• Recognizing the Heavenly Lord
  • One day, when traveling in another country, they arrived at a big house. The person standing in front of the gate escorted Sahng-jeh-nim to the left and Hyung-yul to the right.
  • Inside the house, Sahng-jeh-nim went into a room where the leader, wearing clothes of five colors, a shining golden sash, and a red crown, was seated.
  • As Sahng-jeh-nim entered, the leader jumped to his feet, stood at attention, and saluted.
  • Sahng-jeh-nim frowned, and the person, realizing his mistake, immediately lowered his hand.
  • Sahng-jeh-nim said, “Is that how it is done?”
    “How could I not know the Heavenly God?” the man replied.
  • Sahng-jeh-nim laughed. “Am I heavenly? I am a human being.”
  • All the while, Ho-yun was in the form of a spider. Sahng-jeh-nim had done this so that He could carry her without her being noticed.
  • He sat in the chair on which the man had been seated and said to him, “Sit down.” The man kneeled on the floor.
  • “Why have You graced us with Your presence?” the man asked.
    “I have come to judge your capacity for carrying out a work. Will we just do it like this? On this scale, can the world be turned upside down?”
  • 10 “It must be done step by step,” the man said. “How can it be done right away?”
  • 11 “What are you doing these days?”
    “I have been teaching my country’s people.”
  • 12 Sahng-jeh-nim reprimanded, “You only know of the food right in front of you and have no idea of how to get food from elsewhere. Are you satisfied with just filling your own stomach?
  • 13 To eat, you have to first wash and prepare the food. Using this example, do you know what you have to do in order for your people to live well?”
    “No, I do not know.”
  • 14 “You do not know? As a leader, if you do not know, what can you teach them? Do you not know how to govern your officials and all the people under you in accordance with the principle of heaven and earth?”
  • 15 “I can easily do something for my country, but I cannot do anything for other countries.”
  • 16 Sahng-jeh-nim asked, “How do you govern your country?”
  • 17 “After my officials discuss a matter among themselves, I just make a decision. I cannot do otherwise.”
  • Uniting the East and West
  • 18 “Doing that, how can you fulfill the duties of a king? Stop doing that and remain within My grip,” said Sahng-jeh-nim.
    “How can I remain within Your grip?” the man asked.
  • 19 “Not all nations are nations,” Sahng-jeh-nim said. “What you are doing is not the way for a leader of people to act.
  • 20 How about uniting your country with other countries? As for generals, they can say they have played their roles, but there should be only one leader. Would it not be tumultuous if there were many?
  • 21 So let us be one. Let us make one country.” The man did not respond.
  • 22 Sahng-jeh-nim shouted, “Why do you not answer your elder’s question?”
  • 23 The man said, “I cannot answer.” One Mind and One Will
  • 24 “You are unwilling to surrender your country,” said Sahng-jeh-nim, “so surely you cannot say you will unite it with other countries?”
    “No, I cannot say,” the man replied.
  • 25 Sahng-jeh-nim commanded, “Do as I have said, and then all nations can live comfortably.
  • 26 People should live in comfort. If not, we will also have no comfort.
  • 27 In any case, all people within a country should live equally well. When our minds are troubled, how can people be happy?
  • 28 Later, when I call you, you should all come forth, and we will hold hands with one mind and one will.”
  • 29 The man still struggled to give a response. “I do not know about the future, but right now I cannot answer.”
  • 30 “Why can you not answer?” Sahng-jeh-nim shouted and slapped him across the face, knocking out a tooth.
  • 31 Cowering in fear, the man crawled on the floor and picked up his tooth. He asked, “Are You going north to do a work?”
  • 32 “You do not know west. You only know north, you rogue!” Sahng-jeh-nim slapped him once more, knocking out his canine tooth from the other side.
    Finally, he answered, “Yes, I will do as You have said.”
  • 33 “Now have I gotten through to you? I am leaving.” Sahng-jeh-nim stood up to go.
    Hesitantly, the man said, “Please, tell me just a little more.”
  • 34 “Do you want to lose the rest of your teeth? If you keep sidestepping and not doing what I say, how can you expect Me to treat you well?”
  • 35 “I will do as You say.”
  • 36 “Good. Will you send your soldiers to Europe right now?”
    “Will that be all?”
  • 37 Sahng-jeh-nim said, “When your subordinates go and join with the people there, let them stay. After visiting somewhere else, I will go there.”
  • 38 “Do as You see fit,” the man said and bowed. Sahng-jeh-nim then left.

  • (JSD Dojeon 5,285)




    No Records.