Author: Richard Urban

One Who Is Rich in Enlightenment Will Not Indulge In Any Sinful Action

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Numbers 10

11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law. 12 Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. 13 They set out, this first time, at the Lord’s command through Moses.

Isaiah 1

7 Your country is desolate,
    your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
    right before you,
    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
8 Daughter Zion is left
    like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
    like a city under siege.
9 Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

Beyond the Law

Laws define the path to God, yet the ideal of divine life in many religions is to live beyond all boundaries. Therefore, as much as the law is a teaching that liberates, it can also be a fetter. Paul, for example, contrasts the Mosaic Law, which educates but confines, with the liberating grace available through Jesus Christ. Fulfilling the obligations of the law cannot save, because they do not touch the deepest promptings of the mind, which are still engulfed in the endless conflict between good and evil. Laws, therefore, are at best of provisional value, a concession to sin. Moreover, in situations where earthly laws are flawed or abused, the conscience guides us to follow a higher law.
Beyond the law lies a higher relationship with the Absolute, where a person is free to do what he or she likes, confident that the promptings of the conscience are always in agreement with what God requires. However, life in the spirit should not be misconstrued as a license to sin. Even in a state of complete freedom, there are still heavenly standards and principles. All the same, a truly enlightened person is one with those principles and hence does not feel constrained by them.

I will put my law within them, and I will write it
upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people. And no longer shall each
man teach his neighbor and each his brother, say-
ing, “Know the l ord ,” for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
Jeremiah 31.33-34

One who is rich in the enlightenment will not
indulge in any sinful action, since his conscience is
guided by the intellect fully illumined with Truth.
Acarangasutra 1.174 (Jainism)

No one born of God commits sin; for God’s
nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because
he is born of God.
1 John 3.9

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks
to those who are under the law, so that every
mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may
be held accountable to God. For no human being
will be justified in his sight by works of the law,
since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God has been man-
ifested apart from law, although the law and the
prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of
God through Jesus Christ for all who believe…
While we were living in the flesh, our sinful
passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our
members to bear fruit for death. But now we are
discharged from the law, dead to that which held
us captive, so that we serve not under the old
written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
Romans 3.19-22, 7.5-6

The man of superior virtue is not conscious of
his virtue,
and in this way he really possesses virtue.
The man of inferior virtue never loses sight of
his virtue,
and in this way he loses his virtue…
Therefore, only when Tao is lost does the
doctrine of virtue arise.
When virtue is lost, only then does the
doctrine of humanity arise.
When humanity is lost, only then does the
doctrine of righteousness arise.
When righteousness is lost, only then arise
rules of propriety.
Now, propriety is a superficial expression of
loyalty and faithfulness, and the beginning
of disorder.
Tao Te Ching 38 (Taoism)

People under delusion accumulate tainted mer-
its but do not tread the Path.
They are under the impression that to accu-
mulate merits and to tread the Path are one
and the same thing.
Though their merits for alms-giving and offer-
i ngs are infinite,
They do not realize that the ultimate source of
sin lies in the three poisons within their own
mind.
Sutra of Hui Neng 6 (Buddhism)

Finite and transient are the fruits of sacrifi-
cial rites. The deluded, who regard them as
the highest good, remain subject to birth and
death… Considering religion to be observance
of rituals and performance of acts of charity, the
deluded remain ignorant of the highest good.
Having enjoyed in heaven the reward of their
good works, they enter again into the world
of mortals. But wise, self-controlled, and tran-
quil souls, who are contented in spirit, and who
practice austerity and meditation in solitude and
silence, are freed from all impurity, and attain by
the path of liberation to the immortal, the truly
existing, the changeless Self.
Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.7-11 (Hinduism)

Subhuti, if you should conceive the idea that
anyone in whom dawns the Consummation of
Incomparable Enlightenment declares that all
manifest standards are ended and extinguished,
do not countenance such thoughts.
Diamond Sutra 27 (Buddhism)

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things
are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I
will not be enslaved by anything… The body is
not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and
the Lord for the body.
1 Corinthians 6.12-14

We Have to Recognize and Abide by Three Immutable Laws

WV Elections 2020
View all candidate interviews and articles: https://www.visionroot.org/wv-elections-2020-candidate-interviews/ . Primary election day in West Virginia is tomorrow, June 9th, 2020. Remember, Supreme Court justices, school board members and magistrates will be elected tomorrow (only), not in November.

Watch or listen to the latest Richard Urban show: Will We Seek Blessing and Love or Anarchy and Chaos?
President Trump did the right thing by going to St. Johns’ Episcopal Church with a Bible. Terrance Floyd told people not to riot and destroy their communities, yet protests and riots continue. What is behind this chaos?

Cheon Seong Gyeong 321

The birds living in the north fly south
to raise their young, and the birds liv-
ing in the south fly north to raise theirs;
this migrating back and forth follows a
rhythm. Since they were born there, the
birds return to the place of their birth to
have their young. Fish living in cold water
lay their eggs in warm water and fish liv-
ing in warm water can only lay their eggs
in cold water. A harmonious unity of yin
and yang must be established. That is
why they migrate. (132-74, 1984.5.20)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1474

As an absolute being with an abso-
lute ideal for His creation, God pursues
beings who can relate to Him with abso-
lute value. This is something that cannot
be exchanged for anything in this world.
A being that can relate to God has a val-
ue that is greater than that of God Him-
self. The term “the value of one’s coun-
terpart” seems difficult to comprehend.
The value of a partner, of any being as a
counterpart, is so great that it cannot be
exchanged for anything or anyone, even
for God. God cannot exchange it with
Himself, for if He did, He would be left
alone as a result. He would be left all by
Himself.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

The Ten Commandments

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Heavenly law leads humanity to pursue goodness by setting up divine commandments and moral teachings. Without a doubt, Heaven reveals them for our education… Heaven has prompted saints and sages to propound moral teachings for pitiful humanity immersed in fallen life; thus [Confucius taught] the Three Bonds and the Five Moral Disciplines10 in human relations, and Moses introduced the Ten Commandments. Numerous people on the spiritual path toiled to establish these ways of life. (7:16-23, July 5, 1959)

From now on, we have to recognize and abide by three immutable laws:
The first law: Do not defile the blood lineage, even at the point of death. The blessed blood lineage that has been bequeathed through God’s love and life must not be contaminated by actions immersed in the habitual patterns of the fallen world. Can you abide by this rule? All couples, even if your spouse is deceased, must pledge today that you will not defile your lineage.
The second law: Do not infringe upon human rights. Whether female or male, black or white, everyone is equal. One must not discriminate or violate human rights, [for example] by dismissing a person from his post out of a wrong motivation… The person that practices true love, honoring human rights in the correct way, living for the sake of others, is in the mainstream. The creation of heaven and earth began from that point. Whoever commits an act that dilutes or squanders this main current of thought is not to be tolerated. Violation of this is the second of all sins.
The third law: Refrain from stealing money or misusing public funds for selfish purposes. [For example,] if you are entrusted with a public mission but slack off and leave your post, then your stay in an expensive hotel is a violation of this law. It is destroying the public environment. It is something as fearful as misappropriating national assets. People who live this way can never be successful no matter how hard they try. Even if they pray hard, their prayers will not reach God.
Seventy percent of the people in jail are there because they violated these commandments. If you are imprisoned, you will see it is true. Human rights infringements and lineage violations are problems that concern man and woman. Then come the money problems.
What’s the first law? Keep your purity! Second? Don’t abuse human rights! Third? Don’t misuse public money! On this historic day, I declare that keeping these laws is absolutely necessary to maintain the sovereign power and kingship of heaven, and to stand before it as a people, and as parents, wives, children, and brothers and sisters.
Therefore, you cannot neglect your older brother. You cannot neglect your younger brother merely because he is handicapped. In the secular world people may not care, but we cannot neglect in-laws or relatives. If you who graduated from a university neglect those who only completed high school, it is a sin. These are violations of human rights.
You should live a good life. Can you live a good life by yourself? No, you should live with others. Within an environment governed by God’s official laws, with whom should you live to be living a good life? The answer is simple. You should have good relationships between parents and children, between husband and wife, and among siblings…
When you are exemplary to one another, it can be called a good life. If you are not a good example, you are not living a good life. Live a good life by being exemplary in front of your parents, your spouse and your children.
Even if you are accused as a traitor and executed in public view, if you keep these commandments absolutely, your family will belong to the heavenly royal family that possesses eternal freedom, unity and liberation.
I want you to remember this clearly. Keep it as a motto, the motto of the third millennium: Pure lineage, equality of human rights, and guarding public assets—do not be a thief. What is next? Be an example! Be an exemplary parent, exemplary spouse, exemplary child and exemplary sibling. If you form such a family, people in your neighborhood will say, “We should follow that person. I want to live with him.” That person is surely a citizen of Kingdom of Heaven, and Heaven will remember that family forever.
I explained to you on this historic day, the day of the Coronation Ceremony of God’s Kingship, the three most important things that humankind must uphold and by which you can be truly liberated in your family and in your nation. I hope you can remember these contents and keep them as the goals of your life. (January 13, 2001)

Couples must never fall. If they do, it is a serious problem. I cannot emphasize this enough. Next, you should love human beings. Third, you should be careful not to misuse public funds. Matters of heart, relationships with human beings, and with material are very important. When the Heavenly Constitution is installed, [these will be its] first provisions. (169:217, October 31, 1987)

Every One Who Looks at a Woman Lustfully Has Already Committed Adultery

WV Elections 2020
View all candidate interviews and articles: https://www.visionroot.org/wv-elections-2020-candidate-interviews/ .

Watch or listen to the latest Richard Urban show: Will We Seek Blessing and Love or Anarchy and Chaos?
President Trump did the right thing by going to St. Johns’ Episcopal Church with a Bible. Terrance Floyd told people not to riot and destroy their communities, yet protests and riots continue. What is behind this chaos?

Zecheriah 10

6 I will strengthen
the kingdoms of Judah
    and Israel.[a]
And I will show mercy
because I am the Lord,
    their God.
I will answer their prayers
    and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though
    I had never rejected them.
7 Israel[b] will be like
a tribe of warriors
    celebrating with wine.
When their children see this,
they will also be happy
    because of me, the Lord.

Ezekiel 27

31 they shave their heads
and dress in sackcloth
    as they cry in despair.
32 In their grief they sing
    a funeral song for you:
“Tyre, you were greater
    than all other cities.
But now you lie in silence
    at the bottom of the sea.

Richard: Once great cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC are being destroyed by mayors who will not enforce the law. But even worse, these mayors have pushed a godless agenda of promoting homosexuality and expelling people of faith: Listen to the Richard Urban Show: https://www.visionroot.org/2020/06/04/will-we-seek-blessing-and-love-or-anarchy-and-chaos/ .

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

The Ten Commandments

Say, Come, I will recite what God has made a
sacred duty for you:
Ascribe nothing as equal with Him;
Be good to your parents;
Kill not your children on a plea of want—
we provide sustenance for you and for them;
Approach not lewd behavior whether open
or in secret,
Take not life, which God has made sacred,
except by way of justice and law. Thus does He
command you, that you may learn wisdom.
And approach not the property of the
orphan, except to improve it, until he attains
the age of maturity.
Give full measure and weight, in justice—
No burden do we place on any soul but that
which it can bear.
And if you give your word, do it justice, even
if a near relative is concerned; and fulfill your
obligations before God. Thus does He command you, that you may remember.
Verily, this is my straight Path: follow it, and
do not follow other paths which will separate
you from His Path. Thus does He command
you, that you may be righteous.
Qur’an 6.151-53

Seven precepts were commanded to the chil-
dren of Noah: social laws [civil justice]; to
refrain from blasphemy; idolatry; adultery;
bloodshed; robbery; and eating flesh cut from a
living animal. 8
Talmud, Sanhedrin 56a (Judaism)

You have heard that it was said to the men of
old, “You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall
be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that
every one who is angry with his brother shall be
liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother
shall be liable to the council, and whoever says,
“You fool!” shall be liable to the hell of fire…
You have heard that it was said, “You shall
not commit adultery.” But I say to you that every
one who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5.21-22, 27-28

Forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness,
purity, truthfulness, self-restraint, austerity,
renunciation, non-attachment and chastity
are the ten duties.
Tatthvarthasutra 9.6 (Jainism)

Not killing, no longer stealing, forsaking the
wives of others, refraining completely from false, divisive, harsh and senseless speech, forsaking covetousness, harmful intent and the views of Nihilists—these are the ten white paths of action, their opposites are black.
Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 8-9 (Buddhism)

Nonviolence, truthfulness, not stealing, purity,
control of the senses—this, in brief, says Manu,
is the Dharma for all the four castes. 9
Laws of Manu 10.63 (Hinduism)

The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the ces-
sation of suffering is this Noble Eightfold Path,
namely: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
What is right view? Knowledge of suffering,
knowledge of the arising of suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of suffering—this is called right view.
What is right aspiration? Aspiration for
renunciation, aspiration for non-malevolence,
aspiration for harmlessness—this is called right
aspiration.
What is right speech? Refraining from
lying speech, refraining from slanderous speech,
refraining from harsh speech, refraining from
gossip—this is called right speech.
What is right action? Refraining from
violence against creatures, refraining from
taking what has not been given, refraining from
going wrongly among the sense-pleasures, this is
called right action.
What is right livelihood? A disciple of the
Noble Ones, getting rid of a wrong mode of
livelihood, makes his living by a right mode of
livelihood. This is called right livelihood.
What is right effort? A monk generates
desire, effort, stirs up energy, exerts his mind
and strives for the non-arising of evil unskilled
states that have not arisen… for the getting rid
of evil unskilled states that have arisen… for the
arising of skilled states that have not arisen…
for the maintenance and completion of skilled
states that have arisen. This is called right
effort.
What is right mindfulness? A monk fares
along contemplating the body in the body… the
feelings in the feelings… the mind in the mind…
the mental states in the mental states… ardent,
clearly conscious of them, mindful of them so as

to control the covetousness and dejection in the
world. This is called right mindfulness.
And what is right concentration? A monk,
aloof from the pleasures of the senses, aloof from
unskilled states of mind, enters on and abides
in the first meditation which is accompanied by
initial thought and discursive thought, is born
of aloofness, is rapturous and joyful. By allaying initial thought and discursive thought, with the mind subjectively tranquilized and fixed on one point, he enters on and abides in the second meditation which is devoid of initial thought and discursive thought, is born of concentration, and is rapturous and joyful. By the fading out of rapture… he enters on and abides in the third meditation… the fourth meditation. This is called right concentration.
Majjhima Nikaya 3.251-52:
The Eight-Fold Path (Buddhism)

There are five universal ways in human rela-
tions… those governing the relationship
between ruler and minister, between father and
son, between husband and wife, between elder
and younger brothers, and those in the inter-
course between friends. These five are the uni-
versal ways in the world.
Doctrine of the Mean 20.79 (Confucianism)

You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me

WV Elections 2020
View all candidate interviews and articles: https://www.visionroot.org/wv-elections-2020-candidate-interviews/ .

Watch or listen to the latest Richard Urban show: Will We Seek Blessing and Love or Anarchy and Chaos?
President Trump did the right thing by going to St. Johns’ Episcopal Church with a Bible. Terrance Floyd told people not to riot and destroy their communities, yet protests and riots continue. What is behind this chaos?

Cheon Seong Gyeong 263

Where is the foundation upon which
human love and God’s love can har-
monize together? God created human
beings because of love. Why did God
create human beings for love? God is
lonely by Himself. God created people
because He wanted to live in love for
thousands of years. Even if we have only
a thatched cottage, we still want to live
with our parents there forever. It is the
same with the ideal God. It is amaz-
ing that God can go into a place even
smaller than a thatched cottage and still
embrace Heaven and earth, and breathe
and live. Is that a small house? When
God is there, even a thatched cottage is a
palace in the Heavenly Kingdom, a uni-
versal palace. (204-106, 1990.7.1)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1534

The world based on the culture of
heart is the world of God’s original cul-
ture and one that is based on the culture
of perfected Adam who has not fallen.
There cannot be two cultures but only
one. Therefore in the future, the world
will be unified and there will be only one
language and one set of customs and tra-
ditions. Only in such a circumstance can
God dwell with individuals and fami-
lies. (261-95, 1994.5.22)

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are known the world over as the basis of Jewish and Christian ethical values. Yet similar lists of ethical principles are found in most religions. The Qur’an contains more than one list of ethical precepts that has been termed the Islamic Decalogue. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount commented that these commandments are not merely laws to be obeyed, but should be lived from the heart. In Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism there are lists of “ten charges” or “ten precepts” for monks and laypeople, and these are further condensed into lists of five universal dharmas called samanya dharma. Another comparable list is the Buddhist Eightfold Path. As befitting their Eastern perspective, most include inward elements, e.g., self-control and generating a heart of compassion. Confucianism has its own list of five—the Five Relations—with a distinctive emphasis on relationships rather than laws. Father Moon himself has promulgated three commandments of the Kingdom of Heaven: Keep purity, do not violate the rights of others and do not steal. They can be compared to the Commandments specifically against adultery, murder and theft, but the second of these goes deeper into matters of the heart, reflecting the Confucian emphasis on proper relationships as well as Jesus’ teachings on the interior aspects of the Ten Commandments.

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth; you shall not
bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord
your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me, but
showing steadfast love to thousands of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the Lord
your God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work;
but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord
your God; in it you shall not do any work, you,
or your son, or your daughter, your manservant,
or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the
sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested on the seventh
day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother, that
your days may be long in the land which the
Lord your God gives you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house;
you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his
manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his
ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s. 7
Exodus 20.1-17

From the Beginning You Were Told That We Must Love Each Other

Watch or listen to the latest Richard Urban show: Will We Seek Blessing and Love or Anarchy and Chaos?
President Trump did the right thing by going to St. Johns’ Episcopal Church with a Bible. Terrance Floyd told people not to riot and destroy their communities, yet protests and riots continue. What is behind this chaos?

1 John 3

11 From the beginning you were told that we must love each other. 12 Don’t be like Cain, who belonged to the devil and murdered his own brother. Why did he murder him? He did it because his brother was good, and he was evil. 13 My friends, don’t be surprised if the people of this world hate you. 14 Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life. But if you don’t love each other, you are still under the power of death.

15 If you hate each other, you are murderers, and we know that murderers do not have eternal life. 16 We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. That’s why we must give our lives for each other. 17 If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. 18 Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.

Matthew 1

Jesus Christ came from the family of King David and also from the family of Abraham. And this is a list of his ancestors. 2-6a  From Abraham to King David, his ancestors were:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers (Judah’s sons were Perez and Zerah, and their mother was Tamar), Hezron;

Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.

6b-11  From David to the time of the exile in Babylonia, the ancestors of Jesus were:

David, Solomon (his mother had been Uriah’s wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram;

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.

12-16 From the exile to the birth of Jesus, his ancestors were:

Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim;

Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

17 There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David. There were also fourteen from David to the exile in Babylonia and fourteen more to the birth of the Messiah.

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 2

Truth and Universal Law

The Golden Rule

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Even looking at contemporary morals and social ethics, a certain principle applies. It is the standard that we live for the sake of others and not insist that others live for us. (71:125, April 29, 1974)

What is the path for us to live a true life? As we go on the path, the main thing we should keep in mind is to live for the sake of others. Confucius, Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha all affirm this truth. Living for the sake of others is the universal principle that defines the way we should live our lives—the one law of the true way of life. (133:18, July 1, 1984)

What should you do to others if you want them to serve you? [Serve them.] Should you serve them first, or let them serve you first? [I’ll serve others after they serve me.] That won’t do. Isn’t there a saying that if you want others to serve you, you should first serve them? [Yes.] The basic rule is that you should be the first to serve. What about me? Do I, Father Moon, seek to serve you, or do I seek to have you serve me? I never have the slightest thought of wanting you to serve me. It is not good to be indebted to others. (50:339, November 8, 1971)

What is a life of true love? In a nutshell, it is living for the sake of others. It is living for the sake of another before you wish that the other would do something for you. In living for others, you give and forget that you ever gave. You do not give in hopes of receiving something in return. You give and give to the point where you have no regrets for not having given more. Even as you give, you bow your head in humility. Thus, Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (January 27, 2004)

According to the universal law, a subject partner should care for its object partner as parents care for their children or teachers for their students. However, people in the fallen world instead try to use others in self-centered ways. That is why they perish. Through their good example, religious people should educate others in Heaven’s principle that we should place the happiness of others before our own happiness. (271:72, August 21, 1995)