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The Road to Awakening - Chapter 8; The Taeeulju Mantra Meditation.
The Taeeulju Mantra Meditation.
A part of me was missing. I needed to know who I was. I knew who the pilgrims were but I did not
know what they meant for me. I was lost,
drifting in the sea of identities, grabbing hold of passing history that was not
mine. I had to find my roots in order to
figure out who I was and where I was going.
I searched through our school
library, but there were not enough books about
Korea, so one
Sunday morning I drove into New York
City. I parked
the car on Thirty‑second
Street and went into a Korean bookstore. There were many books in Korean, but not
enough books about
Korea
itself. Most of the books there spoke of
Jesus. I was disappointed. I wandered around in the bookstore until I
gathered my strength and asked one of the store clerks whether they carried
books on Korean religion. He looked at
me strangely. He ran his eyes up and
down my body and then pointed toward the corner section of the book store. He told me abruptly, "Go over to the
Shamanism section." Then he turned
around and went about his business.
I browsed through that section. There were couple of picture books about
Korean "Moodang" (Shaman) performing spiritual rituals. There was also a book called The Truth of
Jeung San Do written by Ahn Gyung-jun.
On the cover, it had claimed that God Himself had come to earth as a
living person, which roused my interest.
I bought a couple of books on Korean Shamanism and the book titled The
Truth of Jeung San Do.
The book on Korean Shamanism did not
tell me much, but the book on Jeung San Do (Tao) left me wondering. The book basically called forth for the
beginning of a New Age where people were to be one with spirits. It proclaimed that a man named Gang
Jeung-san, who was born on earth 1871 in Korea, was the Heavenly Lord of Jesus
Christ, the Maitreya Buddha (the future Buddha), and in fact the final savior,
prophesied by all previous religions. His title
was Sangjenim meaning the Highest Heavenly Ruling Lord God. The author
proclaimed that from then on, since the God Himself had been born on earth in
human flesh, the age of Heaven nobility was over. A New Age of human nobility where
people indeed become one with God was about to open up.
According to the book this new
vision, this new direction, this new hope was emerging in
Korea. And it was Jeung San Do.
The following is a summary on Jeung
San Do according to the book;
Introduction to Jeung San Do's Main Teachings
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 Birth,
Growth, Harvest, and Rest
Possessing two different perceptions of nature, East and
West developed divergent cosmologies that in turn gave birth to idiosyncratic
religions, philosophies, and teachings. Despite their differences, Eastern and
Western cosmologies share a central conviction that the universe has
regular, circular cycle. Sangjenim alluded to this cycle:
I use the four-fold principle: birth, growth, harvest,
and rest. This is the way of change through non-action.
Dojeon 2:49:1
This law of "birth,
growth, harvest, and rest" is a universal
concept that applies to all the seen and unseen dimensions of life and existence
in this world. In the simplest terms, this principle asserts that all matter and
life in the universe undergo birth, growth, maturation to fruition, and rest.
The life cycle of a tree typifies this process. In spring, water qi
ascends from the roots of a tree into its branches and leaves begin to
sprout. In summer, vibrant and beautiful leaves cover the tree. With the coming
of autumn, the leaves wither and fall. During this time, water qihe
essence of lifeegins to return to the tree's roots, and its fruit ripens,
ensuring the tree's propagation. In winter, the life of the tree enters deep
repose to await a new spring. This cycle, so clear in the life of a humble tree,
can also be seen in a person's life or even in the span of a civilization.
Understanding this four-fold cycle is key to understanding the evolution of
history because it is with this cycle that Sangjenim brings order to the
universe.
The Cosmic Year and the Later Heaven Gae-byuk
Sangjenim revealed to humanity that the universe itself
embodies the four-fold cycle. A "cosmic
year," equivalent to 129,600 calendar years,
contains four cosmic seasons corresponding to birth, growth, harvest, and rest.
The season-cycles of spring and summer combine into a period called the
Early Heaven, while autumn and winter constitute the Later Heaven.
Within the cosmic year, the period during which humans
can subsist, spans about fifty thousand years in the Early Heaven and another
fifty thousand years in the Later Heaven, totaling one hundred thousand years.
The remaining thirty thousand years or so of cosmic winter is unlivable. Modern
science calls this period the ice
age.
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During
the Early Heaven, human civilizations rose and proliferated, spurred by the
dynamic of "mutual conflict." However, during the Later Heaven, nature and
civilization will mature and unify in the spirit of "mutual life-giving" under
Sangjenim's power of creative change. The people of today stand on the eve of
the transition from the Early Heaven to the Later Heaven. This transition is
called the Later Heaven Gae-byuk.
The
whole world now faces the time of gae-byuk.
Dojeon 2:14:2
The
world approaches its autumn destiny.
Dojeon 3:11:5
Sangjenim incarnated into this world on the eve of the Later Heaven
Gae-byuk to extract the essence of civilization and to integrate it with His new
truth to open the new world. This new truth exceeds the bounds of race,
religion, and nationality. All will embrace it. This truth is Sangjenim's Great
Dao of Mu-geuk. This truth is the truth of Jeung San Do.
Returning to the
Origin, Offering Gratitude and Repayment
After
revealing the destiny of the cosmic autumn, Sangjenim declared, "Now is the age
of returning to the origin" (Dojeon 2:41:1). Returning to the origin occurs when
matter or life at the peak of its growth begins the transformation of maturation
and consolidation toward renewal. For example, at the end of summer when a tree
is at the height of its growth process, autumn comes, and the water qi within a
tree begins to descend back to its roots to prepare for rest and rebirth. This
process of returning to the origin also occurs in people, cultures, and
civilization in the form of a recovery of values, self, heritage, history, or
spirituality. Since this recovery of primordial essence leads to renewal and
advancement, returning to the origin acts as a catalyst of creative evolution.
Sangjenim's truth is the foundation upon which the culture of cosmic autumn will
be built. Embracing His truth is the way that evolved humans "offer gratitude
and repay" heaven and earth, which birthed and nurtured all beings. We must
inscribe in our minds Sangjenim's words: "Enlightenment is the ultimate way of
repaying heaven and earth" (Dojeon 6:82:5).
Resolution of
Bitterness and Grief, Mutual Life-Giving
Under
the reign of mutual conflict in the Early Heaven, all things and all beings
exist in strife, causing harm to one another. This process of mutual conflict
advances civilization through competition and diversification. Yet, the
thwarting of a single person's wishes leaves an indelible wound in the person's
heart. If such a wound is magnified in intensity, the person may be destroyed.
If such a wound is spread among a multitude, it can destroy a people. In this
way, small sufferings pool into a sea of lethal qi. The Early Heaven's fifty
thousand years of discord between individuals, peoples, religions, and nations
has produced countless victims who passed away bearing grief and bitterness,
creating a deadly accumulation of bitterness that threatens the very existence
of humanity.
The
affliction of bitterness and grief is not confined to humanity; it has festered
in heaven and earth throughout the entire Early Heaven. Sangjenim incarnated
into this world to resolve this lethal qi accumulation through a great work of
renewal뾲he work of resolving bitterness and griefhus healing heaven and earth.
Only Sangjenim, the Ruling God, could successfully undertake such a grand labor
to grant humanity a new beginning in the Later Heaven's world of immortality.
Sangjenim's work is the dao of mutual life-giving and of resolving bitterness
and grief. Removing bitterness and grief from the hearts of all beings, mortals
and spirits, allows them to work with sincere and pure minds for the betterment
of one another, building a new world. More fundamental than compassion and love,
mutual life-giving is Jeung San Do's message for humanity.
Since human affairs
have been governed by the principle of mutual conflict throughout the age of the
Early Heaven, they have gone against justice. The accumulation of bitterness and
grief has been flooding the three realms of the universe. The lethal qi from
this is bursting out into the world, creating horrible disasters. This is why
the order of heaven and earth has to be remade. By rectifying the way of
spirits, I will resolve the bitterness that has accumulated throughout history.
A world of immortality can then be opened through the dao of mutual life-giving.
Dojeon 4:14:2-7
Work
of Renewing Heaven and Earth, Government of Creative Change
From
1901 to 1909, Sangjenim conducted the work of renewing heaven and earth, a labor
which expressed the power and authority of the Ruling God. Such power exists in
scope and nature beyond that of all past sages and enlightened ones. Sangjenim's
work of renewal marks the beginning of the end of mutual conflict, not only
between humans, but also between humans and nature, and between humans and
spirits. It also signifies the beginning of the new order of mutual life-giving.
Since the Early Heaven
Gae-byuk, all lives have been constrained by the destiny of mutual conflict.
Jeung-san Sangjenim relieves the bitterness and grief resulting from this and
leads humanity to a new life in the Later Heaven's world of immortality. For
this purpose, He performed the nine-year work of renewing heaven and earth in
His human life in the Eastern land of
Korea. This work corrected the order
of heaven and earth and harmonized human affairs with the way of spirits. He
used the precepts of returning to the origin, resolution of bitterness and
grief, mutual life-giving, and offering gratitude and repayment to end the Early
Heaven's destiny of mutual conflict and open the Later Heaven's destiny of
mutual life-giving.
Dojeon 5:1:1-6
His
work began by renewing the way of spirits. Before the work of renewal, the three
realms of heaven, earth, and humanity existed in disunity and turmoil. To
establish harmony and unity, Sangjenim formed the "Government of Creative
Change." This government consists of an assembly of spirits of failed
revolutionaries, spirits with unresolved bitterness, the spirits of
civilizations, regional spirits, and spirits of founding ancestors. They serve
Sangjenim in His work of renewal. Since all changes occur through the
intervention of spirits, this reorganization of the spiritual realm laid the
essential foundation of the Later Heaven's civilization. Building on this
foundation, Sangjenim rectified the imbalance of celestial bodies and reconciled
terrestrial energies to transform this world into the most ideal place of
existence in the universe.
Next,
Sangjenim defined a new destiny for human civilization and history. The path to
this new civilization is twofold: Sangjenim's control of the flow of world
affairs, and the advancement of His truth through Jeung San Do in dao affairs.
Since 1901, His work of renewal in world affairs has evolved in three stages
focused on ending the mutual conflict manifested withinthree world wars. From a
global perspective, these wars dominated history in the twentieth century.
Sangjenim compared these three wars to a traditional Korean wrestling
tournament.
The
state of the present world is like a wrestling tournament. First, the children
wrestle, and then the youths wrestle. Finally, the adults wrestle in the
ultimate contest that ends the tournament.
Dojeon 5:7:1
The
first contest, between children, represented World War I. The contest between
youths, marked by greater intensity, symbolized World War II. The third,
ultimate contest between adults represented a global conflict that began in
Korea and is
still ongoing.
The
Later Heaven Gae-byuk: War, Mysterious Disease, Pole Shift
The
ultimate, third war spoken of by Sangjenim began as a showdown between North and
South Korea
during the Korean War (1950-1953), involving the
United States,
the Soviet Union,
China, and the
United Nations. This war not only entrenched the division of the two
Koreas, it
caused an unprecedented alignment of nations and sparked an arms race that
amassed the potential to destroy the planet with the pressing of a single
button. This era of Cold War has never ended on the Korean peninsula. The
divided Koreas
have squared off with no peace treaty beyond a fragile armistice agreement for
fifty years.
This
ultimate contest will soon reach its climax.
The
Korean peninsula has once again become the center of the world's attention as
tensions rise toward war. The conflict is overflowing the boundaries of the
peninsula, entangling the geopolitical interests of the United States, Japan,
China, and Russia, dragging all into a world of heightened conflict
of unprecedented degree.
The
disaster of war and the disaster of disease will come together.
Dojeon 7:25:1
Look
at the destiny. Look at the destiny. The destiny is the narrow passage of the
disease.
Dojeon 11:153:12, 11:165:8
Sangjenim
revealed that, in the midst of the ultimate contest, a "mysterious disease" will
sweep the globe. Next, a pole shift will occur as the earth's rotational axis,
skewed for the past fifty thousand years, suddenly aligns with true north and
south as part of a repositioning of celestial bodies in accordance with the
principle of returning to the origin. The Later Heaven Gae-byuk will run its
course in these three phases뾲he ultimate contest, the outbreak of the mysterious
disease, and the pole shift뾵ithin a span of three years. These events represent
the struggle of the universe to rid itself of old order and energy, and give
birth to new order and energy. Among the three phases of gae-byuk, the
mysterious disease poses the greatest threat to the survival of the human race.
The cause of this disease lies not in any virus or bacterial pathogen. Instead,
the disease originates from the lethal qi of spirits who were filled with deep
bitterness and grief during the Early Heaven. Wielded by the West Spirit, the
mysterious disease will resist all medical cures and cast a pall of fear around
the world. Humanity will have only one hope for survival: ui-tohng.
Ui-tohng, the Tae-eul
Mantra
As
the God of judgment and love, Sangjenim gave to humanity the gift of saving
itself from the mysterious disease. This gift is ui-tohng, "healing and
uniting." Ui-tohng can be simply explained as bringing unity by saving people's
lives.
Since beginning the
work of renewing heaven and earth, I have defeated all calamities in this world
except the catastrophic disease. I leave behind the catastrophic disease; but,
at the same time, I grant you ui-tohng.
Dojeon 7:24:5-6
Ui-tohng
is based on the Tae-eul Mantra:
Hoom-chee Hoom-chee
Tae-eul-chun Sahng-wun-goon Hoom-nee-chee-ya-doh-rae Hoom-nee-hahm-nee-sa-pa-ha
On
an individual level, a person who chants the mantra often and with utmost
devotion will achieve a brilliant awakening; so awakened, the person will become
attuned to the way of spirits and perceive the true nature of life inherent in
all existence. The Tae-eul Mantra opens the dao of returning to the origin
during the time of gae-byuk. On a universal level, the Tae-eul Mantra is the key
to overcoming the three years of the mysterious disease and opening the new
civilization of the Later Heaven. Taemonim explained:
The
Tae-eul Mantra is a prayer to heaven and earth. The mantra will save people
throughout the world at the time of gae-byuk. When the catastrophic disease
strikes, chant the mantra constantly to save many people.
Dojeon 11:240:11-12
The
non-material spiritual authority of the mantra, combined with the material dao
authority of ui-tohng, will save humankind during the time of the Later Heaven
Gae-byuk.
Union
of Spirits and Humans, Human Nobility
With
the tribulations of the Later Heaven Gae-byuk behind it, humanity will enjoy an
enlightened existence in the Later Heaven. Human consciousness will awaken
completely and create a culture of mahn-sa-jee, ("all-knowing or omniscience").
The era of science will give way to the era of spirituality, which will be
characterized by supreme cultural advancements and long life without aging.
This
new era will arise from the new relationship between spirits and humans. Life
and matter are inseparable from spirits. Life and matter comprise the universe's
outward appearance, while spirits comprise the universe's inward reality.
Sangjenim described this relationship.
Heaven and earth are
full of spirits. There is no place without spirits, and there is no work in
which spirits do not participate.
Dojeon 2:45:1
Of
everything in the universe, the human being has the deepest connection to the
spirits. This relationship between humans and spirits has been confrontational
in the past, but in the cosmic autumn, humanity's innate spiritual nature will
manifest fully. We will enter into free dialogue with all the spiritual beings
of heaven and earth. Sangjenim chose to foreshadow this forthcoming union of
humans and spirits by descending to earth in the form of a human. This perfect
union ofspirits and humans will form the basis of the Later Heaven's mahn-sa-jee
culture.
The
basis of all creative change lies in the union of spirits and humans.
Dojeon 11:81:9
The
nobility of the human is greater than that of heaven and earth. Now is the time
of human nobility.
Dojeon 2:13:3
All
people who receive the great dao of Sangjenim and Taemonim will be reborn into
the Later Heaven. This will be an era of "human nobility" in which humans come
to fruition and are able to create a world of harmony.
Jeung San
Do:
Jeung San Do was
founded in 1911 in
Korea by a
woman, the Taemo Go (Go is Her Last Name) Subunim (Subunim is Her Title meaning
the Head Woman of all), who attained Do (Tao, Enlightenment) through the
Tae-Ul-Ju Chanting Meditation. Her
husband, JeungSan Kang (JeungSan is His Religious Name. Kang is His Last Name), is the Lord of Heaven
and Earth and gave us the Tae-Ul-Ju Chant.
JeungSan Kang is the Lord of the Jesus Christ, the Maitreya Buddha (the
future Buddha) and the Emperor of the Jade Heaven. He had said; "In Christianity people wait for
the coming of the Jesus, in Buddhism people wait for the coimg of the
Maitreya. Now no matter who comes as
long as one person comes, they would all proclaim that their Teacher has come
and follow."
The Lord JeungSan
SangJeNim (SangJeNim is His official Title meaning the Great Supreme Ruling Lord
God of Earth and Heaven) was born in
Korea on
November first, 1871. The Lord JeungSan SangJeNim came to earth to
conduct the necessary Autumnal Equinox Rituals for what is called the "Coming
Cosmic Fall Time" (WhoChun GaeByuk - The Harvesting of Time). He charted the coming events for the current
humanity so people can enter the Coming Cosmic Fall Time successfully. After performing all the necessary Rituals,
He died and went back to His throne in the Jade Heaven on 1909. Following His death, His Wife, the TaeMo
(TaeMo means Great Mother of the Coming New Age) Go SuBuNim attained
spirituality that was higher than even Jesus Christ or Buddha had wished to
achieve through the Tae-Ul-Ju Chanting Meditation.
The JeungSan
SangJeNim said that just as there is one year on earth, our universe has a
Cosmic Year which is 129,600 earthly years.
The prior 60,000 years are the Cosmic Spring and Summer (SunChun). The later 60,000 years are the Cosmic Fall
and Winter (WhoChun). Right now we live
within an age that is at the end of the Cosmic Summer and are about to enter the
age of the Cosmic Fall.
During the Cosmic
Spring Time human species come forth from the Yim (female) energy with the help
of the Yang (male) energy. During the
Cosmic Summer Time the human species grow up by going through conflicts,
contrasts and wars because the Yang energy dominates the Yim energy. When the Cosmic Fall Time comes, the Yim-Yang
energies become equal partners. Human
struggles and conflicts cease. Harmony,
peace and justice prevail. During the
Cosmic Winter Time the Yim energy dominates.
The ice covers the earth and the universe prepares for a new Cosmic Year
in Yim. When the next Cosmic Spring Time
comes a new specie of human beings come forth from the Yim energy. This cyclical nature in Time is the prime
reason why we donot find any linking fossils between the current humanity of
Homo Sapiens Sapiens and with the previous humanity of Neanderthalers. We are the result of this Cosmic Year. And the Neanderthalers - previous humanity -
are the result of the previous Cosmic Year.
The Neanderthalers became extinct about 70,000 years ago when the last
Cosmic Year's Cosmic Winter Time came about.
And the current humanity of Homo Sapiens Sapiens mysteriously appeared on
earth about 40,000 years ago, at the start of this year's Cosmic Spring
Time.
During the period
of this Cosmic Summer, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Supreme Lord JeungSan
Kang (JeungSan SangJeNim), sent to earth Shamans, Messiahs, Saints, Christs and
Buddhas to teach the people about the Heavenly and the Earthly order. However, when the Cosmic Fall Time came near,
the JeungSan SangJeNim realized that the Yang energy was too dominant during
this Cosmic Summer Time for humans to enter the Coming Cosmic Fall Time
peacefully and to enjoy the fruits of the Cosmic Summer Time labor. Thus finally the Lord Himself was born on
earth on 1871 as a human child. He wore
the flesh of a man because the dominant energy of the Cosmic Summer Time was
Yang. Yet the prime purpose of the
Rituals of the Lord JeungSan SangJeNim was to balance the Yim-Yang energy on
earth. He sought to prepare the human
race for the coming Yim period - the Lord of Heaven and Earth sought the Yim
energy that was great enough to balance the destructive power of the dominant
Yang energy of this Cosmic Summer Time.
He found such an
energy in the TaeMo Go SuBuNim. The
Supreme Lord JeungSan Kang (JeungSan SangJeNim) told us that the biggest tragedy
of this Cosmic Summer Time was the oppressed status of women. Women had been the object of the male
whims. Thus in order to grant the
necessary power on the TaeMo Go SuBuNim for the purpose of balancing the
Yim-Yang energy, The JeungSan SangJeNim performed the following Rituals when He
received The TaeMo Go SuBuNim as His Wife.
* Said the JeungSan
SangJeNim on November third,
1907, "For fifteen years I've devoted my efforts to meet you. From now on I place you in charge of
constructing a new order in Heaven and Earth"
(p.342, The Truth of JeungSan Do).
*
Taking the TaeMo Go SuBuNim at His side, The JeungSan SangJeNim laid red
and yellow books in front of them to left and right. Stepping on the books, they walked out from
the room to the courtyard. Looking at
the stars to the south, He asked The TaeMo Go SuBuNim to bow four times. And then again, laying the books backwards,
they stepped on the books when they returned to the room. After this ritual, He taught Her all
important matters. While teaching Her
how to write, He guided the brush in Her hand
(p.342, The Truth of JeungSan Do).
*
One day the JeungSan SangJeNim stood facing North and had the TaeMo Go
SuBuNim stand facing South. In between
them a table with a goblet of rice wine was placed. And then, after writing many words, He placed
the enscripted papers on the table. Then
they bowed to each other
(p.343).
*
One day the JeungSan SangJeNim laid down on the floor and asked the TaeMo
Go SuBuNim to sit upon His stomach. Then
He had Her ask Him the following question while aiming a kitchen knife at His
stomach. "Would you allow me to be the
First and give me the necessary authority over all matters?" To such a demand the JeungSan SangJeNim
consented. He spoke, "My words shall
echo to the ends of the universe. There
shall not be any deviation to today's promise."
He had Mr. DoSam Lee, Mr. JungJun Im and Mr. KyungSuk Cha bore witness to
this ritual (p.312).
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