Mind-body discipline
During the time he studied in Japan, True Father immersed himself in the task of researching and systematizing the Principle. He repeatedly pored over the Bible and compared it with the Principle that he had newly discovered, in order to verify it with the Scripture. Bibles in Korean, Japanese and English were always on his desk at the boarding house. The Korean and Japanese Bibles, especially, were so full of underlining in different colors that people could barely read the words on the pages. The process of finding and systematizing the vast and fundamental truth was a lonely path; there was no one to guide him through it.
Besides his academic studies, True Father pushed himself hard to have many different life experiences, among the working class, the middle class and the upper class. In order to prepare himself for his revolutionary mission, he tried to break through every limitation and accumulate abilities to deal with any circumstance that might arise on his way to the final destination. When he received money from home for his school and living expenses, he used it to help those in need; then he went out to do the work of a laborer. Among many other things, he carried an A-frame on his back and pulled a delivery cart. Shedding blood and sweat, he became a friend and brother to his fellow laborers, sharing their pain and their joy. Through training himself in this way, he personally experienced the teaching, "The one who would become a glorious king must be victorious over all kinds of pain." 8 I did not reveal my thoughts about my mission to others. Even my friends did not know. I studied the Bible and read books on religion and philosophy, which ordinary people usually did not do. One of my friends majored in politics and economics at Waseda University. He was studying communism, and this led to a fierce debate between us. I once delivered a loud, impassioned speech on the side of the road. I did this where many people had gathered to view the cherry blossoms. I spoke strongly on the issues of the time, and urged the youth to act this way and that for the sake of the future. The predictions I made then are now coming true. Some of my friends happened to join the crowd; they were quite astonished when they saw it was I who was giving the speech. (015-182, 1965/10/08) 9 After receiving a recommendation from my school in Seoul, I entered Waseda Technical High School. But I studied books about religion more than school-related subjects. I studied the Bible carefully to uncover its hidden truths. There was one particular Bible page I could not understand even after struggling for five years. That one page contained the root problem of human history. I had to completely and clearly solve the most difficult and complex issues in the Bible. This is how the Principle came to emerge into the world. Since, together with heaven, I unraveled the truth, heaven cannot ignore this. Heaven knows all about it. (571-190, 2007/08/10) 10 Before I turned 20 years of age, I went through a course of bloody tears. I knew I could not enter God's realm of heart unless I had the heart to be friends with beggars and love them as if they were my own older brother or my own mother. So I lived with the heart to love everyone. I trained myself the same way in Japan, but this time with a heart to go beyond the nation. I helped my friends pay their tuition by making money as a laborer at a construction site. You too should walk such a path. Why did I do it? I volunteered to travel the most difficult path because I knew God's path has been even more difficult. (137-286, 1986/01/03) 11 On days when it snowed or when typhoon winds raged, I went to work at a construction site rather than going to school. It felt good to challenge such harsh weather. Rain from the typhoon would wash the dirt and soot from my hands. Amid the storm I worked hard and sweated copiously. I felt so refreshed from it. When I saw a person behaving badly, I scolded him. Sometimes I had to deal with people who were bigger than me, but I defeated them. When a foreman exploited the laborers by taking 30 percent of their wages, I strongly protested. Most people feared the man, but I was not submissive; I admonished him to stop. In the end he surrendered to me. (015-181, 1965/10/08) 12 When I was in Tokyo I worked pulling a cart as a deliveryman, making deliveries in 27 different districts. I decided to do the job not because I needed the money but because I wanted the training. If you find yourself working in a transportation company, you should become more knowledgeable about the work than the company veterans. If not, how can you persuade them to take you seriously? During the summer I transported telephone poles on a cart. Once there was an incident: As I came to an intersection, a pole shifted to one side, causing my cart to spin around. Sensing danger, all the passersby, men and women, scattered. I can still picture it in my mind. I have another unforgettable memory, about when I lived in a slum. I covered myself with a ragged blanket, and my clothes became infested with lice. I am God's Son, but I volunteered to become a frontline soldier, a guerrilla of sorts, in order to conquer Satan's world. (199-174, 1990/02/16) 13 The times in Japan when I worked at a construction site and pulled a cart in Ginza remain vivid memories. I did not do that work just to make a living. I did it to set the example of how young people should go through difficulties. I had friends who had stopped going to school. I wanted to help them graduate, so I withdrew from school for several months and took on the role of their parents. I had no time to sleep at night. I woke up as early as two in the morning and went out to work to make money for their tuition. Why did I do that? It was not because I was not as smart as them. It was to serve them. For this I did all kinds of work, including working for a company, selling my calligraphy and working as a foreman. (026-069, 1969/10/18) 14 I am very knowledgeable about the world. When I was young I traveled to every corner of Korea. I visited many places in Japan when I was studying there. I also did all sorts of work. I was an errand-boy for a large company. No matter how I was mistreated, I did not complain. People regarded me as nothing but a student from abroad, but they did not know what was in my mind. I did not even mind living in a slum. After all, we must train ourselves to have real ability to deal with any situation and bring good results in whatever we do. (189-299, 1989/06/17) |