A big sea gull had remained outside of the eastern gate of
Country Luu for three days. Interior Minister T asked people to worship it.
Scholar Jaan said, “ In terms of political etiquette, Interior Minister T’s
decision is not appropriate. The worship service is the most important ceremony
in a country, and a ceremony results from wise politics. Therefore, an official
should be careful in establishing a system of worship as a code of law. Now we
add a code of law for no reason. This is not a proper thing for a politician to
do.
"When the great kings established the system of worship, they
chose the following type of people to worship: legislators who have created a
code of law that benefits the society, soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our
country, officials who worked hard on state affairs, people who saved our country
from a great disaster, and generals who defeated a great enemy. We do not
worship those who do not belong to the above categories.
"In the past, when the god of agriculture became the king
of China, his son, Ju1, planted hundreds of different types of grains and
vegetables. After several generations, the Shiah dynasty began. Jih continued
Ju1’s work with grain. Therefore, we worship Jih as the God of grain. General Go
conquered nine states of China. His son, Earth, improved the farmland of these
states. Therefore, we worship him as the god of earth. Emperor H named
everything, educated people and provided necessities. Emperor J was able to
continue H's work. Emperor K invented the
sundial so that people could work according to a schedule. Emperor Ya made laws
fair to encourage people to become good citizens. Emperor S died in the countryside on his way to serve
the people. Duke Gu had tried many years to solve the flooding problem of the
Yellow River, but in vain. His son, Emperor Yu, continued Gu’s work and
eventually solved the flooding problem by dredging the river. When Shi was the
director of the Department of Human Relations, he taught people to get along
with each other. Mi drowned in the line of duty. Emperor T governed people with
kindness and strengthened their weaknesses. The god of grain died on a mountain
because of exhaustion from planting grains. Emperor Wen was reputed to have
promoted humanitarian and cultural ventures. Emperor Wu fought evil for his
people. Consequently, Emperor S' descendents worshiped Emperor H like God,
worshiped Emperor J as their ancestor, worshiped Emperor Ya like Heaven, and
worshiped Emperor S as their role model. People in the Shang dynasty worshiped
Emperor S like God, Shi as their ancestor, Mi like Heaven,
and Emperor T as their role model. People in the Chou dynasty
worshiped Emperor K like God, Jih like Heaven, Emperor Wen
as their ancestor, and Emperor Wu as their role model. Mu could adhere
to Emperor J's moral code, so Emperor S' descendents worshiped him as a saint.
Because Ju2 could adhere to Emperor Yu's moral code, people in the Shiah dynasty
worshiped him as a saint. Shan could adhere to Shi’s moral code; therefore,
people in the Shang dynasty worshiped him as a saint. Emperor Wen's grandfather
could adhere to Jih's moral code, so people in the Chou dynasty worshiped him as
a saint. The worship of God, Heaven, saints, ancestors, and role models are the
five types of official worship in China. We worship the patron gods of mountains
and rivers because they provide the people with resources. We also worship the
great philosophers because their teaching leads people to a quality life and wisdom. In
addition, we worship the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars because they illuminate
the world. Furthermore, we worship the gods of gold, wood, water, fire, and
earth because people depend upon them to make a living. Anything other than the
above mentioned, we do not worship.
"When a sea gull arrived three days ago, Interior Minister T
was unable to explain its arrival and rashly established a code of law to
worship it. It was difficult to consider him kind and wise. A kind man tries to
contribute to the people’s good, and a wise man knows how to deal with problems.
If one worships something that fails to give any benefit to people, the worship
will not lead one to do good deeds. One is not wise if he does not ask experts
about the things that he does not understand. I suspect when there is disaster
at sea, the birds and animals by the sea always travel to land for safty."
During that year, strong winds blew frequently at sea. It
was warm that winter. After Interior Minister T heard Scholar Jaan’s words, he
said, "It is my fault. I must follow Mr. Jaan's advice." Then he asked his
scribe to write three copies on wooden tablets.