Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon
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Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon |
It is a common saying that human beings come and go. This applies even to the most eminent people of history. You need to be aware that the continuing influence of heavenly principles in the flow of history applies to us even at this moment. We shall come and go ourselves. We do not know by what internal affinities or through what relationships we came to be here, but we know that the reality is we came into this world, have struggled with all kinds of phenomena and ideological concepts, and will eventually depart this world.
If that is so, for what did we come here, and for what purpose do we pass on? Numerous philosophers and religious people have devoted their entire lives to the resolution of these issues but have failed. Human history has continued to this day tainted by the grief from such continuing failure, and even now continues on this path. (7-178, 1959.9.6)
Why was I brought into this world? Why do I have to live? Where am I heading? You should never allow yourself to think that you were born by your own will. You were born into this world, yet you do not know the source and purpose behind your birth. You are ignorant of the motivation and purpose of your being. In other words, we were born in spite of our wishes. We live notwithstanding our wishes, and we die notwithstanding our wishes. Then what is there to be proud of? We have no control over our birth; we are merely custodians in this life, and we cannot avoid the path of death. Thus, any attempt to take pride in ourselves is pitiable. Once born, we are destined to live and destined to die. (7-178, 1959.9.6)
We are moving towards a certain place whether we know it or not. We are heading towards that place even as we work and even as we rest. Not only ourselves, but this nation, this world and furthermore, heaven and earth are going towards a certain place as well. This is an undeniable fact. To what kind of place will we go at the end of this life? This is a very important question that humankind must resolve. Through religion, philosophy and historical studies, people have mobilized to solve this question. Therefore, you cannot deny that all of you are caught up in this and are pulled by this destiny. (8-194, 1959.12.20)
Numerous sages, wise men, and founders of religions, have paused on their path of life, interrupted their minds' concerns and their hearts' inclinations, and asked, "Where am I going?" They have struggled to solve this question. These people set out to solve this question, but no one to this day could confidently claim, "My body, mind and heart, my life and ideals are hastening towards the ideal destination; hence, everyone and all beings existing in heaven and on earth should follow me to that place." (8-194. 1959.12.20
Today people live for only seventy to eighty years. Our heart knows that our lifetime is too short to allow us to restore all the realms of goodness that entangled in history. Even a billion years would still not be enough. Yet, we have to establish a lasting bond with the realm of goodness during this short period of seventy to eighty years. Our mind and conscience become desperate, knowing how immense this task is. We should not die! If we die we cannot accomplish it. During our lifetime we should make that connection of heart and restore the sovereignty of the Homeland on this earth. We must find the original homeland, attend the Heavenly Sovereign, and live with His people in His nation. Only then can we go to heaven in the spirit world. How desperate our heart would be if we knew we were unable to go and live in that world! (155-27, 1964.10.6)
Although I have a destiny, where is my body trying to go? Where is my mind trying to go? Toward what is my life being oriented? Where is my heart trying to go? My wishes, hopes, and ideals -- where are they trying to go? Even if we cannot answer these questions, we must still follow the path to our destiny. When we die, our body will be buried in the ground. Will my mind, my life, heart, ideal, and even my hope be buried together, the day my body is buried? Do they disappear? Unless you have integrity, a clear sense of purpose, and definite answers, you will inevitably become an unhappy person. (8-194, 1959.12.20)
For what reason are we born? What should be the focus of our life, and for what purpose do we pass on? We can never answer these questions without God. Without God, we cannot find the real motive in our life. The one who is without a motive can neither reap the fruit of his work nor have his value recognized. A building is constructed according to the designer's blueprint. A building that is built without reference to the original blueprint cannot be what the designer originally intended. (21-100, 1967.11.17)
If you make a wrong start, you will end up in the wrong place. That is why when a ship sets out into the great ocean, it should chart out the course and follow the compass carefully from the moment it first sets sail from port. Then, what is the port of departure for human life? People do not know. Where can we find the direction, the compass guiding us to reach our destination in the world beyond? Human beings have not been able to find this, so they have been wandering about to and fro. No matter how they have tried, they have not been able to overcome their human limitations. (172-28, 1988.1.3)
What is the purpose of life? We need to think about this issue again. The source of our life does not come from us. Thus, the purpose of life certainly does not belong to us alone. No one would object to the idea of being happy in life. No one would reject a dazzling life. Yet the reality is that none of us is free to live in that way. Still, each of us wishes to have pride in ourselves, to live freely with respect to our own will, and to be remembered accordingly. These intersecting elements all can he found within our hearts. (7-178, 1959.9.1)
The arrival of the autumn season foretells the coming of winter. Only those with vitality can pass through the course of winter. Things without vitality have no choice but to retreat from there. That is why new life needs to be injected before the coming of winter. New life should have a new principle and thought based on a new love, and should be armed with a new outlook on life, the world and the universe. Without these it cannot survive through the winter season. Although the course may be harsh, once you attain the vitality to pass through winter, spring will draw nearer with each passing day. The spring days will come upon you. The Unification Church is walking this path. (35-8, 1970.10.3)
We live in this world, yet we know that this is not all there is and that the spirit world exists. The physical and spirit worlds are not separate but are connected as one. Then, where is the place to which we are destined to go and ultimately settle down? We are now living in the flesh on this earth, but are moving towards the eternal world. We pass through our teenage years, our twenties, thirties, and after we have outgrown our youth, we enter the prime of our life, then gradually pass the peak, and eventually reach old age. Like the setting sun, our life comes to an end in this way. (140-121, 1986.2.9)
Those who know the existence of the spirit world understand that our life in this world is short, and that the world we enter after death is eternal. Hence, physical life is a time to prepare for the eternal world. Isn't that how it is? (140-121, 1986.2.9)
Where are people going? They are going towards the spirit world. The spirit world is like the ocean. We are destined to go there. Just as there are different currents in the ocean, infinite changes unfold in the spirit world. Within the main currents of the ocean, there are many things living harmoniously that are not found in fresh water. Just as there are many families of fish in the sea, there are many new families who are harmonized with heaven and earth. We must become like this when we go to the spirit world. (141-306, 1986.1.2)
Where, then, are people going? They are going to heaven. How about angels? They are also going to heaven. How about your mother and father? They are also going to heaven. How about your dog? It is not going to hell. At the time of the Korean War, one rich family was trying to escape to the South. They had a dog they had boasted about as being very expensive, but they didn't take it with them; they just tied it to the door and said, "Good-bye, we're going." Our Unification members should not do such things. Now, dogs and all creation can follow their masters to heaven or anywhere else that their masters may go. (71-36, 1975.6.10)
We must find a way to overcome all the complicated circumstances in the physical and spirit worlds and the complex human thought systems. We should be aware of the amazing fact that we can go forward with one clear set of values by aligning ourselves with a single simple direction. We will inevitably follow certain stages of development and preparation in our lives. A certain force will accompany us through the stages along the way. The driving force of love can respond within all the realms of our life. Thus, we are born in love, receive love, give love and go to the world of love. We return to God. The resultant being returns to the causal being. Therefore, we must think in the same way as God thinks. (126-111, 1983.1.12)
When, where should we go? Where is the place that we have to go, even if it requires that we put our life on the line? The day must come when we seek God, attend Him, and rejoice in our hearts -- a day when our hearts say there is no greater hope. For this we endure pain, mistreatment and resentment, and persevere through this worldly life. If we cannot go successfully through this world, we will perish with it. (8-202, 1959.12.20)
Why do people not wish to die, even when they are living a mediocre life? Why live? What is the origin of life? I am sure that you have many questions like this. However, your questions cannot be answered through the philosophy books written by men. Philosophy until now has only, in effect, been seeking a path toward God. What is religion then? A religious life begins when you know God and live together with Him. (188-12, 1989.1.24)
We should not ignore the spirit world. We are created to go there eventually. Thus, even people who are well off should live on this earth in accordance with the Principle, and fulfill the ideal of unity and uniform balance between the physical and spirit worlds. It is possible to form a plane of equalized reciprocal relationships between the two worlds. This balances itself and should rotate in a smooth motion perpendicular on the vertical axis. When it rotates even 360 degrees, it should not get stuck. If Satan can make even the smallest accusation, it will get stuck. A person whose life rotates around a vertical axis and is never swayed should appear. The age will come when the family will be seriously re-examined. It will be the age of the re-examination of the Unification Church. The church will no longer be needed. It will he the original age where we can live in attendance to God. (271-277, 1995.5.28)
The entire world faces the same conditions and patterns of corruption in the realm of life, realm of love and realm of lineage. Everything is entangled in the same degradation. Hence, you can stand within the boundary of the Kingdom or Heaven on earth if you can renounce everything that your body desires in the satanic domain and totally move into the realm of your conscience. Thus, you can attain the free rights that lead to the borderless and infinite nation of God, the world of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and in the spirit world. You should realize that you need to go into that place. People are living in ignorance of these difficult issues. They end up in hell because they go to the spirit world oblivious to what is going on behind the scenes. (2514-343, 1994.3.20)
Once we are born it is inevitable that we will die. Where do we go after death? We do not disappear like smoke. We are bound to go to the spirit world. In that world we will see a heavenly nation. Who, then, is the master of the spirit world? It is God. Therefore, we should become the sons and daughters of God. If we do not become God's children, we cannot enter heaven. (208-109, 1990.11.17)
If there is a spirit world, do you think that it would be in constant change? There is a saying, "A person's mind changes morning and evening, yet mountain scenery never changes." The spirit world is also unchanging. Assuming God exists, would He change? God is unchanging. If there is a nation in the spirit world under the reign of God, that nation would be unchanging. It would live under the established law for eternity, without any dissatisfaction or discontent. It would endure in dignity and harmony, and survive by means of adapting and refining itself. This place would have no need of a revolution. All those who tried to bring about a revolution would perish. (203-326, 1994.6.28)
You should all enter the blessed land of Canaan. The era of the global village has arrived because the earth was made to become the blessed land of Canaan and because the physical world has been brought closer to heaven. With the invention of satellites we entered the age when we can view the universe from where we sit. The time is coming when satellites will connect it with the spiritual realm.
Then the computer age will come. There are computers in the spirit world that show all the records of one's life on earth. We are entering an age where the history of and everything about one's life will be revealed in an instant. In the same way, the age of expansionism for hell on earth has been replaced by the age of the emergence of heaven on earth through the Unification movement. (266-296, 1990.6.18)
Did Adam and Eve pay for the food they ate in the Garden of Eden? It was all free. In this regard, God, who created the environment for human beings, gave infinite value to them freely. Consequently, when we go and live in the spirit world we are naturally provided with everything of infinite value there. God lives in the spirit world, His original homeland. There, food is not bought with money. It is a place where everything can be provided to an extent that goes beyond our imagination.
You are the way you are because you do not know the spirit world. If you were of the original lineage with no relation to the Fall, you would surely know the spirit world. (263-78, 1994.8.21)
Why do we long for the original homeland? It is the same as the love towards our parents, our siblings, our couples and towards the land, mountains and streams in our hometown, the world after death follows the same formula of true love. In our original homeland we can find our parents, spouse, and siblings. Everything is there, even superb food. Food can become genuine only when the physical food and spiritual food are combined. Why do we have to suffer like this? It is for the sake of going to our original homeland. We are doing this to inherit a spirit world that is filled with hope. (225-135, 1992.?.3)
Your hometown is not confined to a limited space. You have to be able to live anywhere, as though it were your hometown. Wherever you go, live in that place thinking that it is your beloved hometown. Anyone who can bring together all forty million people of the Republic of Korea to live in harmony shall find the value of his spiritual character increase in the spirit world. When you think about your hometown, be sure to consider the spirit world as you strive to attain a character of love, and live for the sake of others as if they were your parents, elder brothers or elder sisters. In the meantime, be determined to invest your love and life in raising your children so that you can leave behind wonderful descendants in your hometown. If you live armed with this way of thinking, then, when you pass to the spirit world, the entire world will become your hometown. (209-17, 1990.11.24)
What kind of path should Unification Church members follow? They should follow the path that God desires. They should follow the way of God's will. What is the will of Heaven? The will of heaven consists of the way for the individual, the family, the society, the nation, the world and even the spirit world. You do not know so much about the spirit world, do you? The specialist in that field is this person standing here right now. The spirit world surely exists. (121-146, 1982. 10.21)
No matter what you may think about it, there is nothing you can do about the dispensation of nature. None of you want to die, do you? Are you confident you can avoid death? Nature regulates this. By the same logic, you also have to follow the laws of the spirit world. (247-45, 1993.4.25)
The spirit world is our homeland; it is the original homeland. This earth is the homeland of our original body. The spirit world is the homeland of our original mind. The world we are to enter after this one, is the world of heart, the spirit world. Hence, if we train ourselves for our future entry into the spirit world, we will have no problems once we get there. Americans have to eat hamburgers and cheese, don't they? Koreans have to eat kimchi and kochujang if there are hamburgers and kimchi in the spirit world, then... So if we live our life on earth in the same rhythm as the spirit world, there will be no pain when we go there. (207-72, 1990.11.1)
To this day, people have thought that everything disappears with death, but that is not the case. Life continues into the spirit world. We have to make preparations on earth in order to enter the next world. You breathe love in the spirit world. Thus, you should live with love as the center of your life on earth in order to freely breathe in the spirit world. It you do not live centered on love during your physical life, you will be unable to breathe freely in the spirit world. The spirit world is a world where you breathe love. You can think of it as a world in which love is the air. Physical death is the start of the second stage of life. Hence, there is nothing to be afraid of. Death opens the gates to a new beginning. (249-280, 1993.10.11)
The spirit world is our original hometown. During your life on earth you have to maintain a standard in order to return to your original hometown and live there for eternity. You cannot live as you wish on this earth. You cannot live like the worldly people who have been ignorant of these things. You have to know the spirit world and live accordingly. Then, when you leave this world you can go before God and form a connection with heaven. Without knowing the spirit world, it is impossible to make that connection. You need to be clearly aware, therefore, of the reality of the spirit world. (295-120, 1998.2.19)
The spirit world is filled with the air of love. If your spirit self is not prepared, it will not be able to breathe in heaven. The world here is a world of air, but the other world is the spirit world of love. You have to prepare your spirit self so that it can feel love. Unless you do so, you cannot establish relationships in the spirit world. This is the problem and it will be compounded. It can take millions of years to resolve. (265-327, 1994.12.1)
All of you should engage in original love. In the spirit world, love functions as air. Only when your cells experience the fulfillment of love can everything become natural. All cells breathe, don't they? You can nurture the cells of love by becoming a true couple and letting your cells grow with God's love. Then you can enter God's world and breathe the air of love for eternity. In this way you will not die. As love is the root, the spirit world is a place where, with love, anything is made possible. You can create anything and everything for your loved ones. Such a spirit world exists. Our original homeland exists. (283-267, 1997.4.13)
What is the difference between salt water and fresh water? They taste different. Sea water is salty. Fresh water has no taste at all. In the same way, there is no "flavor" on this earth. But in the spirit world there is flavor. Water has the power to sustain life, but salt is needed for producing life. (229-90, 1992.?.1)
River water should flow to the deepest levels of the sea. Fresh water from a large river will still become salt water when it enters the sea. Even water of a river which is famous for its clear streams will be changed without delay once it enters the sea. It changes to a totally different color and taste. In the same way, everyone goes to the spirit world in the end. Fresh water cannot maintain its characteristics once it joins the sea. It inevitably becomes sea water.
Correspondingly, during their lives, religious people should acquire the ability to add salt water. Then, there will he no conflict in the spirit world. If fresh water enters the sea and retains its original characteristics, problems will arise. Likewise, if people enter the spirit world as they are, they will find themselves in serious trouble. (244-178, 1993.2.7)
Where does the river flow? It goes to the sea. Sea water is different from river water. The earth is like river water, and the spirit world is like sea water. Everyone living on earth will pass into the spirit world. When fresh water and salt water mix, what happens? What happens to freshwater fish when they are placed in salt water? Freshwater fish cannot survive in salt water. They suffocate.
Hence, they should get accustomed to the salt water. When the color and temperature of the water are the same, you would be all right, no matter where you drink water. If the physical world and spirit world are connected suddenly, you will end up dead like a fresh-water fish in salt water. How will you breathe in that situation? It takes two weeks for salmon to gradually get accustomed to the water as they swim from salt water up into fresh water. The salmon progress in stages in order to minimize the pain of transition. (256-6I, 1994.3.12)
How would fresh water feel when it flows into the sea? Would it resist saying, "I don't want to go?" Would all rivers think like that? If I ask you where you go after death, I'm sure you will all answer that you go to the spirit world. Then how do you go to the spirit world? You get there by dying. Though that is the case, no one wants to die. Then, what happens when the river finally flows into the sea? What would happen if the fresh water was completely engulfed by the sea water? Would the fresh water feel good about it? It would feel shocked as though everything had contracted, or shall I say shrunk... It would feel a great shock, as if what had originally been the largest thing had become the smallest thing. (229-20, 1992.4.12)
Even though people may not want to go to the spirit world, they all have to go nonetheless. All of you here please raise your hand if you think you will never die. Even though you stick a knife in the table and pledge otherwise, death is inevitable. Where do you go after death? You pass on to the spirit world. Life on earth is like a large river; but no matter how large the river, it all flows towards the sea. Those who say, "I can't go to the sea; I don't want to go to the sea," may be alive but are as good as dead. It is the same as not realizing the value of their existence. (229-38, 1992.4.11)
When we take a good look at the effect of what we do in our life before going to the spirit world, we can see that it is a serious matter. The spirit world is a world unknown. We are destined to go to the spirit world, the unknown world. It is a world that expands into infinity. When you go there you will be able to meet all your ancestors. It is a place where you can meet thousands and tens of thousands of your ancestors at once. Your ancestors will evaluate you when they meet you. (142-160, 1986.3.9)
There is no easy way to prepare. Let us think about our life as a whole. Those who know that their youth is the time to prepare for young adulthood will become prosperous. The prime of life is the time to prepare for old age. Old age is the time to prepare for the spirit world. I know very well that life is like a training course, a period of preparation in which to attain a great and universal character. (147-188, 1986.9.2)
At the present time, visas and national borders create problems. Once language is unified, however, we will be able to live in any location as if it were our own hometown and country. In the end, things will move in this direction. The peoples of the Soviet Union and America will therefore live together as one family.
In the future, televisions will be made even as small as a wallet. Isn't that even happening now? Are there not micro-televisions that can fit in one's pocket? We have entered an age in which you can see everything wherever you are with the aid of satellite communications. The world is brought to us in condensed form. Human life will become more convenient; transportation to any place will be easy. The age must come when we can travel around carrying all those small things in our car. You will be able to leave Korea and travel the world until you are seventy or eighty years old. Such an age is sure to come. I am making preparations for that time. (238-361, 1992.11.22)
Our life is too short. Ten years can pass and we are barely aware of it. Everything will be decided within thirty years after your marriage. In this way, the path of life does not wait for you. It is busy going on its own way. We all have to die some day. Do you think you won't die? Can you be sure that you won't die? You have to die. Where do you go after death? Do you know that there is a spirit world? Am I staking my entire life on this work because of the spirit world because I know the spirit world even as I manage the entire world. Life on this earth is but an instant. It is like the ten months you spend in your mother's womb. (113-333, 1986.3.21)
The Unification Church is the place where you make preparations to go to the spirit world. For this reason, it is a place to prepare to qualify for the spirit world. So the question is whether you pass the examinations perfectly or whether you pass the examinations imperfectly. There is also the possibility of failing and being disqualified.
In light of this, while you are on earth you should prepare for when you go to the spirit world. Life on earth is like a wanderer's journey. You have to pass through many courses. As a woman, you were born from your parents; you live with them and you reach a certain age. Even though you may not know the purpose for which you were born, you meet a man and walk together with him, giving birth to a child through love. You labor in life in this way as you would labor to pull a wagon. But there is no knowing when that wagon will break down. At times you will travel steep roads of stone. One mistake and it can break down. What will you do if it breaks down? You will not be able to go any further. You will have to repair it. If you are not capable of repairing it, you are in deep trouble.
That is why if you don't have strength arability, it will take you a year, two years, or even ten years to travel this path. If you cannot overcome this, you will perish. Such is the nature of your journey. At times you may stop by somewhere and meet many people. You may stop by all sorts of places. Life is like a journey. In the end, though, this path takes you to the spirit world. (229-209, 1992.4.12)
Life goes by very quickly. By the time you come to have some wisdom and begin to understand the affairs of the world, you are already forty or fifty years old. A decade goes by in the blink of an eye. Ten more years and you become sixty -- but only for a moment. After sixty, in no time you're seventy. Now that I think about it, I can really empathize with the saying: "Life is but a fleeting dream." (188-38, 1989.2.16)
Our lifetime is but a moment. Our one lifetime goes up and down against the measure of eternal values. Like a scale, it goes up and down. That's the way it is. (46-155, 1971.13.3)
Let's say you live for about eighty years. If you take out the time for sleep, it is reduced by half to forty. Is sleeping living? Sleeping is like being dead. To sleep means death. For this reason, you only spend half of the twenty-four hours of your time struggling to live. Then what if we takeout an hour for each meal? You need an hour to eat each of your meals.
Further, if we take out the time spent for friends' parties, the sixtieth birthday celebration for the next door neighbor, funerals, sick days, and so on, do you think you really live even half your life? Last time I calculated, I found that we only spend seven years really living our lives. Out of these seven years, how many days can be counted as a day that you truly lived? How many days in all? (49-436, 1971.10.24)
Life in this physical world is short. We do not live for a long time. When you know this, the time you spend sleeping and eating costs you dearly. You will eat as you go on your way. You will sleep on the way, and take your recreation as you go... How pitiful! But as you do these things, you will be given unprecedented blessings. You should realize that all this will become a historical record. (11-226, 1975.10.23)
A person's fortune stretches and shrinks like a rubber band. If someone who is born with fortune to the degree of 100 spends to the degree of 120, in the course of his life his descendants will perish. If he spends only eighty, however, he can bequeath the remaining twenty as a blessing to his descendants. That's how it should be. (75-333, 1971.6.11)