[270] World Scripture - Cultivating the Good - 2 - 1. Good Leads to More

[대태양/김현수]

Part Three The Path of Life

Chapter 11 Growth, Responsibility and Destiny

3) Cultivating the Good

2. Good Leads to More Good, while Neglecting the Good Leads to Evil

World Scripture

Make haste in doing good; check your mind from evil; for the mind of him who is slow in doing meritorious actions delights in evil. Dhammapada 116 (Buddhism)

Run to do even a slight precept, and flee from transgression; for precept draws precept in its train, and transgression, transgression; for the recompense of a precept is a precept, and the recompense of a transgression is a transgression. Mishnah, Avot 4.2 (Judaism)

Do not disregard evil, saying, “It will not come nigh unto me”: by the falling of drops even a water jar is filled; likewise the fool, gathering little by little, fills himself with evil. Do not disregard merit, saying “It will not come nigh unto me”: by the falling of drops of water even a water jar is filled; likewise the wise man, gathering little by little, fills himself with good. Dhammapada 121-22 (Buddhism)

For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 13.12

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8.34

Black goats must be caught early, before it is dark. Igala Proverb (African Traditional Religions)

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. Thomas Jefferson Mencius said to Kau Tzu, “A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time. Now your heart is blocked by grass.” Mencius VII.B.21 (Confucianism)

It will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, “Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, “Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much, enter into the joy of your master.” He also who had received one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” Matthew 25.14-30: Parable of the Talents

If good does not accumulate, it is not enough to make a name for a man. If evil does not accumulate, it is not enough to destroy a man. Therefore the inferior man thinks to himself, “Goodness in small things has no value,” and so neglects it. He thinks, “Small sins do no harm,” and so does not give them up. Thus his sins accumulate until they can no longer be covered up, and his guilt becomes so great that it can no longer be wiped out. In the I Ching it is said, “His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, so that his ears are hidden. Misfortune.” I Ching, Great Commentary 2.5.7-8 (Confucianism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

We can become good only if our body obediently follows our mind, which directs us towards goodness. All too often, however, our body rebels against the mind’s direction, repeating by analogy Cain’s murder of Abel. This is how evil grows within us. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Foundation 1.2)

People who only go to church on Sunday without making any effort to pursue God’s Will are very dull. They are too numb to know the difference between good and evil, even if others admonish them. They are used to taking each day for granted, just repeating the daily routine. Such people do not make spiritual progress; they remain in the same place. After wasting their lives like this for 10 years or more, the day comes when they look back on their past with shame and regret, realizing, “My position is so far below what it could have been.” (89:231-32, December 1, 1976)

People’s original desire is to avoid evil and pursue goodness. Our [original] mind is always running to promote goodness and eliminate evil from our world; however, through personal experience, we are well aware of our evil mind, which strongly opposes or distorts the good mind. The stronger we uphold our good mind, to that degree we confront our evil mind. Although our good mind prompts us to head toward a certain goal, it is often hard to see it clearly. Then our motivation falters. Feeling distant from the goal, there is nothing to stimulate our good mind to continue on the path. On the other hand, there is never any lack of stimulation for the evil mind. Each step on the road to evil links us to ever more evil. Considering this, people who have a mind to pursue a life of truth and goodness perforce find themselves isolated and beset with sorrows. (36:51-52, November 15, 1970)