Cheon Seong Gyeong 668
Such walls also arose in the family, tribe, people, nation, world, and between heaven and hell in the spirit world. Although God is on His glorious throne in heaven, we on earth cannot surmount the walls surrounding us without removing them. This is the tragedy of people living on earth. How can we do away with it? Despite the fact that people are meant to live attending God as their Parent and be guided by Him in all aspects of their Chapter 4 • The Kingdom of Heaven 669 lives, they either do not know He exists, or they declare that He definitely does not exist. They even say, “God is dead. We’ll have to sweep Him out of our world.” Such a tragic and historic situation is unfolding within the world in which we live. (135-267, 1985.12.15)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 405
As soon as a baby is born, it cries, and at that instant it breathes through its nose, which connects it to its second world, that is, the world of air. In order to connect to and come out into the world of air, we have to destroy the umbilical cord and the water bag, where we lived in the womb. At the time of this death or destruction, the baby is born to mother earth. After we’re born, we eat with our mouths and breathe with our noses. But the food we eat on earth is just nutrition needed for the life of the physical body; it is not an essential element of spiritual life. The key element of life is none other than love. Therefore, we should inhale the air called love. We should breathe the air of love from our mother and father. (139-212, 1986.1.31)
Cheon Seong Gyeong
Selections from the Speeches of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Book 7
Etiquette and Ceremonies
Chapter 4
Section 14. Blessed Families Ceremonies
14.3. The Seunghwa Ceremony
Summary:
In the Unification movement, going to the spirit world is a joyful and glorious return to our homeland rather than a sad occasion, which is why True Father did not cry when his son Heung-jin or his mother-in-law, Grandmother Hong, passed away. Instead of traditional funerals, the church holds the Seonghwa Ceremony, which celebrates a person being transformed and moving from the horizontal earthly world into a higher stage of activity in the infinite spirit world. Because members live their lives knowing exactly where they are going, they have nothing to fear in the universe and do not shed sorrowful tears, which prevents evil spirits from approaching. Ultimately, this ceremony represents raising the flag of heaven to signal liberation, allowing a person to leave the world of sin and chaos to enter a perfect, shadowless vertical position within the absolute realm of God’s love.
I did not cry even when my son Heung-jin passed away. Our departure for the spirit world is not a sad occasion. You should raise the flag of heaven amid the trumpet call for liberation. Go on boldly, unbeaten, while raising the flag that signals your glorious return to your homeland. This is the path that lets you proudly enter your hometown, where the nation and all of humanity will welcome you with cheers. It is not a sorrowful occasion. We do not shed tears in the Unification Church. What do we call this? We call it the Seunghwa Ceremony. (227-260, 1992.2.14)
Even though my mother-in-law passed away, we do not call it a funeral in the Unification Church. What do we call it? A Seunghwa Ceremony! We call it a Seunghwa. It is moving on to the stage of activity in the vertical spirit world, the infinite world, after having lived in the horizontal earthly world. In the satanic world, if you cry aloud, evil spirits will come to you, but evil spirits cannot find their way to a Seunghwa Ceremony. (195- 160, 1989.11.15)
What do we call funerals in the Unification Church? What is a Seunghwa Ceremony? It means to be transformed and go up to a higher stage. I did not cry when grandmother Hong passed away. I did not cry because I was busy paving the way for her to ascend. Where else can you find a greater filial son than this? (196-55, 1989.12.24)
In the Unification Church, we do not hold funerals in the usual way after a person’s death. Instead, we hold a Seunghwa Ceremony. We live our lives knowing where we are heading. Is there anything to fear in this world? Is there anything to fear in the universe? From this world of sin and chaos, we should take the form of an autonomous center, aligned with the standard of heaven and earth, and thus enter into an upright position within the realm of God’s love. Why do we need to enter the vertical position? It is because it creates no shadow in relation to God’s love. Everything is perfected. Consequently, the entire environment will rotate around the vertical axis. When a woman unites centering on a man, the realm of happiness emerges throughout the environment, centering on that man and woman. (198-124, 1990.1.25)
pgs. 1098-1099
True Father changed the term “Seunghwa” to “Seonghwa”, based on changes in the Chinese characters. True Father explains:
“The word “death” is sacred. It is not a word that should evoke sadness and anguish. That is why I announced that I changed “seunghwa” to “seonghwa”. The character “seong” (聖) means to be sacred or holy. We should no longer use “seung” (昇), meaning “to ascend.” “Seonghwa” is a term I coined. The previous word, “seung-hwa,” did not clearly reflect the sacredness of death, so I rectified it and announced that it is now “seonghwa.” The moment of entry into the spirit world is the time when you enter the world of ecstasy and victory. It is the moment, after your life on earth has bloomed and borne fruit, when you embrace the fruit of your life. It is a moment that comes only once. That is why you should rejoice in that moment. In that moment, others should congratulate you as much as they desire and then send you off. In that moment, they should shed tears of joy, not tears of sadness.”
Daily Inspiration Discussion Forum
In general, should a person’s passing on to the spirit world be a sad occasion or a happy occasion?
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