During the past 40 years of serving Master Sho Gong Ja, countless spiritual companions have come and gone. They all returned without achieving enlightenment, and most of them had no idea why they failed.

The Absolute Requirement for Enlightenment

There is an absolutely essential element required for enlightenment: when truth or reality confronts your ego, you must have the courage to abandon yourself and choose truth instead.

However, most people, when they reach that critical moment of enlightenment, do not choose enlightenment. Instead, they choose themselves.

This is the single reason why 99% of people fail to achieve enlightenment.

The Death of the Ego

Enlightenment demands the death of the ego. An overwhelming feeling of actual death rushes in with tremendous terror. At that moment, you must close your eyes and willingly die to achieve enlightenment.

This is why many Zen masters have said:

• "Let go of the branch you're clinging to at the cliff's edge"
• "When standing at the tip of a hundred-foot bamboo pole, take one step into the void"

They are demanding the death of the ego.

The Paradox of Letting Go

When you actually let go of that branch at the cliff's edge, it feels like you're going to die. But in reality, when you do let go, it turns out to be absolutely nothing at all.

The ego is like a tiny speck of dust, yet we feel our ego-self is so enormous that when faced with a situation demanding death, we retreat back to ourselves.

The One Essential Element

Therefore, if there is one thing necessary for enlightenment, it is this: the courage to die without hesitation before truth.

This single quality determines whether one achieves enlightenment or remains forever trapped in the illusion of the separate self.

Preparing Your Soul in Advance

Therefore, you must engrave this commitment into your soul in advance:

"When my master's guidance and my personal opinions clash head-on, I will abandon myself and follow my master."*

You must make this decision beforehand, in your daily life.

When you do this, you will choose enlightenment when you stand at the moment of awakening, because you have already prepared your soul to surrender rather than defend your ego.

*In Korean, "seuseung" (스승) represents far more than a teacher - it denotes a spiritual master deserving of profound reverence. There's a traditional Korean saying: "Do not even step on your master's shadow," expressing the deep respect disciples should have for their spiritual guide.

The path to enlightenment is not about accumulating knowledge or perfecting techniques - it's about having the courage to surrender completely when the moment of truth arrives. This surrender must be decided long before the critical moment comes.