The path of true love
During his time of study in Japan, True Father practiced his own motto, "Before you desire dominion over the universe, first have dominion over yourself." He trained himself repeatedly in order to control his five senses. Among other things, he trained himself not to be ticklish and to look away from temptation. In order to live for heaven's heart rather than follow a selfish human heart, he constantly reminded himself, "I must love the Japanese people more than I love my own people." He trained himself to sincerely love the people of what was then an enemy nation as if they were his own parents or his own older brother. 15 When I was young and preparing for my mission, I would not even go near a movie theater. Until I could achieve total self-control, I did not walk in front of a bar. Unless we gain total control over ourselves, we are bound to fail in whatever we do. What is the most difficult obstacle to achieving self-control? It is sleep. Hunger is next. After that is sexual desire. These are the three enemies. Therefore, as a course of training I purposely did not sleep, I did not eat, and I lived a life of purity. Until we have dominion over ourselves, we cannot have dominion over the universe. Only after we govern ourselves can we govern the universe. We are not entitled to call on God for help or hope to enter the realm of God's dominion unless we first achieve mastery over ourselves. This is the view of the Principle. Adam fell because he did not have self-control. (131-322, 1984/05/19) 16 When I was in wartime Japan, I walked around the back alleys in the red light district of Shinjuku, Tokyo. I observed people and listened to them wherever I went in order to gain something helpful for my mission. If we are ready to deal with even the most evil places, we can digest anything. This is my philosophy. I am not the kind of person who goes around looking for an easy or comfortable environment. The idea that in order to cultivate the mind you must go to the deep mountains or to a quiet and magnificent place makes no sense to me. Studying only in tranquil places does not work for me. I could study well even in noisy factories where high-powered engines and motors were running. I trained myself in many different ways. Once, when a group of strong men were harassing a weaker man, I fought and defeated them singlehandedly. I did not do it for recognition. It was a matter of my philosophy, of what is necessary in life. (015-131, 1965/10/03) 17 My hope is greater than yours; it is as high as a great mountain. However, because I knew that the time was coming when I would have to push many people to travel the road of a servant, I first pushed myself to take the position of a servant. Had I not lived the life of a servant myself, I would not be qualified to call others to do it. If I wanted others to live the life of a servant, I needed to live the life of a servant first. I had to become a servant for the sake of my country of Korea. This is why I once became a servant of three-year-old children and served them faithfully morning and evening. I attended those children as if each were God. Also, when I was studying in Japan, I lived in a slum swarming with lice. I carried loads of coal and loads of salt. I welcomed all kinds of experiences that others would shrink from. This is my personal story, and some bitter sorrow remains. You should alleviate my bitter sorrow. What then should be your starting point? What is it that you need to grab onto as the basis of your own emotional resolve? It should be to represent me. When you go to those places, you should go on my behalf. Although you may receive persecution, when you shed tears for the people there, you will feel my blood throbbing in your veins. (025-212, 1969/10/04) 18 I studied the subject of what people will not do. For instance, people do not want to skip meals. So I pondered, "Can I endure not eating?" And I said to myself, "Yes, I can." So I started training myself not to eat. I was then so hungry that if anyone served me a meal I could have quickly devoured three or four bowls of rice. One day I thought to myself, "Let me see how much I can eat." As it was the middle of a war, we received ration coupons. Taking all my ration coupons, I took my friends to a restaurant and said, "Let's eat as much as we can and see what our limit is." We wolfed down more and more. I ate seven servings of rice covered with fried eggs and chicken. After seven servings I was so full I could not even turn my neck around. It was more painful than being hungry.
I gave myself that experience. However, you would be seriously mistaken if you think I did it all the time. In fact, I was always hungry. Why do you think I made myself go hungry? If I only cared about keeping my stomach full, how could I keep people with me and keep God with me? So although I was hungry and wanted to eat, I resolved that I must love my people and God more than food. This was truth to me; it was my creed. (015-183, 1965/10/08) 19 When I was a student in Tokyo, on rainy days while still wearing my student uniform I would purposely mix with laborers who smelled from their dirty, wet clothes. I went to the places that smelled the worst. Standing next to them, I thought, "What if these people were my older brother or my father? If they were enduring these miserable conditions for me, what must I do for them?" When I rode the trolley to school, I would look around at the students all well dressed in their uniforms and compare them to those laborers. And I would think, "You are in the springtime of your life, all smiles and laughter, but in time this will all disappear. However, my way of thinking leads to a life that will shine and rise up like the sun to a hopeful future. My future is more or less assured, but your future is less certain."
You must understand that upholding and living up to the name of True Parents throughout my entire life has been extremely difficult. I had to cultivate such qualities in myself that people of every status, high or low, could relate to me as their subject partner. (117-019, 1982/01/30) 20 During my time of studying in Japan, I would occasionally visit my home in Jeongju. I generally did not send telegrams to my parents to tell them when I was coming. My home was about eight kilometers from the train station, and I wanted to walk home. I enjoyed walking on cold, windy, snowy or rainy days. As I prayed while walking down the road, I realized even more what a magnificent world we live in, and I could not help but be amazed at the Maker who created it. I have unforgettable memories of nights when I walked home after sunset, or nights when white snow was falling. Carrying small gifts for my parents in both hands, I delighted in imagining the expressions they would have on their faces. Whenever I think of it, I become nostalgic. I realize how blessed I was at that time in my life. (018-243, 1967/06/11) |