Category: Eight Great Textbooks

The Universe is an Expansion of the Family

The Richard Urban Show #57
The Family Rooted in Absolute Sexual Ethics-2-With Andrew Derricutt

WV Elections 2020:
Interview with Elliot Simon
Republican Candidate for WV House of Delegates-District 67

Cheon Seong Gyeong 441

What is the universe? It is an expan-
sion of the family. If you look at a fam-
ily that has completely realized the ideal
of family love, it has a top, middle and
bottom (parents, husband and wife, and
children), left and right, and front and
back. This is the principle. So when we
talk about top and bottom we mean the
parents and children, when we talk about
left and right we mean the husband and
wife, and when we talk about front and
back we mean the brothers and sisters.
Through what do they all become one? It
doesn’t happen through power, knowl-
edge or money. Then what can bring
it about? It is love. This is an absolute
truth. Otherwise the sphere cannot be
formed. Then what are the top, middle
and bottom in our family? They are a
textbook of love. They are a textbook of
love through which we can encounter
universal love. Go out into society and
put it into practice. How should we love?
Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as your-
self.” How should we follow this teach-
ing? We are not sure. When you go out
into the world and meet a grandfather,
treat him as your own grandfather. Treat
people like your own mothers, like your
own fathers or like your own sons. When
you go out into the world you should all
live like this. The people of the top, mid-
dle and bottom, front and back, and left
and right are all displayed in the exhibi-
tion hall of the world. You should know
that the world is an exhibition of people.
If you can love everyone with such love,
God will dwell in the midst of that love.
(128-22, 1983.5.29)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 1300

The Blessed Families that are unit-
ed with my family make up a new tribe.
As time progresses, they will grow in
number and form a new race. Further
expansion will bring forth a new nation,
and finally a new world. In other words,
a new race, the race of the third Israel
will be formed. For example, it is part
of the work of the Unification Church
to enable Japanese people to become
those who will inherit the new realm
of the lineage of God, instead of merely
remaining as those who inherit the lin-
eage of their historical Japanese ances-
tors. (22-197, 1969.2.2)

The Passage Beyond

  1. The Second Birth

The Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

It is natural to want to resemble God, and for God to want His children to resemble Him. Therefore, there should be a way for God to bring us to where He is. It is inevitable that humans should be reborn as beings that resemble God. Both God and human beings look forward to that day of our rebirth. How does that happen? Through death.
     Then, shouldn’t human beings welcome death? We die to experience God’s true love. Discarding the physical body enables us to participate in the infinite realm of God’s activity, and contribute to the world of God’s love.
     Death is to be born in the midst of God’s love! Yet earthly people grieve over death. Does this make God laugh or cry? You should understand that death is the moment of your second birth. It is a joyful moment when you leave the finite realm of love and enter the infinite realm of love.
     On which day is God happier, the day of your physical birth or the day when you are born as God’s son or daughter to live and love in the infinite world? Why am I saying this? Unless you are liberated from the fear of death, you cannot establish a relationship with God. (116:172, January 1, 1982)
 
Humans grow through three stages: formation, growth and completion. Likewise, they pass through three different worlds: the water world where they float in the mother’s womb, the earth world where they walk, and the air world where they can fly. Hence, we live three lives: 10 months in the womb, 100 years of life on earth, and eternal life in the spirit world. (297:257, December 19, 1998)
 
While in the womb you breathed through the umbilical cord. Meanwhile, your nostrils, a pipeline to the air, were being prepared so that you could breathe after you were born into the physical world. Likewise, while you live in the earthly world, what should you do to prepare for the next? You should experience love. You should breathe the ‘air’ of love from your father and mother. As you grow, you should pass through all the stages of love as a sibling, husband and wife, parent and grandparent.
     The moment you were born, your life was destined to end. When it does, the body will be dissolved. Then, just as you were born as an infant, on the day you die you will experience a new birth as an infant.
     What happens in that birth? You are pushed out of the world of the second womb and connected to the breathing organ for your third life, to breathe love. You are pushed out of the womb, a world where you experienced the love of your parents and siblings, to enter a new world of love where you will harmonize with the original Being, the God of the great universe.
     The spirit world is filled with the air of love. The air of love! That is why, while you live on earth, you should be installing that pipeline you will depend upon to breathe love. Know that if you have spiritual experiences and feel spiritual love—if you are able to breathe the air of love—you shall not die. (139:213-14, January 31, 1986)
 
We cannot remember how difficult it was for our mother to give birth to us. Why did God make birthing so difficult? Why isn’t it as easy as speaking or eating? The reason why God made giving birth a life-risking experience for the mother is because He wants her to see His radiant love.
     In electricity, there is something called a current spike. The instant a switch is turned on, a twenty or thirty-fold burst of electricity flows through the circuit. By the same token, the moment when human beings are desperate, they generate an explosive amount of energy. A mother gives birth a death-like state with her eyes popping out, as if heaven and earth were being destroyed. Then the baby utters its first loud cry, and her eyes open wide; she totally forgets her pain. Having given birth in such pain, the mother naturally loves her child more than anything.
     How difficult is it to be born? The amniotic sack that was our home breaks. The placenta that had nourished us is cast off. Yet these events are not disastrous; they are rather fortunate, for the sake of our happiness. Yet we do not realize that it was a new beginning of life until after the birth was over…
     Again the time comes, after living our earthly life, to kick away from this physical plane and depart for a new world. Nevertheless, as a fetus does not want to leave the safety of its mother’s womb, we would rather continue to live on earth. We do not want to die. Death comes, and once again we go through a big tumult.
     Yet we will be born into the spirit world, an infinite world. We will escape from the bounds of time and space, able to travel instantly from one end of the spirit world to the other, faster than the speed of light. (107:42, January 20, 1980)
 
 
 

This Perishable Nature Must Put on the Imperishable

WV Elections 2020:
Interview with Elliot Simon
Republican Candidate for WV House of Delegates-District 67

Luke 11

52 You teachers of the Law of Moses are really in for trouble! You carry the keys to the door of knowledge about God. But you never go in, and you keep others from going in.

Psalm 41

3 You always heal them
and restore their strength
    when they are sick.

The Passage Beyond

At the moment of death, the passage into the next life is a nearly impenetrable mystery. published accounts of near-death experiences by people who have been resuscitated from clinical death may give a clue. they report passing through a tunnel into another world, meeting a being of light, and feeling great warmth and accepting love. While these people did not, by definition, die, they may have experienced the first stage of the passage. Who can know how it ends?
     What can be known with some certainty is that there is survival after death. in fact, many people who die do not at first realize that they are dead, as they continue to experience themselves as conscious, sentient beings.
     Physical death is but a transition to a higher stage of existence. it is the putting on of a new body, like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Father Moon calls it a second birth, by analogy to the birth of an infant who must leave the comfortable world of the womb. as the womb nourished the fetus until birth, when it is destroyed and the baby leaves it for life on the earth, the physical body nourishes the soul until death, when it expires and the soul departs for life in the spirit world. hence there are three stages of life: in the water-world of the womb, in the air-world of earthly existence, and in the spirit world where we breathe an atmosphere of love.
     Therefore, death is not something to be feared. on the other side it is celebrated as the soul’s birthday. the chief issue is whether we have adequately prepared our soul with the spiritual faculties to exist comfortably in that world. there, nothing matters but one’s ability to love.

  1. The Second Birth

1. The Second Birth
For this perishable nature must put on the imper-
ishable, and this mortal nature must put on
immortality. When the perishable puts on the
imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?”
1 Corinthians 15.53-55

 

One who identifies himself with his soul regards
bodily transmigration of his soul at death fear-
lessly, like changing one cloth for another.
Pujyapada, Samadhishataka 77 (Jainism)

Look upon life as a swelling tumor, a protruding
goiter, and upon death as the draining of a sore
or the bursting of a boil.
Chuang Tzu 6 (Taoism)

Have you seen the seed which you emit?
Is it you who create it, or are We the Creator?
We have decreed death to be your common lot,
and We are not to be frustrated from changing
your forms
and creating you again in forms that you know
not.
And you certainly know already the first form
of creation:
Why then do you not celebrate His praises?
Qur’an 56.58-62

There is birth, there is death, there is issuing
forth, there is entering in. That through which
one passes in and out without seeing its form—
that is the Portal of God.
Chuang Tzu 23 (Taoism)

The world beyond is as different from this world
as this world is different from that of the child
while still in the womb of its mother. When the
soul attains the Presence of God, it will assume
the form that best befits its immortality and is
worthy of its celestial habitation.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 81
(Baha’i Faith)

The silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl
is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the foun-
tain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the
dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit
returns to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12.6-7

As a man passes from dream to wakefulness, so
does he pass from this life to the next.
     When a man is about to die, the subtle
body, mounted by the intelligent self, groans—
as a heavily laden cart groans under its burden.
     When his body becomes thin through old
age or disease, the dying man separates himself
from his limbs, even as a mango or a fig or a
banyan fruit separates itself from its stalk, and
by the same way that he came he hastens to his
new abode, and there assumes another body, in
which to begin a new life.
     When his body grows weak and he becomes
apparently unconscious, the dying man gathers
his senses about him and, completely withdrawing
their powers, descends into his heart. No more
does he see form or color without.
     He neither sees, nor smells, nor tastes. He
does not speak, he does not hear. He does not
think, he does not know. For all the organs,
detaching themselves from his physical body,
unite with his subtle body. Then the point of
his heart, where the nerves join, is lighted by
the light of the Self, and by that light he departs
either through the eye, or through the gate of
the skull, or through some other aperture of the
body. When he thus departs, life departs; and
when life departs, all the functions of the vital
principle depart. The Self remains conscious,
and, conscious, the dying man goes to his abode.
The deeds of this life, and the impressions they
leave behind, follow him.
      As a caterpillar, having reached the end of
a blade of grass, takes hold of another blade and
draws itself to it, so the Self, having left behind
it [a body] unconscious, takes hold of another
body and draws himself to it.
     As a goldsmith, taking an old gold
ornament, molds it into another, newer and
more beautiful, so the Self, having given up the
body and left it unconscious, takes on a new and
better form, either that of the Fathers, or that of
the Celestial Singers, or that of the gods, or that
of other beings, heavenly or earthly.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.34-4.4.4 (Hinduism)

WV Elections 2020:
Interview with Elliot Simon
Republican Candidate for WV House of Delegates-District 67

Cheon Seong Gyeong 491

f I were to ask those of you who are
middle-aged or older, “When you were
young and looking for a spouse, did you
want to find someone better or worse
than you?” you would all give the same
answer: “Someone better”. No matter
whom you ask, in the East or West, you
will hear the same response. Similarly,
in the relationship between parents and
children, parents never want their chil-
dren to be second-rate. For example, if a
good-looking couple marries and has a
baby who is nowhere near as good-look-
ing as the parents, the couple still wants
to hear praise about the appearance of
their child. (77-102, 1975.4.1)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1272

In what way can you connect to
the heart of God? You cannot connect
with His heart through logic. It is only
through the lineage that you can con-
nect with Him. Have you all inherited
the lineage of the heart of God? You
didn’t know about that until now. That
is why before you have to go through
the ceremony of converting the lineage
to receive the Blessing. At the time of
the ceremony, you must reach a state of
nothingness, feeling that you have noth-
ing. You have to reach the state where
you feel you do not have a body. You
should have a firm conviction that the
point where the blood and flesh of the
True Parents can be inherited begins
with yourself. (180-159, 1988.8.22)

Dreams

Dreams are one means that God uses to reveal Himself. Hence, dreams may give important revelations… some dreams are correct and come true.
     Because of the Human Fall, we belong to the satanic lineage or bloodline. As we move about, that satanic blood circulates through our bodies. It stirs up like muddy water in a glass tube. However, when we sleep the body is at rest, and the blood circulation slows. It can be compared to the sediment settling to the bottom of the tube and clear water rising to the top. Then our original, clear mind can be touched by Heaven. This is why revelations usually come through dreams. At that time, God may teach us using images and symbols.
     How do you distinguish whether a particular dream is just a random dream, a revelation from God or an image from Satan? Satanic dreams do not have a clear picture, direction, or central theme. They are jumbled, and when you get up you easily forget them. In contrast, a heavenly dream is coherent and contains a clear theme. It often continues a message from one dream to the next. If you have consistent dreams three nights in a row, then you should recognize it as a revelation from God. A heavenly dream will be so clear in your mind that you will recall it vividly when you wake up. You do not forget it, because God and human beings are meant to be united for eternity.
     On the other hand, satanic dreams are quickly forgotten because any relationship with Satan is temporary. They do not sway those of you who remain in constant contact with the good spirit world, because you have experienced heavenly dreams and know how to recognize them. Still, you are beset by nightmares and temptations from Satan’s world. Psychologists call them manifestations of the subconscious. Still, they are easily forgotten. They are not like dreams from God, which are vivid, unexpected and unforgettable. (91:272-75, February 27, 1977)
 
Don’t ignore revelations or dreams. Pray and make sincere devoted efforts to receive such experi-ences. How to adapt them to our real lives, and how to apply them to the practical reality: this is most important in a life of faith. (76:153, February 2, 1975)
 
First you may have a premonition (amshi). For instance, while casually walking down the street, you see a sitting bird on the wall of a house suddenly fly away in front of you. You sense something unusual; it is an indirect hint that something special is about to happen.
     The next stage is to have unusual dreams (mongshi). They are not like the dreams you normally have in a deep sleep. Saint Paul experienced the third heaven in a dream-like state. Never let such an experience slip by. You should, instead, put it all together and analyze it from a scientific perspective, seeking to understand its meaning for you. When it can speak to you about what direction you should take, you will definitely see a result. These unforgettable dreams are 100 percent accurate. Have such experiences in your life.
     If you reach that level, what will happen next? You will receive a revelation (gyeshi) or a direction (jishi). Revelations require interpretation but directions do not; that is the difference between the two. God can teach you through a voice or a vision. You may have a vision of a pair of deer drinking water at a brook and looking at the distant mountains on a beautiful spring day; this is a very good sign that something good might happen. Soon after you have the vision, a corresponding event will occur; it is never a coincidence. Through this, God is cultivating the field of your heart.
     Beyond the stage of revelations, you will reach the stage of trance (mookshi).14 A trance is like traveling to the spirit world and experiencing its wonders. When you can connect to that world, you can even arrive at the realm of God’s feelings. Treasure all these experiences, and apply their lessons to your life. Your life of faith is precious, and you should cultivate it.
     Finally, you reach the point where you can experience the great resultant world of God in your daily life. At this stage, God’s instructions will be in your mind. You try to talk pleasantries to someone, but you cannot speak. You want to say a few words of encouragement, but instead you utter a reproach. When such incomprehensible phenomena take place, you must learn to control the situation. Otherwise, people might think you are insane. (76:130-35, February 2, 1975)
 
 

Happy Are the Righteous to Whom God Reveals His Secrets in Dreams

The Richard Urban Show #55
The Family Rooted in Absolute Sexual Ethics-Part 1 with Stacey Urban

WV Elections 2020:
Interview with Mary Ann Claytor-Democratic Candidate for Auditor

1 Corinthians 16

13 Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong. 14 Show love in everything you do.

Lamentations 1

21 Everyone heard my groaning,
    but no one offered comfort.
My enemies know of the trouble
that you have brought on me,
    and it makes them glad.
Hurry and punish them,
    as you have promised.

Dreams

Between this world and the next is the world of dreams. Not all dreams are spiritual, but some definitely are, and they are often the most vivid and memorable. During such a dream, the spirit leaves the body for a time and mounts up into the spirit world, where it experiences various phenomena. some of these are of God and convey meaningful messages. other dreams are encounters with low or evil spirits; these include nightmares, sexual dreams and the like. these passages describe the spiritual process of dreaming and give instructions on how to discern whether a dream is from God. through a dream God can reveal life-changing information and guidance, as he did to Jacob and Joseph in the bible. thus, paying attention to significant dreams is an important discipline of the religious life.

Jacob… came to a certain place, and stayed there
that night, because the sun had set. Taking one
of the stones of the place, he put it under his
head and lay down in that place to sleep. And
he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and
behold, the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it! And behold, the l ord stood
above it and said, “I am the l ord , the God of
Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the
land on which you lie I will give to you and to
your descendants… Behold, I am with you and
will keep you wherever you go, and will bring
you back to this land; for I will not leave you
until I have done that of which I have spoken
to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and
said, “Surely the l ord is in this place; and I did
not know it.”
Genesis 28.10-16

When a man lies down in bed, his soul leaves
him and begins to mount on high, leaving with
the body only the impression of a receptacle
which contains the heartbeat. The rest of it tries
to soar from grade to grade, and in doing so it
encounters certain bright but unclean essences.
If the soul is pure and has not defiled itself by
day, it rises above them, but if not, it becomes
defiled among them and cleaves to them and
does not rise any further. There they show it
certain things which are going to happen in
the near future, and sometimes they delude her
and show it false things. Thus it goes about the
whole night until the man wakes up, when it
returns to its place.
Happy are the righteous to whom God
reveals His secrets in dreams, so that they may
be on their guard against sin! Woe to the sinners
who defile their bodies and their souls! As for
those who have not defiled themselves during
the day, when they fall asleep at night their souls
begin to ascend, and first enter those grades
which we have mentioned, but they do not
cleave to them and continue to mount further.
The soul thus privileged to rise finally appears
before the gate of the celestial palace, and
yearns with all its might to behold the beauty
of the King and to visit His sanctuary… Thus
it is written, “With my soul have I desired Thee
in the night (Isaiah 26:9),” to pursue after Thee
and not to be enticed away after false powers.
Zohar 1.83a (Judaism)

God takes the souls of men at death; and those
that die not He takes during their sleep. Those
on whom He has passed the decree of death He
keeps back, but the rest He returns to their bod-
ies for a term appointed. Verily in this are signs
for those who reflect.
Qur’an 39.42

While one is in the dream state, the golden,
self-luminous being, the Self within, makes the
body to sleep, though He Himself remains for-
ever awake and watches by his own light the
impressions of deeds that have been left upon
the mind. Thereafter, associating Himself again
with the consciousness of the sense organs, the
Self causes the body to awake.

While one is in the dream state, the golden, self-
luminous being, the Self within, the Immortal
One, keeps alive the house of flesh with the help
of the vital force, but at the same time walks
out of this house. The Eternal goes wherever He
desires.

The self-luminous being assumes manifold
forms, high and low, in the world of dreams. He
may seem to be enjoying the pleasure of love,
or laughing with friends, or looking at terrifying
sights. Everyone is aware of the experiences; no
one sees the Experiencer.

Some say that dreaming is but another form
of waking, for what a man experiences while
awake he experiences again in his dreams. Be
that as it may, the Self, in dreams, shines by Its
own light…

The Self, having in dreams enjoyed the pleasures
of sense, gone hither and thither, experienced
good and evil, hastens back to the state of
waking from which he started.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.11-16 (Hinduism)

Once upon a time, Chuang Tzu dreamed that
he was a butterfly, a butterfly fluttering about,
enjoying itself. It did not know that it was
Chuang Tzu. Suddenly he awoke with a start
and he was Chuang Tzu again. But he did not
know whether he was Chuang Tzu who had
dreamed that he was a butterfly, or whether he
was a butterfly dreaming that he was Chuang
Tzu. Between Chuang Tzu and the butterfly
there must be some distinction. This is what is
called the transformation of things.
Chuang Tzu 2 (Taoism)

If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord
make myself known to him in a vision, I speak
with him in a dream.
Numbers 12.6-7

God’s messenger said, “A believer’s vision is a
forty-sixth part of prophecy, and what pertains
to prophecy cannot be false.” He held that
visions were of three types: ideas which come
from within, terrifying dreams caused by the
devil, and good news from God; so when one
sees anything he dislikes he should not tell it to
anyone, but should get up and pray.
Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim (Islam)

The vision flutters over a man as long as it is not
interpreted, but when it is interpreted it settles.
Tell it only to one who loves him or one who has
judgment.
Hadith of Abu Dawud (Islam)

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream,
and there is no one who can interpret it; and
I have heard it said of you that when you hear
a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered
Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh
a favorable answer.” Then Pharaoh said to
Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing
on the banks of the Nile; and seven cows, fat
and sleek, came up out of the Nile and fed in
the reed grass; and seven other cows came up
after them, poor and very gaunt and thin, such
as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. And
the thin and gaunt cows ate up the first seven
fat cows, but when they had eaten them no one
would have known that they had eaten them,
for they were still as gaunt as at the beginning.
Then I awoke. I also saw in my dream seven ears
growing on one stalk, full and good; and seven
ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east
wind, sprouted after them, and the thin ears
swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told
it to the magicians, but there was no one who
could explain it to me.”
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream
of Pharaoh is one; God has revealed to Pharaoh
what he is about to do. The seven good cows are
seven years, and the seven good ears are seven
years; the dream is one. The seven lean and
gaunt cows that came up after them are seven
years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the
east wind are also seven years of famine. It is
as I told Pharaoh, God has shown to Pharaoh
what he is about to do. There will come seven
years of great plenty throughout all the land of
Egypt, but after them there will arise seven years
of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten
in the land of Egypt; the famine will consume
the land, and the plenty will be unknown in the
land by reason of that famine which will follow,
for it will be very grievous. And the doubling of
Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by
God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Genesis 41.15-32

We Must Know How to Prepare for Life in the Spirit World

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The Family Rooted in Absolute Sexual Ethics-Part 1 with Stacey Urban

WV Elections 2020:
Interview with Mary Ann Claytor-Democratic Candidate for Auditor

Cheon Seong Gyeong 780

In this way, the Seunghwa Cere-
mony came to be held in the Unifica-
tion Church. It is a ceremony of going
beyond death and onward to joy. Those
who go through the Seunghwa Ceremo-
ny 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 understand this.
The Seunghwa Ceremony began with
Heung-jin. (212-96, 1991.1.2)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1355

What is the second Seven-Year
Course? It is a period during which
your families must become Abel fami-
lies. In order to fulfill that responsibili-
ty, you must restore Cain families. What
do you form when Abel families restore
Cain families? You form tribes. You
must become tribal messiahs. The 430
Couples are tribal messiahs. This means
to be global. In this way, all conditions
should be met. (34-104, 1970.8.29)

Preparation for Eternity

4. The Finality of Death

You can climb up the mountain and down again;
you can stroll around the valley and return; but
you cannot go to God and return.
Nupe Proverb (African Traditional Religions)

The untrustworthy lord of death
Waits not for things to be done or undone;
Whether I am sick or healthy,
This fleeting life span is unstable.

Leaving all I must depart alone.
But through not having understood this
I committed various kinds of evil
For the sake of my friends and foes.

Yet my foes will become nothing.
My friends will become nothing.
I too will become nothing.

Likewise all will become nothing.
Just like a dream experience,
Whatever things I enjoy
Will become a memory.
Whatever has passed will not be seen again.

Even within this brief life
Many friends and foes have passed,
But whatever unbearable evil I committed for
them
Remains ahead of me…
While I am lying in bed,
Although surrounded by my friends and
relatives,
The feeling of life being severed
Will be experienced by me alone.

When seized by the messengers of death,
What benefit will friends and relatives afford?
My merit alone shall protect me then,
But upon that I have never relied.
Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
2.33-41 (Buddhism)

Teachings of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon

No friends accompany you on the path of death. You journey without your beloved parents, beloved brothers, beloved spouse or beloved children. You journey all alone. Once you go down that path, you can never return. With what kind of heart will you make the journey?
If you do not have hope that you can overcome death, when you meet your death it will be the end. The numerous people who believed and followed God’s Will did not retreat before death. Rather, they mocked death and overcame it with dignity. Throughout history, such people exalted the way of Heaven.
Each one of you likewise has to maintain hope to overcome the death that awaits you. You should aspire to stand before God with dignity at the end of your journey. You should be able to run with joy to the heavenly world, the original homeland your heart desperately longs for. Then you will conquer death. (6:53, March 22, 1959)

It is not enough to live with a vague belief in the existence of the spirit world. On earth we must know how to prepare for life in the spirit world, where whether we like it or not, we shall live for eternity. Once we know, we should thoroughly prepare ourselves for that day. A child who develops a problem while in the womb will suffer after his birth from a handicap that lasts his entire life. So too, if we fail to recognize Heaven’s Will during our short life on earth and commit sin or carry out evil deeds, we will eventually pay the price in the spirit world according to the universal principle of cause and effect. In the spirit world our souls will have to suffer indescribable pain and make many efforts at atonement. Yet once we shed our physical body, it will be too late.
When the physical body dies, it returns to the earth as a handful of dirt, but do you think that our life, our mind, our heart, and our hopes are also buried? It is absolutely not so. Our 100-year-long life is recorded, photographed and automatically evaluated without fail in our personal supercomputer, built by God, called the spirit self. This is why all of us, during life on earth, should stop and check ourselves again and again, and ask our unsteady mind and heart: “Where are you going?” (May 1, 2004)