Tag: Conscience

Keep Your Conscience Clear

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 343

Where does true love begin? True love
begins in True Parents. This is the best
news among all good news. Although
there may be some good news declared
in the world, and although “husband”
and “wife” are good words, there is no
better news than that of True Parents.
This is because without the appearance
of True Parents, no true husband or wife
can appear in the fallen world. You must
understand this clearly. (131-187, 1984.5.1)

What does it mean for you to serve
with all your heart, with your entire
mind, and with all your devotion? It
means to offer your life. Is there any-
thing greater than that? To devote your-
self with all your heart means giving up
your life. To serve with all your mind
and devotion means giving up your life.
Isn’t there a saying, “Sincerity moves
heaven?” Is there a limit to sincerity, an
end to one’s devotion? Put your life on
the line and offer devotion. God will rec-
ognize the person who is ready to sacri-
fice his life and offer a life of devotion.
(38-242, 1971.1.8)

Cheong Seong Gyeong 994

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Conscience and Inborn Goodness

2. Struggling with One’s Conscience

Keep your conscience clear.
1 Peter 3.16

You may not see yourself growing up, but you
definitely know it when you are sinning.
Akan Proverb (African Traditional Religions)

The mind is said to be twofold:
The pure and also the impure;
Impure—by union with desire;
Pure—from desire completely free.
Maitri Upanishad 6.34 (Hinduism)

And I do call to witness the self-reproaching
spirit.
Qur’an 75.2

A certain person has done no lovely deed, has
done no profitable deed, has given no shelter
to the timid; he has done evil, cruel, wrongful
deeds. At the thought, “I have done no lovely
deed,” he is tormented. At the thought, “I have
done evil,” he is tormented. These two thoughts
sear the conscience.
Itivuttaka 25 (Buddhism)

My conscience hath a thousand several
tongues,
And every tongue brings in a several tale,
And every tale condemns me for a villain.
William Shakespeare, Richard III

Every judgment of conscience, be it right or
wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or
morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise
that he who acts against his conscience always
sins.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Christianity)

If a superior give any order to one who is under
him which is against that man’s conscience,
although he does not obey it yet he shall not be
dismissed.
Saint Francis of Assisi, Third Admonition of the Order
(Christianity)

To the pure all things are pure, but to the cor-
rupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very
minds and consciences are corrupted.
Titus 1.15

The glory of a good man is the testimony of a
good conscience. Therefore, keep your con-
science good and you will always enjoy happi-
ness, for a good conscience can bear a great deal
and can bring joy even in the midst of adver-
sity. But an evil conscience is ever restive and
fearful.
Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ (Christianity)

Is it not the fact that there is in the body a
clot of blood which, if it is in good condition,
the whole body is, too; and if it is in rotten
condition, so too is the whole body? Is not this
the heart?
40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 6 (Islam)

I myself had reason for confidence… as to
the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of
the church, as to righteousness under the law
blameless. But whatever gain I had I counted as
loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count every-
thing as loss because of the surpassing worth of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3.4-8

The Self Is Under a Cover of Innumerable Illusions

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James 1

1 From James, a servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world.[a]

Faith and Wisdom

2 My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. 6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7-8 If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.

1 Chronicles 16

19 At the time there were
only a few of us,
    and we were homeless.
20 We wandered from nation
to nation,
from one country
    to another.
21 God did not let anyone
    mistreat our people.
Instead he protected us
    by punishing rulers
22 and telling them,
“Don’t touch my chosen leaders
    or harm my prophets!”

World Scripture and the Teachings of
Sun Myung Moon

Chapter 3

Conscience and Inborn Goodness

The conscience is a gleam of the divine within, prompting us to do good deeds and opposing our inclination to do evil. Buddhism describes this faculty as the “enlightening mind” or “Buddha nature” which can be uncovered through the eye of wisdom. Confucianism regards it as the heart of benevolence; this is illustrated by a well-known passage from Mencius about people’s spontaneous reactions to a child falling into a well. Islam likewise regards the human heart as inherently upright, and St. Paul wrote that the conscience allows even those unschooled in religion to distinguish right from wrong.
The conscience operates positively, encouraging self-betterment and the idealistic search for a better society. It also operates negatively, scolding and admonishing us for acting selfishly and hurting others. In this regard, Father Moon speaks of the conscience as a “precious teacher” that knows us better than our parents, our teachers, and even God. The conscience is God-given, enabling us to improve and ultimately realize our full purpose as God intended. It must constantly struggle, however, against the self-centered desires of the body.
It is possible to speak of a corrupted conscience, because although its essence is God-given, upbringing and education can affect its judgment. To indoctrinate the conscience with false judgments of right and wrong is indeed of the worst defilements of the human spirit. Yet there are levels of conscience. The more superficial level of conscience is relative, adhering to a person’s concept of truth. Yet at a deeper level is the Original Mind, which maintains a connection to the absolute God. Therefore, someone like Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted Christians in good conscience, could be awakened to a higher vision of truth and change his direction in life to become St. Paul. This divine quality at the root of the conscience is the basis for Father Moon’s optimistic view that all human beings will ultimately be saved.

1. The Original Mind and Heart—Rooted in Goodness

Gentleness and goodness are the roots of
humanity.
Book of Ritual 38.18 (Confucianism)

Religion is basically virtue, which is grounded
ultimately in the spiritual nature of man.
Kundakunda, Pravacanasara 7 (Jainism)

Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 11
Luke 17.21

When Gentiles who have not the Law do by
nature what the Law requires, they are a law to
themselves, even though they do not have the
Law. They show that what the Law requires is
written on their hearts, while their conscience
also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts
accuse or perhaps excuse them on that day
when, according to my gospel, God judges the
secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 12
Romans 2.14-16

Wabisah ibn Ma`bad said, “I went to see the
Messenger of God and he said to me, ‘You want
to question me on the subject of virtue?’ ‘Yes,’ I
replied, and he went on, ‘Question your heart.
Virtue is that by which the soul enjoys repose
and the heart tranquility. Sin is what introduces
trouble into the soul and tumult into man’s
bosom—and this despite the religious advice
which men may give you.’ ”
40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 27 (Islam)

For him who… knows his own mind and sees
intuitively his own nature, he is a Hero, a
Teacher of gods and men, a Buddha.
Sutra of Hui Neng 1 (Buddhism)

Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your
eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but
when it is not sound, your body is full of dark-
ness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be
darkness. If then your whole body is full of light,
having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as
when a lamp with its rays gives you light.
Luke 11.34-36

The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His
glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay
bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine
of their true and inmost selves.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh 132
(Baha’i Faith)

Every being has the Buddha Nature. This is
the self. Such a self is, since the very beginning,
under cover of innumerable illusions. That is
why a man cannot see it. O good man! There
was a poor woman who had gold hidden some-
where in her house, but no one knew where it
was. But there was a stranger who, by expedi-
ency, speaks to the poor woman, “I shall employ
you to weed the lawn.” The woman answered, “I
cannot do it now, but if you show my son where
the gold is hidden, I will work for you.” The man
says, “I know the way; I will show it to your son.”
The woman replies, “No one in my house, big or
small, knows where the gold is hidden. How can
you know?” The man then digs out the hidden
gold and shows it to the woman. She is glad,
and begins to respect him. O good man! The
same is the case with a man’s Buddha Nature.
No one can see it. It is like the gold which the
poor woman possessed and yet could not locate.
I now let people see the Buddha Nature which
they possess, but which was hidden by illusions.
The Tathagata shows all beings the storehouse
of enlightenment, which is the cask of true
gold—their Buddha Nature.
Mahaparinirvana Sutra 214-15:
Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Buddhism)

All men have this heart that, when they see
another man suffer, they suffer, too… A man
looks out; a child is about to fall into a well. No
matter who the man is, his heart will flip, flop,
and he will feel the child’s predicament; and not
because he expects to get something out of it
from the child’s parents, or because he wants
praise from his neighbors, associates, or friends,
or because he is afraid of a bad name, or any-
thing like that.
From this we can see that it is not human
not to have a heart that sympathizes with pain.
Likewise not to have a heart that is repelled by
vice: that is not human, either. Not to have a
heart that is willing to defer: that’s not human.
And not to have a heart that discriminates
between true and false is not human, either.
What is the foundation of natural human
feeling for others (jen)? The heart that
sympathizes with pain. What is the foundation
of a commitment to the common good (i)?
The heart that is repelled by vice. What is the
foundation of respect for social and religious
forms (li)? The heart that is willing to defer. And
what is the foundation for a liberal education
(chih)? The heart that can tell true from false.
People have these four foundations like
they have four limbs. A man who says he cannot
practice them is calling himself a criminal. A
man who says the ruler cannot practice that is
calling the ruler a criminal.
Everybody has these four foundations in
himself. If these four foundations can be filled in
on a broad scale, it will be like a fire starting up,
it will be like a spring bursting through. If they
can be filled in, it will be enough to create and
preserve the world order. Leave them unfilled, it
will be impossible for a man to take care of his
father and mother. 13
Mencius II.A.6 (Confucianism)

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

God is Our Eternal Lord, the Head of Our Families

1 Corinthians 14

Love should be your guide. Be eager to have the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 If you speak languages that others don’t know, God will understand what you are saying, though no one else will know what you mean. You will be talking about mysteries that only the Spirit understands. 3 But when you prophesy, you will be understood, and others will be helped. They will be encouraged and made to feel better.

Job 9

Job said:

2 What you say is true.
No human is innocent
    in the sight of God.
3 Not once in a thousand times
could we win our case
    if we took him to court.
4 God is wise and powerful—
who could possibly
    oppose him and win?

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
September 20, 1959

Romans 7: 15-25

See if you can be happy being attached to the things of this world. That will come to an end one day. No matter how good one’s mind and heart may be, the things of this world will surely come to an end. As long as there is no clear center in your mind, you will find both sorrow and joy. As long as you do not have a clear center for your body, you will feel both joy and sorrow. They are in this reciprocal relationship. Although we have lived through times when our minds were sad, we have not lived through times when our minds were happy. Fallen people, who have not been able to enjoy such experiences in life, are miserable people who should be cursed and judged.

The time has come when we should seek such a path. Since the purpose of Heaven is not to judge and eradicate people in the Last Days, we are to possess the master of our homeland, the families of our homeland, the society of our homeland, the world of our homeland, and the universe of our homeland. When we do not possess them, God judges us.

As we look at the world, we find that although there are individuals, families, societies, nations and a world centered on the body, our minds do not feel satisfaction here. Shouldn’t there be families, nations and a world where our minds can rejoice eternally? If there aren’t, why would our minds feel that way?

Your minds do not pursue goodness because of their own creative powers. Force is not generated alone. It does not function without a partner. We find that this is true in chemical reactions and physical reactions.

Observing the undeniable reality that the conscience is clearly in operation, we can be sure that it is helping us alleviate an aspect of sorrow and bring an aspect of joy. The moment that we can rejoice is the moment of hope and joy for humanity. The problem hinges on this.

Today democracy and communism are competing to conquer the world, but this is wrong. Where should we find the solution? We should go back to the state before the Fall of Adam and Eve, when they could be happy centering on God and rejoice at hearing God’s voice. A garden of happiness will come to this earth if we can establish the standard that God is our eternal Lord, the head of our families, the Lord of our people, nations and world. He is also “my God” whom we wouldn’t exchange for any treasure of the world.



We Have Mourned Infinitely Because We Have Violated the Laws of Conscience

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Numbers 26

62 In the tribe of Levi there were 23,000 men and boys at least a month old. They were not listed with the other tribes, because they would not receive any land in Canaan.

63 Moses and Eleazar counted the Israelites while they were camped in the hills of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho. 64 None of the people that Moses and Aaron had counted in the Sinai Desert were still alive, 65 except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. The Lord had said that everyone else would die there in the desert.[h]

Job 29

I felt certain that I would live
a long and happy life,
    then die in my own bed.
19 In those days I was strong
    like a tree with deep roots
and with plenty of water,
20     or like an archer’s new bow.
21 Everyone listened in silence
    to my welcome advice,
22 and when I finished speaking,
    nothing needed to be said.
23 My words were eagerly accepted
    like the showers of spring,
24 and the smile on my face
    renewed everyone’s hopes.
25 My advice was followed
as though I were a king
    leading my troops,
or someone comforting
    those in sorrow.

I Am Relating with Two Worlds

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
September 20, 1959

Romans 7: 15-25

Where do the paths toward Heaven and hell divide? It is determined by each one of us. Those who feel guilt in their conscience as they live in an environment which stimulates their five physical senses are living in hell. Those who live a life of joy in their hearts and live by the direction of their minds are living in Heaven. For this reason people should abandon material desires and the evil mind, pursue the heavenly principles and live by their conscience. You understand this very well.

The beginning of history was not a day of joy. It was a day of sorrow. The time will come when history will end in sorrow because it began in sorrow. It will end in pain because it began in pain. It will end in despair because it began in despair. You can expect to harvest what you have sown. Our ancestors betrayed the heart of Heaven. We have mourned infinitely because we have violated the laws of conscience and the heavenly heart and have fallen. Since this is how it has been, this world does not have what would bring people joy in their hearts.

For this reason you must strike all of these to lead a religious life. You have to understand clearly that this conflict is taking place within you. Any act will be judged to be either good or evil. In our lives today we evaluate our every gesture, what we see, hear, smell and so forth, whether they were for the sake of goodness or evil. People who lead lives of devotion cannot judge these clearly unless they have a firm grasp of this concept and a clear standard of good and evil.

This world is engaged in such a conflict. Although evil rises and strikes goodness first, it cannot persist for long. Evil will not persist. Goodness will prevail. In the long course of history, this will gradually expand from the individual to families, a people, a nation, the world and the universe. Now we are entering the era of a world ideology. Even when the era of a world ideology comes, individuals are still individuals. However, the trends of thought have been expanding their scope.

Although people who have lived by their consciences in the past are the same as those who live by their consciences today, the scope of their relationship has broadened. In the past people were content to live for their own individual sake. This does not have to be the case. It is also not the case that people have to live for the sake of families, societies, nations, or the world. People should live for the sake of Heaven and earth.

Even though the shape and scope of the flow of history have widened, the standard of the mind remains unchanged. Because heavenly principles govern everything in history, when people abide by this standard of the mind and are in line with the direction of the heavenly principles, they will not lose the purpose and direction their minds must pursue. This is the reason it is said, “Live a conscientious life. If you live by your conscience, you will be blessed.” When we realize that the day of judgment blocks the path before us, we won’t be able to receive the blessings. Even though it may seem that you are receiving blessings at the moment, you will be struck when the time comes, so you cannot consider it a blessing. Blessings are not to be received on earth. Blessings will be given when the one day comes. Because blessings will be given to those who stand fast until that time, it is said that you will be blessed if you live by your conscience. This is how we should see it.