The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1985
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1985 |
This humble-looking, unassuming Korean man has come to this different culture and you Americans feel a desire to be close to him. You cannot explain it, but you want to see my face at least once in a while. And then when you see me, you feel warmed and happy; you receive energy and a joyful feeling of challenge. Many people, on seeing me, weep. Today when I came in many sisters had wet eyes. Why? You cannot explain it very well, but at least you can give one reason: I brought you into a vibrant, loving relationship with God. Everything you have you owe to God, including your life.
None of you may feel confident that you can live 95 percent for the sake of others, but as long as you feel that spirit of living 95 percent for the sake of True Father, that indemnifies and cleanses everything, because the True Father represents others. This is a deep secret of the Unification Church.
Anybody who comes to me and tries to proclaim his own greatness will eventually come to suffering. The amazing thing is that people normally feel utterly humbled when they come before the True Father, thinking, "Compared to what he is doing, what I am doing is so small!' Even though that person may be well regarded by others, he feels that way. In front of me you feel more like a child than a dignified, accomplished person. This is very important. By serving the True Father you will automatically come to the standard of living 95 percent for the sake of others.
Sometimes it may seem cruel but this is why I send you out, to do things for the sake of the world. Since you are already determined to give your life for the sake of True Parents, when I encourage you strongly to do certain things, you do it willingly. I do not say harsh things to you or push you out because I hate you. I utilize your love for me for the sake of the world, for your own well-being. By following my direction, you are securing for yourself a higher level of spirituality.
Many of you have been Moonies for a long time but so far you have been immature. I am the real Moonie. You know you have to imitate your Father and that is what the Unification Church is all about. Through imitating me you can assume my character and my way of life and become a true Moonie as well. Conserve your energy, your money, and your time, all for the sake of others; always think of serving more for the sake of your country and the world. This is the Moonies' way of life.
I spent one year at Danbury prison and my daily schedule was very regulated. My breakfast, lunch, and dinner were always at the same time. I never missed breakfast, since I was always up early. The only day I missed breakfast was when I was reading one morning and misjudged the time. I felt that whatever the institution served, it was enough for me. Most of the other inmates were lazy and slept late, so they often missed breakfast. They would be hungry later in the morning and would try to take things from the kitchen. I knew that people tried to steal from the food storage area. The kitchen manager worried about me because I didn't try to steal food like the other men. He would even tell me, "Rev. Moon, why don't you take one of these food baskets? No one will miss it'.' But I would just say, "No, thank you. I don't need
Many of the inmates were aware that I knew certain secrets about them but they also trusted that I would never tell anyone what I knew. Just like God Himself -- He knows everything about us, but He never talks to anyone else about it. Eventually these men would become guilt-ridden and self-conscious and they would come to me, saying, "Rev. Moon, many times you have seen me taking food from the kitchen. You don't like that, do you?" This is how the conscience works. The kitchen manager knew that I would never eat anything other than the regular meals, so he worried about my missing a meal. He would come and get me at mealtime, if necessary, so that I would be sure to get enough food. Even though this place was a prison, it was gradually turning into something resembling heaven, because people were becoming friends and learning how to trust each other and become a human community.
Once you follow the heavenly principle of living 95 percent for the sake of others and five percent for your own sake, universal law will protect you. If someone tries to attack a person living like this, the attacker will be harmed instead.
We are trying to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What kind of society is that? It is a society that consists of people who are willing to live 95 percent for the sake of others. You must practice this principle first of all in your own family. Therefore, your spouse comes before you, your children come before you, and your parents come before you. When we view American families from this standpoint, we can see that family life in this country is often ungodly and full of satanic influence. Many American homes are ridden with tragedy. Even one day spent in such a selfish, individualistic atmosphere is hell. One year is almost unendurable torture.
You cannot look upon your own person as private property. It belongs to God; it is His own temple. Thus when you are cutting your nails, for example, you can love yourself. And you can say to your hands, "How hard you worked today!" You can say to your eyes, "Aren't you tired from reading so much today?" You can comfort and sympathize with yourself as long as you consider yourself public property. Your body is the instrument by which you can live 95 percent for the sake of others.
When you think of yourself as public property, other people will be drawn to you with deep loyalty. My prison term in North Korea was much longer than this one; even there I found disciples who were willing to die to protect me. They wanted to work side by side with me every day.
By repeating this way of life, day in and day out for so many years, a certain weight and dignity has come to me; this way of life bestows holiness upon a person automatically. It is as natural as a tree growing in a garden. The tree never has to assert its position as the boss of the garden. But if it stays there long enough, it will come to dominate the area. It is the same with our way of life.
The key phrase of my speech today is 95 percent and five percent. So far you have only thought of this ratio in relation to God's 95 percent responsibility and mankind's five percent. But now you have a new formula. Do you feel confident that you have been true Moonies all this time based upon this new formula? You now have a code word for your husband or wife. You can just look at each other and say, "95 percent',' and be humbled. When you are going out to your mission work and your wife says, "Where are you going? The children and I need you here!" all you have to reply is, "Darling, I am going to fulfill my 95 percent" Then she will have to agree. Then you will be in the bosom of Heavenly Father, and you will be protected as you go out to help this dying humanity.
Sometimes the wife might complain to the husband, "Darling, why don't you give me a morning kiss?" and the husband might say, "No, dear, 95 percent! I'm going to give my morning energy to somebody else! I have come and spent the night with you and given you my love but now I have to give my 95 percent for the sake of others. Please let me go!' The wife has to say, "Amen, go, my husband!' This is a dramatic way of life and far greater than 100 kisses. It's true!
When a squabble arises in the future among Moonies, and harsh disagreements verge on fighting, one person only has to start to say "Nine...!' You don't even have to say the whole number. Moonies should know what that means. That will be enough to finish the argument.
Hyo Jin spoke a few days ago in Japan to 10,000 people at a CARP convention and addressed them in English in a very powerful manner. Then yesterday the top church leadership of Japan, over 500 people, gathered and heard a sermon from Hyo Jin, who spoke without a prepared text. People were brought to tears because he poured out his heart so completely. That is a trait he inherited from me. I was born with the signs of nobility -- in the Orient a person with small hands and feet is considered to be destined for goodness. I was also born with a mind and heart of goodness, but I still had to go through the greatest suffering and be persecuted to an unbearable degree. Why was that? It was because my principle of living 95 percent for the sake of others is a crime in the satanic world.
However, because I lived my life according to this formula, my suffering could never destroy me. Many people predicted my destruction, but they were proved to be wrong, because I am protected by the universe and its law. Why don't you test out what I am saying and see if it works? Do you think men and women who do this will end up in heaven or hell? My portion of suffering had already been fulfilled; I did not really have to suffer any more, but for the sake of the world and this country, as well as for God, I went through this past year of tribulation. I never refuse such suffering. Now I have endured enough for the sake of this nation, and the turning point has come.
The spirit world keeps saying to me, "Rev. Moon, you have done enough! Now please live for yourself for a while. For a change, why don't you live 95 percent for yourself and five percent for others? It's all right!" Do you agree? Even though y 41 may say, "Yes, Father, you can do the,' still it is human nature not to like that. Deep down you feel that it is better that your Father continues living by this principle all the way to the end. You feel I will then be at the highest place in heaven.
My life is simple. It can be described in three sentences: I was born for the sake of others. I live for the sake of others. I will die for the sake of others. If that is the way you die, you will go right into the bosom of Heavenly Father in spirit world. If you practice my philosophy of living 95 percent for the sake of others and five percent for yourself, you will create a certain affinity with me, and the universe will bring us together. You won't have to ask for an appointment with me; we will inevitably meet.
I invited all the regional directors, regional coordinators, and state and city leaders here today. I know some cities are flourishing and others are not. On what does that depend? On the leadership. God has special eyeglasses through which He is only able to see the people who are altruistic and living for others. When God looks through those glasses He doesn't see all 250 locations; that means spirit world isn't helping all of these cities.
You leaders always know how to make demands of others, but you don't know how to serve members. This is the crux of the problem. If you are truly giving 95 percent for the sake of others and still your church area doesn't flourish, then I will take the responsibility. It would mean that what I am teaching you today is wrong. But first do it, and then find out what the results are and report them to me. If you have three members in one center who are living 95 percent for the sake of others, that center will flourish; it will burgeon forth in all directions.
On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus tied back his hair and knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples. He said, "I did not come to be served. I came to serve!" Peter, his most passionate disciple, objected. "Oh no, Master, you cannot wash my feet. How can I let you do that?" But Jesus was rather stern and said, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." And Peter surrendered. Jesus practiced living 95 percent for the sake of others. Do you follow my message very clearly? If you are living 95 percent for others and five percent for yourself, everything good will flourish. It is up to you.
When you go back to your mission field this time, practice this principle and try to reach out to 300,000 ministers out there. If you approach them in this spirit, then within the foreseeable future we will turn American Christianity around, and it will unite with us completely. Your objects are the ministers and your members. Practice the 95 percent principle -- praying more, eating less, working harder, sleeping less, going out more, serving them, and taking them wherever they need to go. Take them by the hand; take them to the hospital if they need to go. If you just give 95 percent with your whole heart and soul, you will be victorious. That kind of action will cause you to be recognized as a pious son, a loyal subject of the country, a patriot, and a saint. Your actions will directly engender such qualities.
If you falter and even die while living and practicing this principle, you will lose nothing. You will win everything, and will be esteemed as a martyr. You will not only go to the highest place in heaven but here on earth you will have a permanent following. You will become the proud ancestor of your children, and your countrymen will memorialize you as a patriot. The whole spirit world will call you their beloved saint, and God will consider you His true child. It is not easy to achieve this. It requires much labor, tears, sweat, and sometimes even blood.
Your presence in a certain village, city, or community cannot afford to be unnoticed. If you are ignored, you are failing. People must be influenced by you, one way or another. You must uplift them, spiritually and physically. When you practice this principle I am teaching you today, you will be able to do that.
Even though you may leave your city to come to a conference like this in New York, you ought to feel tears of longing for your mission place. When you really pour out your heart to a city, you cannot forget it; it becomes almost like an extension of your physical body. I can vividly remember my prison life in North Korea, in Seoul, in Japan, and in Danbury. All six of my prison terms are vivid in my memory and I will never forget them. Tears come when I think about it -- not because of self-pity, but because I poured my life energy into every place. In Danbury I never prayed, "Father, won't you please alleviate my misery here?"
The people in Danbury prison probably have four different images of me in their memory. First, they will remember how I did my work without words, fulfilling my mission and taking on other people's work as well. Second, they will recall the image of me reading. Whenever I found the time, I would read. Third, they will remember me meditating or praying. Fourth, they will remember how I played pool so often. Prisoners all around the country heard through their grapevine that Rev. Moon liked to play pool. Even some prisoner in Maxwell, Alabama, told somebody that. They knew these things about me, but they do not know the spirit behind what I do, which you have heard about today.
You too have images of me within your memory. What kinds of images do you have? Some of you remember me as a marathon speaker. "At one conference Father spoke for 17 hours!" Someone might say, "Well, Father never really praised anybody; he always just pushed us. Even though I brought a good result to him, he still scolded me." There is only one central theme to all the different images you have of me, and that is that I have only one determination, one desire: to shorten the length of God's dispensation. I want to fulfill God's will in the shortest possible time. For that reason, during this forty-year period of the final dispensation, I have always been thinking how I can shorten forty years into twenty, twenty years into ten, ten years into five. Therefore, there is always risk, adventure, and danger. I knew that.
As a result of my determination to shorten the dispensation, all sorts of suffering had to come. Last year I willingly accepted my term at Danbury, knowing that it would help shorten the dispensation. I went there with great expectation, knowing the amount of indemnity that would be paid through which I could accomplish God's will in a shorter time.
Today people are suffering because of the failure of Adam and Eve, the failure of the first parents. Thus, in the parental position, True Father and Mother must take the responsibility to suffer in place of the fallen parents and lessen the suffering of the children. When Jesus was crucified, the physical foundation was lost -- the nation, the church, his family, his disciples, the chosen people. But by Rev. Moon going to his Mount of Calvary, everything that was lost has been restored, on the worldwide level.
When you look back on your life, how many times can you say that you really suffered willingly for the sake of other people? You can see clearly what kind of man or woman you are when you examine yourself. Have you been selfish or have you helped others? Have you been genuine and pure or have you lied and tried to take advantage of others? You know how you have been living, much better than anyone else knows. God's philosophy is always this: Live 95 percent for the sake of others and five percent for your own well-being.
God does not want you to completely collapse; you can't give 100 percent to others. You need five percent for self-preservation. This is my formula. I made my determination a long time ago to live 95 percent for the sake of God and the world and five percent for myself. What kind of things are for myself? Exercising; keeping in good health; good hygiene and cleanliness; reading in order to have up-to-date knowledge; things like that.
Habit is an amazing thing. I make a habit of serving and helping others. One simple example I will take from my daily life at East Garden. I used to play pool with some of the elder Korean members. I knew exactly where each of them liked to place his cue ball. When I finished my shot, I would automatically take the cue ball over to that spot for the other player, so he wouldn't have to bother moving it. During the whole time, I was always putting the cue ball on the spot that particular player liked, but none of them would ever do the same thing for me. They were so numb, unobservant. This is not to say that they did something evil; it is just that they were not sensitive. You have to be sensitive to the needs of other people.
East Garden is an interesting place. There are a lot of people on the staff there -- the kitchen crew, the security team, the household team, and other members. They see me a lot and they attend me every day. But in all these years, I have never scolded one person, even though all kinds of mischief sometimes goes on. There may be fights in the kitchen or shouting and cursing among the people outside; sometimes the guards speak very bad language among themselves. I know all these things are going on. In a way, I may appear to be uninterested in people's affairs at East Garden, because I never bother them. But they never want to leave me. On occasion Mother has told a staff member, "You have been at East Garden long enough now; I want to give you another mission and let you go someplace else." Often these people cry and beg to stay at East Garden, to be near Father and Mother. Why is that? Why should this seemingly uninterested grandpa be so desirable to be near? It doesn't matter whether I speak to them or not; there is a gigantic vibration going out, waves of love they can feel emanating from this source.
Why did the inmates in the prison like me? It is because I lived for their sake, and saw them as God's children. Early in the morning I would get up and clean something which everybody else hated to do. I had dining room and kitchen duty. When the young inmates had that duty, they would always complain, "I just hate this!" They would try to get out of it as quickly as possible so they could run away and do something else. But when I finished my work there, I wouldn't leave right away. I would wait, thinking, "Maybe somebody will need me. Maybe somebody will need a mop or another waste basket!' Since I was only concerned with tending to other people's needs, how could they dislike me?
This is why the members of the Unification Church feel they can come to me with all their secrets. They can trust me and they know I am there to help them. For that reason, they want to unload their most agonizing troubles onto me, such as problems with their spouses or their children. They may not be able to talk to their spouse, but they feel I can understand. The person who lives his entire life giving 95 percent for the sake of others and five percent for himself will find that when he goes to spirit world, it is wide open to him. All twelve gates will be open to receive him, and he will have total freedom there. Nothing in the spirit world will hinder a person who lived 95 percent of his entire life for the sake of others. I know that spirit world is there. When you live this unselfish kind of life here on earth you are earning an express passport to that other world. Your passport will have a special stamp marked "Total Freedom".