Part Three - The Path of Life
Chapter 14 Wisdom
2) The search for Knowledge
2. Know Thyself
World Scripture
An unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates, in Plato, Apology 38 (Hellenism)
He who knows others is wise; He who knows himself is enlightened. Tao Te Ching 33 (Taoism)
Mencius said, “A gentleman steeps himself in the Way because he wishes to find it in himself.” Mencius IV.B.14 (Confucianism)
Too late did I love Thee, O Beauty so ancient and yet so new! Too late did I love Thee! For behold, Thou wert within, and I without, and there I was seeking Thee—I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty Thou didst make. Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee. Those things kept me far from Thee, things which would not be had they not been in Thee. Saint Augustine, Confessions 10.27 (Christianity)
What thing I am I do not know. I wander secluded, burdened by my mind. When the Firstborn of Truth has come to me I receive a share of that selfsame Word. Rig Veda 1.164.37 (Hinduism)
God gives wisdom to whom He will, and he to whom wisdom is given has truly received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding. Qur’an 2.269
I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance. Socrates (Hellenism)
To know when one does not know is best. To think one knows when one does not know is a dire disease. Tao Te Ching 71 (Taoism)
The fool who knows that he is a fool is for that very reason a wise man; the fool who thinks he is wise is called a fool indeed. Dhammapada 63 (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
If you do not know your present position, you are like a person sailing on the ocean without knowing his latitude and longitude. You must know where you are now before you can set your proper course. (120:303, October 20, 1982)
In today’s world, quite a few people attempt to commit suicide, taking overdoses of sleeping pills… Why do they take their own lives? It is because they do not know the purpose of their life. When studying philosophy, the first question you ask is: “What is life?” The next question is: “What is the purpose of our life?” (222:70)
What is the origin of the evil mind that incites evil desires in opposition to the original mind? What is the root cause of the contradiction that brings people to ruin? In order to ward off evil desires and follow good desires, we must overcome this ignorance and gain the ability to distinguish clearly between good and evil. Then we can take the path to the good life the original mind seeks. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)
How can we find the truth by which to judge what is good and what is bad in this evil world? You have to get rid of your self-centered mind and take the lowest position. The Bible says, “Every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”4 (2:138, March 17, 1957)
If you know yourself, you will say, “I am inadequate in many areas.” This is a good gift to have. (Way of God’s Will 1.3)