¹When disciples come to the dojang and bemoaned having been wronged or humiliated beyond the dojang, Taemonim would always caution them,²“You must first redirect your minds to a reflection upon your own shortcomings. You must never engender vengeful qi in others. As for what follows, leave it to the discretion of the spirits.”

³Taemonim one day repeatedly urged the disciples, “Regardless of the matter at hand, do not clash with others.”

⁴At the coming of night seven or eight days later, Jeong Eul, who espoused Socialism, and over fifty people who followed him, including the eldest son of Cheon Jong-seo, Byeong-won, descended on Jojong-ri Village.⁵Banners hoisted, they loudly shouted slogans, “Down with superstition!” “Cult leader, leave this village now!” They shouted such insults and groundless accusations for two hours, inciting an uproar with their spiteful behavior.⁶Yet, throughout it all, Taemonim refrained from confronting them in any way, and at Her command, the disciples kept the front gate firmly closed and refused to respond. Eventually, the agitators grew weary of their incitement and disbanded.

⁷The group returned twice a year over the next three years to again demonstrate raucously, hoisting their banners and shouting slogans.⁸Each time this occurred, Taemonim sternly commanded the disciples to refrain from confronting the demonstrators.

⁹The third year of the demonstrations, Taemonim again sat inside Her room and, leaving one of the doors open, merely gazed serenely at the demonstrators.¹⁰The next day, She proclaimed to the disciples, “The conducting of a grand enterprise cannot be accomplished with virtue and gentleness alone.” She then ordered, “Bring Me some paper, a writing brush, and ink.” ¹¹After these were brought, She declared, “If those people are left as they are, grave harm will befall humanity.”

¹²Appointing Yi Geun-mok as a scribe, Taemonim commanded, “Record the names of the demonstrators.” The names, which completely filled a sheet of paper, were presented to Taemonim, who burned the sheet while facing north.

¹³Ten days later, the Japanese Government-General issued an eradication order for the agitators, which led to the curtailment of their movement and eventually to the arrest of every member. ¹⁴At that time, Cheon Jong-seo’s eldest son was arrested and imprisoned, so Jong-seo went before Taemonim and voiced his resentment, “Venerable Lady, why did You allow my son to be arrested and taken away?”

¹⁵“Must I have your son released?” Taemonim asked. “The fault lies with you, so why do you resent Me? What befalls the son is the responsibility of the parent.”