This isn't a religious issue, it's a matter of ‘standards’ — Why does this question make us uncomfortable? Are we being coerced, or are we choosing this ourselves?

 The first doubt that surfaces.

Jihoon was in his fourth week. He kept records, designed triggers, and his success rate was rising. When he recited “Jesus is the Christ”, the responses started changing. But one day, these words rose up inside him: “Isn't this religion?” “Am I getting too deep into this?” “Why am I continuing this?” Jihoon paused briefly. These questions are natural. They aren't strange. But faced with these questions, one thing must be separated. Is Jihoon being forced right now? Did someone grab his hand and make him repeat it? Did someone pressure him with “You must do this”? Who told him “you can't get out”? No one. Jihoon designed the trigger. Jihoon started the 7-day experiment. Jihoon measured the success rate. He isn't being forced. He is choosing for himself. So where did the question “Is this some kind of religion?” come from?

Anxiety about loss of control.

People fear losing self-control more than external control. Look at Su-jin. For three weeks, she repeated “Jesus is the Christ.” When she opened her SNS, the comparative thoughts began to stop. Something started to change. At that moment, this thought rose within her: “Is my standard wavering?” “Is the person I've been disappearing?” The moment this question surfaced, resistance arose. But we must look honestly. Was what Su-jin feared religion? Or was it the changing of her former self? She had lived for a long time believing “I am a person honest with my emotions.” She had lived believing “I am a person weak to comparison.” That was Su-jin's identity. It was the shaking of that identity that frightened her. It wasn't fear of religion. It was fear of losing her identity.

If you stop here, you always return to the original structure.

What happens if you stop at this point? You always return to the original structure. Failure makes you waver. “I'm just no good.” Evaluation makes you defensive. “What's wrong with me?” A broken relationship makes you collapse. “Am I someone who isn't loved?” Why does this reaction repeat? Because the standard is still you. When the standard is me, every event becomes a test evaluating me. Failure isn't just failure. It becomes a verdict on my very existence. The moment you pause and ask, “Is this religion?” the standard remains unchanged. The standard returns to me. And the same pattern repeats. Resistance surfacing is a signal that something has actually been touched. If nothing had been touched, this resistance wouldn't exist either.

Change the question.

“Is this religion?” is not it. “Am I afraid my standards might waver?” If this question makes you uncomfortable, you're already close to the core. It's not fear of being pulled into religion. It's fear of stepping down from the position of standards. Those two things are different.

This isn't about religion now.

Up until now, it was training and automation. You recorded, fixed the conditions, and experienced repetition. This was the skill stage. But now the question is changing. “What are my standards?” The emergence of this question signals the end of the skill stage. If your standards are low, triggers get pushed when situations hit hard. If your standards are high, your reaction structure changes even when situations hit hard.

You are now at a crossroads.

Here, the state splits into two paths.

If you've understood the technique and the benchmark question has arisen— “What is my benchmark?”—if this question has surfaced for you, the technical stage is over. Now is the stage to directly see the benchmark.

Why a benchmark is needed, why the internal benchmark must inevitably collapse—see it logically. → [The technique is over. Now it's about the criteria — the question with no turning back]

https://youtu.be/QlS0esPdSFc?si=9hITHUbL8F6tDi9Z

If rationalizations surface and you're postponing the decision You've understood the logic. But if thoughts like “Isn't it fine as it is now?” or “Do I really need to go this far?” arise, that's not the resistance stage. It's the rationalization stage.

You must first see that structure. → [There is no denial now. But why are you still delaying? — Rationalization is not opposition, it is delay]

https://youtu.be/CHaLqg0lqU8?si=oYSzRhGIz3c70Hqn

Neither path is retreat. Your state determines it.