#19

[Zion Canyon, Utha]

19. Fire that Rekindled – Rebuilding

It must have been around 1995 that Ilchi Lee came to America again.  He took over the center that Dong Won Kang was managing and he began over again.  In the beginning, he had a few masters come from South Korea.  Then he called for me to come to America again.  That was in 1996. 

All the difficulties that I experienced in the beginning had begun again.  The management situation was either barely sustaining or at a deficit.  As soon as I arrived, he said for me to pay back the debt now.  For a while, with the deterioration of management, it was operating with debts from here and there.  Accounting was not properly recorded, and the receipts were not properly saved either.  It was operating with the sale of books and uniforms (Do-bok), and since the principal was not paid, expenses for this and that all remained as debts. 

The programs were being barely maintained with regular training classes and part healing (hwal-gong) sessions.  Income was limited and the members were cared for with healings.  And yet, centers began to increase one by one.  The second pioneering of America had fully begun.  Now, even if I wanted to step back, I could not.  It is because Ilchi Lee had no intention of drawing back now.  Now it had to be made successful till the end.   Visa issues and the supply of masters, and many other difficult administrative problems that occur in the process of settling in the starting of a business in America had to be experienced again.  To begin anew without any foundation is anguish. 

There were many difficulties that were waiting.  When one was resolved, another one arose, and another, seemingly without end.  Despite these difficulties, and without stopping, the centers expanded to New Jersey, New York, Long Island, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, and to Canada. 

In the beginning, we began gathering members in the apartments, and when more members gathered, funds were saved and then we rented an office and began.  Just like the plan that Ilchi Lee had used, when an apartment was rented, an open public lecture was done first, then we would gather the members.  To begin, funds were starting from $3000 and the maximum that could be used was $5000.  Two months of apartment rent, telephone installation fee, and a one time advertisement fee were all there was.  It was a situation, beginning with no business sign display and without anything.  Like affiliating in alliance with an existing center, it began when the location and its target area were decided.  Then, one master would go there and rent an apartment.  Up until this time, centers were operating only for the Koreans in Korean. 

As for English speaking members, there were only one to two members per center who came occasionally out of curiosity.  They were members who quietly trained even though it was in Korean.  It was truly an odd thing.  For them to come and train even though it was in Korean was as if an English speaking member was coming and training in South Korea.  It was because the masters could not speak English well and they were having difficulties with barely adjusting to America.  But the most important thing was fear.  They could not do it because of the fear of the new unfamiliar subjects and of the new unknown culture.                            

#18

[Byuk Woon, Seung Bea Chun in U.K.]

18. Returning of Kindling – Rekindling the Fire from the Ashes

All of our four centers, between three in Philadelphia and one in Los Angeles, had now closed.  Nowhere could I see any hope.  But, even though the heavens fall, there is hope. 

In spite of misfortune there was new hope, in the form of a member named Dong Won Kang, who was training in Philadelphia, and wanted to continue training when the Philadelphia center closed.  So he went to the center in Los Angeles, continued training and developed a new dream.
 
I did not know at the time that this would be the opportunity for the rekindling.  When the center in Los Angeles closed, Dong Won Kang went to the New Jersey/New York area and opened a new center.

He contacted me to ask how to manage and teach the class.  Once again, a connection was formed for a comeback.  Since there wasn’t any master that could be sent right away, I told him that for the time being, he was to teach from what he had learned when he was a member.
 
Because he had trained with a commitment in his heart for a long time, even though in the beginning he was a bit lost, little by little he found stability and he managed in his own way.
 
Around that time, many changes occurred in South Korea.  In South Korea, Ilchi Lee stepped back from his position and decided to entrust the management to his students.  All the things that he had created up until now he turned over and entrusted to his students.  It was a great occurrence at that time.  For Dahnhak, it was time of the greatest anguish, but it was also the rising of a second historical period.
 
As a second pioneering, Ilchi Lee was set to go to America.  There is no doubt that he had come for globalization and internationalization.  This time, his heart and mind were set to do it himself.  He resolved visa issues and all other matters, and came alone.  Afterwards, he came with his whole family, which seemed as though it meant that he was determined not to return.

This is an example that students of Ilchi Lee should follow.  If he was in South Korea, he would be respected while living in comfort without any worries, but he refused all of it and instead chose and walked a new path of adversity.  In these days, masters tend to only choose to do things that are comfortable and easy, popular and honorable, and recognizable. Like from the earlier days, humility is truly needed.  Like the words from Ilchi Lee, “It is ok to be whatever, wherever, and whenever.” It is something that the students need to rethink about.  Ilchi Lee’s determination and mindset to not to return should not be forgotten.  Those masters who are in America, Canada, Japan, England, etc., anywhere in the new pioneering area shall take this to heart.  There should be a determination and mindset that if it is failed here there isn’t anywhere else that one can go to.  If you are simply still in one place, nothing will be accomplished on its own.