Part Three - The Path of Life
Chapter 12. Morality
3) Integrity
3. People of Integrity Do Not Change according to the Circumstances
World Scripture
Once there lived a housewife named Vedehika who had a reputation for gentleness, modesty, and courtesy. She had a housemaid named Kali who was efficient and industrious and who managed her work well. Then it occurred to Kali the housemaid, “My mistress has a very good reputation; I wonder whether she is good by nature, or is good because my work, being well-managed, makes her surroundings pleasant. What if I were to test my mistress?”
The following morning Kali got up late. Then Vedehika shouted at her maid, “Hey, Kali!” “Yes, madam?” “Hey, what makes you get up late?” “Nothing in particular, madam.” “Nothing in particular, eh, naughty maid, and you get up late?” And being angry and offended, she frowned.
Then it occurred to Kali, “Apparently, my mistress does have a temper inwardly, though she does not show it because my work is wellmanaged. What if I were to test her further?” Then she got up later. There upon Vedehika shouted at her maid, “Hey, Kali, why do you get up late?” “No particular reason, madam.” “No particular reason, eh, and you are up late?” she angrily hurled at her words of indignation.
Then it occurred to Kali, “Apparently, my mistress does have a temper inwardly, though she does not show it because my work is well-managed. What if I were to test her still further?” She got up still later. There upon Vedehika shouted at her, “Hey, Kali, why do you get up late?” and she angrily took up the bolt of the door-bar and hit her on the head, cutting it. Thereupon Kali, with cut head and blood trickling down, denounced her mistress before the neighbors, saying, “Madam, look at the work of the gentle lady, madam, look at the action of the modest lady, madam, look at the action of the quiet lady. Why must she get angry and offended because I got up late and hit me, her only maid, cutting me on the head?” Thus the housewife lost her good reputation.
Analogously, brethren, a person here happens to be very gentle, very humble, and very quiet as long as unpleasant things do not touch him. It is only when unpleasant things happen to a person that it is known whether he is truly gentle, humble, and quiet. Majjhima Nikaya 1.123-24 (Buddhism)
The well-taught noble disciple, when touched by a painful feeling, weeps not, wails not, knocks not on the breast, falls not into utter bewilderment. He feels the bodily feeling, but not the mental…
Moreover, he has no repugnance for painful feeling. As he has no repugnance for it, the lurking tendency to repugnance for painful feeling fastens not on him. He, when touched by painful feeling, delights not in sensual pleasure. Why so? Because, brethren, the well-taught noble disciple knows of a refuge from painful feeling apart from sensual ease. As he delights not in sensual ease, the lurking tendency to sensual ease fastens not on him…
If he feels a feeling that is pleasant, he feels it as one freed from bondage. If he feels a feeling that is painful, he feels it as one freed from bondage. If he feels a neutral feeling, he feels it as one freed from bondage. Samyutta Nikaya 36.1.1.6 (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Gold is valuable because its essence never changes, even in the fire. If your will changes whenever you are confronted with difficulties, what value do you have? You can never be called a person of character. (Way of God’s Will 2.2)
Because your mind varies, your direction also varies, and because your direction varies, your purpose changes. You cannot fulfill one purpose when your mind is constantly changing. It is difficult enough to fulfill a goal with one mind; how much more difficult it is to fulfill it with two!
Therefore, in everything we do, we should have one mind. We must have the same mind in the morning, during the daytime and in the evening; the same mind in youth, middle age and old age. A person who starts a task with one mind, proceeds with one mind, and attains the result with one mind—his purpose will enlarge as he is able to maintain that one mind over longer periods.
We should have one mind. When we pursue a certain purpose, we need one mind. If we do not have one mind, we cannot fulfill the goal. From this, we deduce that God created this world with one mind, not with two minds. We have to begin with one mind and proceed in one direction in order to fulfill one goal. However, today, people are not able to keep one mind. (28:155, January 11, 1970)
Ever since the Human Fall, the form of our minds has been changing continually. If our minds were unchanging as they were supposed to be, we would all be holy people. Something can be holy if it is unique and unchanging. Thus, since white people always retain their white color, their white color is holy. Black people likewise keep their unique and unchanging black color; therefore it too is holy. But a worldly white person, whose mind and behavior constantly changes according to the circumstances, is on Satan’s side. Regardless of his lofty social status, there is nothing holy about him…
The shape of a person’s hands and face does not change. What changes is the mind. When a person’s mind is changeable, it becomes Satan’s dance floor. Is there any woman here who wants a changeable husband? Certainly not. Although she may not be perfect, she still prefers an unchanging man… A holy couple, united in true love, does not change for eternity. The years follow that couple, not the other way around. Such a couple is the center of eternal life. (217:303-04, June 12, 1991)