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THE DHARMA WORDS OF MASTER CHŎNGSAN (CHŎNGSAN CHONGSA PŎBŎ) 3rd Version Translated by Bongkil Chung 1 The Gāthā With one truth within one fence, As one family within one household, As coworkers on the one worksite, Let us realize the world of Irwŏn. 2 Part One: The Canon of the World 3 Contents Chapter One: General Introduction Chapter Two: Education Chapter Three: Family Chapter Four: Religious Faith Chapter Five: Society Chapter Six: The Nation Chapter Seven: The World Chapter Eight: Rest Chapter Nine: Nirvana Chapter Ten: An Outline 4 Chapter One: General Introduction A human life can be perfect in both this and the eternal life only if there exist correct ways that one can learn and follow for each stage of life, from the moment when the numinous consciousness enters the mother’s womb to the moments of being born, growing, living as an adult, and entering Nirvana. Thus, there should be the way of care before birth, while one is still in the womb; after birth there should be the way of infant education during infancy; and during childhood there should be the way of integrated education in science and morality. In the family there should be the way for spouses to follow, the way for parents and children to follow, and the way for siblings and relatives to follow. In a religious order there should be the way of faith and the way for the laity to follow. In society there should be the way of men and women, the way of old and young, the way of strong and weak, and the way of the public wellbeing. In the state there should be the way of government and moral culture, and the way for the citizen to follow. In the world there should be the way for the human race to follow. In old age with one’s lifetime work behind, there should be the way of rest and emancipation. Reaching the time of Nirvana, there should be the way of Nirvana and deliverance. Thus the ways one ought to learn and follow throughout one’s life can be limitless; however, an outline of those ways and principles is hereby drawn and entitled Sejŏn [The Canon of the World]. Chapter Two: Education I. On Education Education is the root of the evolution of the world and the foundation of human civilization. Hence, it can be said that the rise or fall and prosperity or decline of an individual, a family, a society, and a nation depend on whether or not people are educated well. Although humans are said to be the most sagacious of all beings, supreme sagacity cannot be realized without education. A family, a society, a nation, or the world may be formed; however, they cannot be maintained or developed without the power of education. Therefore, one can be a useful person to one’s family, society, nation, and the world only if correct ways are provided for care before birth, child rearing, and general education, that is, throughout the various stages of life―from the period in the womb that is the basis of one’s life through that of birth and growth. Education can be divided broadly into two kinds: one is education in science, the other is moral education. Scientific education is the basis of material civilization, and is responsible for the external development of the world, while moral education is the basis of the spiritual culture, and is responsible for internal development of the world. These two kinds of education 5 should be advanced equally, with moral education forming the basis for the application of the science education. Only then can human civilization be well rounded internally and externally and the happiness of human race be perfect. II. The Way of Education before Birth Human education starts before birth with the influences that affect the unborn child. "Prebirth education originated with King Wen’s (1171–1122 B.C.) mother, Tairen, who started teaching her son while he was in her womb, and since then has spread through the world. A wholesome influence on the fetus in the womb can improve the temperament of the numinous consciousness that is originally good, and mitigate the temperament of the numinous consciousness that is not good. If a pregnant woman educates her unborn child poorly, by letting her body and mind run recklessly, the temperament of the numinous consciousness will get worse, regardless of its goodness or badness. Therefore, Grand Master Sot’aesan said, "Since the unborn child’s numinous consciousness gathers while it is in the mother’s womb, what the parents say, think, and do can easily influence its future character. Hence, the pregnant woman’s self‐restraint is of extreme importance." The way of prebirth influence includes the following threefold self‐restraint. First is physical self‐restraint. The pregnant woman should not lift any heavy object, climb or descend steep places, or go to places where cold, hot, damp, or dry conditions vary excessively. She should not eat any unripe fruit or spoiled food; she should be careful to avoid being too hungry or too full, overworked or indolent. Second is to keep the mind in purity: she should keep her mind from greed, anger, delusion, resentment, jealousy, and disrespect. She should not be disturbed by sorrow and pleasure, or love and hatred. She must be careful to subdue anxiety and agony and to keep her peace of mind in frightening and alarming situations; and she must learn the teachings of the Buddha and other wise and benevolent sages by attending Dharma meetings regularly and maintain the standard of practice. Third is to have right conduct: the pregnant woman should abstain from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; she should not make silly remarks, use evil words, tell lies, or embellish words. She should deal with daily affairs fairly and right, treat all people with respect, and practice charity as much as possible. Wherever she goes, she should observe the laws and rules and the public morality of that place. III. The Way of Childhood Guidance Human nature is originally pure and devoid of good and evil; it can, however, become good or evil in accordance with mental spheres. Thus it is easily influenced by good in a good environment and by evil in a bad environment. 6 Since consciousness during innocent childhood is not yet fully developed, whatever the child sees or hears can easily influence it. It is said that Mencius’s mother changed her residence three times to find a right environment for her son to receive good influences, eventually helping him to become a sage. How could childhood guidance be neglected? Grand Master Sot’aesan taught that there are four ways in the way of childhood guidance. The first is mental influence: one should keep one’s mind upright, good, and peaceful, basing that practice on religious faith, so that the child is guided to follow the model of one’s mind. The second is influence by deed: one must practice right and one’s conduct should be in accordance with moral norms, so that the child could naturally model after such practice. The third is verbal teaching: the child should often be told the tales and anecdotes of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and other great persons so that it can remember and model after their good deeds. The parents should teach the child by reasoning with it on facts and principles. The fourth is stern teaching, which is done only when necessary, and with dignity; this is not a method to be used often, since it is done to a mere child. IV. The Way of General Education Even if one has had adequate prebirth influences and proper childhood guidance, one’s life could still be worthless if one does not get both an adequate education in the scientific knowledge necessary for the age and the moral training necessary for the growth of one’s fundamental personality during one’s youth. One should thus receive timely education in school and moral training from youth to adulthood, which we call "general education." The education one receives throughout one’s lifetime has four parts. The first is education in science, the purpose of which is to help attain scientific knowledge and skills. The second is spiritual education, which is to help one be trained in moral culture and the practice of morality, mainly through moral education. The third is education in propriety, which lets one learn and practice all the ceremonies and rituals appropriate to the family, society, the nation, and the world. The fourth is work education, which is to cultivate diligence in ordinary times and to be trained to working productively. Chapter Three: Family I. On Family 7 Family is the foundation of human life. Where there are human beings, a family is formed, by the relationships of husband and wife, parents and children, siblings, and other relatives. Only if the right ways of those relationships are properly followed can there be a happy, peaceful, and improving family. II. The Way of Husband and Wife The origin of a family lies in husband and wife; there should be ways to be followed by them. In these lies the meaning of an ancient sage’s saying, "The way of the prince [junzi] originates in the relationship of husband and wife." The first way of husband and wife is harmony. Husband and wife should be earnest friends and companions to each other in mutual respect and love, a mutual understanding of each other’s idiosyncrasies, encouragement of each other’s good, generosity with each other’s faults, and mutual help to each other’s business.

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