Cheon Seong Gyeong 2083
The paths of the North and the South are crossing now. Because the two are going in opposite directions, one wanting to go south and the other wanting to go north, their goals are different. The issue of how to unite is a serious one. Who is to take the lead in this mission? The North will object if the South takes the lead, and the South will object if the North takes the lead. Breakdown will occur again if each one adheres to its own way. The question is how to approach this issue. There must be a Korean who loves North Korea more than anyone else in the South. That is the only solution. The plan for unification can come about only through someone who is more loyal than anyone else in the South and someone who is more loyal than anyone else in the North. Is there any other way? There is not. (61-125, 1972.8.13)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1424
Without a nation, there can be no nationality. Without a nation, there can be no foundation upon which you can be registered. We need to create a new nation of people, and be newly registered. We have to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and, as its citizens, love the kingdom and its people, live on earth together with our tribes and family members, and be the victorious sons and daughters who have inherited the true lineage of the parents of goodness. Only after doing so can we enter the Kingdom of Heaven in the spirit world. This is the teaching of the Divine Principle. (58-143, 1972.5.22)
Asceticism, Monasticism and Celibacy
ASPIRANTS WHO WISH TO COMPLETELY SEVER themselves from worldly life may adopt the secluded and sometimes solitary life of a monk or nun. In Buddhism and Jainism, and in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, the highest religious vocations require celibacy—monks, nuns and priests. Asceticism also abounds in Hinduism, where in addition to life-long ascetics, there is the tradition that brahmins would spend the last years of their lives as solitary ascetics devoting themselves to the goal of liberation. Christian monasticism took institutional form in order to provide a supportive setting for those who wished to take vows of poverty and chastity, who valued the love of Christ which surpasses the love of women.
There is no monasticism in Islam. Nevertheless, Muslims practice asceticism on a wide scale with the month-long fast of Ramadan. Fasting and all-night prayer vigils attack the body’s desire for food and sleep. They are examples of ascetic practices within everyone’s reach, unlike traditional monasticism which is practiced only by a spiritual elite. In Thailand and Sri Lanka, Buddhist young men usually devote six months to monastic training before embarking on family life.
In line with his teaching on subduing the desires of the body, Father Moon praises monasticism for its devotion to attaining mind-body unity. Nevertheless, a tension exists between the path of the celibate priest and the family ideal that God purposed at the creation. Hence, at the end of this section are passages critical of the monastic life; such are found in nearly every tradition where it is practiced: asceticism can lead to an overly severe personality devoid of compassion; monasticism is incompatible with the generative and productive life of the world which is ordained by God. Father Moon’s teaching points to the deeper problem that led God to institute the path of celibacy and asceticism in the first place: the corruption of marriage at the Human Fall. In the final passages, he describes the dawning of a new age in which marriage is restored to its original estate and there is no more need for the discipline of celibacy. While celibacy was a true and noble path in past ages, the time has come for religion to exalt marriage above the celibate life. Indicative of this sea-change is the decline of monasticism and celibacy that is being felt all over the religious world.
- The Ascetic Life of a Monk or Nun
The blue-necked peacock which flies through the air never approaches the speed of the swan. Similarly, the householder can never resemble the monk who is endowed with the qualities of the sage, who meditates, aloof, in the jungle.
Sutta Nipata 221 (Buddhism)
Go on the begging tour, stay in a forest, eat but a little, speak only measured words, put up with misery, conquer sleep, practice friendship with all and non-attachment in an excellent manner.
Vattakera, Mulacara 981 (Jainism) Continue reading “Monasticism Emphasized the Love of Christ Over the Love of Women”