Reordering Works 2

1. In the beginning of the third month during the Jeongmi Year (1907), Sangje was accompanied by Gwang-Chan and intended to enter Last Island (Maljeom-do), where Gwang-Chan´s second cousin earned a living through fishing. He called Gap-Chil and Hyeong-Ryeol to South Port (Nampo) in Myriad Furrows (Man-gyeong) County. Sangje said, “I am entering this island in self-imposed exile due to the Reordering Works of Heaven and Earth. You must go to Seong-Baek´s house and make a pair of straw shoes and a paper lantern with him each day for 49 days. The shoes shall be worn by all the people in the world and the lanterns shall illuminate the darkness hindering all people.” The two men followed His orders. Then Sangje came out of Last Island and had them sell the straw shoes at the market in Court-Plain (Wonpyeong) Village, while He wrote ´陰陽 (yin-yang) ´ on each of the lanterns and burned them.

2. Sangje made a triangular hat out of white paper, wrote ´General Ma´ on it, and hung it above the door. Then Sangje made a bell by tying an armful of rice straw together and proceeding to hang the bell from the ceiling in the middle of the room, around which He glued blank paper. After He wrote the characters of the Twenty-Four Directions around the bell, He wrote additional characters between some of those characters. He then cut paper in the shape of fish scales and put all the pieces around the bell. It looked like a suit of iron armor. Hyeong-Ryeol, Gong-Shin, Gwang-Chan, Jang-Geun, Eung-Jong, Won-Il, Do-Sam, Gap-Chil, and a few others were there when this was done.

3. Sangje had Jang-Geun make a pot of sweet rice drink. Early that night, He poured the drink into a large bowl and put it under the straw bell. He said, “I will redirect the destiny of Joseon (Korea) by attaching the Degree Number for the grievance resolution related to Danzhu, the progenitor of the baduk game, and to the hub of earth-energy at Mount Culture-Returning (Hoemun-san) known as ´the Five Immortals Playing Baduk.´ One of the five immortals is the host and just stands by idly. The four have divided themselves into two teams and are trying to compete against each other intensely. As their time is just being wasted, the winner has yet to be decided. Thus, I am going to ask Choi Suwun (Choe Je-u) to be a witness in order to decide on the winner. This sweet rice drink is being served for Suwun.” Sangje asked, “Are there any passages that come to your minds from The Collected Literary Works of Suwun?” A few disciples answered, “Yes, there are some passages we remember.” Sangje wrote, “Geolgun´gut (ritual of beggar warriors), Choranipae (gangs of servant-jesters to the gentry class), Namsadang (gangs of male street-performers), Yeosadang (gangs of female street-performers), Samdaechi” on blank paper, and then He said, “This writing is just an incantation. Whosoever laughs when reciting it shall die, so be very careful.” Sangje said, “There is a melody in this incantation. If you do not recite it to the melody, the immortals will laugh.” And after He recited it to the tune Himself, He had His disciples recite it along with Him. Soon after, a chilliness filled the air. Sangje stopped reciting and said, “Choi Suwun has come. Listen closely.” Over the straw bell there was suddenly a cry: “If the head of household is a man of dignity, why do such circumstances occur?” Sangje asked, “Where did this phrase come from originally?” One of the disciples answered, “It is in The Songs of Suwun.” Sangje spoke a couple of words over the bell so as not to be understood.

4. One day, Sangje said, “If I took Joseon (Korea) over to the West, it could not survive, being abused due to racial discrimination. And if I took Joseon over to Qing, its people, who are dull and stupid, could not afford to take the responsibility. There have been grievances between the gods of both nations who have presided over arts of the Dao since the Imjin War (1592-1598), so I will hand Joseon over to Japan in order to resolve the grievances there. I shall temporarily give them the power of unifying the world and the greatly bright energy of the sun and moon to do the work. But I shall never grant them one thing: benevolence. If they were endowed with benevolence, the entire world would be under their control. I will confer the word of benevolence to you. Keep it well. You shall live in relative safety while only they work. Accordingly, do everything accurately for them to handle. When they finish the work, they will return to their country empty-handed without wages. At the very least, use refined language with them.”

5. Whenever great divine beings came in, Sangje practiced proper decorum by placing His hands above His head.

6. Sangje explained, “I intended to go to the Mandong Shrine in Lucid Territory (Cheongju) County to conduct a Reordering Work concerning Qing (Cheong 淸 lit. lucid), but as the Shrine is too far away from here, it is hard and inconvenient to come and go. Instead, I will practice the Reordering Work at Lucid Dao Court (Cheongdowon 淸道院) Hamlet.” Reaching Ryu Chan-Myeong´s house in the hamlet, Sangje opened the Great Gate of Divine Beings of Heaven and Earth and performed the Reordering Work. At that time, Kim Song-Hwan was in attendance with Him.

7. One day in the fourth month of the Mushin Year (1908), Sangje brought 1,000 nyang of money from Baek Nam-Shin to open a clinic in Copper Valley (Donggok) Village. To equip the clinic, He called a carpenter, Lee Gyeong-Mun, to provide instruction on how to make an apothecary chest, which instruments would be necessary for the task, and what instrument sizes should be used. Sangje designated the due date for the work and decided to set up the clinic in the house of Jun-Sang, Gap-Chil´s elder brother.

8. Because the carpenter had not finished the work by the deadline, Sangje had him put all the wood in one spot and made him kneel. After Sangje scolded him severely, He gave him a letter sealed in an envelope and had him burn it right there on the spot while he was still kneeling. Then lightning suddenly flashed. Seeing the carpenter was scared and dripping with sweat, Sangje encouraged him, “Finish the work quickly.” As the carpenter developed a hand tremor, it took him over one month to finish the job. After opening the clinic, Sangje ordered Gong-Wu, “The energy of medicine in Heaven and Earth came down to Pyeong-yang (Balanced Land). You must go there and get some Chinese medicine.” From then, He did not mention it again. That night, He wrote it on paper and then burned it.

9. After setting up the clinic, Sangje wrote a passage that stated, “There is a clinic in Copper Valley (Donggok) in Jeonju (Perfected Territory) that serves Heaven with the Dao of origination (won 元), proliferation (hyeong 亨), accomplishment (yi 利), and completion (jeong 貞), here determinations on life and death are made [元亨利貞奉天地道術藥局 在全州銅谷生死判斷].” Then He burned the passage. The apothecary chest had a total of 15 small drawers: five columns and three rows up top, two large drawers in one row underneath, and one larger drawer on the very bottom. On the small drawer in the middle of the 15, Sangje wrote “Danzhu receives a mandate [丹朱受命].” He put some moutan bark inside the drawer and, below this sentence, wrote horizontally, “Man does not go astray amid violent winds, thunder, and rain [烈風雷雨不迷].” Then on blank paper, He vertically wrote the contents of the Sutra of the Seven Stars (Chilseong-gyeong 七星經) and that “The Steps of Yu hurriedly urge me to join their rise to the star, Dubhe (Yangmyeong) [禹步相催登陽明]” in a horizontal line at the end. After, He attached the paper from the top of the apothecary chest to the back and to the bottom. Sangje additionally wrote, “yang Jeong (陽丁) the 20th day of the sixth month, yin Jeong (陰丁) the 20th day of the sixth month [陽丁六月卄日 陰丁六月卄日]” on it. Inside the other chest, He wrote “the Eight Gates Transformation (palmun dungab 八門遁甲)” and, over that, branded the words “the Tongue Gate (seolmun 舌門)” with a hot iron. Around the words, He marked 24 red dots. Finally, He stocked the clinic with one set of The Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government and The Commentaries on the Book of Documents, respectively.

10. Sangje ordered Byeong-Wuk to go to the Jeonju (Perfected Territory) Government Capital and bring some medicinal ingredients along with 300 nyang of money. At the time, seeing the rain falling, He said that this was the water to be used for boiling medicinal herbs.

11. Sangje listed all the items equipped in the clinic and gave the list to Gong-Wu and Gwang-Chan, saying, “Take this list to Golden Mountain Temple (Geumsan-sa) and burn it facing the Shakyamuni Buddha enshrined there, and think to yourselves that you would carry the statue on your back to the western side of the yard.” They went to the temple and did as they were ordered. A few years later, when Golden Mountain Temple was remodeled, the Shakyamuni Buddha Hall was moved to the west side of the yard, which broadened the area in front of the Maitreya Hall. That is exactly where the Great Hall of Sutras is today.

12. While Sangje was staying at a tavern in Dragon Head Hill-Path (Yongdu-chi), He told Gwang-Chan to buy a medical book called The Comprehensive Collection of Joseon Medicines (Bangyakhappyeon 方藥合編) and added, “Go to Byeong-Wuk´s house and mark each medication name in this book with a red dot.” When Gwang-Chan finished what he was told to do, Sangje looked through the book and then burned it.

13. When Sangje practiced a Reordering Work in Chest-Rock (Nongam) Hamlet, He said to Hyeong-Ryeol, “Strings of fortune are connected to the 12,000 floor boards of Immortal-Descending Pavilion (Gangseon-ru) in Converged Stream (Seongcheon) remodeled by Heo Misu, while an ominous energy is attached to the 12,000 peaks of the Geumgang Mountain. I shall rid the place of that ominous energy.” He added, “With Kim Gwang-Chan and Shin Won-Il, cut blank paper into pieces of one square chon (1.19 inch) size and write the character ´侍 (si),´ meaning ´serve,´ on each piece. But each of you must write this word 400 times each day for ten days and put them on the four walls. Also, you shall fetch a pot of fresh water and divide it into 24 bowls in the morning and in the evening every day. At night, recite the Sutra of the Seven Stars (Chilseong-gyeong 七星經) 21 times.” Hyeong-Ryeol followed His order, but Shin Won-Il was not willing to do so. When Hyeong-Ryeol told Sangje about it, He said, “Bring Lee Do-Sam of Wellspring-Town (Jeongeup) to perform the duty.” Hyeong-Ryeol brought Lee and carried out what he was ordered to do for ten days. After finishing the work, he sent Kim Gap-Chil to tell Sangje that they were done. Then, Sangje bought Gap-Chil a sheep, saying, “Wait until I am back.”

14. In the 11th month, Sangje came back to Copper Valley (Donggok) Village to practice a Reordering Work to move sagi (邪氣, ominous energy). Sangje had the sheep that He had given Gap-Chil the other day slaughtered, and He wet His fingertip with the sheep´s blood. Using the finger, He rubbed blood over all the 12,000 characters of 侍 (si). By the time He finished, the blood was gone. Sangje said, “The sagi has to be moved to Golden Embankment (Gimje) County.” Now, Lim Sang-Ok from Waterside Tower (Su-gak) Hamlet of Golden Embankment County came and Sangje washed the sagi (沙器, pottery bowl), which was normally used for pure water, in with dog meat stew, and gave it to him. Lim Sang-Ok received the bowl without understanding the reason. A few days later, when he asked Sangje where to use the bowl, He replied, “Use it when working to recruit many laborers.”

15. When staying in Copper Valley (Donggok) Village in the 11th month, Sangje was practicing the Reordering Work of Geumgang Mountain. He ordered Hyeong-Ryeol, “I will shave My head. Shave yours along with Me.” Inwardly, Hyeong-Ryeol was not pleased to do so, but he was obliged to obey. Sangje called Gap-Chil and said to him, “I will shave My head. Go to Great Court Temple (Daewon-sa) tomorrow and bring Venerable Geumgok here.” Listening to Him, Hyeong-Ryeol felt quite anxious, but the next day Sangje did not mention anything about it again.

16. One day, Sangje had His disciples practice the Five Incantations in order to adjust the yin-yang Degree Number of the Later World. After finishing the practice, each of them took a seat. Then Sangje distributed a scrap of paper to each of them, saying, “I will establish the yin-yang Degree Number for the Later World. Each of you shall mark dots on paper privately, without letting others know.” When the disciples gave the paper to Sangje, after having marked them as they pleased, He said, “Eung-Jong marked two dots, Gyeong-Su three, Nae-Seong eight, Gyeong-Seok 12, and Gong-Shin one. Since nobody marked nine dots, the expression of ´nine women per man´ has no ground.” He asked Nae-Seong, “Did you mark eight dots because of the expression ´the Eight Celestial Maidens´?” He also asked Eung-Jong and Gyeong-Su, “Although old men want two or three wives, how can such men afford to handle them?” They asked Him in return, “Can old men not regain new vigor in the Later World?” “What you are saying sounds plausible,” Sangje responded. Sangje asked Gyeong-Seok, “Why do you want as many as 12 wives?” Gyeong-Seok answered, “I will be satisfied to have a wife in each of the Twelve States.” Listening to him, Sangje said, “What you are saying sounds plausible.” He turned to Gong-Shin asking, “While Gyeong-Seok wanted to have 12 wives, why are you satisfied with only one?” He said, “There is only one Gon (坤, earth) per Geon (乾, sky), not two. Likewise, I think one yin and one yang should be fundamental.” Sangje said to him, “You are right,” and added, “As the Reordering Work was finished satisfactorily, treat the guests well.” Gong-Shin followed His order obediently. After finishing the yin-yang Degree Number, Sangje ordered Gong-Shin, “As you are suitable for the Degree Number of correct yin and correct yang, you should receive its energy with endurance and cultivate yourself with a sincere mind.” He added, “There is the Degree Number of King Wen of Zhou and the Degree Number of Yi Yin. To carry them out is extremely difficult.”

17. One day, after finishing the yin-yang Degree Number with the disciples, Sangje was going to perform the first Reordering Work for the Fifty Thousand Years of the Later World. Sangje said to Park Gong-Wu, “Reflect upon a crucial problem and then speak of it to Me.” Gong-Wu, thinking of himself as a man of little knowledge, courteously refused, however, suddenly, a thought came to his mind. Finally, he said, “It is not right that in the Former World, young widows, maintaining their integrity to their late husbands, have been forced to vainly spend all their lives alone in an isolated room growing old. Therefore, in the upcoming Later World, this kind of bad convention should be abolished. I think it is right to have a young widow remarried to a young widower and an old widow to an old widower by inviting the relatives and friends and holding a courteous public ceremony.” Sangje said, “I knew nobody but you would be able to conduct this Reordering Work. Thus, I assigned it to you, and you settled it well,” adding, “The decision of this Reordering Work shall last for Fifty Thousand Years.”

18. On the first day of the 12th month, at Great Prosperity (Daeheung) Village, Madame Goh (Goh Pan-Rye) put a large sack of rice in the room, then placed 20-some white, triangular paper hats on the rice, according to Sangje´s order. She wrote something on the paper and burned it. At that moment, Sangje said, “With only fire and water, you shall sustain your life, even though you live on a stony peak.” By cooking the rice, He fully fed the people who had gathered around.

19. Sangje finished many Reordering Works in the 12th month and undertook a Reordering Work to re-calibrate a rebellious Degree Number. Gyeong-Seok, Gwang-Chan and Nae-Seong left for Great Prosperity (Daeheung) Village and Won-Il went to Shin Gyeong-Won´s house while Hyeong-Ryeol and Ja-Hyeon headed for Copper Valley (Donggok) Village. Sangje said to Mun Gong-Shin, Hwang Eung-Jong, and Shin Gyeong-Su, who had remained, “I was going to confer something special upon Gyeong-Seok because he was so deeply sincere, respectful, and faithful. However, he asked for something else, so I cannot help him.” He added, “In the beginning, the Eastern Learning declared that they would support the nation and comfort the people, which was, in fact, confined to affairs of the Later World. But many people who joined the Eastern Learning had dreams in their minds of becoming kings, dukes, generals, or ministers. Tens of thousands of them ended up being dragged to death and not realizing their dreams. Because their grievances and grudges have filled the air, the world affairs shall be entangled in the rebellious Degree Number and will be disturbed in the Later World if the spirits are left untouched. While I was about to decide on the head of the spirits in order to resolve their grievances, Gyeong-Seok talked about the Twelve States, which showed that he had taken the position of head upon himself. His father, who was one of the Eastern Learning´s leading figures, was caught and killed, and Gyeong-Seok also rose to leadership once as a local representative. Therefore, I attached and sent the grudge-harboring spirits of the Eastern Learning to Gyeong-Seok. From now, their grievances to occupy high positions such as that of kings, dukes, generals, or ministers shall be resolved.” He finally concluded, writing on paper and prohibiting visitors from coming in and out, “In the future you shall see that Cha´s people will spend more money and the number of people will exceed that of the Eastern Learning peasant militia in the Gaboh Year (1894). As the grievances are resolved, there shall not be any obstacles in the Later World.”

20. Sangje said, “In the Former World, yin-yang was not balanced due to the Three Prime Ministers (samsang 三相),” and then wrote on a piece of paper, “Residence and Name, the West God presides over all creatures, Prime Minister of the Left, Prime Minister of the Right, Eight Ministers, Twelve Governors, Prefecture Magistrates, Prefecture Administrators, and the Place where the empress of the Imperial Ultimate (Hwanggeuk 皇極) stays [居住姓名西神司命 左相右相八判十二伯 縣監縣令皇極後妃所].” He said to Gwang-Chan, “Check whether the size of the paper is the same as that of the threshold in the clinic.” He answered, “It is not.” Sangje responded, “This work is of no use.” Then Gyeong-Hak said, “It would probably work to cut off the margin of the paper and then re-check the size.” When it was done, as he had said, the paper and the threshold were the same size.

21. One day, after giving Lim Sang-Ok the sagi (the pottery bowl), on His way to Jeonju (Perfected Territory), accompanied by Gong-Wu, Sangje reached Three Stream (Secheon) at lunchtime. Gong-Wu led Sangje to the house of his friend, who followed Goh Song-Am to have lunch with Him. Sangje suddenly said, “I find it strange that even though I have driven away the power of the West, there is a sign of it rushing back in. I did not know there was a man doing another work in a secluded room in the back.” Sangje said to Gong-Wu, “Go over to Goh Song-Am and ask him about this.” Then He changed the position of the Mun-Gok (文曲, Literary Star, Megrez) in the Sutra of the Seven Stars (Chilseong-gyeong 七星經).

22. Saying that He would resolve the grievances of Choi Ik-Hyeon and Park Yeong-Hyo, Sangje wrote on paper: Choi Ik-Hyeon is like the sun and the moon which last for thousands of years, thousands of years, thousands upon thousands of years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and tens upon tens of thousands of years, Park Yeong-Hyo is like myriads of people who are born thousands of times, born thousands of times, born thousands upon thousands of times, born ten thousand times, born ten thousand times, and born tens upon tens of thousands of times [千歲千歲千千歲 萬歲萬歲萬萬歲 日月崔益鉉 千胞千胞千千胞 萬胞萬胞萬萬胞 蒼生朴泳孝]. Then He burned the paper.

23. Sangje practiced a Reordering Work so that all people of the world can exchange goods and money as a new way of living. Following His order, each disciple scooped out half a gourd of water from a jar and poured it into the well at Gong-Shin´s house at night. Then they scooped half a gourd of water from the well and poured it into the jar again. Sangje had others do the same thing at other wells.

24. Shin Won-Il begged Sangje to practice the Reordering Work of the Great Opening soon. Sangje said, “There is an opportunity for human affairs, and there is a time for heavenly affairs. Therefore, wait for the perfect opportunity and the time. To use them forcibly would take all lives away and cause disaster in the world. How could I undertake this Reordering Work so lightly?” But Won-Il begged Him, “Now the world is so immoral that it is difficult to distinguish good from evil. I think it would be right to annihilate the current world-state quickly and open the new destiny of the Later World.” Sangje agonized over his request.

25. One day, at Gong-Shin´s house, Sangje asked His disciples, “Afterward, will there be any wars or not?” In response, some said there would be, while others said there would not. “How could there not be any wars in the age of the Great Opening of Heaven and Earth?” Sangje asked. After He told them that He would gather up war equipment, Sangje collected about 20 tobacco pipes in the room and stood them upside down. Then, He had each of the disciples tie a cloth around their legs and head. He also had them write the Incantation of Serving the Lord of Heaven (Sicheon-ju 侍天呪) on paper, roll the paper up like a wick, set it on fire, and hold it. Afterward, He made holes in the paper window, had His disciples carry the pipes upside down on their backs, then said, “If the ranks are broken, soldiers will be injured.” Next, He had them go out through the back door, come back to the room through the kitchen, put their pipes into the holes of the window, and make the sound of rifle shots with their mouth. After that, He had them come back to the room through the outhouse, put their pipes into the holes, and make the sound of rifle shots again. Again, He made them come back through the shed and repeat the sound. Because He made His disciples run fast in a zigzag like the characters 弓乙 (gung & eul), old ones gasped and gulped for air. Sangje continued to say, “How could there not be a war at the end of the world? Someday, when a great war breaks out, each country will boast of its capabilities. Countries with remarkable capabilities will emerge as superior.” Upon that, the Reordering Work being done, thunder rumbled everywhere.

26. And Sangje painted a picture and put it on the wall of Mun Gong-Shin´s house, which He named ´The Diagram of Camaraderie (jeongui-do 情誼圖).´ 天地之主張 Governing Heaven and Earth 事物之首倡 Pioneering nature of events 陰陽之發覺 Yin-yang is revealed. 情誼 Camaraderie 忽生忽有 Suddenly born suddenly becoming 人事刻之 Human affairs carve it. 戊申四月十一日 The 11th day of the fourth month of the Mushin Year (1908)

27. In the seventh month of the Mushin Year (1908), Sangje went with Won-Il to Opened Rock Temple (Gaeam-sa), located under the Gold-Encountering (Wugeum) Rock at Border Mountain (Byeonsan) in Aiding Comfort (Buan) County. Sangje had Won-Il prepare one boiled cow´s head, one bottle of rice wine, and one bowl of fresh water in the room. After placing the cow´s head in front of the bowl, Sangje told him to kneel down facing them. Then He put three matchsticks into the bowl of fresh water. At that moment, an enormous rainstorm suddenly occurred, which brought flooding. Sangje said to Won-Il, “If I put one pack of matches into a large jar of water, the world would be inundated with water. The Great Opening is this easy. If performed before the right time comes, that would only cause disaster. So, just believe in Me and wait.” As soon as Sangje put away the things arranged in the room, the rainstorm cleared.

28. Soon, Sangje sent Won-Il back to his home. When Won-Il arrived home, he found that his younger brother´s house had been destroyed by the heavy rainfall and his family had sought shelter in Won-Il´s house. All along, Won-Il´s younger brother had not believed in Sangje and always had complaints. However, ever since that event happened, he ceased using impolite language out of fear.

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