- Do Not Say It Is Heavy
- 1 On the seventh day after Sahng-jeh-nim’s ascension, the coffin was supposed to be carried out of the house. Many followers, wishing for one more chance to be close to Sahng-jeh-nim, wanted to be pallbearers.
- 2 They set down the empty bier outside the gate, then walked toward the room to view Sahng-jeh-nim’s sacred remains and carry the coffin. At that moment, Sahng-jeh-nim, dressed in a white burial gown, walked out of the room.
- 3 Stupefied, the followers fell flat on the ground.
- 4 “You there, get up!” Sahng-jeh-nim said and went back inside.
- 5 Bewildered, the followers peeked inside the room and saw that Sahng-jeh-nim was still lying in the coffin.
- 6 Having gathered their senses, they went into the room. Four of them picked up the coffin and were carrying it outside when they heard Sahng-jeh-nim’s voice, “Do not say it is heavy. Do not say it is heavy.”
- 7 Still bearing the coffin and not knowing what to do, they called out to Hyung-yul, “He is still alive! What should we do?”
- 8 “Hurry and move along,” Hyung-yul said. They continued carrying the coffin out and placed it on the bier.
Then, they heard a voice begin to sing, “Oh, I am going. When shall I return?” The singing continued.
- 9 At first, they thought it was one of the mourners at the front, but listening more carefully, they realized it was Sahng-jeh-nim.
- 10 The pallbearers, believing Sahng-jeh-nim was not dead, would go no further. They laid down the bier and looked inside the coffin. Sahng-jeh-nim was still lying there serenely, just as He had since His spirit ascended.
- 11 But when they picked up the bier and resumed the procession, Sahng-jeh-nim woke up again and, with the rhythm of a mourner’s lament, sang,
- 12 “If I want to make it heavy, I can make it heavy. If I want to make it light, I can make it light. Do not say it is heavy. If you say it is heavy, it will weigh heavily on your shoulders. Do not say it is heavy.”
- (JSD Dojeon 10,56)
