The structure of the Original Image refers to the interrelationships among the various attributes of God. Strictly speaking, the idea of a structure can apply only to the created world and is not appropriate for the description of God, who transcends time and space. Still, in order for us to understand God with our concepts, we cannot but use an analytical method. In other words, we can understand God only by relativizing Him. It is in this sense that God will be explained in terms of the concept of the "structure" of the Original Image.

There are other cases where we understand something invisible through the idea of a structure. When we speak of someone's mind, for instance, we sometimes refer to the mind as "broad" or "narrow." We may also say that a certain individual's mind has a different kind of "structure." These examples show that it is possible to understand the invisible mind by speaking of it as if it were a structured thing. In the same way, it is possible for us to obtain a certain understanding of God, who transcends time and space, by describing Him as if He were a spacio-temporal being with a certain structure.

When the Sungsang and Hyungsang of God form a reciprocal relationship, there occurs between them an action of giving and receiving certain elements or forces. This is called "give-and-receive action." In a give-and-receive action, there is always a purpose; and when this action takes place, a definite result comes about. In God the center of give-and-receive action is either Heart or purpose; purpose is established by Heart. Heart is the source of love, and love is harmonious. Therefore, give-and-receive action in the Original Image is never confrontational or antagonistic. Rather, it is a harmonious action. In other words, the characteristic feature of give-and-receive action in God is harmony, smoothness, and peace.

When God's Sungsang and Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action centering on Heart, they form a "harmonized body," or "union." Through this process, four positions come to be established, namely, the center (i.e., Heart), Sung-sang, Hyungsang, and the harmonized body (or union). The structure made up of these four positions is called the "four-position base." ¹⁹ The four-position base is a spatial conception of the give-and-receive action between the dual characteristics of God, that is, the Sungsang and Hyungsang. In the creation of the universe, God's purpose is established in His Heart, and centering on that purpose, God's Sungsang and Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action and give rise to a "new body," or a "multiplied body." This process gives rise to a four position base composed of purpose, Sungsang, Hyungsang, and the multiplied body (Fig. 1-4).

The relationship between the Sungsang and the Hyungsang is that of subject and object. The subject and the object are different in position: the subject is central, dynamic, active, creative, initiating, or extrovert in relation to the object; whereas the object is dependent, static, passive, conservative, responding, or introvert in relation to the subject. In short, the subject is in the position to exercise dominion, whereas the object is in the position to receive dominion. The exercise of dominion by the Sungsang means that as the Sungsang develops a certain concept, certain forms and qualities are given to the Hyungsang (pre-matter). The reception of dominion by the Hyungsang means that the Hyungsang, which has unlimited potentiality, assumes certain forms and qualities in accordance with the activity of the Sungsang.

Fig. 1-4. Give-and-Receive Action and the Four-Position Base

In God, Yang and Yin engage in give-and-receive action as well. When God's Sungsang and Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action centering on Heart and form a harmonized body, Yang and Yin, also, engage in give-and-receive action and form a harmonized body (i.e., a union). When the Sungsang and Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action centering on purpose and give rise to a new entity, Yang and Yin affect the Sungsang and Hyungsang, giving variety and harmony to the process of creation. The relationship between Yang and Yin is that of subject and object, resembling that between Sungsang and Hyungsang.

In God, it is not only His Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang that engage in give-and-receive action, forming a four-position base; God's Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action as well, forming a four-position base. The give-and-receive action between God's Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang is called "Inner Give-and-Receive Action," and the four position base formed through that give-and-receive action is called "Inner Four-Position Base." The give-and-receive action between God's Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang is called, "Outer Give-and-Receive Action," and the four-position base formed through that give-and-receive action is called "Outer Four-Position Base."

When give-and-receive action either between the Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang or between the Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang takes place centering on Heart, that give-and-receive action is static-and the result of it is a union, or a harmonized body. From this we can infer that God's attributes include absolute ness, harmony, and eternal unchangeability. Give-and-receive action can also take place centering on purpose, which is established in Heart. The give-and-receive action centering on purpose is dynamic and gives rise to 'a new entity, or a multiplied body. It is this give-and-receive action that enables all things to be created.

The give-and-receive action centering on Heart is called "Identity-Maintaining Give-and-Receive Action," and the four-position base formed as a result of that action is called "Identity-Maintaining Four-Position Base." The give-and-receive action centering on purpose is called "Developmental Give-and-Receive Action," and the four-position base formed as a result of that action is called "Developmental Four-Position Base." In summary, in God there are four kinds of four-position bases, as follows (Fig. 1-5):

1. The Inner Identity-Maintaining Four-Position Base: This base forms a union, or a harmonized body, through give-and-receive action between the Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang centering on Heart. This constitutes the internal structure of the Original Sungsang and indicates the absoluteness and unchangeability of God's Sungsang.

2. The Outer Identity-Maintaining Four-Position Base: This base forms a union, or a harmonized body, through give-and-receive action between God's Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang centering on Heart. This constitutes the internal structure of the Original Image and indicates the absoluteness, harmony, and eternal unchangeability of the Original Image, or God's attributes.

3. The Inner Developmental Four-Position Base: This base produces the Logos as a new body through give-and-receive action between the Inner Sungsang and the Inner Hyungsang centering on the purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is established on the basis of Heart. Accordingly, the Logos is based on Heart as well. This indicates the formation of a conception

Fig. 1-5 Four kinds of Four-Position Bases formed in the Original Image (or plan) within God's mind at the time of creation.

The Outer Developmental Four-Position Base: This base produces a new body through give-and-receive action between the Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang centering on the Purpose of Creation. In this case, the Sungsang is the same as the Logos produced as a new body through the inner give-and-receive action. The formation of a new body through give-and-receive action between the Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang relates to the creation of all things. "Development" here refers to the emergence of a new body through give-and-receive action.

The four-position bases that enable God to exist eternally are the Inner Identity-Maintaining Four-Position Base and the Outer Identity-Maintaining Four-Position Base. These two bases combined are called the "Two-Stage Structure of the Original Image" (Fig. 1-6).

Fig. 1-6 The Two-Stage Structure of the Original Image

At the moment of a creative act, the Original Image becomes developmental, and the Inner Developmental Four-Position Base and the Outer Developmental Four-Position Base are formed. The formation of these two developmental four position bases enables the creation of a new being as a new body. Hence, these two developmental four-position bases combined are called the "Two-Stage Structure of Creation" (Fig. 1-7).

Further explanation of the two-stage structure of creation will now be added. The "new body" that is formed through give-and-receive action between the Inner Sungsang and Inner Hyungsang centering on purpose is the Logos. The Logos is God's Word, that is, God's thinking or plan. More precisely, the Logos is simply God's Sungsang at the time of creation. In other words, the Sungsang (Original Sungsang) of God at the moment of creation becomes the Logos. ²⁰

Next, the Original Sungsang (which, at this stage, is the Logos) engages in give-and-receive action with the Original Hyungsang, which is pre-energy. Through the activity of the Original Sungsang over the Original Hyungsang, God was able to generate energy and elementary particles. He then formed atoms by combining elementary particles; formed molecules by combining atoms; formed cells from atoms and molecules; and formed living organisms by causing the cells to multiply. All of these processes took place based on the Logos. The Bible says that God created man from the dust of the earth. Dust here should be understood as energy; thus, God created each thing by combining energy according to His plan laid out in the Logos.

Fig. 1-7 The Two-Stage Structure of Creation

Four kinds of four-position bases, similar to the four kinds within God, can be found in the created world also. It should be noted, however, that in the created world, both the identity-maintaining four-position base and the developmental four-position base are centered on purpose (whereas in God tile identity-maintaining four-position base is centered on Heart). Since all created beings are created with purpose, the very existence of a created being already contains purpose. For example, when husband and wife centering on the purpose of creation, love each other, become united, and maintain a harmonious family, they form an identity-maintaining four-position base. Furthermore, when husband and wife, centering on the purpose of creation, engage in a developmental give-and-receive action, such as giving birth to children, they form a developmental four-position base. The same pattern is followed throughout the created world-which shows that the center of all four-position bases in the created world is purpose. This purpose, of course, should be based on Heart (Love).

The purpose for which God created the universe was to create human beings in resemblance to the image of God, and to build, through them, the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven -- a world of love, peace, trueness, goodness, and beauty. That was God's supreme purpose. Furthermore, the purpose for which each thing in nature was created is such that it is subordinate to that supreme purpose. No matter how complex the phenomena and movements of the universe may be, the fundamental principles that bring them into existence are, quite simply, give-and-receive action and four position base. What caused the fallen world and fallen history to come- about was that these fundamental principles stopped being able to operate. Therefore, through a proper application of those principles, we will find solutions for the problems of society, the world, and history.

While the four-position base represents a conception of the structure of the Original Image from the viewpoint of space, the "origin-division-union action," or Chung-Boon-Hap action, is a conception of the Original Image from the viewpoint of time.

In the Original Image, the Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang engage in give-and-receive action, centering either on Heart or purpose, and form a union or a new body. When that takes place, the give-and-receive action can be regarded as occurring in three stages, namely, the stage of Heart (or Purpose), which is the Origin (Chung); the stage of the Original Sungsang and Original Hyungsang, which is the Division (Boan); and the stage of either a united being or a new body, which is the Union (Hap). This is called Chung-Boon-Hap action. The Unification Principle states that "God is the absolute reality, the existing neutral center of the two essentialities; therefore, He is the reality of the number three." ²¹ This statement is a direct reference to Chung-Boon-Hap action.

The reality of God transcends time and space; but, as we did in the four-position base, where we relativized God in terms of space, we can now relativize God in terms of time. The Chung-Boon-Hap Action, which passes through a time-dimensional process of three stages, is a phenomenon of the created world; nevertheless, the prototype for this action exists in God, just as, with regard to the four-position base, there are the inner, the outer, the identity-maintaining, and the developmental types, likewise, with regard to Chung-Boon-Hap action, there are the inner, the outer, the identity-maintaining, and the developmental types. In God, the Origin (Chung) of the identity-maintaining Chung-Boon-Hap action is Heart, and the Origin (Chung) of the developmental Chung-Boon-Hap Action is Purpose. In created beings, however, the Origin (Chung) of both the identity-maintaining and the developmental Chung-Boon-Hap actions is Purpose. (As noted earlier, however, behind Purpose there is Heart.) This is the same as in the case of the four-position base. Furthermore, the identity-maintaining Chung-Boon-Hap action is also called "Completion Chung-Boon-Hap Action," in the sense that it is an action that is complete in itself, for the time being.

Thus far, the structure of the Original Image has been discussed in a figurative sense, namely, from the perspective of time and space. This, however, does not mean that in actuality there is spatial expansion or temporal order (i.e., structure) within God. In truth, the Original Image exists in absolute oneness both from tile perspective of time and from the perspective of space. This is what is meant by the "oneness of the structure of the Original Image."

That there is no space in the Original Image means that in God there is no front or back, no right or left, no up or down, no far or near. What exists in God is an infinite "here" -- that is, everything in God is "here." Likewise, there is no time in the Original Image, which means that in God there is no past, or present, or future, and no before or after. In the world of God, everything exists in an eternal "now" -- that is, it is always "now." In this way, the structure of the Original Image exists in absolute oneness both in time and in space.

The structure of the Original Image exists in oneness in the world transcending time and space. This can be compared to a roll of motion-picture film. The roll of film can be said to hold the details of a story in a way that transcends time and space. When projected onto the space of a screen, the images are developed according to a time sequence, and the story unfolds as if it were reality. God's creation can be thought of in a similar way. As God's plan was developed on the screen of time and space, the universe appeared; eventually, plants appeared on earth, then animals, and finally human beings.

I have thus far made use of temporal and spatial terms, for convenience, in explaining our understanding of God. Even though no such differentiated structures actually exist in God, still the give-and-receive action within God is manifested spatially and temporally in the phenomenal world in the form of the four-position base and the Chung-Boon-Hap action. Accordingly, these structures can be understood to exist in oneness within the Original Image, and they are the prototypes for such structures in the created world.

 Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Information
Tparents Home