Cheon Seong Gyeong 867
When you are in the spirit world, do you think that you have to urinate or not? Why don’t you go there and find out? I can tell you that you will have to urinate, even in the spirit world. However, those who disagree should go there and find out for themselves. Then what about bowel movements? Do you think we do that there or not? You do everything there, but it will immediately return to the elements. Scientists say that there are 107 basic elements in the universe, although the number is constantly increasing. Anyhow, urine and feces will return to their elements. That is why you do not have to wash in the spirit world. If you wave your hands with the heart of love, everything will go back to its original place. If you ask something with a heart of love, it will come out. With the heart of love, the mobilization of all kinds of things is possible. (212-30, 1991.1.1)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1183
Throughout history, there have been numerous paths of suffering and hardship, but you must realize that the path of hardship of the eight stages that I have passed through never existed in past history. You must understand that it was the way of indemnity where, because of the difficulties, I still wasn’t allowed to shed tears, crying out, “God, I am not able to endure this position!” Those who are going to build the kingdom must not shed tears for themselves while walking this way. It is the heavenly principle that unless we pass through the place of tears with joy, the foothold of the heavenly kingdom will not remain in this earthly world. (161-194, 1987.2.3)
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:
Death is not a sorrowful event, but rather a joyful, sacred transition from a lower-dimensional world to a higher one through the power of love. To reflect this reality, True Father introduced the term “Seunghwa Ceremony” to replace traditional funerals, explaining that the practice began after the passing of his son, Heung-jin, which successfully broke down the walls of death and allowed spirits to advance freely into the spirit world without being held back by the sad tears of their loved ones. He later updated the name to “Seonghwa,” changing the Chinese character to mean “holy” or “sacred” rather than just “to ascend,” to emphasize that entering the spirit world is a unique, victorious moment where a person’s earthly life bears fruit. Consequently, Unification Church members should not fear death, and those who attend a Seonghwa Ceremony should celebrate the person’s natural departure with songs of victory and tears of joy rather than dejection or despair.
People today do not know what it means to die. It is not a sorrowful occasion. You should see it as a transition from a lower dimensional world to a higher dimensional world, through the bridge of love. That is why the Unification Church does not call it death but Seunghwa. It is ascending to a higher dimension. This is only possible through love. (137-316, 1986.1.5)
If human beings had not fallen, death would have been a happy occasion. That is why I have taught the Unification Church members that they should not greet death with sorrow. That is why it is called the Seunghwa. (199-353, 1990.2.21)
A funeral in the Unification Church is called a Seunghwa Ceremony. The spirit of a dead person will lament if he sees people holding on to his dead body and crying. He would say, “The ignorance of these people is a rope that ties me down and prevents me from going on my way.” Since we know these things, we call a funeral a Seunghwa Ceremony.
Seunghwa means a sacred ascension to heaven. You have to push the dead person to the spirit world with the power of love. Do not hold them back but push them forward. (199-130, 1990.2.16)
The Seunghwa Ceremony began with Heung-jin, did it not? What is the meaning of “victory of love” in the “Day of the Victory of Love”? It means victory over death. If it had been any other person, the mother would have been writhing in sorrow, crying and wailing from deep within. Yet, True Mother should not shed even one tear. We had to hold this ceremony within three days. I had to proclaim that death had been overcome. This is the way that the Seunghwa Ceremony came to be held in the Unification Church. It is a ceremony of going beyond death and onward to joy. Those who go through the Seunghwa Ceremony can easily go beyond all the valleys in the spirit world. Of course, there will be some who fail to do so and remain in between. You have to know this. The Seunghwa Ceremony began with Heung-jin. (212-96, 1991.1.2)
Heung-jin’s ascension brought down the walls of death. That is why it is called the Seunghwa Ceremony. Death should not bring dejection or despair. It is not a fall from life but a leap into a new world. It is ascending to a new world. For that reason, Unification Church members should not fear death. Death comes in accordance with the natural order of things. It is just a process of moving on to a better world. (196-270, 1990.1.2)
p. 1098
True Father changed the term “Seoungwha” 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
Compare the Seonghwa Ceremony to a traditional funeral.
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