Author: Richard Urban

Living the Good Life in Affluence Can Never Be Exemplary

You should know that an exemplary life lies in moderation and spending only what is absolutely necessary.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2201

    Parents with a filial child are people who can relate to and live for their loving filial child. No third party can interfere in this relationship. This is why God sends His loving child to the position of death and then turns a blind eye to what is happening – this act allows Heaven to bring forth a true filial child and establish a deep relationship as a final condition that cannot be violated by Satan or people who act deviously. This is the heart of God who is trying to restore people who have become unfilial; and it is the guiding method that God uses to re-establish the duty of filial piety. This is surely true. (62-47, 1972.9.10)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1266

     Throughout history, there has never been even one person who was victorious in the name of God as a representative of all men in the world. That is why up until the present time I have struggled to establish the standard of victory.
    Members of the Unification Church and I could avoid suffering, but since we know of this Principle, we have to walk the path of suffering. (91-257, 1977.2.23)

Cheon Seong Gyeong
Selections from the Speeches of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Book 7
Etiquette and Ceremonies
Chapter 4
Tradition and Daily Etiquette of Blessed Families

8.1. A frugal life

8.2. Thrift

    You must be exemplary in everything. Eating good food, living the good life in affluence can never be exemplary. You should know that an exemplary life lies in moderation and spending only what is absolutely necessary.
    On Sundays I am forced to wear a suit, but at other times I go without a necktie as much as possible. When I am at home I do not wear a jacket but instead wear simple things like sweaters. Think about how much neckties cost in Western society. If you include necktie pins, how much do they cost in all? Consider two men: one thinks about the world and lives his entire life without a necktie and the other lives his life wearing a necktie without thinking about the world. Which one do you think will be closer to God when they go to the spirit world?
    When you fast, you realize how much time you have. You realize just how much time you spend in eating three meals a day. How much effort is wasted mentally just by thinking about what to have, if you are constantly going back and forth opening the refrigerator door in order to eat an apple or drink a Coke? It is necessary to get accustomed to eating only at mealtimes. If you do so, you will not get sick; rather, you will become healthier.
    I do not support the idea of taking a bath every day. It is not good for the health. I make it a rule to take a bath once every three days. I take a bath only when I cannot help it, when I have been sweating a lot. How much water do we consume by taking a bath every day? It is bad for the health. You may say, “Oh! Father is a barbarian,” but that’s okay for me. In the Garden of Eden, God, Adam, and Eve were all barbarians. At that time did they have a bathroom like we have today? Did they have toilet paper? They had nothing. Therefore, you should feel grateful for all those things, and you save this world even if you have to live this way. (131-283, 1984.5.4)

    When you eat, you should do so in a way that is different from the past. Even when you go to the restroom, it should be with a different attitude than before. These days, when you take a train and use the restroom, you find toilet paper hanging there. You probably use it excessively, thinking, “Well, no one is looking.” You should not use it wastefully just because it belongs to someone else. You should use it sparingly and take some only one time. You must have a better attitude. (57- 179, 1972.5.31)

    Even when you eat out of hunger you should not completely fill your plate with food. You should maintain the standard of finding satisfaction in eating three-fifths of your plateful after removing two-fifths of it. Only then are you a wise person. You should know how to be frugal in everything. You should save the maximum and then find out the minimum you can live with. If you invest yourself using the minimum for at least three months you will discover the real minimum you can live with. After you do so, let’s see how it goes. (57- 197, 1972.5.31)
pgs. 1078-1079

Daily Inspiration Discussion Forum

What are some ways that you can live a frugal lifestyle?

Share you answer here to discuss with and help others.

 

What Is Most Important to God?

Happy Day of All True Things! (founded 1963)
Happy Anniversary of HSA-UWC (Unification Movement, founded 1954)

Today we bring you a special reading for the Holy Day.

True Day of All Things 2000
Rev. Sun Myung Moon
June 2, 2000
New Yorker Hotel
Translation by Mrs. Hee Hun Standard
Unofficial Notes by Tyler Hendricks

[Father refers to the list of the holy days.] Those days came in order. We have to think about true love. When we have true love, we can follow the path of True Parents. We can liberate God in that way. The only thing that will remain will be God, based upon true love. It can come from true lineage. That way we can establish a family, tribe, society, nation and world and bring unity of physical world and spirit world. That is God’s goal for the providence of restoration.

What is today? [Cham man mul eui nal.] What shall I talk about? You? God? All things? Love? If all creation, people and God had been perfect, then we would have loved everyone and everything. So beyond time and space, past, present or future, whether day or night, we should continuously live for the sake of the providence of restoration. If we can have all those, then we can possess everything in the world. If we have everything, then we can melt everyone’s heart.

Shall I talk about good first, then bad? Or bad first, then good? People are using the translation system by radio. Should we use those radios? You western members need to be serious not to use this crutch. If you do not know Korean, then when you go to spirit world you will have some problems there. Here we should speak in Korean. We should feel sympathy for those who cannot speak Korean. Shall I talk about something good first, or the other way around? You make the choice? Why? Why is it such a good day? You want everything to be good, right?

Which of your fingers is the longest? [Holds up his middle finger.] You have two hands and you want to match those fingers with each other. When men and women are together, who is taller? Centered on love, they are the same. In terms of physical height they may be different, but in terms of love their height is the same. Which finger is this? The third, counting from either end of the hand. When they come together, they touch each other (all fingertips on one hand touching). These are father, mother and children. Which is the easier finger to touch the thumb? We can see the four-position foundation. When you look at the fingers, everything is good. Whether good or bad words, everything is good. Whether you are complimented or chastised, everything is good for you.

The middle finger is the center. The middle finger is like the number three and eight. The DMZ is on the 38th parallel. When we can eliminate that 38th parallel, we can bring the liberation. When the fetus is in the womb, the baby clenches its fist tightly, so the fingernails do not scratch its body.

The 4 seasons and 12 months come from the four-position foundation. We should keep a protocol in our life based on the number 24. This can represent God. Basically, when we move our body, our eyes are also moving. The universe turns around because of God. In our faith, the center is the nose. Do you eat with your nose, or breathe with it? When you breathe you take in invisible air, and eat visible elements with your mouth. If you do not eat physical food, you will die. Which is the more important, between breathing and eating? Communists say we live to eat. But is air or food more important? Actually, air is more crucial to the sustenance of life. People can forego food for 40 days, but without air you will die in minutes. So our life depends not upon visible food but invisible air. For the spirit we need invisible things, but for the body we need something visible.

What is most important to God? Not food, power, intellect, but God absolutely needs love. Do you agree with that? [Yes!] How do you know love is the most important thing to God? Those who do not love do not know the meaning of love. Those who know it prefer to eat love, not food. Have you ever eaten love? Why were men and women born? What is the purpose of their birth? For the sake of love. Through what can you eat love? What is the container for the eating of love? Is it the sexual organ? So, saeng shik gi can be interpreted “container that can hold love and life.” When you become a man and woman, although you cannot see love, you understand what love is like. Rev. Kwak, Dr. Yang, do you know what love tastes like? [Understand!] Once you taste it, even if husband and wife fight, they will smile and fall asleep and enjoy. Some might say, how can the founder of a religion say something like that? What I am teaching you is a different taste from others. You love me, that is why you are all following me. Do you like me? [Yes, applause.]

Continue reading “What Is Most Important to God?”

We May be Chased Out if We Cannot Fulfill Our Responsibility

In such a case the Unification Church will have to go through a second course of tribulation.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2274

     Then what sort of a tradition is the ideology centered on God’s love? It is one that transcends all national boundaries and the entire horizontal world, and in the act of giving and taking, causes people to be eager to give first and slow to take from others. A world with such a tradition is the ideal world to come. The ideal world is not one where dictates are made on some great authority. Rather, it is a world having the tradition that all human beings are brothers and sisters and where the hearts of all are moved naturally to blend together in the love of God. That is the way the world will be in the future. (21-49, 1968.9.1)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2300

    Then what is God’s greatest hope as He guides the providence in relation to the earth today? It is to bring people born from fallen parents back over to His side and say to them “I am your eternal Father and you are My eternal sons and daughters.” You should realize that the historic hope of fallen humankind and the original hope of God are to be able to welcome such a day. (3-26, 1957.9.15)

Cheon Seong Gyeong
Selections from the Speeches of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Book 7
Etiquette and Ceremonies
Chapter 4
Tradition and Daily Etiquette of Blessed Families

Summary:
ITrue happiness is found when an entire family lives and works completely for the sake of each other based on love, rather than focus on themselves or personal belongings. When grandparents, parents, and children are all frugal with their personal spending and work hard together to build up their shared resources, their household will naturally prosper and create an unselfish model that can eventually expand to fix the wider world. To properly align with God, families should surrender their sense of ownership to Him and embrace a simple life, mimicking how church leaders and missionaries live with only the barest essentials—often called a “sleeping bag culture”—to remain free from material luxury. Ultimately, practicing this strict financial discipline and lifestyle is essential, as failing to be frugal and responsible could lead the Unification Church back into a difficult period of suffering and spiritual tribulation. Continue reading “We May be Chased Out if We Cannot Fulfill Our Responsibility”

All Humankind Emerge from Brothers and Sisters

A family that raises many siblings is like a model that embraces humankind and creates the ideal heaven in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and in the spirit world.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1601

    In Kodiak, plenty of salmon can be found. Salmon lay their eggs in the cold winter month of November. Since it is so cold, there are no insects, nor are there any small fish around. All fish swim away in search of warm currents and so there is nothing to eat. For this reason, the mother and father become the food for their young. It is only natural for the parents, the ancestors, to sacrifice themselves for their children. The animal kingdom has abided by this tradition for billions of years and still continues to live by it; on the other hand, humankind, who should be better than animals in every respect, are not keeping true to this principle, and so it is sometimes said that people are inferior to animals. The same is also true for loving. Animals do not love recklessly. Birds follow their own species in the way of true love. They don’t love imprudently. Once they have found a mate and formed a pair, that relationship is absolute.
    In the future, family law should be enacted. I have already issued instructions for the fundamental rules to be drawn up. If the nation is established after I have passed on to the spirit world, my absence would not matter so much because you would already have the laws set out on how to constitute that nation. If you abide by those laws as you would my words, and become united and march forward, you would be connected to God’s kingdom.
    You should understand that you cannot be self-centered, individualistic or insist on your own way. Before asserting yourselves, you need to realize that your father and mother existed before you, and from their lives emerged their lineage. On top of that, love was created. The relationship through which you can learn to respect lineage, history and your ancestors, and which will help you serve them, is the one between you and your parents. You need to respect your parents and then God. What would then be even higher than Him? It would be love.
    Encompassed in the mother and father are the absolute love, life and lineage attained through the Absolute Parent and Father of absolute love. You should be aware of the fact that you are born from all this. Thus, you are the representative of lineage, maternal and paternal life and love. Having received them all as the representative, you were born to expand them and spread them wide; since such is the purpose of your life, if you don’t fulfill this and instead act as you please and put your greed before everything else, you would be ruined and perish. Continue reading “All Humankind Emerge from Brothers and Sisters”

The Question Is Whether Our Members Can Unite Among Themselves

If you stand in a position where you cannot fulfill your filial duty to True Parents, you should offer those things that you wanted to devote to them to the members instead.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1141

    What kind of a being is Satan? Particularly those who believe in Jesus must explain clearly Satan’s identity in relation to God. Who is Satan? He is an adulterer, the adulterer of love. That wretched being Satan beat the father to death and raped the mother. And the children who were born from this are all of you. Don’t you feel bad about this? If you cannot believe it, try praying to God desperately, as if your life were at stake, and ask him whether my words are true or not. (38-175, 1971.1.3)

Study the Human Fall

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1239

    The Blessing Ceremony of the Unification Church is not simply a wedding through which a man and a woman come together and form a family. Until now, all weddings were solely for the sake of the people getting married. But our wedding ceremony is significant and necessary to set a condition to indemnify the past and return joy to God. Therefore, we conduct our ceremonies in a sacred and splendid manner. Divine Principle clearly explains to us that our wedding ceremony alleviates God’s bitter grief that was caused by the Fall of Adam and Eve. It goes beyond the standard of husband and wife, which Jesus was unable to attain. (22-212, 1969.2.4)

Prepare to receive the Blessing

Cheon Seong Gyeong
Selections from the Speeches of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Book 7
Etiquette and Ceremonies
Chapter 4
Tradition and Daily Etiquette of Blessed Families

Summary

A truly complete and happy family requires having siblings of all kinds—older and younger brothers and sisters—who represent the four global directions and form a unified, three-dimensional foundation for peace that God will protect. Parents naturally desire for their children to love each other even more than they love their parents, and putting a sibling’s needs first brings great joy to a mother and father. In fact, loving your brothers and sisters as deeply as you love God and your parents is the simplest and quickest path to heaven, and this unselfish care is considered a magnificent spiritual offering. Ultimately, when you struggle to show direct devotion to True Parents or God, dedicating that love and service to your fellow church members instead opens the way to eternal life, making your siblings the absolute best guides for reaching the highest levels of heavenly love. Continue reading “The Question Is Whether Our Members Can Unite Among Themselves”