Cheon Seong Gyeong Ⅱ - 328. Mastery of oneself comes first
7 We live in the era of awakening, in which we can save our lives and those of our ancestors. When we think about this, we realize that we cannot live and act freely. Let us feel substantially how strongly the creation yearns for us to realize the value of our existence within the sphere of cosmic relationships. Let us feel this not only in our mind, but also in our heart. When looking at people, we have to say, “Human beings are so pitiful, Father! Nevertheless, we are aware of Your Will, which demands that You bequeath material blessings to conscientious people, and requires that we have dominion over our body with a true heart. We are also aware that spiritual beings that are true in character must come under Your dominion.” Therefore, even if we are given mountains of gold and riches, if these treasures are not what our original mind seeks, we have to be able to reject them completely. The question is whether we can overcome the pain of such material loss. Our body has greater value than the universe; accordingly, when our mind subjugates our body, it assumes a value greater than that of the entire universe. (4-274, 1958.08.03) 8 Our heart seeks to embrace the world, heaven and earth, and eventually God. This is the heart’s purpose. This is why Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) He further added, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20) To what extent are you able to include your neighbors in your ideology and your daily life? Can your ideology and your daily life embrace the nation and the world? You each have a big heart; however, you are fallen human beings unable to contain your body within your heart. Your heart wants to embrace heaven and earth, including God, and bring about His Sabbath. Nevertheless, you are struggling to conquer even your own body. (8-048, 1959.11.01) 9 Each of you has a mind; therefore, should your mind and body become the best of friends or should they be hostile to each other? If the two cannot become friends, on whose side will you stand? When the mind and body are at odds with one another, it is always the body that initiates the fight. The body provokes the peaceable mind. Whether it is the body of a man or woman, this body annoys the mind. Hence, each of us has to achieve unity of mind and body. Nonetheless, you cannot achieve this unity simply with the order, “Mind, body, the two of you must unite!” (18-318, 1967.08.13) 10 How vast is your mind? It may be invisible, but it exists. To illustrate the vastness of your mind, even if you place a hundred or a thousand worlds inside your mind, you will not be satisfied. When there are tens of thousands of diamonds as big as the earth, if you get only one, you will not be happy. This is how unimaginably vast your mind is. Our original mind knows what is good and bad, even without being taught. Has anyone ever said to his or her own mind, “Attention, mind! If such and such happens, it is bad; please guard against that.” Our mind does not receive education as to what is good or bad and yet, even when our strong body is challenged, our mind does not flinch. Instead, the mind reacts immediately, faster than an electron spins. If your thoughts are wrong, your original mind stops you immediately. How much education do you need to reach this level? If anyone could teach this, they would be very popular. Nevertheless, no person, however great an educator they may be, has ever been able to teach this. Yet do you know it or not? Even without education, your original mind knows this very well. (023-021, 1969.05.11) 11 The world is not the issue. Even if heaven and earth have achieved unity, if I am not united within myself, I cannot appear before God. If I say even one wrong word, my conscience knows. Your conscience comes before your parents. Your parents did not give you your conscience. It comes from Heaven, and since its root is God, your conscience comes before your parents. The conscience comes before teachers in the Men world and before your parents. (431-118, 2004.01.13) 12 Do you know when your mind and body began fighting? They began fighting right after the Fall; they became infected at that moment. Unless we completely cure this infection, we cannot enter heaven. The person whose mind and body are in conflict cannot enter heaven. I have struggled to fulfill this standard: “Before seeking to master the universe, attain mastery over yourself.” The further you advance and the deeper your spiritual level, the more fearsome the Satan you will have to face. (527-217, 2006.05.28) 13 You have to be mindful always that you are an entity embodying both good and evil. I struggled with this issue in my youth, when I was your age. This is why I created the motto, “Before seeking to master the universe, attain mastery over yourself?’ This is Article 1 in our life of faith. Therefore, when you are able to complete and control yourself, which means to achieve the independence that comes with controlling your body, the conflict between mind and body will disappear. (037-122, 1970.12.23) 14 I never pray to receive money. I also do not pray to become successful. What are the three great objectives? The first is, “Before seeking to master the universe, attain mastery over yourself?’ The second is, “Let us have absolute faith.” The third is, “Let us have absolute love.” These are the three great objectives. While I have carried out my mission, even if Satan was cheating me, I persevered with absolute faith until I confirmed the facts. So I am practicing the faith through which I can say, “Satan, even you could not but guide me to the right path.” (139-063, 1986.01.26) 15 The perfection of human beings, to achieve the ideal of sublime love, is only possible if we take responsibility for love. This responsibility means that we should be grateful to God for giving us the freedom to love, and should become the masters of that freedom through self-discipline and self-denial. We do not uphold our responsibility to love based on laws or public perception. Rather, we uphold it based on self-control and self-determination, grounded in a living vertical relationship with God. (282-213, 1997.03.13) |