The Path of Learning Has No End

   Living as a woman in Korea, I had endless questions about life that had always bothered me, but these began to come clear from the moment I started studying Jeung San Do.
　
   I always thought that there must be something that I was meant to accomplish in this life; but, lacking a specific answer, I lived each day’s routine filled with the feeling that something was missing. Every person has his or her problems and worries, but mine always seemed greater than those of the people around me. I often found myself rationalizing that I was too busy at work or just too lazy. From time to time, when I felt a strong thirst for truth, I would go on a trip to ease my heart. I often tried designing my own philosophy, but it always fell short on the fundamental issues.
　
   At a time when my ambitions had dwindled to merely living a “normal life,” I met Jeung San Do. I encountered Jeung San Do through Jung Kyung-wook, whom I got to know, incidentally, not in Seoul, but in New York. After I got back to Korea, my curiosity continued and led me to read This Is Gaebyuk and The Truth of Jeung San Do. Despite the unfamiliarity of the books’ contents, as I read them, I could not stop thinking to myself, “There is something here.”
　
   I was pleased to discover during these readings that Jeung San Do honored ancestral rituals, because quite a while ago, when I was a Catholic, I used to question why we were not allowed to serve our ancestors. At another point, I was overwhelmed with a sudden emotional surge while reading a section in The Truth of Jeung San Do. It began with the sentence, “A great seeker is made only after enduring agonizing ordeals, sorrow, and having drunk from the glass of bitter solitude.” As I read further, I gradually realized that I had been led to the truth by the grace of my ancestors. There and then, I decided to do a more concrete study.
　
   Soon afterward, I had a chance to come back to the United States on business. I considered this a great chance for me to do an indepth study of Jeung San Do. So, I applied for Ip-moon (preinitiation) at the San Jose Dojang, where Jung Kyung-wook works, and I resolved to an intensive study. They say the path of learning has no end. As I began to open my eyes to the truth little by little, I realized how small and futile my values and thoughts had been. How could I have been so ignorant? I felt embarassed by how little I knew.
　
   But now I am thankful to have discovered all of this sooner rather than later, and I cannot help but be impatient to quickly pass Ip-do(initiation) and begin participating in the work of heaven and earth. I now have a goal, which is to be born again as a true practitioner and walk the path of a true worker.
　
   I will courageously walk a single path as Sahng-jeh-nim’s worker with humility and service. I will repay the infinite virtues of Sahngjeh-nim, Tae-mo-nim, Tae-sa-bu-nim, Sa-bu-nim, and my ancestral spirits. I vow to dedicate myself to this work with utmost perseverance.