Filial Attendance: The Way of Filial Piety of Holy Sons and Daughters of God - Elio Roman
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Filial Attendance: The Way of Filial Piety of Holy Sons and Daughters of God - Elio Roman |
Filial attendance is living a life for God. The heart of attendance multiplies true love by living for the sake of others. Had Adam and Eve kept the commandment, they would have been the first human beings to inherit God's love and God's tradition of living for the sake of others. They would have first lived for the sake of God. This is filial attendance whereby the Parent and child relationship is established. Filial sons and daughters attend God, True Parents and their biological parents vertically and as their representatives, on their behalf horizontally live for the sake of their spouse, brothers and sisters, and for others.
The tradition of living for the sake of others has its origin in God. God created the universe for His children. The universe is created for the sake of love. The primary principle found in all creation is to live for the sake of others. We are created to be like God. The core of God's being is Shim Jung (Heart). Shim Jung gives rise to the impulse to love. The expression of true love is to live for the sake of others. From the heart of God comes the desire to live for the sake of others. The desire of true love which seeks to live for the sake of others is inseparable from God. In order to be like God, there is a part of our nature that desires to live for the sake of others. This part of our nature is rooted in God's heart. When we become one with the heart of God, the impulse to live for the sake of others comes to life. Living for the sake of others is living a life of service and sacrifice. The opposite of living for the sake of others is living for my self only, selfishness, self-centeredness and egoism. Whom do you live for?
Parental love is the highest expression of living for the sake of others. Thus parents live for the sake of their children. Filial children respond by living a life of filial attendance to God and their parents. The subject lives for the sake of the object. God, the Perfect Subject, lives completely for the sake of His children. Filial sons and daughters live completely for the sake of God and grow to maturity as His perfect objects partners.
Everyone wants true love. We must become individuals and families who express true love vertically and live for the sake of others horizontally. This is the fundamental truth of the cosmos. All things, all creatures, and humans are meant to embody this heavenly law of the universe of living for the sake of others. Protons live for the sake of electrons and electrons live for the sake of protons. Molecules exist for the sake of plants, animals, and human beings. Plants exist for the sake of animals and human beings. Trees produce apples for our sake. The sun shines for the sake of plants, animals and human beings. Nature has given of itself to form our bodies in our mother's womb, and has continued to give of itself to feed and house us. Nature lives for the sake of human beings because human beings exist for the sake of God. I exist for the sake of my wife, my children, my brothers and sisters, my friends, my community, my nation, the world, and for the sake of my grandparents, my ancestors, and for the sake of God and True Parents. God and True Parents exist for our sake. God created the universe, nature and human beings for a purpose. That purpose is found in living for the sake of others. This book is about filial attendance. Filial attendance is living for the sake of God.
Father Moon as a child would spend hours studying the habits and lifestyle of animals in their environment. He testifies that he was never satisfied until he found where they lived. When he found birds' nests, he would see birds feeding and caring for their young. He found all the animals living and caring for their young. He came to recognize that the principle of parental love and living for the sake of others is found in all of creation.
There is a universal law which prescribes that living for the sake of others is the purpose of our lives. Our lives here on earth will determine our place in the eternal spiritual world. The determining factor is how much we live for the sake of others. The spirit and constitution of the cosmos is to live for the sake of others. One of the primary laws of the constitution of the cosmos is to preserve all individuals, families, groups, organizations and nations who live according to this universal law.
During the fall of man, Satan implanted another principle into the hearts of mankind. That principle is the principle of selfishness, self-centeredness and egoism. We seek love centered on ourselves. Our lives should naturally be lived for the sake of others. However, our lifestyles are such that we have little time for others. We neglect to take time for others. It is a burden for us to live for others. We are far from living in accordance with the original principle of living for the sake of others. The heart has to grow. We have lost sight of the purpose of our lives as we run about our daily activities centered on ourselves. Our lives should be about living for the sake of others. We don't know how to live our lives attending others.
There is a Korean folk tale called Shim Chung. It is a story of a little girl whose mother dies while giving birth. Her father is blind. Shim Chung dedicates her life to attending her father. Later she offers her life as a sacrifice in order that her father may regain his sight. Because of her filial piety she is rewarded by her father regaining his eyesight and by her marriage to a handsome prince. Shim Chung attended her father because of her love for him. Her reward was her father's happiness. Heaven rewarded her by restoring her father's sight and by sending her a handsome prince to marry. This is the nature of God and the universe. Experiencing the love of God and His blessings are the rewards of filial attendance. The universe rewards filial attendance. The fifth commandment says: "Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Deut. 5:16) The folk tale Shim Chung clearly explains filial attendance, living for the sake of others, and its reward due to heavenly law. Yet we are blind to this reality due to our consuming selfishness and self-centeredness.
Every deed and action we perform will be judged according to this universal law. On the forewarned judgment day every individual will be brought to trial and judged by the universal court according to that standard. Our life here on earth will determine our eternal life in the spiritual world and the life of our descendents. There is always room for appeal while we are on earth. That appeal is sincere repentance by us or by our descendants. Indemnity is the punishment and condition for restoration. Fortune or misfortune depends on the constitutional law of living for the sake of others. Those who most live their lives according to this law will become central beings while here on earth and live in high places in the spiritual world. Such persons will inherit everything and become true owners. Such persons are the greatest sons and daughters of filial piety in their family, greatest patriots, greatest saints and greatest sons and daughters of God.
The individual, family, tribe and nation that live for the sake of God vertically and for others horizontally even while being rejected and persecuted reach the heart of God. One must go this course through the eight vertical stages and then the eight horizontal stages before reaching total perfection as the complete resemblance of the image and likeness of God of living for the sake of others.
What kind of being is the God who created this universe and its laws? He is the one who stands in the representative position of having lived for the sake of others more than anyone else has. This is God. Therefore, in order to meet Him, you have to live for the sake of others. Even though He is the great king of knowledge, He does not ask you to come to Him with knowledge. God is also the great king of power, yet He does not ask you to come with power. He is also the master and great king of authority, money, and material, but His desire is not for people to gather these things. If you live for the sake of others, everything can come to you. (133-16, 1984.7.1)
Love requires one hundred percent devotion. When God was creating the universe, He invested Himself one hundred percent through His love. That is why true love begins with living for the sake of others. (189-202, 1989.4.6)
Once two parties are bound in the relationship of love, they come to stand on an equal level. Since love comes from the other, "live for the sake of others" is the highest philosophical principle. God created man to be His own object; God created him for the sake of the object, man himself. Man, therefore, was likewise made to exist for the sake of God. However, as a result of the fall, men have become self centered, living for the sake of themselves rather than for the sake of others. (Public Venue, 1986.11.28)
What is a child of filial piety? They are not those who make devoted efforts for their parents. You should know that those who make devoted efforts for their brothers and sisters as they would serve their parents are children of filial piety. What is a saint? They are the people who have sacrificed themselves until now and died for the sake of all humankind. What is a divine son or daughter? Those who reach out to the world centering on God, who serve humankind as they would serve God are divine sons and daughters. The historical saints are those who have died for the sake of the people of the world. And who are the divine sons and daughters of God? They are loyal to God, but as they live for God they also live for the sake of all people. (133-241, 1984.7.19)
The Unification Church teaches the heavenly law that dictates that we were born for the sake of others and we must follow the path of living for the sake of others. (133-16, 1984.7.1)
Relatively speaking, is a truly devoted son one who fulfills his filial duty when he is well-off or one who truly fulfills his filial duty even though he is poor? If you are brought up in a family in which you are only able to eat one meal a day, but you sell even your flesh and blood in order to let your mother and father eat three meals a day, is this being filial? Or is it being filial when you eat three meals a day, and there is so much left that you cannot finish it all, so that you give your parents the leftovers? Truly devoted children do not come from wealthy families. You must know this.
If your mother, father and younger sibling are starving, your mother will give her food to your younger sibling. Children who watch their mother all night feel this in their bones. They say to themselves, "Mom loves my sibling so much, and so I am going to do as she does and give even one more grain of rice to my sibling." Then when this child gives the mother that rice, the realm of filial piety, the environment of filial piety, is created. People who live only for themselves will be kicked out. From this point of view, a life of filial piety is a life lived for others. The way to become a truly devoted child requires that you have to live your life for others. Yet this does not mean that you live for others only under favorable circumstances. (286-282, 1997.8.13)
You were born from your parents. Next, what is more fundamental is that you were born from God by borrowing your mother's womb. You are to go and find the True Parents through universal parents and your physical parents. Your physical parents are parents of passage…That place is called the heavenly kingdom in heaven. The constituting element of that place is love, and it is filled with parental love. That love is not for your own sake, but rather it is a love through which you can abide by the law under the principle of service and sacrifice. To receive a passing grade, you must love the universe and love humankind. The earthly life is a training ground for such love. You should know that this is the fundamental core of the universe. (105-108, 1979.9.30)
We have to know that God is indeed the king of wisdom, so He established the secret of creation and the natural principle that one lives for the sake of others. I would like you to understand that true love, true happiness and true peace are formed only at the place of existing for the sake of others. Let's apply this formula and see. (77-188, 1975.4.6)
Next is life. How shall we live to become God's partner and return joy to Him? In other words, how shall we live to become children of God, people whom God delights to call "My son," or "My daughter," because He sees in us a divinity equal to His own? How can we become God's partners in completing the work of Creation, partners who will inherit the entire creation?
This is my answer: We should emulate the ideal that God set up at the beginning of His creative acts. At the beginning of the Creation, God acted upon the principle of living for the sake of others. In other words, He acted for the sake of those whom He created as His longed-for partners in true love. The practice of true love formed the core of His initial creative act.
Therefore, to become God's children, our first responsibility is to resemble Him. We need to embody true love. The way to embody true love begins with living as a devoted child, then a patriot, a saint, and finally a divine son or daughter of God. At that stage we can experience the innermost emotions of God's heart and resolve the grief that He has experienced for tens of thousands of years since the Fall of Adam and Eve. (Messages of Peace 1 -- 14, 2005.9.12)
What kind of person is God? God is the master and center of the public law of the universe. One thing can be said: God exists solely for the sake of others. He is the supreme public person in the universe. God is the creator and the originator of the two basic principles of service and sacrifice... Since God is proclaiming that way of life, everything should come under that way of life as well. That's the way God designed the universe and anything that goes against that principle will receive pain. When we establish give and take with God by living that way, it brings harmony and energy to life. Whoever is linked to that kind of give and take shall enjoy eternal life because there is no end to it. Why do we have to live the life of sacrifice and service? Ultimately, it is in order to have give and take with God and plug into His energy. (God's Will -- 501, 1979.9.30)
To resemble God, the original Being of true love, we should become the owners of true love. We should embody true love and practice it in order to develop our character. This is the way each of us can become true parents. What is a life of true love? True love is the spirit of public service. It brings the peace that is at the root of happiness. Selfish love is a mask of the desire to have one's partner exist for one's own sake; true love is free from that corruption. Rather, its essence is to give, to live for the sake of others and for the sake of the whole. True love gives, forgets that it has given, and continues to give without ceasing. (Messages of Peace 1 -- 22, 2005.9.12)
The main attributes of true love are that it is absolute, unique, unchanging and eternal, so that whoever practices God's true love will live with God, share His happiness, and enjoy the right to participate as an equal in His work. Therefore, a life lived for the sake of others, a life of true love. (Messages of Peace 1 -- 23, 2005.9.12)
The essence of true love is found not in having others serve you. Rather, it is found when you give out to, serve and live for the sake of others. (Messages of Peace 3 -- 51, 2006.4.10)
Ladies and gentlemen, true love brings about the spiritual order, peace and happiness that serve the common good. True love is love that determines the source, center and owner of the universe. True love is the root, and the symbol of the will and power of God. Therefore, when bound in true love, it is enough to be together eternally; for it is a love that can attract not only the universe, but even God. The value of true love lies in its power, which is strong enough to eradicate the walls of national, racial and religious boundaries, created by fallen human descendants. That is why the absolute condition necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven is a life that has been lived for the sake of others, that is, a life of true love. (Messages of Peace 3 -- 51, 2006.4.10)
When parents and children, husband and wife, and elder and younger siblings set an example of living for the sake of one another, how could they do anything unforgivable? What reason would they have to commit crimes? (Messages of Peace 3 -- 59, 2006.4.10)
All human beings are born to live for the sake of others. However, because of the ignorance resulting from the Fall, people practice selfish individualism, which is the complete opposite. I have revealed this secret of Heaven and imparted this knowledge to humankind for the first time in history. God is fully aware of the path my life has taken, through thick and thin. (Messages of Peace 4 -- 64, 2006.6.1)
I have dedicated my entire life to teaching the path of living for the sake of others through the practice of true love. This is a basic principle that surely applies not only to individuals but to all levels of life -- from the family to the society and to the nation. (Messages of Peace 6 -- 79, 2006.6.10)
Then what is true love? Its essence is to give, to live for the sake of others and for the sake of the whole. (Messages of Peace 7 -- 90, 2006.8.31)
The main attributes of God's true love are that it is absolute, unique, unchanging and eternal. Whoever practices true love will therefore live with God, share His happiness, and enjoy the right to participate as an equal in His work. Therefore, a life lived for the sake of others, a life of true love, is the absolute prerequisite for entering the kingdom of heaven. (Messages of Peace 7 -- 90, 2006.8.31)
The kingdom of heaven is a natural world where all people live for the sake of one another. Consequently, antagonism and jealousy cannot be found anywhere in that world. It is a world that is not governed by money, position or power. There, the success of every person represents the success of the whole, the likes of every person represent the likes of the whole, and the joy of every person represents the joy of the whole. (Messages of Peace 7 -- 91, 2006.8.31)
Ladies and gentlemen, true love brings about the spiritual order, peace and happiness that serve the common good. True love is love that determines the source, center and owner of the universe. True love is the root, and the symbol of the will and power of God. Therefore, when bound in true love, it is enough to be together eternally; for it is love that can attract not only the universe, but even God. The value of true love lies in its power, which is strong enough to eradicate the national, racial and religious boundaries created by fallen human descendants. That is why the absolute condition necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven is a life that has been lived for the sake of others, that is, a life of true love. (Messages of Peace 8 -- 109, 2006.10.14)
Is there anything that cannot be resolved within the family? When parents and children, husband and wife, and elder and younger siblings set an example of living for the sake of one another, how could they do anything unforgivable? What reason would they have to commit crimes? A world governed by the heavenly way and heavenly laws would be a natural world, an unobstructed world of truth and pure reason. It would be a world at the "high noon" of absolute values, where there are no dark shadows. (Messages of Peace 8 -- 116, 2006.10.14)
What is true love? Its essence does not lie in receiving but in being the first to give, in living for the sake of others and for the sake of the larger whole. (Messages of Peace 12 -- 178, 2007.2.23)
God's absolute true love does not instill a desire to have one's partner exist for one's own sake. Rather, true love's essence is giving, living for the sake of others and for the sake of the whole. (Messages of Peace 13 -- 194, 2007.3.17)
It is the same in the spirit world. No matter how learned a person may be, if he uses the knowledge he has gained for his own sake instead of for the greater good, that knowledge will come back and strike him. That person will be thrown into hell. We should live for the sake of the world centering on the ideal of one global family, God's ideal. Yet, if we ignore the world and live only for our own sake, the world will judge us. (Messages of Peace 14 -- 215, 2007.6.13)
Where does the path of true life lead? We must establish as a public law the heart to live for the sake of others. This law is everlasting because it is a principle that is true wherever you go. It was also true in the past, it is true in the present, and it will be true in the future, that you should live for the sake of others. If God were to appear in front of the saints and sages like Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and Confucius, and ask them, "What is your opinion with regard to this?" Would they answer, "That law is right." or would they answer, "That law is wrong." Of course, they will say that it is right. It is the law of the universe. It is a law that enables people to live truthfully. Such is the true path laid out before you. (133-16, 1984.7.1)
Even all things of creation will shower blessings upon those who devote their lives for the purpose of love. Flowers will want to bloom in their gardens, and even birds will want to build their nests in the backyard and sing their songs. This is because those people know the value of all things of creation and truly love them. (Blessed Family -- 1062, Korean Edition)
The seventh part is "Our family, the owner of Cheon Il Guk, pledges, through living for the sake of others, to perfect the world based on the culture of heart, which is rooted in the original lineage, by centering on true love." (Messages of Peace 14 -- 218, 2007.6.13)
Ladies and gentlemen! Absolute faith, absolute love, absolute obedience! These constitute God's ideal of creation. God began creating all things based on absolute faith. He initiated His Creation for the sake of His object partners of absolute love. Absolute obedience means that there is no awareness of "self." It is a state of absolute zero -- complete nothingness. When God empties Himself and returns to nothingness, a natural and reciprocal circular motion begins. Because you give everything out and have nothing more to give, everything will come back to you. This is the origin of interaction in the universe, and the principle that everything comes back to you after you invest completely. (Messages of Peace 14 -- 220, 2007.6.13)
Consequently, your families should not be secular families immersed in old habits. What is the best way to live for the future? It is to thoroughly educate your descendants. It is also essential to live an exemplary life for the sake of your descendants. (Messages of Peace 14 -- 224, 2007.6.13)
You should be able to sing praises for the beauty of the original world of creation, where everything devotes its entire life to establish a world where each lives for the sake of the other. Then, even baby birds will want to come and live in your home. Birds will want to have their young there. (175-186, 1988.4.16)
Since the universe and all creatures exist for the sake of others, in order for humankind to maintain their existing position, human beings must live for the sake of others. Living for others goes beyond west and east, past and present. Do you understand...? Then, when we consider the Unification Principle for the sake of others, there is no theory through which to unify except the Unification Principle. Without the path living for the sake of others, there can be no unity. (187-89)
Those who live continuously for the sake of others become the central people. This is a certainty. Filial sons and daughters in the family are the ones who live continuously for the sake of their parents. They can become the central figure in a family who can inherit from the family. It is the same with patriots. Those who live in service of the nation's ruler and invest and invest again, sacrifice and sacrifice again for the sake of the nation become those who can take responsibility for the nation. Presidents or prime ministers are such people. They should certainly be the central figures. For this reason your conscience tells you to go that far. Your conscience teaches you to be a filial son or daughter in the family, a patriot in the nation, a saint in the world, and even to go the way of a divine son or daughter in heaven and earth. (275-38, 1995.10.30)
After people have lived on earth, they enter the spirit world. All those who go to the higher realm are people who lived for others. For example, those who go to forty countries in the world and live for others with the heart of a mother in a family, and those who have the heart of a saint to save the people of the world from evil will go to a higher place. I think in that way. "I am one man, a general who represents sons of filial piety of the historical ages, a general of patriots and of saints. Although everyone else who had the name of God's son failed, I was born as a victorious son." There is only one thing that will enable you to say that. It is to live absolutely for others. We can conclude that only those who give and serve others and then forget, can digest that world. It is simple. (203-100, 1990.6.17)
To fulfill our human portion of responsibility a condition of indemnity is necessary. True Father has made indemnity conditions and if all of you appear proudly as the flag bearers of the nation -- as those who have inherited my viewpoint on the purpose of life -- you will become patriots. For the family, you will be a filial child. As a couple you will become faithful men and women of fidelity. In the world you will go the way of sainthood and you will attain the position of a prince who lives in accordance with the laws of the heavenly palace. There is only one way that we can safely proceed and that is through a life of offering everything for the sake of love -- living for the sake of others. This is an amazing fact. (169-94, 1987.10.25)
Love gradually dissipates and disappears when we insist on ourselves. Love, however, continues to grow when we continually live for others. That is why true individuals live for the sake of others. A true husband lives for his wife; true parents also live for their children; true filial children live for their parents; and likewise, a true king lives for his nation, a true nation lives for its people. We should understand this. (268-259, 1995.4.2)
What kind of people are filial sons and daughters in the family? Filial sons and daughters are those who want to love their parents no matter how much they sacrifice their minds and bodies for them and then still love them even beyond that. What is a patriot? It is someone who sacrifices himself for the nation again and again without caring about his own well being, and who invests and forgets about how much he has invested for the nation. Such a person is a genuine patriot. If there is a man who invests ten times for his nation and forgets about his investment and a man who invests eleven times and forgets about his investment, the one who has invested and forgotten eleven times is in the subject position. Following this principle, everything can be settled in peace. Without love and without the path of living for the sake of others, there is no way to achieve this. (255-190, 1994.3.10)
We have to follow the will of the heavenly law of existing for the sake of others. If there is someone who serves his country more than any other, you should lead a life in which you attend him as God and the Lord. If not, live such a life yourself in which you serve your country more than any other person. Then, heavenly peace will nestle in your heart. You will recognize God's infinite love and His reality and receive the environment of the ideal of heaven on earth, where you live embraced by God. I mean this! (77-203, 1975.4.6)
The order of existence in the universe is rooted in acting for the sake of others. The world of true peace, true love and the true ideal is both the ideal of God's creation and the desire of humankind. Therefore, the origin of happiness and peace lies in living for the sake of others. (135-233, 1985.12.11)
In regards to the act of re-creation, to give and give for the sake of others is the same as God expending Himself in the act of Creation. To invest oneself is the act of creating one's second-self; it is the same as God investing Himself in the act of Creation. The works of re-creation is the course of restoration through indemnity; indemnity is carried out through the works of re-creation. Therefore, re-creation can only come about when you invest yourself. For this reason, it is a reasonable conclusion to say that sacrifice is inevitable. (82-240, 1976.1.31)
God has also invested for the sake of humankind. God exists for the sake of humanity. For this reason, human beings have tried to follow Him for thousands upon thousands of years. Since the universe and all creatures exist under the heavenly law of living for the sake of others, in order for humankind to maintain their existing position human beings must live for the sake of others. Living for others goes beyond west and east, past and present. (187-89, 1989.1.6)
When God created the universe, He acted with absolute faith. God created us to be His absolute partners of love. Absolute obedience means that we invest ourselves completely, to the extent that we give up all self-centeredness. Furthermore, one totally forgets about the investment that one makes and invests all over again. Such a process continues until one reaches a zero point without any concept of one's own self. Since God poured out all of His faith, what is left is zero; since He poured out all of His love, what is left is zero; since He poured out all of His obedience, what is left is zero. Nevertheless, Heaven's true love is such that the more it is invested, the more it grows. We must come to resemble God in this way
Even if our love is rejected, we should continue to love even more. Even if we invested everything that we have, we should continue to invest until we can make our enemy voluntarily surrender. Our Heavenly Father walked such a path, and the Parents of Heaven and Earth walked such a path.
The person who invests love continuously without expecting a direct return becomes a central being, the one who inherits everything, and the person of greatest filial piety. In a family of ten people, including a grandmother and grandfather, the one who lives most for the sake of others will be the central person. The same principle applies with respect to patriots in the nation or to saints in the world. The more one invests without expecting a direct return, the higher one can ascend as a patriot, a saint, and a divine son or daughter of God.
Since the beginning of human history, God has surpassed all other beings in living for the sake of others. He has continuously invested Himself without expecting direct return. And because He will continue to do so for eternity. He can be the king and ancestor of all those who live for the sake of others. (World Peace -- 142, 2000.2.2)
What are true parents like? They are the parents who think that they were born for the sake of their children, they have lived till now also for the sake of their children and will die as well for their children. When the parents stand in a place where they have lived for and will die for the sake of their children, they are surely true parents, parents of love, and ideal parents. They are parents who consider what is necessary for the peace and happiness of their children.
Then, who is a true filial son? He is the son who lives with the idea that he was born for his parents, is living for his parents and will die for his parents. We can determine who is a true filial son when he commits his loyalty and life from the position of having been born only for his parents, is living only for his parents and will die only for his parents. When the parents look at that son, they will find that he is a filial son of love and an ideal son that parents want. Also, their interaction with him becomes a source of peace, and the parents can be happy. We cannot deny the fact that in the creation of the universe, God established the ideal origin. Beings have to adhere to the principle of living for the sake of others.
What is a true husband like? It follows the same rule. The husband who says that his birth was for his wife, his life is also for his wife and his death will also be for his wife is a true husband. It is the same with a true wife. "I was born for you, my life is for you and my death will also be for you." This way, if a family member can keep the principle of acting for the sake of others, going beyond the individual self, the family will inevitably be the ideal family and surely a family of love, happiness and peace.
People have been unaware of the fact that God has established such a natural principle. If those of you who have attended this meeting tonight want to have a mind that longs for the world of love, happiness, peace and the ideal, take the road that can change the direction of your life. Then a world of possibilities will open before you.
Here tonight you have found a formula. One is meant to be able to accomplish the ideal only by going through the process of acting for the sake of others. Therefore, no matter how wonderful one may be, one cannot pursue happiness and the ideal apart from this formula. Just as people cannot avoid the road of death, it is a fact that one can find love, happiness, peace and only the ideal by following the standard of this natural principle, which God has established. Now in your course of life, when you form a judgment about all things centered on one official standard, you will find that in realizing the ideal conditions that people desire, nothing will be done without going through this process. (77-106, 1975.4.1)
We can find a principle by which God created the world of the ideal in this. I am hopeful that today you remember that only by existing for the sake of others can God's true love start. Only by existing for the sake of others does God's ideal object partner manifest itself, and only through existing for the sake of others are peace and happiness realized.
For example, who are true parents? I mean, who in the world are true parents? True parents are not somebody special. If they have stood in a position in which they were born for their children, are living for their children, can die for their children and can do everything for their children, they cannot help becoming parents of true love, parents of the true ideal, parents of true happiness and parents of true peace. We have to understand that unchanging and eternal love, peace, happiness and the ideal are established only where one is existing for the sake of others. (77-186, 1975.4.6)
No matter how many religious books may exist in the countless religions, their conclusions are all epitomized in the words "exist for the sake of others." If we draw a conclusion as a whole from the entire sixty-six volumes of the Old and New Testaments, it would end in the words "exist for the sake of others." Jesus said that he came not to be served, but to serve. Why? It is because God set the principle of the creation of heaven and earth and the ideal standard as existing for the sake of others. Accordingly, the Son of Heaven, who has to adjust himself to the law of the original world, representing heavenly law, has to be so. That explains why he emphasized that he came to act for the sake of others. It is said that those that wish to go higher will decline, and those that wish to go lower will ascend. It is said that if you give up your own life for the sake of your friend there is no love greater than that. In short, the conclusion is "exist for the sake of others." (77-190, 1975.4.6)
In order for the whole state to prosper, you have to do things that will serve as examples before the whole state. In becoming an example, it must not be done for the sake of yourself. You have to be an example according to the will of the family and the parents. While carrying this out, you have to increasingly become a shining example as a filial son. (60-29)
"I am one man, a general who represents sons of filial piety of the historical ages, a general of patriots and of saints. Although everyone else who had the name of God's son failed, I was born as a victorious son." There is only one thing that will enable you to say that. What is it? It is simple. To live absolutely for others. Only those who give and forget, do for others and forget, can digest that world. That is the conclusion. It is simple. Do you understand what I am talking about? (Yes.)
You should know clearly whether you are someone who goes to the Kingdom of Heaven or to hell. These are not words I just think of and say. I am someone who knows the spirit world clearly. (He writes on the blackboard.) There are two worlds. All kinds of people live here and then go to this place. There is no one who can avoid death. You cannot avoid death. People will go somewhere after they live here. Those who live for themselves go to hell after entering that world, and those who lived for others go to the Kingdom of Heaven. Earth and spirit world get separated at death. (203-100)
Why did God make this principle of living for others? I'll explain through several illustrations. First of all, let me ask you a question. If someone truly loves you and sacrifices for you 100 percent, then how much would you want to return that love? 100 percent or 50 percent, keeping 50 percent in your pocket? Or would you want to give everything you have? Which one is in accordance with your original conscience? The answer is, you would want to return more than you receive.
Here is Mr. Pak translating for me. If I give him 100 percent with true love, and he knows this, then he will return more than 100 percent. So 100 percent is returned as 110 percent. After you receive 110 percent, you would give again 120 percent. In this way the concept of eternity comes about. This is the beginning of eternity. That's why God set up this principle. In this way development and prosperity are possible.
Second, if there are five people in your family and one of them lives for the family, eventually he will become the center of the family. In other words, a voluntary realm of dominion would be formed. People today don't understand how happy it would be to be dominated by a subject who lives absolutely for the object.
You may never have imagined how glorious it would be to be under the direct dominion of God in the spiritual world. This is the true subject-object relationship.
What is the third point? We know that love and ideals are even more precious than life itself. We tend to think these come from ourselves, but this is a big misunderstanding. Where do love and ideals come from? They come from your object. Because they come from your object, the principle of living for others is necessary. God, the King of Wisdom, knows all of this, so He made this principle. Now I think you understand.
The concept of eternity is impossible to grasp when you stand in the position of living for yourself. When you consider motion, the bigger the turning force, the faster the turning speed. Now we know that God, the King of Wisdom, made this principle of living for others for the sake of eternity. The concept of eternity and of eternal development and prosperity begin right here. (Unification Pt. 1-234)
When a mother feeds her children on her breast, do they think, "I am feeding them because I want to take back many times more from them in the future?" They are uneasy because they cannot give any more. What lasts for eternity is the heart of parents which sheds tears after giving something to the child because they cannot give something better. After doing so, although they want to give more but they cannot because they simple don't have any more, they will be moved to tears by this uneasy heart; this type of parent will surely educate their children to be filial. The process of restoration is the place where this heart is. Restoration becomes impossible when one leaves this course. (46-173)
If there are parents who think that they were born for their children, they have always existed for their children and they would end their lives devoting themselves to their children instead of trying to exist for themselves and spend their life for their own sakes, certainly, such parents could not but be true parents. These parents are indeed parents of true peace, true happiness and the true ideal. To the contrary, if there are children who think that their having been born was for their parents and that they will live for their parents and die for the sake of their parents as well, they cannot but be filial children. These are definitely children who can receive true love and be children of true happiness, true peace and the true ideal. (72-15, 1974.5.7)
Where between subject partner and object partner does God, who is the king of wisdom and the center of everything, place the origin of things like true peace, true happiness or the true ideal? This is inevitably a problem. If there is a subject partner, there is an object partner, too. As the Creator, God would have found it a challenge to decide where to the conditions of the ideal are to be found, whether in serving the subject partner or serving the object partner.
So, in realizing true peace, true love and the true ideal, God thought about whether to put the ideal origin in the object partner acting for the sake of the subject partner or in the subject partner acting for the sake of the object partner. If He were to establish the ideal origin in the position of having the object partner act for the sake of Himself, the subject partner, it would be tantamount to His telling all people in the position of a subject partner to ask their object partners to act for the sake of the subject partner's let alone the question of whether it would be right for God to act in the same way. If so, the way to becoming one would be blocked. That is, the road would divide. Where would the road through which two can become one and the road that can become the source of peace be? God could not help establishing the principle that not only God but also true people have to exist for the sake of others. Therefore, we cannot find true love, true happiness, true peace and the true ideal without acting for the sake of others. We have been ignorant of the fact that this was the original principle of the creation of heaven and earth.
What kind of people are true parents? We may say that they are those who were born for the sake of their children, live for the sake of their children and die for the sake of their children. Only then is the love of a true father and mother formed and only then can they appear as the ideal parents in front of their true children. Further, they would become the center of peace and the standard of happiness for their children. In the meantime, where are we going to establish the standard of true filial piety? It is in the opposite position. Children that were born for their parents, live for their parents and offer their lives for their parents can become true filial sons and daughters. Only when they do so can they become the ideal children for their parents, children whom their parents can truly love and the object partner of their parents' happiness and peace.
At this point, if we suggest a formula from this perspective, we may now guess that these ideal conditions "that is true love, true happiness and true peace" can be found only in existing for the sake of others. (75-318, 1975.1.16)
What is a life of true love? In a nutshell, it is "living for the sake of others." It is living for the sake of others before you even wish for the other to do something for you. It is a life of living for the sake of the others and forgetting that you ever gave. It is not giving in hopes of receiving something in return. It is a life where you give and give, regretting nothing for not having given more. Even as you give, you bow your head in humility. Thus, Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." He also said that "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Even our almighty Creator, God, would not engage in creation and destruction at whim in disregard of the very principles of creation that He Himself set up. (Public Venue, 2004.1.27)
What kind of example should we leave on earth? Filial son? Loyal subject? Even though you become a filial son or loyal subject, or if you leave your name in the history of your country, that does not give you real meaning. This is because a filial son and loyal subject in the fallen world do not have the original heavenly standard. Accordingly, in order to reach the original heavenly standard, one has to be the most filial son among filial sons, the most loyal subject among loyal subjects, and the most exemplary woman among exemplary women. When is that time? Now is the time.
Therefore, those who want to enter the Kingdom of God should live miserably and die miserably. Are these good words or bad words? [Good words!] Then, are the words: "Go out and desperately lead people to the church!" good or bad words? [Good ones!] Then, why don't you go out and work hard? You should die for the sake of others. If you die for the sake of others, the world, and the universe, you will be treated as the subject of the great universe. (49-303)
Do you know about the spiritual world? The Kingdom of God is where people go who live for the sake of others. The one who lives centered on himself can never go there; he will go to hell. No matter how great a priest he is, where will he go after death? (91-173)
Those responsible people who are equal to the task of fulfilling the way of filial piety when they are in a difficult situation, rather than those who want to fulfill the way of filial piety in an easy situation, are the sons and daughters that we can say are truly walking along the path of filial piety. From this perspective, because God worries over global problems, then, if there is a person who wants to take responsibility for global problems, it goes without saying that this person can be recognized by God before any other race or anyone else in the world.
We can therefore conclude that a filial son or daughter is a person who, representing others, wants to bear responsibility for the wretched situation of his or her parents. The way of putting aside the good things, if there's something good, and always wanting to bear responsibility for the bad things, is the way a devoted child must go. (62-23, 1972.9.10)
In order to follow the path of loving the parents, there must be filial children. In order to go the way of loving the nation, there must be patriots. In order to go the way of loving the world, there must be people who are like saints. All of you have many sons and daughters, but who is the best of them all? The one who has the deepest bond of love with you is the filial child. Centering on the most devoted of filial children, parents decide the direction that they will go. (136-205, 1985.12.29)
Filial children are those who would love and embrace their parent as their own baby even if he or she became incontinent or worse. Such children will go to heaven. (116-86, 1981.12.20)
A filial son cannot sleep, even if his parents are sleeping. After I slept, I led my life repenting as a sinner for having slept. Even after eating, I would feel sorry. In the end, how should we walk the path of filial piety? From this perspective, I am a crazy person. Did I take care of my parents? Did I take care of my wife, my children or my brothers and sisters? Did I take care of my relatives? Did I take care of my country? Actually, I never forgot my country. I was working for my country on a higher level… The tears I cried for Korea during the Japanese rule… they are tears that could compare with any patriot's. (62-58, 1972.9.10)
Who should be called and recognized as true filial children and patriots in the providence of God? Does the richest man in America deserve these titles? What about people who drop flyers out of a plane with the message "Believe in Jesus!" but who have the attitude, "Believe it or not, it's up to you"? Who do you think is closer to God, someone dropping flyers out of a plane or someone praying deeply and holding onto each person, individually distributing those flyers tearfully and with trembling hands? (155-261, 1965.10.31)
A patriot wants to receive the love of his country. Filial children want to receive the love of their parents and relatives. However, it is not easy to become a filial child who can receive the love of the whole family. The way to do this is to not eat when others are eating in order to enable them to eat, and to enable others to sleep comfortably and to enable others to dress better than you.
Those who toil for the country and for the family while others play are children of filial piety. You should be liked by more than just your own family. You must earn the love of all three generations: grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, and grandchildren. They all have to like you. You cannot become a filial child if even just one of these people is unhappy about you. Only when all your relatives testify about you, "I want to become that kind of son. I want to become that kind of sister," will you be able to receive the title of filial child from your clan and establish yourself. Then you will have a place to stand. (298-278, 1999.1.16)
Your grandfather and grandmother may spit at you, your mother may ignore you and your brothers may treat you with indifference, but still you should take care of your grandparents and pay attention to all the rest of the family. When you can give in this way, and forget that you have given, you will then take your place among the ranks of filial children that will be remembered by successive generations.
Someone who says, "I am a filial child. I am doing this and that to become a filial child" is a fake filial child. People who live for others and forget that they have done so will take their places among the ranks of filial children.
What kind of person is a patriot? It is someone who, among all the cabinet members, prepares rice cakes and other things and brings them to the king out of love. It is someone who, seeing the attendants of the king and queen fail in their responsibility, will not sit still but rather points out the failing and does a better job in performing those duties. He will teach them to create a more conducive working environment and then forget about having done all that. You should not say
"That's good enough", but instead, "I have to do even better." Why is this? It is because there is a king of a country greater than Korea. It is because on earth there is the Son of Heaven, the Prince of the Heavenly Nation. To be a patriot who would limit himself to merely be a representative of an earthly domain called Korea would not satisfy our ambitions. (204-94, 1990.7.1)
The Unification Church teaches people to fulfill their filial duty. If you do not have a mother or father that you can be dutiful to, then live for the country. When your country is in danger, then you have to fulfill your duty to your country even if it means leaving your mother and father behind. If your mother and father oppose you, then secretly pack your bags and go to the front line. If you die there, you have fulfilled your duties of filial piety and loyalty. (147-306, 1986.10.1)
Jesus became a servant of servants in front of God, and then he was crucified and died. A person is said to be righteous when he dies for his country in the wretched position of a servant of servants. A person who dies for his country is a patriot. If a person humbles himself as a servant of servants and is grateful to serve his parents, then that person receives the title of being a filial child. This is the highest point of morality in the human world, the core point. It is essential that you understand that this is the core point. In this we can realize that, rather than living a public life for God, becoming a servant is the way to become a more righteous man. Rather than being a servant for your country, becoming a servant in a worse position than an ordinary servant is the way to become a more patriot. Rather than living for your parents, sacrificing yourself in the position of a servant is the way to become a filial child. (88-294, 1976.10.3)
In conclusion, there is nothing odd about being filial children. They are simply people who love their parents with absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. True patriots emerge by absolutely believing in the king and absolutely believing in the people. They absolutely love them and invest themselves totally in the well being of the king and the people of the nation. (270-156, 1995.5.29)
What do you have to be? You should be a loyal subject. What is a loyal subject? Is the one who devotes himself to the king a loyal subject? No, he is not. It is the one who loves his people like the king does. Who is a filial son? A filial son is not the one who devotes himself to his parents. He is the one who devotes himself to his brothers and sisters like a loving parent. Then, what is a saint? A saint is one who has made sacrifices for the sake of mankind and the world. Who is the son of God? He is the one who is living for the world, centering on God. It is different.
A son of God is one who loves the people as he loves God. Do you understand? It is different. The historical saints died for the sake of mankind. On the other hand, a son of God not only devotes himself to God, but also lives for the sake of humankind, like God. What can we call such a person? A son of God. A son of God is different from a saint. What is a true filial son? A true filial son is someone who lives for his brothers as parents do. What is a true loyal subject? He is someone who serves the people of his country like he serves the king. What is a true son of God? A true son of God is someone who loves everything which belongs to God in the same manner as the loving God loves.
Therefore, True Father will go the way of a son of God. True Father loves God as well as humankind. True Father loves even America, which is like an enemy. Do you understand? In that case, God can say, "my son."
You are not the son of any country. Even though you were born in Korea, you are not the son of Korea. A person whom God can call His son is one who lives for the sake of humankind as God does. Such a person is a son of God. Since God loves humankind, forgetting about Himself, one who loves humankind while forgetting himself is a very filial son of God. We are seeking to find the way of a son of God, from the way of filial son and loyal subject. We are not seeking to find the way of a saint. Do you follow? Thus, if one of you became a loyal subject before the king, be one who is in the position of a loyal subject of the king for the sake of all the people of the country.
This is the point by which we can distinguish between a loyal subject and a treacherous subject. They are completely different in their tradition. A treacherous subject serves the king centering on himself, while a loyal subject serves the king for the sake of the people of the country. If a loyal subject comes before the king, a treacherous subject cannot exist in that environment. In this sense, the kingdom that is realized through the way of the son of God, through the ways of a filial son and a loyal subject is none other than the Kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, the way to realize the Kingdom of God is to begin from the way of a filial son and move up to the level of a son of God. This process is the original ideal of God's creation. (133-242)
Those who reach out to the world centering on God, who serve humankind as they would serve God are divine sons and daughters. The historical saints are those who have died for the sake of the people of the world. And who are the divine sons and daughters of God? They are loyal to God, but as they live for God they also live for the sake of all people. (133-241, 1984.7.19)
When you die, you'll be pulled according to how much you lived for yourself. If you are seldom selfless, you'll be pulled in this way. Even though I taught you very clearly, some fail and some go to hell. These people can't accuse me. They can't say, "Why didn't you teach me clearly while I was on earth?"
Therefore, do not do anything for the sake of yourself, but think how to live for the sake of God, heaven and earth, your nation, your tribe, your family, and your spouse. If you live for others, you'll be pulled into the perfect world even though you try to escape and try to go backward because you think it is for the sake of yourself. How peaceful it is! How easy it is!
If you live your life centered on yourself, you have to worry about everything, saying, "Oh, I failed this and I failed that." However, if you live for the sake of others for ten, twenty years, everything will be your friend. If you live for the sake of others, your heart becomes empty, so the truth will come to you.
When you try to live with the truth, God will follow you. He belongs to me because He wants to. This is logical. Therefore, those who want to live for the sake of others can completely inherit the Completion Era. This is the conclusion.
What can we be proud of in the Unification Church? What is first? True love! What is next? True Parents! Then True Children! What comes next? True tribe! These are our four goals. What is the first one? (True love!) What is the second? (True Parents!) What is the third? (True Children!) What is the fourth? (True tribe!) We have to gain these. Without true love, all these would have to be destroyed. (203-101)
God's love is to love not only all present humankind, but also all the people of the past, present, and future. You must know that God therefore works to liberate even spirit people who have gone to hell. Human beings must go the way of truth, life, and love. No matter how great you may be, if you do not have a foundation of living for the sake of others, nothing will follow you. On the other hand, someone who lives for the sake of others will naturally become the subject. He will become a human being of true life. (133-29)
You have to live more for the sake of others. What is living for others? One who lives more for the sake of others becomes a responsible person.
Who can be the central point among ten people? It is the person with greater love who lives for the sake of the ten. Those ten people will follow after him. Don't you think so? You should know that a person becomes a central figure and a responsible person in the process of living for the sake of others. He becomes the owner and central figure. You should know this.
The person who lives most for the sake of country may become the president of that country. The person who can inherit a company is the one who sacrifices most and lives for the sake of the company. This is a heavenly principle. Up to the present, you may have thought that living for the sake of others is suffering and no good, but it is the way of inheriting and becoming a central figure. Therefore, you should know that living for the sake of others will not result in your loss. There is no better way.
When you study, for whom are you studying? Do you study for yourself? You have to change such a way of thinking. You have to study for the sake of humankind and God. You should go forward according to the original ideal, which God has given to us. If you determine that, if God sends you as one who has a 100-point value, you will go to the spirit world as one who has a 101-point value. Then God will remember you forever.
If the youngest child among ten brothers sacrifices the most and lives for the sake of the other nine, his name will be recorded in his father's memoirs. Do you understand? Is that true or not? If someone complains about that, he will perish. Although there may be those who build up fortunes through robbery and greed, its value will be negated for various unfortunate reasons: someone's son may become promiscuous, another may get sick, and someone may meet with an accident, or be robbed. God does not want to see such people succeed. However, if all that you have is for the sake of others, it will remain forever. Do you understand? If you, as a musician, want to give joy and happiness to the audience by producing a special quality of musical tone such as the audience has never heard before, how wonderful that is! "Oh? If I can practice thousands of times and make the most ideal sound, never before produced in history, for the sake of that audience, how joyful that will be!" When God looks at you, God may say "You are not so beautiful, but your heart is very great. Oh! My daughter! Do well. I will bless you." That is God's heart.
Isn't it the same for Rev. Moon? When I went to jail I had no intention of escaping; people in the secular world would have tried to escape in the same circumstances. It was my choice to go that way. I was willing to go to jail with a heart of love for Christianity and America.
It was not because I wanted to be famous for the sake of myself, but to leave behind the name of love by living for others. The entire world will come to follow before such a love. That's true, isn't it? Even a mother and a father will obey a filial son. They will praise you with tears and bow to you. Because the king is the representative of the country, even his parents and grandfather, who are his relatives, will obey him. Everybody will submit absolutely in front of love, because that love is the love representing the universe. This transcends all levels of society. (132-276)
We must recognize that there is a universal principle involved, regardless of what race you are. You can see that the universe has certain fundamental laws, and anyone who violates them will be judged accordingly, regardless of his race or stature. What is the spirit of that constitution of the universe? It aims to preserve or uphold the men and women who try to live for others. It would also try to eliminate people who take advantage of others and seek to benefit only themselves. This is why we can say that good people are those who exist for the sake of others, and good deeds are those actions which benefit others.
If a person is brought to trial and convicted of violating the constitutional law, would he feel good? Often a convicted defendant reacts strongly to the judgment of the court, demanding to know what is wrong with him when there is so much wrong with society. Normally a court will not reverse its decision just because the defendant objects. If even a human court won't do that, would the universal court be likely to reverse its decisions?
There is always room for mercy in a righteous legal system, but in order to be entitled to receive it, a person must show his sincere repentance. Repentance is the key word. This is why Jesus' pronouncement was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." What should we repent for? Very simply, we must repent for all those actions which violated the rule that says we should live in sacrifice and service for others. This was Jesus' first teaching. (God's Will -- 497, 1979.9.30)