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Seminars in the spirit world with the Four Religious Founders.
Introduction
To our Christian Family and all Friends in Faith,
The text that is contained within these pages is a gift from the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification to you for your prayer and contemplation. It is likely that you will find many of the ideas or thoughts expressed quite challenging in terms of conventional understanding.
However, Jesus told us in John 16:12-13, "I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth...."
Also, the sources of the revelations are said to be the founders of the great religions of the world. Many have considered non-Christian religions as having little to do with God.
Yet Jesus said, in John 10:16: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold..."
In his newly published book entitled The Life and Mission of Jesus Christ, Rev. Sun Myung Moon states, "There have been in human history many saints, many religious geniuses, and many wise men. But no one else could play the role of Jesus, who alone brings us to the Father. This is because he came in a stainless, sinless position which no one else has. He is the only channel to reach God. Though Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed were all religious saints, they did not have the same relationship with God that Jesus had. Therefore, the birth of Jesus as the messiah was the day of hope for all humankind." (The New messiah and the Formula of God in History, February 21, 1972)
Father Moon's position on Jesus as Lord and Saviour is founded upon his personal faith in and experience with Jesus. Yet he tells us that it was Jesus who guided him to have an open heart for all the religions of the world!
As we seek to unify the Body of Christ and bring unity among all faiths, we pray that you may be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we, as the Christian family, will have such love as to fulfill Jesus prayer in John 17 - "That ALL may be one." That we might be like Jesus and manifest such love as to bring unity and understanding to all the religions of the world.
With this thought in mind, please consider the following revelations.
Preface 1
The deep yellow forsythia and pink azaleas blooming around me make me realize that it is indeed springtime.
I like sunlight because it is bright, but I like the pale moonlight even more, because I can share my heart with it.
What lies behind the harmony and intricacy of nature? Where does it begin and where does it end? O God, who gave us a world so mysterious that no matter how much we try we can never fully discover it, I have nothing to say to you but, "Thank you," simply, "Thank you!"
I am deeply touched by the warm love of Jesus, the compassion of Buddha, the proper etiquette of Confucius, the absolute faith of Mohammed, the intelligence of Socrates, and Saint Augustine's passion and ambition for God. I am indeed inspired by their pledge and determination to live in the attendance of God as their Parent, offering to him all of their thoughts and truths. As I received and recorded the messages from these great religious founders in the spirit world, I wished that earthly people could resemble them in their unity of heart and mind, in their humble acceptance of the truths from other religions, and in their love for one another transcending religions and denominations.
Preface 2
Although human beings sent the Apollo rocket to the moon, even if the knowledge and intelligence of all scientists in the world were mobilized, they by themselves could not affect the harmony of any part of God's creation nor could they fully analyze it. If anyone thought that he could reveal the full divinity and infinite power of God, he would be doing nothing but revealing his own pride and ignorance. It is better to just believe in Him, even if it is difficult to believe from a scientific viewpoint.
It is certain that many human beings are amazed at the divine nature of God as it is revealed by looking at the changes and mysteries of nature alone. But earthly people can never understand God as He can be fathomed in the spirit world. Thus, I could not help but bond with four great religious founders, who during their earthly lives personally conducted God's providence. It is so because as I observed them in the seminar hall, I more often witnessed the splendid procession of God's love than saw them keeping their religious posts representing their own religion. Humble to God's call, they made great efforts to change themselves.
They will remain always the founders and representatives of the major religions, but ever since they came to understand the fundamental providence of God, they have paid attention to the truths of other religions rather than insisting on their own views. This attitude in them deeply moved me. Whenever God enveloped us with His splendid jewels of light, we smiled at each other with loving and peaceful faces.
As I was leading this gathering, I experienced something infinitely painful in my heart, and thought: "If only earthly people could witness these scenes and experience them, then God and True Parents could restore this world much more quickly."
Each of these religious founders had experiences so moving, they rapidly progressed and clearly understood God's current providential purposes. And whenever they had time, they visited friends from other religions. Such scenes were so beautiful. Their reflections were similar to each other: "I think that I can understand the heart of Reverend Sun Myung Moon, who is toiling so hard on Earth for the sake of world peace."
Now, the four religious founders, along with Socrates and St. Augustine who also attended the seminars, are pursuing the same direction; it is the direction of the providence of God and True Parents. They try not to show their own distinctive characteristics and are making shared efforts to be united in one direction. And they are earnestly praying that the direction of earthly people will also be one.
Part I:
The Secrets of Spirit World (Relationships with Angels) and the Message from Confucius1) Angels' object partners
At the time of creation, God created all things to have dual characteristics, subject and object. Among all creation, He created Adam as the representative of all things, but He was not pleased with Adam being alone. Only after creating Eve as Adam's object partner was He pleased. All things were created to resemble the nature of God who exists in dual characteristics.
That is why in the entire world of creation, there is nothing that exists alone. After creating human beings as the highest beings in creation, God thought of how He could bring them to the highest position, protecting and caring for them. To accomplish this purpose, He created angels. That is why He created angels to be inseparable from human beings, to always be around them and protect them as if they were their walls. When considering that all things were created in pairs, resembling the dual characteristics of God, who are to be the object partners of male angels? I am sure we all ask this question.
After creating Adam, God created Eve. And as was already mentioned, if angels are male, you would naturally wonder whether God created female angels as well. God originally created angels as servants who run errands for human beings. He did not create female angels yet. It is because male angels, created with the purpose of protecting human beings, could not focus on fulfilling their mission had they lived with their object partner female angels prior to God's children, human beings, establishing their family. God created Adam and Eve with a desire and expectation that they could establish a four-position foundation and lead a beautiful life. Would He allow angels, who were in the position of servants, to live with their object partners prior to the perfection of His children?
Simply speaking, God has not created the object partners of the angels yet. Then, should angels forever live alone as males? No, they should not. As soon as human beings could come together through the blessing, having reached the standard of maturity, the angels would have been brought together with their female object partners. Then, when would that have been, and who is to serve as the object partners of male angels?
God has been suffering as if He were a sinner until now, although He is not, and He has not been able to manifest Himself to His full capacity although He is the Creator of all things. Likewise, although He is the King of light, He has been enduring in darkness, unable to illuminate the whole world in His light. Until the arrival of the day of liberation, He could not experience peace in His heart nor could he fully manifest His light.
The day of God's emancipation arrived only when He could be crowned as the King of Kings, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, with the fall of Lucifer. Now, Lucifer is returned to his original position and God is also crowned as the King. That took place on January 13, 2001. Through this, He is finally returned to the precious position, the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth.
Now, all human beings truly have entered a new era and received the precious master. Therefore, although it is not apparent to the external eyes, the world has definitely changed since the coronation of God's kingship on January 13, 2001. Human beings finally are liberated totally from all boundaries created by sin and crimes. Most intellectuals do not know anything about the significance of that cosmic event. They have no idea of the incredible beginning of the new Heaven and Earth. The generation of sin and crimes is totally gone from human beings. Reverend Sun Myung Moon on Earth liquidated the history of darkness. On the highways and byways of human history, God has been waiting for the arrival of this day, which was brought into reality by Reverend Moon.
Thus far, numerous historical figures came and went, but no one could even imagine freeing God from the miasma of the human history of darkness. Other than Messiah, who could ever know that such a secret of Heaven was hidden within the history of darkness? On the day of God's coronation, you could imagine how joyful He was. Dear earthly people, who cannot see this with your physical eyes! Even if it were merely a fantasy, what a happy day it would be! What lessons do the records of the Bible teach us? It states that in the last days, the sun and moon will lose their light, the stars will fall, human beings will be judged with fire, and so forth.
A new era refers to the time God can enter a realm of total liberation. On the other hand, to human beings, it is an incomparably precious gift. And the new era is a time we can live with God in joy and happiness, attending Him as the True Parent of all humanity. It is the time when the original world that He intended to create will begin. Thus, for human beings, what day could be more joyful than this day? January 13, 2001 was the day when, representing all humankind, the Messiah attended God as the True Parent of entire humankind.
Then, at this point, what should God do with the angels who have been serving human beings, together in joy or in pain, during the course of His providence of restoration? God would have to treat them with benevolence and realize His original ideal for them. Then, who are to be the object partners of male angels?
Originally, human beings were to command angels, having dominion over them. That is, angels were to have the position of object partners to human beings. Since God created them as ministering spirits or servants for His children, human beings, the object partners of those male angels were not to be determined by God, but by human beings. And since God has been crowned as the King, along with His liberation the angels' blessing ceremony should be held.
During the course of God's providence that has been led by True Parents, numerous angels have been waiting for such a day. Their object partners also have been waiting for such a day, along with numerous spirits who came from the Earth. Among them there are good spirits, but some are evil spirits. And in Spirit World as well, there are good angels and evil angels. Therefore, True Parents should conduct the blessing ceremony in accordance with the progress of God's providence on Earth. Only True Parents can make all the decisions connected with it.
Now, according to the providence led by the Messiah in this new age of the Completed Testament, all humankind has entered fully a time to eliminate the evil seeds sown by Lucifer. Thus the evil lineage should be also cleansed, fulfilling the biblical verses: "New wine should be put into new wineskins." Therefore, you must keep the significance of the Completed Testament Age deep in your heart and reflect upon the teachings of the Old Testament Age and the New Testament Age. By doing so, I hope that you will set a clear direction to your life. We are now living in the Completed Testament Age.
Think of this once again, and examine your position. Think again of the relationship between your life and eternal life in Spirit World, and how you should live on Earth.
2) The Rise and Fall of Human Beings
A human being's earthly life passes by in the blink of an eye. People's lives vary; some live a happy life, others a miserable life. Regardless of how they lived, their life span is nothing but a brief moment in eternity.
It may seem that a person's earthly position-some advancing, others declining-has little to do with that particular individual, but it is not so. Human beings and all things in the universe are bound by an inseparable and vital relationship. Accordingly, moment by moment during my earthly life, even I, Confucius, was indebted to all things in my surroundings-sometimes more, sometimes less.
From the time a human being is born from his mother's womb, why is he dependent upon others, unable to live alone from the moment of his birth? Where do human beings come from, and to where do they return? We need to reflect upon these questions. Since human beings are born without thinking about the meaning of their life, they tend to live without being serious about it. More than a few people live this way.
People in the world call me a religious founder. During my earthly life, I pondered about the meaning of human life. Especially, I pondered about the morals and ethics of human life. As a result, I realized that I am powerless and finite. I also realized that there are various realms that are beyond my ability to reach. In other words, I realized that there are worlds that human beings cannot fully grasp. I even experienced it myself. The invisible God was for me the ineffable being par excellence.
I, Confucius, lived on Earth several thousand years ago. Here in the intangible world, where people in the physical body cannot dwell, I came to encounter God whom I yearned to see so earnestly while on Earth. Thereafter, I came to discover and experience an incredible new truth. Ever since then, I have felt so unworthy of the title "religious founder" that is given me by people on the Earth that I wanted to hide my identity from Him.
God is the Master of human beings' rise and fall. From Him, I came to learn what to teach, what to learn, and what to observe. On Earth I straitened my life by morals and ethics, always striving to maintain them, spinning like a whirlpool within their boundaries. Even in the midst of such a life, there were limits beyond which I could not move and problems I could not resolve by myself.
However, my encounter with God here freed me from all that. Standing before God, the norms that bound me on Earth were no longer necessary, nor did I need to observe any boundaries. I did not feel any limits or limitations, nor did I need anyone else's involvement to accomplish my ends. As the arrow of a compass automatically points north, I automatically came to live a free and peaceful life in complete accordance with Heavenly laws. Looking back, I see that on Earth I lived in a prison of manifold norms. It was like I was incarcerated in a prison without steel bars.
That is why the rise and fall of human beings is deeply related to God. I believe that those who know God's fundamental attributes and who walk with Him do not need strict rules or walls, to be observed out of fear. Not even once has God taught me how to rise, how to fall, or how to diminish myself. Nonetheless, once we are near God, we are bound to live in accordance with heavenly law. Then we transcend any concerns about advancing, declining or diminishing.
It is very hard for me explain this to people who have a physical body. Even though it may seem incomprehensible to you, I cannot help but convey this to earthly people. Although I have the title "religious founder," I cannot help but obey the great new truth in the spirit world.
Who is God? Human beings are powerless and helpless before God, who possesses such an incredibly great truth. Yet, they should know that God is the Master and Creator of all things in Heaven and on Earth, and, most importantly, He is the Parent of all humankind. They should study about this. If human beings do not know that God is their Parent, how can they ever understand His great truth? Again, why is it crucial for humans to know that God is their Parent? It is because then they will attend Him naturally and spontaneously as their Parent. Then, from the moment that they attend God, they will be freed in mind and liberated from the boundaries of boring and frustrating norms. Therefore, the most urgent, desperate and ultimate task for us human beings is to clearly understand who God is.
3) God and Human Beings
When I was living on Earth, there was nothing that I took lightly. I took everything seriously, organized it systematically, had control over it, and executed the plans upon which I had thoroughly reflected. It was not easy to live such a life. Above all, I did not neglect an understanding of the principles of all things. I cultivated and controlled myself. And since I fulfilled my plans without fail, I did not fall behind others. I particularly focused on controlling myself in order to cultivate my character and virtue. Perhaps, that is why people in the world regard me as a great teacher.
However, I cannot help but feel ashamed and inadequate before God. When reflecting upon my life on Earth, I feel empty. Had we human beings come to the intangible spirit world after having known God well and lived a life of attending Him, we could have come before Him as His children, with pride in ourselves. We would never have experienced any awkwardness in the parent-child relationship we have with Him.
However, during my earthly life in the body, the material world and visible reality seemed larger and more important than God. Hence, I failed to see the invisible God as my parent. In the winter when heavy snows come with gusts of wind, the cold weather is painful to our body. We human beings hurry to find a place to protect our body from the cold. Yet if we knew the reality of God, we would give priority to saving our spirit, disregarding even that we might be freezing to death.
Most of people make haste to look after their physical life. If due to his freezing to death, the physiological functions of a human being cease, his body will return to the dust. However, we should realize that the spirit that enveloped his physical body lives forever in the spirit world. As a result, it should be more natural for us to hasten to cure our spiritual disease than to be concerned for our body trembling in the blizzard. Yet we human beings have tended to disregard our own spiritual life.
God once asked me the following question: "When you lived on Earth, did you ever attend God as your Parent?" Then He made the following statement: "You should have refused the title of a Sage."
Sitting there beside God, for a while I was extremely perplexed. I then understood that although I taught the proper norms for human beings, I undoubtedly failed to teach the fundamental principles of the universe. I introduced some of those principles, but with vagueness and ambiguity. I should have revealed the relationship between God and human beings clearly. Since God is the Parent of human beings, I should have taught the norms of human beings' life in attending Him. Yet, without understanding these things, I only focused on human beings and their norms.
Imagine that in a family, there was an elder brother who taught his younger siblings the proper etiquette and norms of human behavior, helping them grow to be individuals of character and virtue, but not teaching them how to attend their parents. Instead he kept their parents in a back room. It will be difficult for that elder son to have the title of a filial son before his parents. Since he put himself in the position of a parent, not an elder son, what else can be said other than that he committed a great impiety before his parents? How would you on Earth think of this?
Who is God? Who are human beings? If you think: "God is God, and human beings are human beings," you are being completely impious to God. You are deeply saddening Him. God is not only the Master of all creation and the Creator of human beings; He is also our Parent.
Then, who are human beings? Who is this individual, "I"? I am an entity that stands in the position of a child of God. The relationship between God and myself is a parent-child relationship. A parent-child relationship is destined to be inseparable. On Earth, whether your parents are good looking or ugly, whether they are wealthy or poor, well learned or simple, is it not natural for you to attend them as your parents? No matter how troublesome or difficult, you must honor your parents. As their children, you must regard them in the position of your parents. That is the appropriate duty of children. Human beings everywhere and at all times regard this as a commonplace.
If that is the case in your relationship to your physical parents, how much more should it be like this in your relationship with God, who is the Creator and Master of all things? It should be indisputable that you must attend Him as your Parent.
During his earthly life, Confucius taught people that the relationship between a parent and a son should be close, that the relationship between a king and a loyal subject should be based on righteousness, and so forth. However, he did not clearly teach that the relationship between God and human beings should be that of parent and child.
Can we say it is too difficult for human beings to attend God? To honor God is the first and foremost norm and the greatest human virtue. Human beings should not attend God casually. Now that we have finally found our eternal Parent, God, we should live a life of attending Him. We should attend Him as our Parent with all our heart and mind, and make it our aim to please Him. We should bring Him to a warm place in the winter, to a cool place in summer, to sit on the green grass in the spring, and to a field full of ripened crops in the autumn. We should resolve firmly to do this. People with such a determination and commitment will be the true people of the Completed Testament Age. If you attend God with all of your heart and soul, when you encounter God in the eternal intangible world He will welcome you, calling, "My beloved child, I'm so happy you have arrived!"
God is the Parent of all humanity, and we are God's children. We must keep this in mind. I confess that I made an irrevocable mistake of impiety before God during my life on Earth, and with a heart to ask for His forgiveness, I am sending this message to the Earth.
4) Earthly People Who Are Better Than Confucius
To be born at an auspicious time is a great blessing. I was told that my parents made special conditions with sincere effort to give birth to me. However, despite such endeavors, I was born in an environment in which it was hard for me to benefit from my family or my country. My father passed away before I was grown, and it is well known that my mother's family declined financially and she suffered great poverty. I mention the circumstances of my family and my country of Lu because I believe that it is essential for earthly people to understand my background.
On the other hand, one can say that my family background and national environment set the stage well for me to be guided to become the Confucius that history knows. In other words, due to the conditions of my time, my relationship to God became as close as a son. As a result of growing up in a difficult environment occasioned by my father's early death, I developed the character to never give up regardless of the ordeals I faced. I thoroughly pursued my search for the fundamental nature of life as a human being. I developed my habit of being courageous before injustice, boldly dealing with unrighteousness and establishing norms that were in accordance with Heavenly principles. And I vigorously cultivated myself to align my life with these norms.
However, since I did not clearly understand the fundamental direction of life itself, my teachings confined people within the limited boundary of norms and did not point out how they could be liberated from them.
Today there are many religions and denominations. As one looks into them carefully, one sees that most of their teachings are filled with commandments about what to do and what not to do. However, such commandments seem to have fettered the life of human beings rather than fulfilling their original purpose of helping them. I believe that most of those commandments were made to acknowledge the existence of God or other God-like beings and to guide people toward bettering their life. It seems that they were, in a certain sense, expressions of the human struggle to survive in the limited space of the earthly world.
In the eternal and unlimited world of God, such fearful and old-fashioned commandments are not needed. God does not restrict or tie down human beings, whom He dearly loves, with such commandments as if with a trap. Since human beings are His children, if they live in His bosom sharing joy together, they automatically will be free and happy. People should live experiencing Heaven and Earth in the freedom of their minds. Yet in this world, they are living within the boundaries set by commandments and norms. From the vantage point of living here in the spirit world, I regard such a restricted life to be empty. For this reason, I feel so burdened by the title of Sage. How beautiful, rather, it is to be called a child of God!
What benefit is it to be living in an outwardly good environment? A material life of abundance may seem necessary during life on Earth, but it is rather a burden and even damaging to life in the invisible world where God dwells. Here, "A good environment" does not mean a place of abundance and material prosperity, but rather a circumstance in which God can impart to us the realization that He is our Parent.
I, Confucius, came to this world after having stayed momentarily on Earth about 2,500 years ago. I lived on earth for 70 years, so people might not understand why I say it was only momentary. I say it because from the perspective of eternity a period of 70 years is very brief. Yet that brief period determined how I came here. You who are dwelling on Earth now can attend God as your Parent and receive His teaching and guidance. It is an incredible blessing of cosmic significance. Nevertheless, earthly people do not understand its value. This is truly heartbreaking. If they understood it, there would be no one who would envy me with my title of Sage.
O you multitude of earthly people! Be thankful for your good fortune to receive fleshly life on earth at such a blessed time. In Confucianism you cannot find anything that teaches you to attend God as your Parent. A truly beautiful, invisible but substantial world where you can live for eternity with your True Parents awaits you. It is beyond comparison with life on earth, which is so limited in space. Yet your life on earth is when you complete the preparations to transition here. Your eternal palace and heaven is in the splendid and exotic incorporeal world. I sincerely request that each of you without exception come to this place and live with God, attending Him as your Parent.
Actually, the fact that we human beings are to live in the attendance of God as our Parent is not a commandment, nor a norm, nor a trap. As parents and children live together on Earth, God desires to live with all humanity as one family, talking together, eating together, sleeping together, and so forth. If human beings can do that today, in Paradise they will find eternal happiness even by just looking at the eyes of God.
Human beings today on Earth live in circumstances far better than the environment at the time of Confucius. You enjoy freedom and happiness. While you are grateful for such a precious and valuable life on Earth, I earnestly request that you do your best to attend God as your eternal Parent.
5) People of the Original Homeland and Fallen People
At the time of creation, God did not create human beings as they are currently. Today, many human beings are living without knowledge of the direction and purpose of life or the standard to which they should be restored. They do not know from whence they came or why they were born. Therefore, they generally pursue physical comforts and material prosperity throughout their life.
From the vantage point of the spirit world, what is the meaning of being a fallen person? Some people are working very hard and do not commit sins. They do not understand why the term, "the fall" exists or why it should apply to them. Often times, people take "the fall" to refer to a life style of corruption, drunkenness and sexual promiscuity. Many of you probably have such a concept.
However, here in the spirit world the fall has a different meaning. Simply speaking, it means that during their immaturity, prior to attaining perfection in the state that God originally intended, the first human beings deviated from the principled track. Because of this deviation, we human beings are descendants of the fall and were born with original sin. Hence, although people here and there may be pure and good, even called saints or virtuous people, human beings have original sin flowing in their veins. Accordingly, the liquidation of this original sin, that is, conversion of the lineage, remains an unfulfilled task.
How can the fallen lineage be converted and the original sin be cleansed? Without accomplishing that, salvation would be impossible. Human beings would never be able to approach God or establish a father-son relationship with Him. The history of divine and human grief would continue indefinitely.
For this reason, in order to resolve this problem, from age to age God has chosen central figures and has been leading the providence of restoration. These efforts have continued for thousands of years. Yet despite these preparations, human beings have remained ignorant of what God was doing. Thus, while leading the providence of restoration, God had to endure bone-breaking pain and tears of indescribable suffering, anxiously awaiting the day of the fulfillment of His will.
During the long, long course of history, God often felt the urge to wipe out all of humankind. Nevertheless, He has been patiently establishing the foundation to restore their fallen lineage. He laid foundations to purify the fallen lineage one after another, and on these foundations He chose central figures. Such has been God's providence of restoration.
From the Bible, we can understand that the process of converting the lineage in order to receive Jesus took place over many generations. After long preparations to receive the Messiah, God sent Jesus to complete the providence of salvation by which humankind would ultimately receive Him, but Jesus died on the cross. Through Jesus' sacrifice God could save humanity only spiritually, and we have had to wait for another central figure to come. Reverend Sun Myung Moon is the man God sent to us after long ages of preparations to purify our lineage. You see, in order for us fallen people to be restored from the original sin, our lineage has to be changed. Reverend Moon is the instrument for this transition; through his ministry we can be restored to the originally intended state of human beings.
Unless we are cleansed of the original sin, human beings from the moment of conception are not in their original state. In order for us to be cleansed of the original sin, we should be reborn. The method of rebirth is to receive the marriage Blessing with the Reverend Moon as the officiator. That is the best way to be cleansed of the original sin. This cleansing remains to be done for all humankind. Only after having gone through this cleansing can we personally stand before God and grow as original human beings.
To you on Earth, this message may sound strange and arrogant. However, the four great religious founders who are living in the spirit world with God are walking a path of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. This is not sophistry; it is the truth. After all, did not all new truths sound like sophistry in the beginning? Even so, truth is eternal. Therefore, you should be serious about it. I hope that you will not live in regret by arriving in the spirit world after having taken this lightly or disregarding it.
This is Confucius' sincere request.
6) Amazing and Great Truth
The circumstances are remarkably different between the days when I, Confucius, was born and today. Much has changed. Today, most nations have their own president, king, or prime minister, who leads and guides his country and its people. However, these are but external leaders, who are to bring their people and nation together in unity under the necessary organizational structure. They are not internal leaders who can dwell deeply in the hearts of human beings.
In this regard, the time when I was born is not different from today. All the people of my country were unaware of any purpose to live other than mere survival. They hoped only to live while gaining as many benefits as they could from their country's fortune.
However, human beings were not created to live only in the world of external phenomena. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are inclined to pursue a potential latent in themselves and look forward to finding a new master to guide them. Thus in the days when I experienced the pain and suffering of poverty, I came to realize that the purpose for which I was living my life was nothing more than to defeat physical hunger and thirst. I realized that after resolving these problems, people do not gain the happiness that they expect. They seem incessantly to seek a way to bring out the original source of infinite energy that is restless inside them. I recognized that this power was greater than the urge to satisfy one's hunger, and thus there must be a greater truth than that which frees one from external poverty. The ignorant might think that to eat well and sleep well should be sufficient for human beings. Why, then, should they need ethical norms and morality? But I came to realize that our Creator endowed us with something very precious within us, something that does not exist in animals.
People recognize that if they only live according to their physiological instincts, they would be no different from animals. Therefore, I am deeply grateful to God, who endowed us with dignity through our intellect and intelligence that animals, whether two-legged or four-legged, do not have in the same degree. I also could see spiritual power emanating from the eyes of people who cultivated their inner strength, more than from the eyes of those who pursued external strength from their nation's fortune or material progress.
Gaining energy from this experience, I began to search for God, depending on the power of the invisible Being, yet unsure about Him. This was the beginning point of Confucianism. Human beings have an inborn nature to seek for God from their birth, even if they do not know who or what it is they are searching for. They are living with Him and are guided by Him, but are unable to find their Master.
Thus while on the Earth, I taught the people merely ethical norms, ignorant of by whose guidance I was led. From my present vantage point, I cannot help but be solemn before this precious truth.
One day God's bright light shone, and in that sudden bright and illuminating light, although no one told them to, all the people present offered formal bows, humbly standing up and then sitting back down in their original position, with much joy in their faces. Their demeanor was beautiful and mesmerizing beyond description. What surprised me about this is that it was exactly what I tried to teach earthly people during my lifetime. No one has to teach it here. But after witnessing such a beautiful scene, in which everyone demonstrated manners and a style more graceful and lofty than that of my own disciples to whom I taught etiquette and manners, I was extremely ashamed.
Now I know that I taught external things to people without knowing that I myself was empowered by Someone who was the original source of my inner strength. Hence, I confess that I was truly arrogant. Human beings alone are powerless. The truth is that only when people live before the great truth of God, or under His shadow, are they able to return to their original state. All of the precious attributes latent within us were endowed to us at the time of God's creation. I could experience all of these attributes little by little.
As a result of human beings' separation from God, these original attributes could not manifest. On the other hand, once we live with God, even if we do not toil hard within the walls of norms that are difficult to follow, everything is automatically realized. Therefore, I hope that you will not be enslaved by earthly norms.
7) Blessings and Misfortunes in Life and Death
Everyone comes to experience blessings and misfortunes in life and death. The essential question is the direction of the original source of "Life," "Death," "Blessing" and "Misfortune". During our lifetime, is it possible to be liberated from blessings and misfortunes in life and in death? Our earthly life is bound on all sides by possibilities of blessing and misfortune. Likewise, once we are born we can die at any time.
Let me first reflect upon my own life as I stand at this crossroads. People do not know the purpose of life. They generally pursue a life that is comfortable for their body. There are very few who live with a thought for life after death.
[Dr. Lee] Here, Confucius refreshes his memories of his earthly life. He experienced pain and suffering from poverty, hunger and other difficulties. He did not give a thought for how he would live, nor where he would dwell after his passing. When, after growing old and dying, he passed into the incorporeal world, Confucius could not distinguish whether he was still in the physical world. Perhaps his appearance had somewhat changed. People around him were leading their lives, working hard for something or other. Yet he was unable to sort out his circumstances, and he grew perplexed. Even so, he could not ask questions to this person or that person because due to his pride, he tried to save face.
[Confucius] One day, several days after having set out on a certain road, I happened upon something unusual. Some people dressed in luxurious and fine clothes appeared to me and ordered me to go with them to this place and that place. I was surprised when they guided me to a very flat land where everything moved and spun effortlessly. Each time I went to the place I was asked to go, all of sudden a gate would open so that I could pass through. Then I realized that I was standing alone. No one paid attention to me. People were just immersed with their own work, mindless of someone passing by. I felt as if I were a vagabond, peeping here and there. Then I felt something under my foot and came to a stop. It was like a ball of cotton. I wondered, "What is this?" It quickly flew away into the sky. I was amazed by it and followed it. As I did, something truly mysterious took place: the object that looked like a cotton ball spread in the air and my surroundings became foggy. I could not understand what was going on because I had never experienced such a thing.
Disregarding my pride and concern to save face, I began to ask questions of passers-by: "Where am I? What country is this? I died past age 70, so why am I here?" Over and over I asked people those questions, but no one would answer me clearly. It was extremely frustrating. I was mentally tired. I was also physically tired. I kept wondering why everything was so strange.
Again, several more days passed by. Then, something clicked all of sudden. I encountered a person whose attire I had never seen on Earth, who seemed to come from an exalted place. Wondering whether I was in the place where people come after death, I asked him, "Am I on Earth or in the spirit world?" His response was interesting: "Are you dead or alive?" I answered, "I am not certain." Then he asked me follow him, which I did. It was truly a weird place to which he took me; a restaurant full of people. Although there was no owner, delicious food was served before me. As I desired to sit on the chair, a chair appeared like magic. I was just in shock. It took me many days to adjust to life here.
[Dr. Lee] I came up with the sub-title, "Blessings and Misfortunes in Life and Death" because during earthly life, everyone is to go through various experiences of blessings and misfortunes, and as in life so after death. There is something that everyone should clearly understand. Human beings cannot cultivate themselves to be persons of virtue and character while they are in comfortable situations. They reach the state of virtue and character only by overcoming ordeals. And when they reflect back on their life on Earth, those will be the times they remember.
When you are going through hardships, it is the time to discover yourself. In doing this, you will be able to perfect yourself. Do not be cowardly. When blessings come, keep the blessings with humility. This will be the fruit of your earthly life. The place to which you will come with such fruit is the spirit world to which Confucius refers.
[Confucius] The reason I failed to discover myself was because I was not prepared for life in the spirit world, nor did I have any knowledge of this world. All human beings must go to the spirit world after death. Hence, the original source of all blessings and misfortunes of life and death is the spirit world. And when you are in the physical world, you need to deal with them properly. I hope that when you come to this eternal place you can easily pass through every gate.
[Dr. Lee] Confucius tried not to live a cowardly life on earth, but he failed to prepare for life after death. He could not experience life after death, nor could he educate people about it. People on Earth must bear in mind that another world after death exists for sure. He hopes that they will not wander in the spirit world as he did.
8) A Place Called the Kingdom of Heaven
What is the Kingdom of Heaven to which earthly people refer? Who created the Kingdom of Heaven, and why are all people yearning to go there even though no one has ever been there? During my earthly life, I never heard that I could go to the Kingdom of Heaven if I lived a good life. Yet in my heart, I always heard the echoes of my inner voice. I never believed in God nor did I attend Him. However, the sound of my inner voice and the direction of my mind would not leave me alone.
Where was this coming from? From the moment of birth God gives human beings an intellect, an ability to think. That is a precious original nature and a special talent that is given equally to everyone whether or not they believe in God. How grateful humans should be! The Creator of human beings evenly distributed the original mind to all human beings, regardless of economic status, without any prejudice for educational background or race. He created human beings so that they could live in accordance with their original mind.
The God-given original mind is sometimes clouded, influenced by the social environment. Regardless, this element that lies at the bottom of everyone's inner self dwells on. As the color of pure gold never changes even after passing through fire, the fundamental color of the original mind given us by our Creator never changes. What is it? It is the very foundation for the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is the original fatherland, our final destination after having lived according to the voice of that mind, the instruction of that mind, and the direction of that mind.
All people on Earth with physical bodies are living as slaves of their own flesh, but even in the midst of worries they strive to live a good life in response to the voice of the mind and its echoes that are occasionally heard. Hence they struggle not to commit sins and crimes. If human beings did not possess such qualities, this world would have become the kingdom of hell, a world far more evil and fearful than presently exists. Therefore, we have hopes and dreams.
What is religion? It is a tool through which we can prepare to settle in the Kingdom of Heaven. It trains us to seek the peace of our spirits and cultivation of our virtue, rather than the comfort of our physical body. During the process of growth, human beings made a mistake and took the wrong path, giving an impression that they drifted away from God. Nonetheless, our Creator instilled a strong bond of heart within us. That strong bond of heart performs various roles as the voice and instruction of the mind; that fundamental bond of heart issues instructions from God.
The original mind God instilled within us at the time of creation, tells us, "Even if you leave me, do not live an evil life or commit sins." The original mind is unchanging, as it is God's fundamental attribute and constitutive element. Were the original mind to change or disappear, it would be absolutely impossible for us ever to reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
Then, what is the Kingdom of Heaven anyway? What is it? It is literally a heavenly nation. It is the place where we are to live for eternity, enjoying our original mind and its God-given attributes by following the direction of God's words. We feel peace of mind as long as we live following the voice of the mind. We feel it because the mind brings us peace as it fills us with the heart to live for the sake of others, without any greed or selfishness.
In short, we are endowed with the original mind, through which everyone can grasp the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone who lives according to the direction of the original mind will enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven, while those who cannot escape from their own desires will remain distant from the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, we are to live with God in the original homeland of the Kingdom of Heaven, by cultivating our original mind.
Therefore, I earnestly hope and wish that no earthly person will desert the will of the Creator, our God, who desires us to live together with joy in His garden, dreaming of an eternal ideal world. This is the sincere petition of Confucius to all of you.
9) Salvation
From the human viewpoint, salvation is rooted in our desire to be saved. In other words, it means asking someone to help us. Salvation is necessary for both believers and nonbelievers. Then why did the term, salvation, come into being? On Earth, I was not a believer in religion. It doesn't mean that I didn't have any sense of the need for salvation; indeed, I always felt that human beings alone are inadequate, that they lack something and are imperfect and incomplete. Thus, although I did not live a life of religious faith, I did desire for my empty heart to be filled. And whenever my wishes were not fulfilled, in view of my limited self, I sought for that Being of infinite value, even without knowing what or who He was. In my heart I always had a latent desire and dream to reach such a Being.
Again, the meaning of "Salvation" is to ask someone for help in the midst of hardship. Yet even without pausing to define salvation, there is no one who can say with confidence that he has everything necessary, and therefore is in need of nothing more. All human beings live with the desire and aspiration for something else at the bottom of their heart. Still they pretend that they are confident and that they have everything they need.
However, when people are faced with a crisis, knowing their own limitations, they discover their original mind that desires to depend ultimately upon someone else. Why do human beings have such an original mind, and why do they have an element that desires to depend on someone? Why are they at the root unable to live on their own? Everyone seems to have such a nature. It is said that God created human beings that they might wonder: "Why did God create us in such a way?" We need to think upon this point.
When patients are hospitalized, they need a doctor's care. They no longer need it once they are fully recovered and healthy. Likewise, why do we need salvation? We need salvation because we have a problem and need help. What is the help that we need?
Examining human nature, we see that everyone has a concept about salvation. It is a driving force that compels us to pursue the Absolute Being. Although everyone has the nature to seek God, why can we not go there? Why can we not satisfy that yearning? It is because we have ancestors who during their immaturity deviated into a realm forbidden by God.
As a result of this fundamental deviation of the first human ancestors, we, their descendants, were born in sin. We cannot directly go to God or stand before Him until we cleanse our first ancestors' fundamental sin. But we of our own power cannot set the conditions necessary to resolve our ancestors' fundamental sin. A central figure anointed by God must appear and cleanse the fundamental sin committed by our first ancestors. That particular central figure is the one chosen by God, the one whose blood lineage was purified through generations of human ancestors. That figure should set numerous indemnity conditions for the sake of returning us to the original condition from which our first human ancestors deviated. By setting indemnity conditions, he can stand before God in the position of Adam prior to the fall. From that position, he should bring us back into God's lineage, saving us from the sins of all humanity. On that foundation, he can build God's nation, crown God as the King, and lead us to God so that we all can live with God, together attending Him for eternity.
Through his officiating at the Blessing of God, humanity comes to stand on the side of God's eternal lineage. That Blessing is the ultimate salvation for humankind. Our ancestors' wrongdoing degraded us to a fallen position. Returning to God's lineage saves us. Then, who is the specific figure anointed by God to bring us into the position of salvation? It is Reverend Sun Myung Moon. He is the Messiah for all humanity, the Second Coming of Christ.
10) The Messiah and Saviour
The terms Messiah and Savior are not unfamiliar to earthly people. We human beings are constantly striving to reach perfection while living in the flesh on the Earth. However, we cannot progress or develop without a good leader. The progress or development to which I refer here is not that determined by external standards, but is rooted in the internal purpose and goal of reaching perfection.
As was already discussed and revealed, we human beings were with the original sin from the moment of our conception. Therefore, God's standard is an internal one, the standard of having returned to the original state, without original sin. At this point, we must clearly understand our own reality as individuals. You might put the question as follows: "Although I did not commit sins, although I always lived a life of righteousness, although my parents made special conditions all their lives and lived a life of service and sacrifice for the sake of others, and I was born from such parents, why was I born with the original sin?" These are common questions for many people who feel that the fallen state is unfair.
However, our fallen status is not the result of the sins of individuals, but is the result of the fallen ancestral lineage in which we were born. To put it more simply, it is the original sin, caused by the fall of Adam and Eve, that gave rise to the fallen lineage out of which were born all of their descendants. It is unfortunate and even unfair in a sense, but we are their descendants; hence we have inherited the original sin. It might be difficult for some people to understand this. These issues are explained in detail in the chapter entitled The Human Fall in Exposition of the Divine Principle, and I hope that you will refer to that.
If one's direct ancestors committed sins, it is only natural for their descendant to make restitution for them. Accordingly, it is natural for all humanity to pay the price for the sin committed by our first ancestors, Adam and Eve. Therefore, in order for us to correct our fallen lineage, we must find a way to make a breakthrough.
This is the seed of sins and crimes. Throughout history, no one could eliminate it. Hence, evil prospered. The lineage of sin has multiplied all over the world. During all this time, what has God been doing? Has He only been watching? Right here, we need to understand God. We need to fathom His heart. From generation to generation, God intended to realize His dream of building the ideal world through central figures chosen by Him for the providence of restoration. However, time after time the people failed, especially at the time of Jesus. The Israelites had no faith in him and Jesus had to die on the cross. Thereafter, time flew by, with the people's response to other central figures also not meeting God's expectations.
When God saw His people dying like insects, He had to tolerate it with sighs and tears. In the meantime, people whom He could not call His children continued to multiply, creating human history and the world as we have it today. Such has been the reality.
Nevertheless, even with the flow of time God's purpose of creation cannot change. It must be fulfilled no matter what. Therefore, with every setback God looked for another chance to set up yet another central figure. His hope has been that sooner or later sinful human history will come to an end and the Last Days will arrive. For that day to come, the Savior and the Messiah whom God needs and whom God finds must come to this Earth to conclude the history of sin and give humanity rebirth. This will return us to the original state, free from the original sin rooted in the fallen blood lineage.
Who is the Messiah, the Savior? He is Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Here in the spirit world, although invisible to earthly people, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed and Socrates are gathering together every day. They are participating in a seminar, carefully studying the Divine Principle revealed by Reverend Sun Myung Moon. They sometimes focus on reading it many times, thoroughly. While studying, they exclaim with astonishment how its incredible contents reveal the heavenly secrets so clearly. And then they thank Reverend Moon.
Earthly people cannot be cleansed from the original sin by sitting around doing nothing and then meeting the Messiah. You need to study the Divine Principle carefully, together with many other books. Read them and study them. Believers and nonbelievers alike need to study. Religious people will not easily accept it. If you feel challenged by this, stay home, fast and pray about who Reverend Moon is. Otherwise, grief without solace will envelope you at the end of your brief life on Earth, but it will be too late. That is the principle and the path of the principle. No one will take responsibility for you unless you rouse yourself from the shell of your old-fashioned life of faith. Even if you have to abandon everything, think of only one being, God. God did not create religions and denominations. He did not create different races. We all are of the same lineage and are God's children. Therefore, whether black, white or yellow, we all are the same tribe, and Protestantism, Catholicism, Confucianism, Islam and so forth should belong to God.
God's will is that we live as one family with all races under the same roof, while attending God as our Parent. That is why Reverend Sun Myung Moon is conducting marriage Blessing ceremonies that transcend race and religion, officiating on behalf of God.
We earthly people should not remain as spectators, but we should participate in the beautiful Blessing procession that is surging forward toward God's ideal world, and reach the goal of becoming God's true children without the original sin. This I wish and hope for all of you.
 Federatie voor Wereldvrede en Unificatie http://www.fwu.nl Tel1: (0570) 52-3910 Tel2: (020) 695 7440 Emailadres: info@fwu.nl |
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