while Won-Gyu, not being able to bear the daily violence from Hyo-Sun´s family, shut down the pharmacy and took shelter in Added Mountain (Iksan) County with his family.
7. Around the time of the disaster caused by Hyo-Sun, Sangje asked His father´s concubine from Stream-Plain (Cheonwon) Village whose surname was Jang, to “Brew rice wine,” and then, requested, “Don´t let anyone taste the wine at first.” One day, when Sangje´s father came home, Jang, completely forgetting Sangje´s request, scooped up some wine from the upper portion of the pot and gave it to him first. Sometime later Sangje came back and scolded her for touching the wine ahead of time and demanded, “To avoid a disaster, you should leave here immediately.” He left immediately afterward. Soon Hyo-Sun´s family rushed in and interrogated Jang, “Are you Jeungsan´s mother?” Being at a loss, she replied, “I´m His mother.” Then, hurling curses at her, Hyo-Sun´s family took her to their house by force and violently battered her. A strange gray-haired old man who was standing by rebuked them, “Isn´t it a brutal act to batter someone´s parents because of their child´s faults?” Then Hyo-Sun and his son Heung-Hae left the place. After they left, Jang barely managed to gather her senses and head back home. Sometime later, when Sangje came to Jang and heard of the story, He said, “Apply the juice from a fresh rhemannia root (saeng-jihwang) to the wound.” When Jang did so she recovered her health.
8. One day some disciples came to Sangje and asked, “How did You, a possessor of divine power, still fall victim to Jang Hyo-Sun´s rampage?” Sangje replied, “When in-fighting among disciples or family members arises, the politics of gods fall into disorder. If it had been left as it was, it would have brought a catastrophe to the world. Therefore, I resolved the catastrophe by embracing that fate.”
9. After Sangje underwent the disaster caused by Jang Hyo-Sun in the first month of the Gapjin Year (1904), He stayed at Lee Jik-Bu´s house for a month or so. Then, led by Hyeong-Ryeol, He was able to stay at Kim Seong-Bo´s house in Court-Plain (Wonpyeong) Village. At the time, Jeong Nam-Gi and his brother-in-law, who had been members of the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship), forced Sangje to join the organization. A gang of them leapt on Him brandishing scissors and tried to cut His topknot of hair through their collective force, but they could not cut it no matter how many times they tried. Then Sangje Himself cut off a handful of hair from His topknot and said, “By this, I have freed many people from their fervor.”
10. Thugs were often seen, even during the day, in the Gapjin Year (1904). In the second month of that year, Sangje went to the tavern at Black Rock in Primordial Hill (Gobu) County via Aiding Comfort (Buan) County with Kim Gap-Chil. In the tavern, a constable, who disguised himself to catch thugs at night, was taking a rest. Sangje said to the tavern-keeper, “As that man is destined to die soon, do not give him any meal or rice wine. Isn´t it a loss if he dies without paying for the food?” Hearing Sangje´s words, the constable became furious, swore at Him with unspeakable words, and beat Him. Nevertheless, Sangje said with a smile, “How can I be hurt by the strikes of the soon to be dead?” and then went outside. The tavern-keeper said to the constable, “You should apologize and ask Him to explain His reasoning. He is not an ordinary man but one of divine power.” Afterward, the constable ran after Sangje and apologized to Him, asking Sangje why He had said that. He replied, “Do not go on patrol tonight. Instead leave for somewhere else immediately.” The constable took His orders and quickly moved to some other place. Before long, a gang of thugs rushed in, beat up the tavern-keeper, and threatened her in an effort to learn the whereabouts of the constable because they had already plotted to kill him. The thugs had launched the attack but were unsuccessful. On the next day, the constable had an audience with Sangje and wept tears of gratitude for the grace of having his life saved.
11. That month when Sangje went to the Nourish Anew (Sinbae) Village of Great Benevolence (Taein) County, a fire broke out. As the flames grew higher and higher from just a gust of wind, it seemed that the entire village would be engulfed. He judged that there was no way that others could extinguish the fire and said, “I will save the village by making a counter fire.” He had Hyeong-Ryeol build a counter fire with brushwood, and the fire threatening the village was put out in under a minute.
12. In the fifth month of that year, an arrest warrant for Baek Nam-Shin was sent to Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital from Seoul. Kim Byeong-Wuk told Nam-Shin, who was frustrated by the situation, that Kim had been able to avoid disaster thanks to Sangje last winter. Nam-Shin therefore asked for a favor from Sangje via Byeong-Wuk. Sangje said, “The rich have to use money, so bring Me a promissory note of 100,000 nyang.” Byeong-Wuk retrieved the promissory note from Nam-Shin and brought it to Sangje. Later, having evaded trouble, Nam-Shin became a tax official of the three provinces in the southern part of Joseon (Korea) and was able to make tens of thousands of nyang. Afterward, Sangje burned up the promissory note.
13. In the sixth month of that year, Sangje arrived at Kim Hyeong-Ryeol´s house. Receiving Sangje´s order, Hyeong-Ryeol went to Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital to see Kim Byeong-Wuk and came back after arranging a date for him to meet Sangje. On his way back home Hyeong-Ryeol heard that Jang Hyo-Sun had died. After reporting everything which had transpired, Hyeong-Ryeol asked Sangje, “Jang Hyo-Sun should have been killed by us before, but since he died naturally, how can it be said that the way of Heaven is impartial?” After listening to his words, Sangje scolded him by saying, “What do you mean by that? The dead are pitiable!” The next day Sangje headed for Primordial Hill (Gobu) County, accompanied by Hyeong-Ryeol, instead of going to Jeonju Government Capital even though He had an appointment with Byeong-Wuk. Considering this strange, Hyeong-Ryeol asked Sangje about the reason why He did not keep His promise to Byeong-Wuk, but Sangje just kept smiling and did not answer.
14. There was a conflict between the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship) and the low-ranking officials (ajeon) in the Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital in the second month of the Eulsa Year (1905). A man named Jeong Chang-Gwon gathered the officials in Jeonju to send out a circular notice to each village and town and tried to raise up a voluntary army to crack down on the Iljinhoe. Receiving the news Sangje said, “They are facing imminent death again when they barely managed to survive the first time. Now, I will save their lives.” Sangje visited Lee Gyeong-Oh in Flower Pavilion (Hwa-jeong) Village to ask him for 70 nyang, but Gyeong-Oh claimed he could not afford the request. Thus, Sangje was obliged to obtain seven nyang from elsewhere and said, “This money shall surely replace 70 nyang.” Accompanied by Hyeong-Ryeol, Sangje came back to the tavern located at Dragon Head (Yong-meori) Hill-Path. After inviting many people there and sharing some rice wine with them, He wrote on a piece of paper and tore it into several strips. He twisted them into a cord, with which He formed a connection between the door hinge and the door´s ring pull. That afternoon the officials and the Iljinhoe members managed to reconcile with each other, the members opened the four main gates and entered Jeonju Government Capital. It was all due to the six nyang that Sangje spent on this Reordering Work. He said, “It is said that an ancient sage made an army of a million soldiers retreat with a single baduk-stone. However, I resolved the fight between those officials and the Iljinhoe with only six nyang.”
15. Sangje stayed in that tavern for some time after that. Patrolling the area every night, the constables in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital tracked down the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship) members by interrogating people. Sangje said to the Iljinhoe members, “You keep going through such hardships and have had no way to escape from them. Hmmm… what can be done? I will free you from government investigations.” The strict constable searches and inspections against them soon came to a stop.
16. After all the trouble was resolved, Sangje said to Gyeong-Oh, “I knew that you had 70 nyang when I asked for money. Why did you lie to Me?” He replied with a serious look, “I truly did not have the money.” The next day, Gyeong-Oh´s house was broken into by robbers and he lost all the money. Hearing this news, Sangje said, “Learning that grudge-harboring spirits (cheok-shin) had formed an attachment to that money, I asked him for it in order to save others, but he did not listen.”
17. One day, after ordering Mun Gong-Shin to carry 30 nyang of money, Sangje left Avoidance of Aging (Pino) Village and reached Gingko Platform (Haengdan) Village in Great Benevolence (Taein) County. Stopping by a tavern, Sangje asked the keeper for some rice wine, but she said that there was not any left. Sangje asked, “How can a tavern like this not have wine?” and the keeper replied, “There is some in a new pot, but it has not been mixed with water yet.” Sangje told her, “Wine is better in a new pot and goes better with side dishes. So, slaughter a pig to eat with the wine.” Then He gave the tavern-keeper the paper which He had written something on and told her to burn it in front of the pigsty. When she did as she was told, the pig died all on its own. Sangje proclaimed to the keeper, “After it is boiled, if anyone eats it before Me, they shall die.” Sangje let the keeper put some boiled pork on the plate in the middle of the yard and told her to filter the wine without adding water and place it on the floor. Then He wrote something on paper again and had the tavern-keeper burn it in the middle of the yard. After that, He joined with Gong-Shin, the tavern-keeper, the villagers who had witnessed the event there, and some passers-by in consuming the wine and meat. Sangje shouted loudly into the air, “What more do you want? If one is caught for each character, that will be enough!”
18. The next morning, after Gong-Shin paid all 33 nyang for the meat and the rice wine, Sangje left Gingko Platform (Haengdan) Village with him. Passing through a pine grove, He suddenly shouted, “The guy is here.” When Gong-Shin surprisingly looked aside, there stood only a tomb guardian statue of a boy. On the way to Court-Plain (Wonpyeong) Village, Sangje said to Gong-Shin, “Wait and see what is going to happen. That is the place where Japanese soldiers will lie in ambush waiting to kill thousands of people. But I have made it so that only one person dies per character written. If those who will survive knew this, they might credit Me with having saved their lives. However, who could possibly know that?” Afterward, while crowds of thousands of the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship) members were passing by the place, Japanese soldiers, mistook them for members of the voluntary people´s army, and shot at them, killing 21 members.
19. At the Flat Wood Store (Pyeongmokjeom) Village, located in Water-Flowing (Suryu) Township of Golden Ditch (Geumgu) County, a man named Jeong Goe-San was so poor that he was barely able to make a living by selling rice wine at the tavern. Despite this, he had always treated Sangje with his utmost sincerity. One day, when Sangje stopped by the tavern by chance, Goe-San wanted to treat Him to some dog-meat stew. But while he was cooking it in an earthenware pot, the pot suddenly shattered. His wife just stood crying in despair, Sangje took pity on them and brought her an iron cauldron. From then on, their wealth increased day by day. Goe-San moved to Square Bridge (Banggyo) Village in Great Benevolence (Taein) County and sold the cauldron to Jeong Dong-Jo who lived at Ring-Plain (Hwanpyeong) Village in Water-Flowing Township. Goe-San fell back into poverty while Jeong Dong-Jo went on to earn a good living. Therefore, everybody called that cauldron the ´Lucky Cauldron.´
20. After Sangje had arrived at Park Chang-Guk´s house in Standing Stone (Ipseok) Village, Primordial Hill (Gobu) County via Aiding Comfort (Buan) County, He proceeded to suffer from a swollen leg for a few days. The episode leading to this happened as follows: having seen His younger sister, Chang-Guk´s wife, walking on the ground with bare feet, Sangje said worriedly, “There are venomous snakes around here. What if one bit your foot?” He blew a long whistle and a large poisonous snake came into the yard from the grass outside the fence and lifted its head. At that moment, Chang-Guk entered the house from outside, was startled to see the snake and beat it to death with a bereaved mourner´s staff he had been holding. Looking at this, Sangje said, “Viper, viper, a bereaved mourner sees you and beats you to death with a mourner’s staff, a pilgrim-monk sees you and beats you to death with a meditation staff. What should My younger sister, having neither a bereaved mourner´s staff nor a meditation staff, use to slay a venomous snake?” He removed the venom by stamping it into the grass, in case His sister might be harmed due to her bare feet and the blood left on the ground.
21. In the eighth month, Kim Hyeong-Ryeol came to have an audience with Sangje, who was staying in Standing Stone (Seondol) Village. As Sangje had partially recovered from His swollen leg, guided by Hyeong-Ryeol, He traveled to Kim Bo-Gyeong´s house at Immortals-Gathering (Hoeseon) Town, in All Joy (Hamyeol) County, walking 20 to 30 ri a day.
22. Sangje always carried one or two nyang of money with Him.
23. When Sangje, preceded by Hyeong-Ryeol, visited Hwang Sa-Seong´s house at Middle-of-All (Manjung) Village in Added Mountain (Iksan) County, a man slammed a door behind him with an angry look, causing the wall to crumble. Sangje, who caught sight of this, moved to Jeong Chun-Sim´s home in the same village. Sa-Seong and his father, Hwang Suk-Gyeong, came to Chun-Sim´s house to meet Sangje and relayed the following information to Him about the event: Suk-Gyeong had borrowed some money from Chambong (參奉, superintendent) Hwang, who later died. Then his son sent a man to urge Suk-Gyeong to pay back the borrowed money, threatening that Suk-Gyeong would be reported to the constabulary and spend his remaining life in prison if he did not pay the money back. Suk-Gyeong had just returned from hearing, when Sangje stopped by. After listening to this, Sangje said to Suk-Gyeong, “Since the wall fell down, the problem should be resolved soon. Get a satgat (cone-shaped hat) and a roll of cotton cloth for Me.” He informed them, “This shall pave the road between the two. From now on, everything will go fine, so do not worry about this any further.” When a constable arrested Suk-Gyeong for not paying off the debt at the end of the year, he begged the constable to stop by the creditor´s house. Then the constable took him to the creditor. As soon as Chambong Hwang´s son saw that Suk-Gyeong had been arrested, he started to blame the debtor. Overhearing this scolding, his mother called out to her son and criticized him, saying, “That gentleman is a friend of your father´s. How could you have him imprisoned like a beast?” She took the promissory note away from her son and burned it.
24. All Joy (Hamyeol) County was infested with robbers in the Gapjin Year (1904). The residents shivered with fright, and Kim Bo-Gyeong was also nervous about a misleading rumor floating around that he had a big fortune. Around the middle of the ninth month of that year, Sangje came to Bo-Gyeong´s house at Immortals-Gathering (Hoeseon) Town in All Joy County. He worriedly said to Sangje, “I am very afraid my family might be harmed by robbers. What should I do?” Sangje, with a smile, spat on the front of the gate. After Sangje left, his house was never broken into by any robbers.
25. In the 11th month of the Gapjin Year (1904), as civil unrest was growing in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County, the public sentiment began worsening. During this turmoil, Sangje reached Jeonju Government Capital. When Kim Bo-Gyeong came to have an audience with Sangje, Sangje asked him out of curiosity, “Since Kim Byeong-Wuk holds a crucial role in the government, he should put all his efforts into quelling the unrest. What is his plan?” Then Bo-Gyeong passed His words to Byeong-Wuk. Byeong-Wuk asked Bo-Gyeong to pass his words to Sangje, saying, “It is impossible for me to repress this uprising which is spreading like wildfire, so please resolve the matter.” Sangje realized Byeong-Wuk´s situation after hearing from Bo-Gyeong, and He just smiled. That night, as snow and rain was falling down and the weather became bitterly cold, the crowds who had gathered at the encampment were unable to endure the snow, rain, and freezing cold, and they thereby began to disperse. Because the cold, snow, and rain continued for three days, the crowds did not manage to gather again, so the uproar subsided on its own.
26. When Sangje stayed in Court-Plain (Wonpyeong) Village in the 12th month, there was a rumor that Park Je-Bin might be sent to Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital as a royal emissary to discharge Governor Gwon Jik-Sang. As he was also concerned about his position as a military officer in Jeonju, Kim Byeong-Wuk visited Sangje. Sangje said, “Don´t worry. All will be fine.” A few days later, Emissary Park reached Jeonju, but a confidential order which would cashier Park from his post was delivered. Just as Sangje said, everything turned out fine.
27. In the Eulsa Year (1905) at Kim Bo-Gyeong's house, Sangje recited to His disciples a poem that He had written in His youth: I brought a boulder in from a distant mountain, And whittled an old tree of the fall into a tiny club. As it is frosty at the Mystic Garden, cold chrysanthemums are withering, As autumn leaves fall from emaciated trees, they are reduced to bare branches, the skeletal rockiness of the green mountains is revealed. I am rowing far away in solitude upon a thousand-mile long waterway, Yet my basket is fully permeated by an air of spring from the myriad directions. Seasonal flowers will reach full bloom by the time of rainfall in the third month, Wine from feasts washes away one-hundred-year-old dust. Going through troubled times, I wonder who can truly be my friend, Drifting on the lake and sea, I find out who I am. While I spread affection over the distance of a myriad of ri, mountains and waters become my friend, While I spread virtue to a thousand gates, the sun and the moon become my wives. 運來重石何山遠 粧得尺椎古木秋 霜心玄圃淸寒菊 石骨靑山瘦落秋 千里湖程孤棹遠 萬方春氣一筐圓 時節花明三月雨 風流酒洗百年塵 風霜閱歷誰知己 湖海浮遊我得顔 驅情萬里山河友 供德千門日月妻 He also recited another composition: A man whose fourth or fifth-generation descendants are unable to gain a high government post is called a yuhak (幼學, immature student) while alive and a haksaeng (學生, student) after death. A married man who did not earn a reputation in his twenties or thirties is called a seobang (書房, bookroom-dweller) while at home and a seoksa (碩士, faithful scholar) once he leaves. 四五世無顯官先靈生幼學死學生 二三十不功名子孫入書房出碩士
28. On a spring day, Sangje said to Mun Gong-Shin, “Jiang Taigong was able to perform the Seventy-twofold Art of Transformation (chilsipyi-dun 七十二遁), but not the Yin-yang Art of Transformation (eum-yang-dun 陰陽遁). Yet, I was able to do both.”
29. Sangje stopped by a tavern at Dragon Flower (Yonghwa) Town in Golden Mountain (Geumsan) Township. He wanted to have some rice wine, but since there was not any left, He poured water into the wine jar and stirred it with His hand. And after drinking it, He distributed the water to His disciples. It tasted the same as the original wine. This happened in the first month of the Byeongoh Year (1906).
30. Kim Gap-Chil prepared all the needed items for moving his parents´ graves. Then Sangje said, “I will move their graves for you.” After Sangje burned all the prepared items, He said to him, “Throw the ashes into the front stream and then gaze up at the sky.” Gap-Chil saw a mysterious spirit extending from the north to the south.
31. One day, Sangje told His two disciples, Ryu Chan-Myeong and Kim Ja-Hyeon, to stand before Him, and ordered each to propagate His virtuous teachings to 100,000 people. Chan-Myeong accepted His order, but Ja-Hyeon did not answer until Sangje urged him again. In the end, Ja-Hyeon obeyed His order. Then Sangje said, “I will subjugate and pacify the world and you shall rule it. Fifty Year Holy Works will be needed for your rule. All devotees should each propagate My virtuous teachings to six people. I already tested the Tae-eul Mantra and the Wunjang Mantra. I resolved Kim Byeong-Wuk´s calamity through the Tae-eul Mantra and Jang Hyo-Sun´s rampage through the Wunjang Mantra.”
32. In the beginning of the seventh month of that same year, Sangje´s father went to Copper Valley (Donggok) Village to meet Him. His father, who was led by Hyeong-Ryeol, was guided to Kim Seong-Hwa´s house at Army Base (Gundun) Village of Bordering Embankment (Impi) County, but Sangje had already left for Cluster-of-Mountains (Gunsan) Harbor a few days earlier. His father was on His track again and finally met Him in Cluster-of-Mountains Harbor. However, Sangje said, “As Cluster-of-Mountains Harbor is not suitable for a long stay, you had better go back as soon as possible.” His father went back home the next day, but Sangje stayed in Cluster-of-Mountains Harbor for over a month and then left for Jeong Chun-Sim´s house located at Middle-of-All (Manjung) Village of Added Mountain (Iksan) County.
33. One day in the tenth month of the Byeongoh Year (1906), Sangje went to a church. He observed all the rituals and tenets and said, “There is nothing particular to be taken from this.”
34. Kim Hyeong-Ryeol said to Sangje, “Many people are calling You a lunatic.” Listening to him, Sangje replied, “When I was in disguise, they called Me a man of divine power. Yet when I act truthfully, people are calling Me a lunatic.”
35. In the Jeongmi Year (1907), Sangje said to Shin Won-Il, “I will go to Great Benevolence (Taein) County on the fifth day of the fourth month. You should go there ahead of Me to find an accommodation and wait.” The next day, when Sangje reached a tavern at Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village of Primordial Hill (Gobu) County, He said to Hyeong-Ryeol, “I am going to stay here overnight, and you shall go to Great Benevolence in advance and sleep at an accommodation of Won-Il´s choosing. Wait for Me at Horse-Dismounting (Hama) Road of Great Benevolence County early tomorrow morning.” Early the next morning, Hyeong-Ryeol met Won-Il and went to the location. As it was an open market day, many people flocked about starting in the early morning.
36. Sangje met Hyeong-Ryeol there, took him to Hansan Peddlers´ Inn and called Won-Il to come. Sangje said to Won-Il, “Bring Me some rice wine. I am going to conjure thunder and lightning today.” He served Sangje with wine as he had been told, but Sangje just held the glass without drinking it for a good while. As soon as He drank, all of a sudden, a chilly wind blew, and rain poured down accompanied by great thunder and lightning even though the weather had been nice up until that point. As many people could not go back home, they had to stay in Great Benevolence (Taein) County. Sangje explained to Hyeong-Ryeol and Won-Il, “When I passed by the front of a tavern at Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village this morning, I found a young married woman walking and shaking the dew off the grass along the road. I asked why she was doing this, and she replied that she had received the news of a death in her family. A little later, an elderly woman walking with a cane asked Me whether a woman had passed by. When I asked her about what had happened, the elderly woman replied, ´The woman who went ahead is my daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, I lost my son last night, but early this morning, she ran away without having attended his funeral. My son and daughter-in-law loved each other very deeply.´” In addition to that, Sangje said to them, “Marriages arranged by parents are made by humans whereas marriage based on love are made by Heaven. If one destroys the human way by neglecting that which was destined by Heaven, how can one help but be punished by Heaven? Therefore, I sent thunderbolt today as a punishment.” The daughter-in-law was said to have been struck to death by lightning.
37. Cha Gyeong-Seok from Wellspring-Town (Jeongeup) County had an audience with Sangje for the first time in the fifth month of the Jeongmi Year (1907). At that time, Sangje was staying at the waterwheel house of Dragon Rock (Yongam) Village. Gyeong-Seok had been a believer in the Eastern Learning before and went on to be in charge of the Jeonju (Perfected Territory) County Branch of the Iljinhoe (Progress Fellowship) for a period of time. He stopped by a tavern at Dragon Rock Village to eat lunch. He was on long-his way to Jeonju Government Capital from Wellspring-Town County to file a lawsuit with the legal commissioner of Jeonju. At that moment, Sangje also came to the tavern with several disciples including Kim Ja-Hyeon. After Gyeong-Seok looked at Sangje´s appearance and attitude, he realized that Sangje was extraordinary and politely asked to hear Him speak. As Sangje treated him nonchalantly, Gyeong-Seok asked Him, “What do you do for a living?” Sangje replied to him with a smile, “I practice medicine,″ and then He had a sip of rice wine. Then Sangje offered Gyeong-Seok a bowl of chicken stew, but after it was handed over a bee was found drowning in the bowl. As Sangje saw Gyeong-Seok put down his spoon and hesitate while pondering whether or not there had been an inauspicious omen, He said, “Bees are insects which are especially characterized by system and order.” Gyeong-Seok was deeply impressed. Showing Sangje some documents, he explained their details, and in order to test Him, he asked for an answer to the question: “There is a saying that after three people have gathered, then can the governor decide on a lawsuit. I hope you will judge this matter for me.” Sangje said, “Whether it is right or wrong, what you are doing is not the business of a great man. Men should definitely look for ways to save human lives, but how is it that you drive others to death?” Gyeong-Seok was so touched by His greatness that he burned the lawsuit documents on the spot. He thereupon asked Sangje where He was staying and begged Him for permission to study under Him. Sangje replied, “I am a wanderer in the east, and I am a wanderer in the west, I am a wanderer without a house under Heaven.” Gyeong-Seok worried that he might never see Sangje again if he parted from Him, not knowing where He would be staying. So, as the darkness of night descended, he waited until Sangje and His party left and then followed them. They arrived at the waterwheel house at Dragon Rock Village. As the entire atmosphere including meals was too shoddy, Gyeong-Seok struggled to adapt as each moment brought challenges.
38. Staying at the waterwheel house for ten days, Gyeong-Seok begged Sangje to go to his house in Wellspring-Town (Jeongeup) County, but He did not agree. Instead, He would grow furious with Gyeong-Seok from time to time, and even insulted him and cast him out of the house. Nevertheless, Gyeong-Seok never thought of leaving, so Sangje said to him, “Then you shall quit everything and dedicate yourself to whatever I tell you to do if you are truly sincere about following Me. Return home, set your matters straight, and come back here on the first of the sixth month. I will come along with you.” After he went back home and roughly disposed of all his things, he came to have an audience with Sangje on the appointed day, requesting that He go to Wellspring-Town County again. Sangje did not respond to him initially, but three days later, He accepted Gyeong-Seok´s offer by saying, “Floundering in neck-deep water, I barely made My way back to ankle-deep water, and yet again, I am being dragged back into the deep.”
39. On another day, Sangje said to Gyeong-Seok, “You should receive the descending spirit,” and He had him read the following incantation: won-hwang-jeong-gi nae-hap-ah-sin [元皇正氣來合我身, May the upright spirit of premier sovereign come to be united with my body!]. And when Sangje opened the door to peek in, Gyeong-Seok was still reciting it when he suddenly let out a wail. Sangje had him stop wailing after about 15 minutes.
40. One day, Sangje said to His disciples: The bright moon casts its heart over a thousand rivers altogether, The long wind blows its spirits evenly to all eight corners [明月千江心共照 長風八隅氣同驅].
41. Afterward, Sangje proclaimed to Gyeong-Seok: “The power of the hub (hyeol 穴) of earth-energy known as ´Pheasant Served on a Golden Tray´ at which your clan-restoring ancestor´s grave site is located is in Mount Ninth Moon (Guwol-san). It should be moved.” Then He had Park Gong-Wu pound on a drum and said, “This hub of earth-energy will be activated by Jang-Pung (長風, long wind).” At that moment, Lee Do-Sam´s younger brother Jang-Pung (長豊, long abundance) came in casually, and Gong-Wu paused his drumming for a while to greet him by saying, “Is that you Jang-Pung?” Sangje saw this scene and said, “Stop beating the drum now.”
42. One day, when Sangje had Lee Do-Sam speak out three words randomly, he spoke the following three: Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Then Sangje recited: Heaven is not known above in Heaven, Earth is not known down upon the Earth, and humanity is not known among humanity. To where should I return? 天上無知天 地下無知地 人中無知人 何處歸
43. Once, Sangje saw a bird and a cat, He composed a poem: Hatchlings just trust their mothers since they are too weak to peck, Mother birds do not startle others since they hold their eggs always near. The cat's body arrives at a fortress of Three Thousand Ri. Yet, its eyes are even able to distinguish the twelve periods of the day of the western lands. 嘴力未穩全信母 卵心常在不驚人 身來城國三千里 眼辨西天十二時
44. One day in the sixth month, Shin Gyeong-Won informed Sangje through a messenger that a constable came to his house in Great Benevolence (Taein) County every day to inquire about where He was staying. Sangje scolded the messenger by saying, “You should have come here hurriedly but wasted time instead. What took you so long?” The man replied, “I was delayed because on the way I encountered a man who told me my destiny using The Tang Dynasty Illustrated Book of Changes. Please forgive me.” Sangje gave him a piece of writing, saying, “Show this writing to Gyeong-Won and tell him to burn it as soon as he has read it.” The contents of the writing were as follows: If Heaven drops rain and dew insufficiently, grievances are sure to pervade into all directions. If Earth provides water and soil insufficiently, grievances are sure to pervade into all things. If Humanity shows others virtue and nurture insufficiently, grievances are sure to pervade into all affairs. The proper usage of Heaven, Earth, and humanity all depend on the mind. 天用雨露之薄則必有萬方之怨 地用水土之薄則必有萬物之怨 人用德化之薄則必有萬事之怨 天用地用人用統在於心 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 pivot, gate, and gateway of my mind is more enormous than Heaven and Earth. 心也者鬼神之樞機也門戶也道路也 開閉樞機出入門戶往來道路神 或有善或有惡 善者師之惡者改之 吾心之樞機門戶道路大於天地
45. After Sangje stayed at Kim Gyeong-Hyeon´s house in Great Benevolence (Taein) County, He left by a narrow path, which was unusual. The rogues of the town, claiming that Kang Jeungsan was using black magic to manipulate people, came together to devise a plot to harm Him. They waited along the side of broad path, usually taken by Sangje, to ambush Him. However, Sangje knew their plot ahead of time and took another path which was narrower.
46. Since there was a memorial ritual held at his younger brother-in-law´s house, Kim Deok-Chan asked Sangje to come over to the house to taste some food and wine. Sangje said, “Drink My rice wine first.” Deok-Chan asked Him, “Would You please tell me what wine You are talking about?” and then He replied, “Just wait and see.” After a while, suddenly, Gong-Wu brought boiled chicken and rice wine to Sangje, and Deok-Chan was so impressed that he gladly drank the wine.
47. One day in the tenth month of the Jeongmi Year (1907), after Sangje had Gyeong-Seok prepare 30 nyang of money, He performed a certain ritual, saying, “This is for you.” And then He recited a poem: The valley stream seems to diverge into Zhushui and Sishui, The mountain seems to be as graceful as Wuyi Mountain. The ways of living are but a scripture which comprises a thousand volumes, One's house is merely a cottage with a few bare essentials. Meeting you disperses the clouds from the moon of my mind, Joyful conversation appeases troubled waters. I, your humble subject, wish only to hear the Dao, I do not have any intention to take your day's serenity away. 溪分洙泗派 峰秀武夷山 活計經千卷 行裝屋數間 襟懷開霽月 談笑止狂瀾 小臣求聞道 非偸半日閑
48. Sangje recited to Kim Hyeong-Ryeol the following verse: Filthy, worn clothing is safer than metal armor, A crumbling house and overgrown fence seems an impenetrable castle. 㢣衣多垢勝金甲 頹屋無垣似鐵城
49. And in winter that year, Sangje, told Kim Hyeong-Ryeol to remember this poem well and He recited the following poem: When conducting oneself in the world, regard tenderness as precious, What is rigid and strong becomes the root of trouble. When speaking, always speak like a stutterer, When doing work, you should act like a fool. In urgent circumstances, even then, consider things slowly, In easy times, do not forget urgency. If you keep this maxim in mind all your life, You can truly make yourself a man of dignity. 處世柔爲貴 剛强是禍基 發言常欲訥 臨事當如癡 急地尙思緩 安時不忘危 一生從此計 眞皆好男兒
50. One day Sangje said that there was nothing more to read in The Mencius, mentioning to His disciples one of its passages: “When Heaven is about to confer a great office upon a person, it first belabors his mind and will, exhausts his sinews and bones, exposes his body to hunger, puts him in poverty, and confounds his undertakings. In this way, it stimulates his mind and hardens his nature, and his incompetencies are overcome [天將降大任於斯人也 必先勞其心志 苦其筋骨 餓其體膚 窮乏其贐行 拂亂其所爲 是故 動心忍性 增益其所不能].”
51. In the 12th month of that year, while Sangje was staying at Crouching Dragon (Waryong) Village in Primordial Hill (Gobu) County, He visited both Mun Gong-Shin´s and Shin Gyeong-Su´s houses. Around the end of the month, when Hyeong-Ryeol had an audience with Sangje, He took off the clothes which He was wearing and told him to wash them at his home and come back with Ja-Hyeon. Hyeong-Ryeol did as he was told and had an audience with Sangje to return the clothes.
52. Sangje ordered Hyeong-Ryeol, “You and Ja-Hyeon should stay at Mun Gong-Shin´s house, and I will stay at Shin Gyeong-Su´s house. If a government official asks you about where I am staying, just tell him the truth, do not hide it.” Unable to figure out His reasoning, the disciples thought His words were strange. Noticing this, Sangje said, “If you fear government officials, each of you can disperse and return home if you please.” They grew more doubtful.
53. It was then that Sangje set the Degree Numbers (dosu度數) of the White-clad King and the White-clad General. Just finding the chiefs of the township and the village coming in, Sangje said to the township chief, “How can you take part in a plot just as I am about to rectify the world by practicing the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth?” Hearing this, the listener was surprised, returned without saying a word, and made an accusation against Sangje to the local government office. Then Sangje changed out of His clothes and into clothes made from Sun Ray Silk (Ilgwangdan).
54. Sangje informed His disciples of an upcoming calamity due to the Degree Numbers of the White-clad King and the White-clad General. As He said, “On the 24th of the 12th month in the Jeongmi Year (1907), Baek sun-geom (Constable Baek) shall come at dawn.” All of them were scared away, thinking 100 constables (baek sun-geom) would break in. But instead Constable Baek, the elder brother of Baek Nak-Gyu from New Fence (Saewul) Village of Great Benevolence (Taein) County, just dropped by around dawn.
55. On the night of the 25th of the 12th month, dozens of armed constables besieged Gong-Shin´s house all of a sudden and tied up the disciples in it, they then asked them about Sangje´s whereabouts. Given a reply that Sangje was staying at Shin Gyeong-Su´s house, they rushed to arrest Him. They threatened Sangje by thrusting their gunbarrels through the paper door. However, Sangje held the barrel of the gun and rebuked them sternly from within. They were scared by His action and tried to pull out the gun, but it did not move at all. After Sangje allowed them to enter the room, they were able tie up many people including Sangje. The next day, Sangje and about 20 disciples were brought to the Primordial Hill (Gobu) Constable Office on suspicion of organizing a voluntary people´s army. Later, Sangje said that this calamity had occurred in accordance with the Reordering Works of the White-clad General.
56. Sangje and His disciples, who had been arrested at Crouching Dragon Village in Clear Rain (Jeongwu) Township, reached a tavern in the Dragon Head (Yongdu) Hamlet of Virtue Stream (Deokcheon) Township, Sangje preceded His disciples as they arrived. There Sangje asked the constables to have the tavern-keeper slaughter a pig and He shared it with His disciples and the constables, and then they headed for Primordial Hill (Gobu) County.
57. The day before this event occurred, Sangje sent Kim Gwang-Chan to Gyeong-Seok in Wellspring-Town (Jeongeup) County, Won-Il to Gyeong-Won in Great Benevolence (Taein) County, and Gong-Wu to some other place. This decision was made because Sangje was concerned about the temper of Gwang-Chan and Won-Il and that Gong-Wu might have a long previous record.
58. The next day the Primordial Hill (Gobu) Constable Office began to interrogate Sangje. When the commissioner asked Sangje, “Are You a voluntary soldier?” He said, “No, but I am planning to subjugate the world.” Listening to His words, the commissioner was shocked and asked Him further, “What are You talking about?” Sangje answered, “People cannot subjugate the world because they lack the wisdom and strategy, but if a man had heroic capabilities and great sense of strategy, how could he just stand idly by? I intend to save the people by subjugating this world.” Afterward, the commissioner insulted Sangje by disheveling His hair and savagely tortured Him through methods such as painful suspension. He later put Sangje into prison, while the others were confined to prison directly without any interrogation. Most of them blamed Sangje. In those days, voluntary people´s armies were arising in many places and clashed with Japanese soldiers. Since some robbers would pretend to be voluntary soldiers in order to plunder towns, anyone who was arrested on suspicion of having joined the voluntary people´s army was shot to death regardless of whether they had been identified correctly or incorrectly. All the disciples felt frightened by the accusation and trembled with fear.
59. Mun Gong-Shin had been kicked in the side by the constables, his condition became critical as he caught a severe chill and was unable to take any food or drink. Sangje said, “It is urgent. I will treat him by making a human wall.” After Sangje had a dozen or so disciples stand around Gong-Shin like a coffin, He took a sip of urine residue and then had Gong-Shin drink some of it. Gong-Shin, feeling both grateful and sorry that Sangje had to take a sip of the urine, recovered his breath and regained his health.
60. As one of the prison officers was close to Hyeong-Ryeol and Ja-Hyeon, they were transferred to a quiet cell. Then Hyeong-Ryeol asked the guard to move Sangje to the same cell.
61. After Sangje was transferred to their cell, He said to Hyeong-Ryeol and Ja-Hyeon, “After three people have gathered, they can decide upon public works the likes of which are even befitting a governor. Thus, the three of us can make a decision on any matter.” Sangje quietly said to Ja-Hyeon, “Even though hundreds of thousands of people have suffered from this trouble, none of them shall suffer even the slightest injury and all of them shall be released, so you don´t have to worry at all.” On the last night of the 12th month, hearing and seeing great thunder and lightning, Sangje said, “This means that divine beings have come over from the West.” Sangje greeted the new year in jail.
62. On New Year´s Day of the Mushin Year (1908), the commissioner provided a special meal including rice wine to each of the prisoners. The disciples reproached Sangje even more: “Judging from the food they have given us, our execution is imminent. We will finally end up dying for having followed Him.”
63. That day the weather was severe due to heavy snowfall. Sangje said, “This is because I finished the great Reordering Work.” The commissioner opened the prison cell door and set most of the people free on the tenth of the first month because he had not found any evidence against them in spite having interrogated many people. However, Sangje, having been branded as a madman, was left in prison.
64. The disciples who were set free went back home. Gyeong-Seok, who had not been arrested, waited for Sangje´s release from Primordial Hill (Gobu) County until the fourth of the second month, the Day of Awakening from Hibernation (Gyeongchip), and escorted Him to His house located at Guest-awaiting (Gaekmang) Village. After hearing that Sangje was released, only then did Hyeong-Ryeol come to feel at ease and return to Copper Valley (Donggok) Village.
65. One day sometime after the calamity, Sangje went to Mun Gong-Shin´s house. Gong-Shin vented his complaints to Sangje in an unpleasant tone: “The other day the tavern-keeper in Primordial Hill (Gobu) urged me to pay for the meals on our tab. Why didn´t You settle the tab instead of scattering the cotton cloth and the money You had received from me at the Primordial Hill Calamity?” Sangje listened to him quietly and responded, “Hearing your words, I see your point. Having stayed in Chest-Rock (Nongam) Hamlet of Pure Prosperity (Sunchang) County for three days in a row, I finally met you for the first time and had you take part in a variety of great Reordering Works. Aside from that, since there was no suitable person capable of setting the Primordial Hill Degree Number for the Reordering Work, I assigned you a major role and conferred the setting of the Lone Fisherman (dokjosa) Degree Number for the Reordering Work upon you. There is a term called a ´Lone Fisherman´ in True Lord (Jinju 眞主) Gambling. If a man loses all of his money without winning any money from other gamblers, the winner feels obligated to provide him with a mercy fee and at dawn he can recover the money he lost. This is a lone fisherman. The tab for the meals was mentioned once in Primordial Hill, but if the money had been spent paying it off, it could not have resulted in a Lone Fisherman situation. If you had told Me that you definitely needed money at that time, I could have sent it to you in any number of ways.” Listening to His words in silence, Gong-Shin said, “If you say so... just forget about it.” Then Sangje returned to Copper Valley (Donggok) Village.
66. Among the 20 plus disciples who were arrested in the Primordial Hill (Gobu) Calamity, only Hyeong-Ryeol and Ja-Hyeon continued following Sangje and the rest dispersed, each leaving for their respective home.
