Cheon Seong Gyeong | Daily Inspiration

Traditional Confucian Values Make Sense

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1023

If you love the members who have just joined, then they can quickly set the condition for indemnity. The reason the church is not able to make progress is because this is not being done. This is the reason why God said to love each other and live in harmony. (18-40, 1967.5.15)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1241

God’s Blessing is absolutely public in nature. It is not just for an individual, family, nation, or even the world. God’s Blessing is for the whole universe. (15-67, 1965. 2.13

Confucianism

1. Confucian Ethics

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Many of Confucius’ teachings are close to the laws of Heaven. (31:292, June 4, 1970)

Confucianism teaches the principled way of human life. What is its central theme? “As all things proceed according to the way of Heaven through the stages of sprout, growth, harvest and [winter] storage, a person’s character develops by the principles of benevolence (jen), righteousness (i), propriety (li), and wisdom (chih).”23 People should cultivate their character by these principles and so accord with the Way of Heaven. Confucianism thus places character as the standard for the human being, but not necessarily love.

People practice and cultivate benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom in the context of the Three Bonds—[loyalty] between a king and his subjects, [filial piety] between parents and children, and [fidelity] between husband and wife—and the Five Moral Disciplines—closeness between parents and children, righteousness between a king and his subjects, distinction between husband and wife, order between elder an younger brothers, and trust between friends. (296:272, November 10, 1998)

According to Eastern thought, when two people are walking along a road, the older person should go first. Why? Because he came into the world first. There is an attempt to arrange human relationships according to the orderliness of nature. He who comes later walks behind; that which is higher is placed higher; and that which is lower is placed lower… By clearly establishing all relative positions, there is a sense of unchanging order. (168:252, September 27, 1987)

Confucianism teaches the Three Bonds and Five Moral Disciplines.24 The Five Moral Disciplines consist of: closeness between parent and child; righteousness between the king and his subjects; distinction between [husband and wife, order] between elder and younger; trust among friends. The Three Bonds refer to loyalty, filial piety and fidelity. All people should fulfill these essential values.

Providentially, Confucius’ teaching was like the proclamation of the heavenly archangel. Through the elements of Confucian morality, Heaven sought to establish social conditions that would protect against Satan and set up a society resembling the external form of Heaven. (205:179, August 28, 1998)

Who is a son of filial piety? According to Confucianism, he attends his parents with his life out of his deep love for them. What is a loyal subject? He offers himself for the king’s service and even sacrifices his life for his king, who represents Heaven. (143:153, March 17, 1986)

Throughout Korean history, Confucianism taught the duty of filial piety. When the parents passed away, according to custom their children would mourn for three years while living in seclusion on a mountain. They truly had a heart to do so.

What can the Korean people be proud of before the world? Regardless of their position and worldly success, when their parents passed away they abandoned everything to fulfill the duty of filial piety. Confucianism established this good tradition. It was in fact God’s preliminary education for the Korean people to go his way. There can be no objection to it. (181:217, October 3, 1988)

Our relationship with God should be a parent-child relationship. What is the nature of this relationship? It is a vertical relationship. The teachings of Confucianism provide a correct understanding.

Our relationship with God our Father is as undeniable and indisputable as the relationship with our parents. We are our parents’ children: could either physical force or theoretical arguments persuade us otherwise? Likewise, the knowledge that we are born as sons and daughters of God our Heavenly Father cannot be contested by anyone. (198:298, February 5, 1990)

In our individual lives, shouldn’t we relate to Heavenly Father as filial children? As regards the national-level providence, shouldn’t we relate to Him as loyal subjects? The traditional Confucian values—the Three Bonds and the Five Moral Disciplines—make sense. Filial piety and loyalty towards Heavenly Father are based on these traditional values. We cannot be filial children to Heavenly Father if we are not first filial to our parents. We cannot be loyal subjects of Heavenly Father if we do not first demonstrate loyalty to our nation. (7:66, July 12, 1959)

Have You Reached the State Where You Can Guard the Zero Point

Cheon Seong Gyeong 237

Movement occurs when centrifugal and centripetal forces become one. If you reach the state of perfect self-effacement, things will automatically rotate. When you start rotating, the axis goes up. When it comes down, an automatic reaction occurs. So it moves up and down, like taking a breath. When a person in such a perfected form establishes a family in the heavenly world, such a foundation will keep them from falling off. They can eternally live together with True Parents. Thus, when you create resonance in heart with True Parents, this standard of deep experience in life becomes a foundation for the eternal world of heart. Unification Church members live together with True Parents and God. They are born with the love of True Parents. Since love makes an eternal connection, the connection of love cannot be cut. Until the day you die, you cannot forget about love. Even when parents die, they die with a heart of love for their sons and daughters. It is the same with the husband and wife. There is no one who forgets about love before he dies. Love goes beyond death and becomes connected to eternity. This is why you, a man or woman who have received life through love, cannot forget your parents who are the fundamental root of love. If your parents are the root and you are the trunk, your sons and daughters are the buds. When they grow together, they will extend to the realm of the tribe, people and nation. (218-127, 1991.7.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1342

The 36, 72, and 120 Couples are a team; they cannot be separated. The 36 Couples refer to the successive generations of ancestors. The 72 Couples represent their children. The 120 Couples signify the high priests of nations in the world and represent the twelve tribes. They are the branches of these tribes that have spread out into the world. The matter at hand is to unite the ancestors Cain and Abel and the twelve tribes. That is the great work of restoration. (82-237, 1976.1.31)

Buddhism

2. Buddhist Enlightenment

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

When we pray or meditate, as when Buddhists practice Zen, we are seeking a state that is void of self. What is our goal in seeking this state? It is to awaken the elements that can become the nucleus of the mind. If you set that one standard and establish the center of your mind, you will see, hear and cognize everything in accord with the principles of Heaven. Then you can offer a full bow before God and return Him glory. (2:193, May 19, 1957)

Buddhism teaches that one should attain enlightenment and realize one’s self-nature.20 Buddha said, “In heaven and on earth I alone am the honored one.” This means that you reach the state where you know that God exists within you and there is nothing you cannot do. This is the enlightened mind. Your mind is better than a teacher; your mind is your eternal lord. Therefore, you should not have a selfish mind, but a mind to serve the greater good. (133:179, July 10, 1984)

Shakyamuni in his mystical state, when he could declare, “In heaven and on earth, I alone am the honored one,” is far from the normal thinking of ordinary people. When your committed efforts to reach the state of resonance of mind and body awaken your own self, you will attain the state in which you could say: “I am the best under the sun.” (141:235, February 26, 1986)

Where does God dwell? God is the lord of the “zero point.” That is where God wants to dwell—in the “king zero point.” Since God has such a nature, to meet Him you must become even lower than zero. Then you must guard that king zero point. The king zero point is like the mind, and as the flesh surrounds the mind, you should surround and protect the zero point.
Have you reached the state where you can guard the zero point? It is easy to answer “yes,” but in reality it is not easy. Mind you, all religions have been seeking to reach God or a position where we can correspond to God. This is what Buddhist meditation is about—to search the God-like mind for the deepest point. (230:134, May 1, 1992)

3. An Example of Buddhist Wisdom

Subhuti, do not say that the Tathagata conceives the idea: I must set forth a Teaching. For if anyone says that the Tathagata sets forth a Teaching he really slanders Buddha and is unable to explain what I teach. As to any Truth-declaring system, Truth is undeclarable; so “an enunciation of Truth” is just a name given to it.
Diamond Sutra 21

What has been realized by the Tathagatas—that is my own realization, in which there is neither decreasing nor increasing; for the realm of self-realization is free from words and discriminations, having nothing to do with dualistic ways of speaking… For this reason it is stated by me that from the night of the Tathagata’s Enlightenment till the night of his entrance into Nirvana, he has not in the meantime uttered, nor ever will utter, one word. Lankavatara Sutra 61

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
In the Orient there are many statues of Buddha. Does Buddha’s statue ever say a word? It never speaks a word. It neither praises you nor chastises you; it only thinks. That is what makes it worthy of worship. Also, its gaze is always focused at one point, never looking around. When we are focused in the Ultimate, what is the point of looking around at trivial matters? It teaches us that the best way to solve complications of the world is silence. (228:77, March 15, 1992)

He Who Has Laid Aside the Cudgel, Him I Call A Brahmin

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1746

After getting married, the place where husband and wife share true love is the origin of the love, life and lineage of God and humankind. This palace is the start-ing point of God’s Ideal, His kingdom on earth and in heaven. The children born of this true love then achieve conjugal oneness by focusing on true love, form a family that attends God, and become the starting point of peace and the ideal. Man and woman, who are only halves by themselves, unite and complete the ideal love of God as His object partners. (259-45, 1994.3.27)

Richard: The Messiah, Lord of the Second Advent, or returning Lord is the very person, and couple, who teach about absolute sexual ethics; the true role of absolute, unchanging husband-wife love.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1254

Do you like flowers that have no fragrance? People are not so inspired by flowers that do not have any fragrance. Would you claim, “If I were ever to become a flower, I would become a green one”? Have you ever seen a green flower? I have visited many botanical gardens, and I have never seen a green flower. A flower the same color as the leaves would be completely useless. From this you can see that the laws of nature go beyond our comprehension. The example of the green flower is enough to convince you that there is a God. All the leaves in the world are green, so would there be a need for green flowers as well? I have seen only one flower that is sort of green-ish. It is the pepper blossom, but when you look at it more closely, it is actually not green. From the contextual point of view, there are many colors, including red. The color of the flower is differ-ent from the color of the leaves so that they stand out, and when they stand out, they become a part of the harmony in the world of creation. They must stand out to comply with the laws of creation in the harmony of the universe. Our understanding of marriage is so much more magnificent. You cannot help but wonder at the greatness of the Unification Church’s views on marriage. (113-33, 1981.4.26)

Buddhism

Father Moon has the highest respect For Buddhism, a religion that has deeply influenced the culture of his native Korea. he regards the Buddhist teaching and practice of self-denial is at the summit of world religious teachings for recovering our true original self from the mire of our fallen condition. to reach that state of emptiness, what Father Moon calls the “zero point,” is true enlightenment.
In Father Moon’s view Buddhism is lacking two essential points: knowledge of a personal God and full comprehension of the ideal of true love. nevertheless, it was God who taught the buddha and set up Buddhism to give light to the orient. people of all faiths can learn much from Buddhism, particularly about the way of self-denial to overcome false ego and uncover the true self.

1. The Values of Buddhism

The best of paths is the Eightfold Path. The best of truths are the Four Noble Truths. Non-attachment is the best of mental states. The best of human beings is the Seeing One.

This is the only Way. There is no other that leads to the purity of insight. You should follow this path, for this is what bewilders Mara.

Embarking upon that path, you will make an end of pain. I have declared this path after having learned the way for the removal of thorns.
Dhammapada 273-75

Not by matted hair, nor by family, nor by birth does one become a Brahmin. But in whom there exist both truth and righteousness, pure is he, a Brahmin is he.

I do not call him a Brahmin merely because he is born of a Brahmin womb or sprung from a Brahmin mother. Being with impediments, he should address others as “sir.” But he who is free from impediments, free from clinging—him I call a Brahmin.

He who realizes here in this world the destruction of his sorrow, who has laid the burden aside and is emancipated—him I call a Brahmin.

He who has laid aside the cudgel in his dealings with beings, whether feeble or strong, who neither harms nor kills—him I call a Brahmin.

He who is friendly among the hostile, who is peaceful among the violent, who is unattached among the attached—him I call a Brahmin.

In whom lust, hatred, pride, and detraction are fallen off like a mustard seed from the point of a needle—him I call a Brahmin.

Dhammapada 393, 396, 402, 405-07

Even ornamented royal chariots wear out. So too the body reaches old age. But the Dhamma of the Good grows not old. Thus do the Good reveal it among the Good.

Dhammapada 151

What, brethren, is causal happening?

“Conditioned by rebirth is decay and death.”

Whether, brethren, there be an arising of Tathagatas or whether there be no such arising, this nature of things just stands, this causal status, this causal orderliness, the relatedness of this to that.

Samyutta Nikaya 2.25

I pay homage to the Perfection of Wisdom! She is worthy of homage. She is unstained; the entire world cannot stain her. She is a source of light, and from everyone in the triple world she removes darkness, and she leads away from the blinding darkness caused by the defilements and by wrong views. In her we can find shelter. Most excellent are her works. She makes us seek the safety of the wings of Enlightenment. She brings light to the blind; she brings light so that all fear and distress may be forsaken… She is the mother of the Bodhisattvas, on account of the emptiness of her own marks. As the donor of the jewel of all the Buddha-dharmas she brings about the ten powers [of a Buddha]. She cannot be crushed. She protects the unprotected, with the help of the four grounds of self-confidence. She is the antidote to birth-and-death. She has a clear knowledge of the own-being of all dharmas, for she does not stray away from it. The Perfection of Wisdom of the Buddhas, the Lords, sets in motion the Wheel of the Law. Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 7.1

Shamans Are Possessed by Servant-Level Spirits

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2220

We believe in God who wants to realize one world, a world of one purpose. Since God is Jehovah and Lord of all nations, and the center of all centers, when we face Him from afar, we want to be His loyal subjects. We were born for this duty and responsibility. Understand that as we draw near to Him, He becomes our Father to whom we owe the duty of filial piety as His sons and daughters. That is our priority. Only when you have lived like that can you say to God, “If you want to send me to hell, send me there. If you want to send me to Heaven, send me there. Do as you please.” Nobody went to hell after living like that. (154-314, 1964.10.5)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1189

Cain represents Satan’s side. It is the position of the elder brother. Abel represents God’s side. This is the battle. Originally, God would have loved the first-born son, and then the younger son. Due to the Fall, the first son, Cain, stands on Satan’s side. He belongs to Satan’s side. In order to save him, God designated Abel. God designates Abel to restore the right of the firstborn son. This cannot be achieved by force; you have to inspire people by love. You have to achieve restoration by melting them with love. If you cannot stand in the position of having loved them, if you cannot win their heart through offering your love, then you will not be in a position to truly love your own son or daughter. As viewed from God’s ideal of creation, the first-born son was originally to be loved first rather than the second child. (140-38, 1986.2.1)

Shamanism, Polytheism and Animism

1. Worship of Nature Deities

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

God instructs all people, from the most primitive to the most advanced, by means appropriate to their level. Thus, in the primitive religions of the past, God taught people to worship the things of creation, such as rocks and trees, as substitutes for God. This was the origin of shamanism. In this way God could teach the people and guide the direction of their lives. (91:271, February 27, 1977)

Shamans are possessed by servant-level spirits, confined within the realm of the fall. Yet through their revelations they can sometimes give accurate information from the spirit world to earthly people. There are groups of people on this earth who connect with the spirit world in this way. (76:95, February 1, 1975)

The spirit world is the world of angels. Why do the angels of the spirit world want to relate to the human world as gods? You have heard about shamanism, fortunetelling, superstition and such. They are religious forms in which there is not clear discernment of good and evil. As God leads the providence through religions, Satan also prepared religious forms to guard his world.

In general, more than eighty percent of fortunetellers are women. Who do they contact? At the time of the Fall, the archangel led Eve and caused her to bring evil into the world. Likewise, during the course of restoration the same path is repeated: angels in the spirit world come down to the earth to lead and teach women, uniting with them. Hence, a shaman’s or fortuneteller’s work is to follow the direction and teachings of angels—but this time for good. (76:95, February 1, 1975)

In the development of history, we see that there was always some sort of faith. The birth of faith lay in ancient beliefs that modern people would call superstition. For example, when people saw a big tree, they revered it. When they saw a magnificent mountain, they revered it. Although most people do not recognize them, guardian deities actually exist in those places. (176:287, May 13, 1988)

People in ancient times had a close relationship with nature. Then the natural world and the spirit world were close to human beings—not distant and foreign as they are to people living in modern times. When people entered a grove of giant trees, they looked at them reverently and thought, “For thousands of years these trees have been here; through countless cycles of quickening in spring and dying in autumn they remain unchanged; their shade makes a pleasant environment for all creatures.” Observing them, they recognized that they were deficient in many aspects, and so they worshipped tall trees, great rocks and high mountains.

They saw tall persimmon trees, thick with foliage in the summer and bare in the winter. With the arrival of spring their branches sprouted with new life: first buds, then blossoms, and finally delicious and fragrant fruit. They marveled at this, and sensed that those trees were better than they.

Where is the fragrance in human existence? Do humans give off a fragrance that beautifies their surroundings, attracting birds and insects to nest in their branches? No. Compared to nature, man is humbled and recognizes his inadequacy. (November 4, 1990)

History knows that this is the age when the sun rises in the East. All people are turning in the direction of the light and lighting their own lamps. Some are doing it centering on God, but others are centering on low-level spirits. Even shamans are receiving the light based on their spiritual senses and experiences. Between shamans and non-believers, who is better? Believing in even low-level spirits is better than having no faith at all. (194:315, October 30, 1989)

God Wanted to See One Family Under God

Cheon Seong Gyeong 435

What on earth are parents? Why can the strongest, most intelligent son in the world not ignore his parents, even if they are a burden? Why can he not control them with just one finger or do whatever he wants? You should know this. Since he is the strongest and most clever, he could say, “Hey, you!” and challenge them with his wits, but he cannot do that. Where is the origin of love? Where does love come from? From yourself? No. Love comes from parents. This is because the origin of love is not you, but your parents. There can be no result without a cause. So you know that when it comes to love, you are not the owner.
So when you come before your parents, you should say, “Yes, Mother and Father, you are right.” When your parents remind you, “No matter how great your reputation is and how powerful you may be, you cannot do things that deviate from your duty to your mother and father,” you will reply, “Yes, yes, yes, Mother and Father, you are right.” Why? Because of love. It is because parents are the subject partners, and children are the object partners. The subject partner serves the object partner, and the object partner follows the subject partner. This is the Principle of Heaven. When this principle is breached, that house will collapse and end up worth-less. However ignorant or uneducated a person may be, he knows the Principle of Heaven because he is born in accordance with heavenly nature. Therefore, even the strongest champion has to bow his head to his parents. (50-134, 1971.11.6)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1265

When the Messiah comes to earth, he will come as an individual and yet he is not just an individual. He is the fruition of the faith and devotion of the whole of humanity, the fruition of the desires of the whole of humanity, and the fruition of the love yearned for by the whole world. He is the fruition to which all courses of history are connect-ed. To put it simply, he is connected to the past, present and future. He is connected from the individual to the family, tribe, people, nation, world, and heaven and earth. (13-143, 1964.1.1)

Everyone Has the Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion

3. Community and Solidarity among Religions

As far as I know, God is not sectarian. He is not restricted by minor details of doctrine. We should quickly liberate ourselves from theological conflict which results from blind attachment to doctrines and rituals, and instead focus on living relationships with God.

In my view, we urgently need to purify the religious atmosphere into one in which believers can have living faith and every soul can communicate with God. In God’s parental heart and His great love, there is no discrimination based on color or nationality. There are no barriers between cultural traditions, between East and West, North and South. Today God is trying to embrace the whole of humankind as His children. Through interreligious dialogue and harmony we should realize one ideal world of peace, which is God’s purpose of creation and the common hope of humankind. (135:221, November 16, 1985)

Despite all efforts to the contrary, divisions and animosities among various religious groups continue. Religious wars are still being waged, as they have been for centuries. In spite of various ecumenical movements, religious arrogance, intolerance, and bigotry are still prevalent among devout believers. Thus, although most religions have professed the same God and often even the same views for centuries, their adherents have continually persecuted and warred with one another.

God is beyond denomination, doctrine or sect. God’s purpose is and always has been to save the entire world, and not merely a certain race, nation, or religious group. As religious people, we cannot help God in the task of salvation as long as we fight among ourselves. Many religious leaders have realized this, but for numerous complex reasons their attempts to solve this problem have been repeatedly frustrated.

One of my essential teachings is that interreligious harmony is a necessary condition for world peace. Since no single religion has manifested God completely, religious differences have been inevitable. Yet because we are all sons and daughters of the same Heavenly Parent, we are all brothers and sisters in one great family. Therefore, conflict and divisive hatred among religions is unnecessary. (133:274-75, August 13, 1984)

Is God alienated from the world? No, God strives to save the world. Nevertheless, each religion cherishes its own believers but does not care so much about other people. Look at Islam: it tries to save the world, but it puts itself first. It is likewise with Buddhism: so far its adherents have not been active in going out to society. (99:17, August 27, 1978)

It was not God’s original purpose to establish Hinduism, or Buddhism, or Christianity. God wanted to see from the beginning one family under God. (March 2, 2003)

In the Orient, people go in search of the state of Emptiness or No-self. Therefore, they look for quiet places where they can release their attachments to worldly things. In the West, on the other hand, people make efforts seeking for money and material things. Therefore they want quick results, and their eyes become large… Oriental people are small, with small eyes [that look into the distance], noses and everything. Their legs are short, too. From this, we see that the West is external and the East is internal.

One of Satan’s goals is to permanently separate the internal from the external. God, on the other hand, tries to link the internal and external in a harmonious relationship. Thus we can foresee that when the West tries to unite with the East, God’s day of fulfillment is near. This is gradually coming to pass. (118:46, May 2, 1982)

The purpose of religion is to lead us to a united world. Although different religions have different names for God and different ways of worshipping Him, the central Being each religion worships is the one and only God. Therefore, the purposes and directions for human life taught by each religion inevitably converge towards one standard. Ultimately, each religion has to manage its own path in order that all religions may enter the era of reformation at the same time. (140:10, February 1, 1986)

With the progress of God’s providence, we witness that already in the spirit world there are no barriers between the four major religions at the level of their founders. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and Confucius communicate freely with each other and often visit each other’s realms. Because I know these things well, I strongly encouraged all clergy… to transcend their denominations and sects and to unite as one. (May 8, 2001)

When all religions are as one family—living in one accord, cooperating as one body and treasuring the same idea—then all will be liberated. In that day, self-cultivation will no longer be necessary. (393:183, October 3, 2002)