- A Work of Renewal on an Island
- 1 One day in 1903, Sahng-jeh-nim took Hyung-yul and Ho-yun to an island to do a work of renewal.
- 2 On the island, they hiked up a mountain. Sahng-jeh-nim placed three pieces of tofu into a small pot. Then, He added three pieces of pork and three pieces of beef, each half the size of His palm.
- 3 He dug a hole with His hands, covered the bottom with a piece of paper, placed the pot on it, and placed a dried pollock beside the pot.
- 4 On another piece of paper, He wrote the Chinese character moon (月) and another character, laid the paper over what He had put in the hole, and covered the hole with earth.
- 5 After that, He sat beside it, looked toward the east, and whispered something.
“Why didn’t You let me hear?” complained Ho-yun.
- 6 “If I told you now, you wouldn’t understand. You will know when you are older.” He sat Ho-yun on His lap and said, “Look at the eastern sky.”
- 7 When she looked at the clouds, she saw one that looked like a whale or a goat.
- 8 Pointing at some clouds, Sahng-jeh-nim said, “That white cloud is Me, the red cloud is Hyung-yul, and the blue cloud is ―――.” He continued, “When the white, red, and blue clouds fight one another in the eastern sky, watch them.”
- 9 All of a sudden, they were on a different mountain, and Sahng-jeh-nim repeated the ritual of burying a pot.
- 10 Still looking at the eastern sky, Hyung-yul and Ho-yun did not realize that they had moved. Sahng-jeh-nim said, “Didn’t we do this over there?”
- 11 “This isn’t the place we were before?” Ho-yun asked.
“We aren’t at that place, are we?” Sahng-jeh-nim said. “Look over there.”
- 12 Ho-yun looked across at another mountain and realized they had been there just a few minutes ago, but now they were on a different mountain.
- 13 Speaking of what He had just buried, Sahng-jeh-nim said, “If it is left like this, animals will dig it up and eat it.” He put large stones on top of it, laying them in the shape of two Chinese characters.
As before, Ho-yun recognized the character moon but did not know the other one.
- 14 “What is that word?”
“Even if I taught you, you wouldn’t understand. If I taught you now, it would be familiar to your mouth, but later you would not understand it.
- 15 I will teach you later. So don’t say anything for now, just follow along.”
- People Will Come Out from Places Like This
- 16 Looking at all the things Sahng-jeh-nim carried with Him, Ho-yun said, “Those are a nuisance. I don’t know why You are going around carrying all those things.”
- 17 “We are traveling around to do things like this,” Sahng-jeh-nim said to soothe her. “Why else would we travel?”
- 18 “Why did You bury that stuff here?”
- 19 “In the future, people will come out from places like this. This is the mark.”
- The World Will Call Ho-yun
- 20 Having visited great mountains throughout the country, Ho-yun asked, “Why do You take me along with You?”
- 21 “I take you, a small child, around with Me because I have some use for you.”
- 22 “For what will I be used?”
“Though you don’t know it, I have a use for you. Why else would I bring such a nuisance along with Me?”
- 23 “Where will I be used?” she persisted. “Use me for what?”
- 24 “You are so bothersome. I will teach you so that later the world will call for you.”
- 25 “Teach me what? You should tell me about what You will teach.”
- 26 “There will be a time in the future when the world calls you.”
- 27 “Why will the world call me?” Ho-yun demanded. “And how?”
- 28 “You little imp!” said Sahng-jeh-nim. “You think that rain comes from up there in heaven, but it comes from the middle of the sky.”
- 29 “How does it come from the middle?”
- 30 “A snake becomes a dragon and brings down rain from the middle of the sky. It will be like that for you in the future. What a foolish child!”
- 31 “How can I understand that?”
“What will become of a foolish child like you?” Rapping her lightly on the head with His knuckles, Sahng-jeh-nim asked, “Does it hurt or doesn’t it?”
- 32 “Doesn’t hitting hurt?” she complained. “I’ll hit You once, and You can see if it hurts or not!”
- 33 Sahng-jeh-nim laughed. “I can hit you, but you can’t hit Me.”
- (JSD Dojeon 4,21)
