Jeung San Do - Self-describing History

Self-describing History

Jeungism is founded upon the teachings and spiritual work of Gang Il-Sun (1871–1909), known to his followers as Jeung San Sangjenim, and His successor Taemonim. Gang Il-Sun was born in 1871 in a small village called Gaeng mang née, (which means "expecting guests"), in the area of the city of Kimje, (also spelled Gimje), in what is now North Jeolla Province, (aka Jeolla buk-do), in what is now South Korea. His family name was Gang, (sometimes spelled as Gahng), and his given name Ilsun. He later adopted the name Jeung San, which means "Cauldron Mountain." Few in Korea have not heard of Gahng Jeung San.

At the age of seven, Sangjenim attained a sudden spiritual awakening while watching a performance of traditional music and dance. When He was twenty-four, He witnessed the tumultuous events of the Donghak (Eastern Learning) Uprising in which an ill-equipped but determined army of farmers fought the troops of both the Korean government and the Japanese. This insurrection sparked a war between China and Japan fought on the Korean peninsula and ended with the crushing defeat of the farmers and Japan's annexation of the country. After observing the death and misery brought on by these events, Jeung San Sangjenim resolved to save the world from suffering.

He traveled for three years to observe human behavior and the shape, qi, and spirit of the land. In 1901, after a period of intensive meditation he attained perfect enlightenment into the affairs of heaven, earth, and humanity. About this he said:

Since ancient times, a few have mastered the writing of the heavens, a few have mastered the principles of earth, but no one has mastered the nature of humans. I am the first to master the nature of humans.

Dojeon 2:13:4-5

In that year, Sangjenim began a spiritual work that cannot be easily explained or understood. It was called the work of renewing heaven and earth(天地公事). For nine years, he conducted works of renewal in the form of rituals, proclamations, and conversations with humans and spirits and utilized the qi of various places and people. He established a federation of spirits called the Creative Government, composed of regional spirits, the founding spirits of family lines, spirits that founded and advanced civilizations, enlightened spirits, spirits with unresolved bitterness and grief, and the spirits of revolutionaries. With this assembly of spirits, He intended to correct the wrongs of the past and chart a new course for the future. His work of renewing heaven and earth shifted the course of heaven, earth, and humanity and planted the seeds for a new enlightened and harmonious world of humans and spirits.

According to his followers, Sangjenim differed from other prophets in that he not only spoke about the future but, through his spiritual work, actually transformed it.

One way of understanding this is the Butterfly Effect in Edward Lorenz's Chaos Theory. According to that theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in America could cause or prevent a tornado in Indonesia. This of course illustrates the improbability of predicting any event in a highly complex system due to the difficulty of knowing all variables. But, what if someone were enlightened to the point of omnipotence? What if someone did know all the variables? Such a person could not only predict the future, but with the rippling effect of seemingly small actions could actually change the future.

About the method He used in the work of renewal, Sangjenim said:

"There are opportunities for human action," Sangjenim said. "There is a program for each heavenly principle. The work of renewal is based on creating the opportunity and establishing the program. If I were to abandon this method and perform the work forcibly, it would bring disaster upon the world and kill multitudes. That is not My intention."

Dojeon 2:55:7-8

Jeung San died in 1909.