Conversation with Hyo Jin Nim Part I

Angelika Selle and Susan Fegley Osmond
August 26, 1984
East Garden

From my adolescence I have wanted to be a leader, so for me the workshop for blessed children was special. All my life -- at school or with my friends -- I tried to discover what I believed to be true, and to be a guide for others. Many of the people that I knew misunderstood my point of view. Many came from unfortunate backgrounds and were misguided as they grew up. I tried to understand their situations and help them to become better people.

I have never wanted to be beaten or put down by anyone. I stand up to people and fight for what I believe is true, or against what I feel is wrong -- I even physically fight. I was like this from my childhood. So I had many, many problems. I want to tell you honestly where I am coming from.

When I first came to America I was 10. At that time it didn't even occur to me that any prejudice existed in the world. All I had seen of America were picture postcards, of beautiful scenery and smiling people. But when I came here it was a totally different story.

Persecution at School

I met with prejudice as soon as I started school. First, I was a yellow person, an Oriental. Secondly, I was Father's son. People seemed to feel superior, maybe because America is a great nation. Anyway, because I am Father's son, I started to get a lot of persecution, in ways that were incredible! They joked about brain-aching, made fun of me, and called my father names. I wouldn't have cared if they had only called me names.

Father told me, "You have to hold it in. You have to forgive them. You have to understand them. They are just little kids. Their vision is so shallow. They cannot see into the future; they only see and act according to what they see and feel at the moment. You have to understand that."

So I tried and tried, but they didn't stop. I tried to talk to them, to reason with them. I tried to talk to them in ways they could understand, but it didn't work. It all kept on getting worst.

Kids like to follow bullies, follow a leader. When one kid started doing it, it became like a fad -- everybody followed. They put me down just to be somebody. They would snicker at each other, "Hey look at him," and then they would make a joke about me and slap each other, giggling. I really did not like that. But because Father had told me to, I tried to hold it in.

But everything has a limit, I guess. That kind of anger reached a limit in me. I couldn't hold it in any more. How could I? I wasn't weak. I was strong. I could beat those guys up physically. And that seemed to be the only language they understood.

I knew I had to be quiet and forgiving, to overcome myself for 10 or 12 years, coping with this every day! The kids at my school made fun of me and criticized me for nothing, for no reason. Just to get up in the morning and go to school was living hell!

One day I said to myself, "I can't take this anymore, or there will be no end. Even for their sake, I have to do something. Tell them strongly, in a language they can understand, that they are not right. They are wrong." The bully of the school was a big Italian kid. He was the boss and all those kids hung around with him. They followed him and acted just like him. The next day he came up to me and said the same thing he always said: "How many people did your father brainwash today?" I said, "Well, I don't know. I haven't seen one get brainwashed."

"Yeah? I hear you saying this all the time," he said, and he started to call me names, those four letter words. I said to him; "Don't do that. I try to be nice to you. I try to understand you. I try to digest what you are saying, but I can't take that anymore. For your sake, not for mine. If what I do now was for my sake, I would have beaten you up a long time ago. The first day you talked like that, I would have beaten you up. But for your sake, I thought and thought, and I think the only language you will learn by is this." So I punched him and we fought.

And it stopped. The persecution stopped. At least the kids didn't say anything in front of me. They were all afraid to come at me, because I beat up their bully, their leader. He thought he was almighty, but I humbled him.

I told Father that I punched the bully. And you know, he just looked at me and smiled. He wasn't angry, because sometimes that's the way of male society. Everybody has pride. Men are strong and have that pride as a male figure, as a strong domineering subject.

What Is "Cool"

Many kids have a certain idea of what is fun and exciting, or what is "cool." Going out and breaking the law, breaking the school law, going against the principal. The teacher tells you to do this and you avoid it. In the school system there are rules that some kids break just to prove something to each other. Many young people think that by being unusual, being something different, being something else than normal, that's being cool!

After I beat up that bully, some kids started to follow me. My thought at that time was, "I have to lead them somehow." Maybe it's because I was naive, but I said to myself that if I want to lead them, I have to be a part of them, or else they'll avoid me.

That life taught me so many things about people. We have to embrace not only people at the highest intellectual level, but people who are down and out -- they're God's children, too. Some way has to be found to restore them, to embrace them. That means I have to know about their thoughts and their life, their environment, how they think. How else can we bring them back?

I really became a leader of those kids by being the toughest kid in school. But then everybody started depending on me in a physical way. Sometimes kids got beaten up by some bully or some gang from another school, and they relied on me.

I got kicked out of school and I went to stay at Col. Bo Hi Pak's house in Washington, D.C. Virginia schools are socially pretty tight. They separate kids into categories of people: fleabags, wombats, greasers, jocks, and nerds. I didn't want to be a part of any of them. I was just being Hyo Jin Moon, Oriental, 15 years old and doing martial arts -- that's it. I didn't really categorize myself. I had many, many friends, all different kinds of people.

In order for any individual to cut from their past, he or she shouldn't reminisce about the good times. Candy is bad for your health, it's bad for the teeth, but it has a moment of sweetness -- that's why people go for it. Criminal life also has a sweet moment, and indulging in fallen nature has a sweet moment. Those kinds of experiences stay in the mind and can't be totally erased.

Powerful music itself is not bad. Think about how boring it would be if the world were only made of flowers. No trees, mountains, cliffs, or waterfalls -- just flowers. How boring! I wouldn't want to live in such a place for more than a week. All these things combine together -- high-rising cliffs, gigantic waterfalls, great standing trees which show such patience, standing there for hundreds of years. How beautiful. Look at the great plains -- how vast you can be, if you wanted to be. You have dominion over all God's creation. Mountains that stand with stubborn patience -- all these things combined together bring unity and harmony into life. The same is true with everything else, music too. Beautiful music, strong music, eye-opening music, amusing music, very soothing music, very fun music -- all are needed. But the concept behind it now is wrong.

Kids are wild; they want to be wild. What is wildness? When I see someone who is wild and strong for righteousness, that's good, but as long as it's for God. That's what I am trying to do right now. That's why I am staying on this course. I have a mind of my own. I don't just follow because Father is my father. No! Because it is true, I follow. If something is true, I follow it. I am that kind of person. If it wasn't true, if I didn't believe it was right, I'd say forget it. People in the world think that being wild is having a midnight brawl or weekend parties. That's wild in their mind. They use the power of modern technology to get these thoughts planted in young people's minds.

Look what's happened to American society. Look at the old hippies. Their thought were good: love, peace and flowers. But what is love, peace and flower? What is beauty? Having an orgy, that's not beauty; getting high all the time, there's no beauty there. That's like an animal; it's just stupid. I don't see that as beautiful.

The hippies had good thoughts, but they didn't fulfill them. They stirred that whole generation. "We won't fight! We won't stand for wars! We want peace!" That's good. Who would deny that? Who in the world wants war? Nobody. But those people who yelled it out, those "voices of freedom," were confused. Their beliefs might have been good, but the way they carried it out was wrong. They gave a whole new meaning to hell.

All this focus on physical attraction -- it's like Satan working behind disguises. If I grew a mustache, got an eye operation to make my eyes appear Western, bleached my hair, and raised my nose, I could pass as an Anglo-Saxon. But my true nature is that I am Korean. Satan uses masks to disturb and deteriorate people's minds. When people reminisce about those times [before beginning to live a religious life] when they thought that they were "cool," they may think it was fine, that they were having a good time. But that's wrong.

I mean, we are here to change all that. You really have to have pride in yourself. Pride for God -- not for yourself, but pride for God. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't very strongly cut off that tendency to worry about whether you're "cool," and just push it away, you'll always suffer.

Love For Heung Jin Him

I loved Heung Jin very much. I would have given anything to him. When I got my first car, a sports car, I would wash it every day and make it shine all the time. But I was going back and forth to Korea to study, and when I went to Korea, Heung Jin drove my car. I never told him he could, but he drove it and he wrecked it. When I came back he said, "Hey Hyo, I'm sorry, I crushed the car." He joked like that. I said, "Well, did you get hurt? It's okay, it's only a car. I love you more than my car. You cannot compare yourself to my car. I can fix it, that's okay." We had that kind of relationship.

"What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours" -- we had that kind of relationship. I would go to his room and wear his clothes. He would come to my room and use my stereo when I was gone.

We shared so much. We shared a room together since we were very young. For 10 years we shared a room. We had a lot of quarrels, too, but we really loved each other. It's very hard to relate to God sometimes, because we can't see Him. He is not there when you want Him to be, you cannot touch Him when you want to. You cannot embrace Him anytime you want to. He is not there, but Heung Jin, he was.

What I want to suggest to Unification Church members is, find somebody you can embrace like that, someone you can love like that inside this movement. That will give you strength to go on. That's why Heung Jin in spirit world is telling you that you have to unite with True Parents and their family. What is unity? How does unity come about? How are you able to want to die for someone or something you believe in?

You have to raise yourself to the level of wanting to die for someone or else you will suffer all the time. Every day you will suffer. I cannot relate to God so easily. But I love my brother very much, and that love gives me strength. When I have a hard time controlling myself, I say to myself, "Hey, stop it, you love your brother." I tell myself, "You love your brother. Stop it. Turn. Walk away. You love your father. Walk away."

[Hyo Jin Nim was very moved and had tears in his eyes.]

That's the way I feel. And I want to tell you, my brothers and sisters, that we really have to unite.

Finding Good in Others

What is unity? If you are a state leader or whatever, if you have people following you, you have to love them like your sons and daughters. Don't just try to get work done. There's more to it than that. You really have to understand, love and care for the members. How can you do that? Not by rejecting or criticizing the ways they are different from you or don't meet your expectations, but by trying to find something attractive in them, something of goodness.

In this world of hate, you see hate all over. But it takes a greater person to find the beauty, to find the greatness in one's self and in others. Anybody can judge a person. But trying to find beauty in one's self or in someone else, even when you are at your lowest, that takes a real heart. That's what you have to do. When you are taking charge of a church mission, you have to have that kind of attitude, that depth of feeling, or else it would be just like anything else out there in the world. There wouldn't be any difference. That's what Father is teaching. I feel this is the right way because I used to always find something wrong in people.

I know many church members suffer, but when you suffer for other people, when you give out all your energy for others, it's never wrong. You might not gain from it at this moment, but you are carving a path, a big room for generations to come, for them to see, for them to follow, for them to learn from that experience of suffering. By doing that, you yourself become hero in a way, a hero for generations to come.

Now, let's say some young kids who believe in something try to fight for it, but they don't have the right concept. The Guardian Angels have a good idea. But first they have to face the fundamental cause of crime. How can we overcome it? How can we fight it? How can we really make the world better?

Let's say you have arthritis in your hand. You can find fast relief through painkillers, but it'll always come back. But what if you want to get rid of it? You know that all the parts of your body are connected to your spinal column. And if something goes wrong with one disc, that whole part of your body goes wrong. All the bones dislocate themselves and calcium is deposited into that place to help you hold your posture. But some places get more pressure than others, because it is wrongly set. That's why you get arthritis pain in joints. If you want to fix it for good, you have to find the fundamental cause of the pain. You have to fix it or else you will always have to rely on painkillers. And you cannot go on forever like that.

You have to work on the fundamental causes of problems. All those politicians, they come on with a promise of fast relief. They do not see into the future. They cannot see 10, 20 years from now. That's what people are doing. That is wrong. That's why Father is speaking strongly at this moment.

Believing in a Greater Being

I realized all this when I was very young. At school, they explain all facts through the theory of evolution. I am God's man. I believe in God. God is my man. I don't want to worship a monkey, I don't want to even hear that an amoeba or a monkey was my ancestor. Do I have to go to the zoo, to a monkey's cage, to worship my ancestors?

At this moment, that is the most reasonable theory. That's why people believe it. But if I want to believe in theories, I'd rather believe in a being greater than myself, a greater being, as my Father.

Sure, that was a million years ago. Before Adam and Eve, there could have been human beings. But God said to Adam: Okay, you are My child. From that moment on, they were blessed. I like to think like that. I will find out about all of those mysteries when I die. There are many mysteries that I ask myself about all the time. When I die, I'll find out. I'd rather die believing in God than not believing in Him. Maybe I am very unbalanced, but I like to believe that my man, my Father, is up there. Scientists discover facts about life and then develop their own theories to explain them. But they just observed things that already existed, they didn't create them. But where did all this come from; how and why?

I am Father's son. I have my position to uphold. I have to have credentials. For the sake of the people out in the world, I have to be prepared in every way, because people out there judge people by their title. I hate that, but I have to do it because I have to embrace those kinds of people, too. That's why, right now, blessed children have to study. I really dislike school. Many teacher' minds are so narrow, so blocked. I go because Father wants me to.

I used to love sports. I used to go to the gym and do martial arts. I was an instructor. I used to exercise. I used to box for hours. You know, box and kick and kick and throw and jump up and down, for hours. I used to love it! I used to love to run around. I was always out trying to train myself. I was too much of an outgoing person. But now I have to sit down in one place. That's what I am doing right now. This, for me, is suffering. I'd rather go out there and do something, you know. I believe in God and I want to do something about it.

I have a mission to follow, I have a mission to carry on. I say to myself, "Okay, this is preparation stage! I'm preparing myself for my mission." I always think to myself, "This is war! My pencil is my weapon! My enemy is over-anxiousness. I have to overcome it." 1 can overcome the physical pain, but I have to overcome the mental pain. Right now, I put that as a task for myself. I have to have a goal. You can always find yourself a goal, if you really look hard enough.

People in our church who were chosen by Father to get a Ph.D. shouldn't feel special because of it. They should feel more burdened. Because they have potential, that means they have to use their potential. That means more hardship. In a way I feel sorry for them. They shouldn't brag about it. They are the ones who have to suffer more.

1 think many people assume that Father's children are in a very glorious place. But it is the place of the most suffering, because you have to bear all the suffering of the people. I have to lead all the members from now on. You know about being a leader, how hard it is to persuade, to make other people follow. You cannot do that by force. You have to constantly think all the time. The mental burden is greater than any burden.

I try not to miss even the little things. I look at an ant and wonder why he runs all the time. How can he move like that all the time? For what reason does he do that? What does he get out of it? And how much joy does he have? I sit there and I want to be like a rock. People look at a cliff and think it's just a cliff. But it has been standing there for thousands of years, always patient. That's the pride of the cliff. A tree gives its shade to a hot, sweaty person, giving him relief. It changes its colors four times a year, wearing different clothes. The cliffs don't change, not so much. They change only after thousands of years, but a tree can pride itself on being able to change often. It can make a place for mushrooms and the creatures that cannot grow out in the sunlight. There's lots of beauty there, right? You can always find beauty in yourself like that. It's how you see it. It's like a pair of dice. When you hold up a die you might see one dot, but I, looking from another angle, might see six dots. It has six sides on it. All six sides have different dots on it, but there's only one die. There can be two sides to a question, but only one answer is right. When there's two sides, one is wrong. If one is right, that means one is wrong, doesn't it?

Unite In Brotherhood

I really feel that it's our church members' responsibility to bring interracial unity. I was shocked when I heard a complaint from a brother that he suffers a lot of racial prejudice in our church. He never experienced that kind of prejudice before. I don't know who is in the worse prison -- the one receiving the prejudice or the one giving it out. The one who is prejudiced against another must be a great distance from God. I was shocked to hear it. I mean, in my church? I had heard reports that everybody loves each other here. I realize people suffer for man individual reasons, but prejudice? I never thought members suffered prejudice. That was a shock to me.

I love black people. One of my favorite friends is Reggie. You know Reggie? He's very emotional, you know. Black people stand up for what they believe. You know in the rallies you see the black ministers who have a deep feeling and just shout them out. Black people suffered a lot, they paid their dues. Through their blood, sweat and tears this nation could stand. They have a lot of love. White people and black people really have to cling together. We really have to show the rest of this world a true standard. That means we ourselves have to be one. When you're a bank robber, when you're a criminal, how can you say to your child, "Don't commit a crime?" How can you do that? If you have an honest conscience, can you truly say that to your child? Can you say "unite in brotherhood" to people who are walking around in the streets suffering or lost? Our church members have to really know this, they really have to understand this. We have to live our ideals. That's what Father wants. That's the only way we can go.

Some people pride themselves in trying to act very distinguished. They don't see any further than themselves. A person who goes beyond his limit -- that's a good person. God needs that kind of person. God needs the kind of person who'll cry out for His sake. Not the kind of person who knows God exists but has to think about it in his own terms. I think that's wrong, that's no good.

I have hope for our church. I have hope for our members. Because those people who grew up with me -- Reggie, Joe, John, Hiroshi, all different kinds of people, all different personalities -- those people can sit in the same place and love each other.

When we play in our band together, we love each other. All of us who were in the band love each other. I feel I can say to them: You can come to me anytime, but God comes first, Father comes first and our missions come first. In order to make our children happy for eternity we have to suffer for that moment of triumph, for the moment of victory. Don't shed your tears -- not for you, not for me. Bite your tongue, just go on, don't look back. Don't ever look back. What we want to reach is ahead of us, not behind us. We are here to fight. You and I know that very well. We are warriors, only going forward, never backward. We might stop but don't ever take a step back. 

Be Proud Of What You Are!

Hyo Jin Moon
July 31, 1984
Belvedere

I don't know if I am ready for this debut. Father has been giving me a lot of chances the last couple of months, and I have been really trying to change in ways that Father wants me to.

First of all, I can talk about the workshop that we are going through with the blessed children. It is the first time that I have ever sat together with blessed children and had a workshop with them. For me especially it was an experience for which I am very grateful. I was most inspired by the love, the thoughts, and the feelings of each individual centering upon God. Everybody had a different perspective, but they all were really open to God's love and were really trying to unite and fight in their own minds to be standing where Father is standing.

I will not say much. There is one thing I really want to share with every one of you, because you are leaders. You are the stepping stones of our church, and you have great missions. What you are doing is not just a mission, it is not just a duty. It is making your own world, and making yourself, your individual self. It is not for the sake of anybody else, but it's for you in the long run. It's for everybody's benefit, for your grandchildren, for your generations to come. You are here for yourself, as well as for everybody's sake, and for God. And you really have to understand that. It is not just something that I am doing for somebody. You are under God's dominion, you are His children, everybody is. In a way you are doing it for yourselves.

So you really have to be proud of what you are doing and what you are. And you have to stand in front of all the followers you are leading, to be that example, so they can follow. You have to have that kind of strength when they need it, you know, when they are down, when they are really suffering inside, when they have some kind of problems, emotional problems. You can be a strong wall they can lean on so they will never, never crumble down.

True Champion of God

I see in this world there are many people who are champions in their own minds. We have to be true champions. What is a true champion, under God's dominion, under God's fundamental love? You have to be the one who is willing to give a hundred percent, not for others' sake, not for the glory, not for the moment of truth, no. For the true value -- what you are really made of. I really feel this kind of person is a true champion of God. And we all have to be true champions of God, not just champions in our own minds, because if everybody is separated in that way, we will never unite. Father always tells us unite, unite. What is unity? What is unity when everybody is great in his own perspective?

I used to take martial arts, I used to play guitar. When I was taking martial arts, when I became an instructor, in my eyes nobody was greater than me, nobody was greater. To be a martial arts instructor was the highest goal, the greatest achievement. But when I got there I looked at everybody through that eye of being at instructor level. I looked around at everybody and saw that they were not men. I had thought a man has to do martial arts, has to be strong, has to be fast. I found out I was wrong.

You have your own chosen field and you can be great at it, but you cannot look at other people without the direction of heart; because in God's eyes it's spherical, round. It's not just one direction. You might be holding just one direction, you might be doing something in one part, but that is not the whole thing. You have to be perfect.

What does perfection mean? What is perfection? I asked the question many times. Am I perfect to judge somebody because I am an instructor in martial arts? Or am I virtuous in playing guitar? No. I may be good at that, but there is something more to be learned and to seek, to gain. Humbleness -- the word sounds so simple -- but it has a very deep meaning I feel, very deep meaning. That is why although I used to be a very outgoing person, I cut off. I became very silent, because I haven't reached that perfection yet. I don't want to speak out yet because I want to know more. I have to know more. And there are so many things that need to be done, and so many people, so many different backgrounds and different personalities, different emotions, all different kinds of people. To touch those people, I have to be a part of them.

For me to really understand the beauty of something, I have to realize what is there to be emphasized, so I can make it into a better thing. There are so many flowers in the fields, so many trees, so many beautiful things in nature. But for me, to put a flower in a vase, to make that harmonious and make that beautiful, I have to pick out what it is that is beautiful. For that kind of vase, I have to put in that kind of flower, or this kind of plant. That makes it beautiful, not just the vase or the flower by itself. I feel everything in the world is there for us to see. We didn't make any of it. Einstein developed the theory of relativity because something called an atom already existed.

He found that. He didn't make that. Because something already existed, he found it, he just found it.

Make a Beautiful Place for God

We have to try our best to make a beautiful place for God. Don't ever forget that. Make a beautiful place for God, and for everyone, for your children, for your family. I really believe in that. And you have to understand that, and yon will have to teach your followers. If you are leaders, you have that duty to love them, to try to make them better for themselves and for their generations to come. Because you are in that kind of position, you have to set that kind of tradition.

What is the point if all of us here are happy, and all our children plus all our future generations are not happy? I know you are suffering very much, but that is honor, that is great honor. Your suffering will be cherished for generations, for thousands and thousands of years. Think about that. All those people you read about in the Bible, all the people who are praised, they were Jesus' disciples. Father's standard is way beyond that point, and you are his disciples. You are his children, you are his followers. Think about that. Think about a thousand years from now. You'll be way ahead of that position. What an honor that is! That is a great honor. You should take pride in that. I think that Father wants that, too.

That is unity: to love one another. If I want to get something, I have to go out to buy it. I have to give something to get what I want. I walk around and I see many of you, and sometimes you smile at me, and sometimes I just walk away. And you think in your mind: How come Hyo Jin's not smiling at me? Let's say every one of you smiled at me. That's about 200 smiles I have to give every day. Sometimes, I am just not made into a smiling face. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I have hard feelings. Sometimes I suffer. And sometimes I am very sick, physically ill. Every day is different. I am really sorry if I give to anybody that kind of misunderstanding. It's my fault, in a way. But maybe you have to try to understand a little bit, right? Maybe a little bit.

Same thing. I feel that you have to not just expect somebody to give you something, give you a smile. If you come up to me and I just walk away and don't smile at you, you think, "Oh! He didn't smile at me." Instead, if I didn't smile, maybe you could come up to me and ask, "Are you sick, is there something wrong?" That is giving. You could come to me and say: "Hey, I am opening my heart, I am giving myself to you. I want to earn your smile." Then if I still frown at you, I am a bad person. But if you come to me in that kind of way, I can only smile, I can never frown.

Love Your Fellow People

In that kind of way, you really have to love your fellow people. Just because you are leaders, you expect then o to do something for you. Just because of that? I know you are doing very well. I know that. That's what I felt when I was doing the 21-day workshop. We were like a family talking to each other. Every day I spoke during prayer time, from six o'clock to seven o'clock in the morning. It was a family atmosphere. 1 studied everyone very carefully. If somebody was suffering inside, or if somebody had different kinds of ideas or thoughts, or somebody was mistaken inside his head, I focused on that. I would take that topic and nicely approach them. I don't just -- blam -- I don't just crucify that person. Anyway, in that kind of way it really worked out well. And with that kind of feeling, with that kind of emotion, I embraced those people, and they embraced me back because I embraced them. I gave my love, I opened my heart to them. They opened theirs. That is why we were so successful.

Many people are asking, "How did you do it?" 1 say: "I don't know. It just happened." But with that kind of mind, with that kind of heart, I tried. I tried very hard. Because, in a way, I was saying to myself that I was doing this for Father, but in a way I was doing it for myself, and for everybody else, and for my family.

I really feel this is the great opportunity for us to be really united, really united into one, and serve Father. For us to roll, we cannot have any kind of cracks, we cannot have any chips or it will always clunk. The chips will become bigger and bigger, and later on it will break. So, we have to make sure there are no loose spots.

Maybe you have something in your mind, you don't agree with other people. You think in your mind: "I don't agree with my central figure, whatever he says. 1 don't agree with that kind of leadership." But maybe try to figure it out. Try to see a further distance. Maybe your thought, maybe your ideas, maybe your revelation, whatever inspiration you got about that direction you try to fulfill, maybe it was just for a hundred years to come, while maybe your leaders see for a thousand years to come.

Think Three Steps Ahead

Right now, physically or materially, you may not be gaining anything. Try to think about it. Maybe internally, heart-wise, you are winning a lot, gaining more victory in the long run. That is a true champion. You know I was a fighter. I used to get into fights all the time, because I like to fight. Because I don't like nobody looking down at me. When you fight, you have to keep three steps ahead. You cannot just be standing like this, just waiting for somebody to punch you, or kick you, or to try to make a counter-attack. You have to think three steps ahead: Okay, I am going to do like this! He is going to block me this way, so I'm going to turn that way, and I'm going to give this kind of kick or whatever. The person who thinks three steps ahead is a good fighter. Always think at least three steps ahead, because what if he does something different from what I have thought about? Right at that moment, I'll break, he'll hit me and I will be knocked down, and I will lose.

So, you really have to give our leaders a chance. You really have to support them. I really feel this is a great opportunity, and you guys are very lucky. I am a very lucky person, and you are too, I really believe it. If you don't believe me, you will believe me later on, maybe not in the physical world, but in the spiritual world.

Let's show what we can do. Show me what you can do. Show our second generation. They call us the second generation -- I don't like that. Show us what you can do, because you are doing it right now, you are running. So until the next turn in the track, when the baton is passed on, until that time I will be looking, we will be looking. And I hope you can set a tradition, a strong foundation for us to follow. With that tradition, with that foundation, we will respect you.

You can be the center. How's that? Surrounding Father, you can be the center, then we can surround at a greater distance, and we can move on, and on, and on, till the whole world is on our side.

So please, we are looking. Please, don't make any mistake. That's not a threat. I really hope that you can do that. I am praying for it. Especially with Father in prison and all, I am praying for it. Father loves us so much, you know? Think about that. Why am I saying that? Think about that. I thank you very much. 

First Blessed Children's 21-Day Training Program

Hyo Jin Moon
June 20 -- July 10, 1984
Belvedere

Hyo Jin Moon Coordinator

Happy First Birthday Shin Jung Moon

Hyo Jin Moon
April 1984

Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim with their daughter Shin Jung Nim (held by Nan Sook Nim) on her first birthday.

Joining them: Shin Bok Nim (middle) and Shin Goon Nim (held by Hyo Jin Nim), the first and second son of Ye Jin Nim. 

The Birth of Shin Jung Moon

Hyo Jin Moon
February 28, 1983

Nan Sook Nim and her new daughter, Shin Jung Nim. She is pictured with her mother, Mrs. Hong. Hyo Jin Nim returned to New York for the baby's birth, but is now back in Korea.

Congratulations To Hyo Jin Nim And Nan Sook Nim on the birth of their daughter Shin Jung (Faithful Heart) February 28, 1983, 12:30 p.m. 

The New Yu Ensemble

Hyo Jin Moon
May 1982

The newest rock ensemble in our church, led by Hyo Jin Nim Moon, made its debut on Parents' Day. When Hyo Jin Nim and the other members were trying to find a name to call themselves, they had unison prayer and then picked up the I Ching (Book of Changes). It opened to Hexagram 16, "Enthusiasm," identified by the Chinese character Yu. The I Ching is the oldest book in the world, and contains six-line symbols for 64 images representing all phenomena and all changes in the universe. Chinese philosophers would consult the I Ching to give a perspective on human affairs as they relate to heavenly matters, to politics, to one's social life, business or even marriage.

Hyo Jin Nim was very surprised and pleased, for this symbol has special significance concerning music as the means of uniting the spirit world and physical world. According to reports, Father also was inspired by the meaning of the word Yu as the name for their group. "Like the name says," Hyo Jin Nim told members at the celebration, "our music is for YOU."

The following commentaries come from the Cary F. Baynes English translation of the I Ching, originally translated from Chinese into German by Richard Wilhelm. This version is considered the most authoritative of all I Chings in either language.

Hexagram 16 is named "Enthusiasm," and is formed by the symbol for thunder (or movement) in a position of influence over the symbol for earth (receptivity). "'Chen' is the sound of the thunder that accompanies the movements of reawakening life.

This sound is the prototype of music. Furthermore, Chen is the trigram in which God comes forth, hence the idea of the Supreme Deity."

"The time of enthusiasm derives from the fact that there is at hand an eminent man who is in sympathy with the spirit of the people and acts in accord with it. Hence he finds universal and willing obedience. To arouse enthusiasm it is necessary for man to adjust himself and his ordinances to the character of those whom he has to lead. The inviolability of natural law rests on this principle of movement along the line of least resistance. These laws are not forces external to things but represent the harmony of movement immanent in them. That is why the celestial bodies do not deviate from their orbits and why all events in nature occur with fixed regularity. It is the same with human society; only such laws as are rooted in popular sentiment can be enforced, while laws violating this sentiment merely arouse resentment.

Again, it is enthusiasm that enables us to install helpers for the completion of an undertaking without fear of secret opposition. It is enthusiasm too that can unify mass movements, as in war, so that they achieve victory."

The Image

Thunder comes resounding out of the earth:
The image of enthusiasm. Thus the ancient kings made music
In order to honor merit, And offered it with splendor
To the Supreme Deity, Inviting their ancestors to be present.

"When, at the beginning of summer, thunder -- electrical energy -- comes rushing forth from the earth again and the first thunderstorm refreshes nature, a prolonged state of tension is resolved. Joy and relief make themselves felt. So too, music has power to ease tension within the heart and to loosen the grip of obscure emotions. The enthusiasm of the heart expresses itself involuntarily in a burst of song, in dance and rhythmic movement of the body. From immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind.

"Rulers have made use of this natural taste for music; they elevated and regulated it. Music was looked upon as something serious and holy, designed to purify the feelings of men. It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen. In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes (out of this later the theater developed). Religious feeling for the Creator of the world was united with the most sacred of human feelings, that of reverence for the ancestors. The ancestors were invited to these divine services as guests of the Ruler of Heaven and as representatives of humanity in the higher regions. This uniting of the human past with the Divinity in solemn moments of religious inspiration established the bond between God and man. The ruler who revered the Divinity in revering his ancestors became thereby the Son of Heaven, in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in mystical contact." 

Testimonies at the Wedding Reception of Hyo Jin Moon

Joy Pople
January 7, 1982

Col. Bo Hi Pak:

Today we are celebrating a special day, the holy wedding of Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim. This is a special moment in the history of God. Representatives of the Unification Church from around the world have come here to celebrate this most meaningful moment in history. In 1960 we were not a big enough movement to have a worldwide celebration of the Blessing of True Parents.

This day is the fulfillment of the Divine Principle, the fulfillment of the Unification Church around the world.

The seventh floor of the Manhattan Center waited silently for the 320 invited guests to arrive for the wedding banquet for the eldest son of our True Parents. White tablecloths, white table service and white candles added to the expectant hush. Korean, Japanese, European and international members sat down together and shared the joy of the occasion.

At ten minutes before six, Father and Mother entered, followed by Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim, Mr. and Mrs. Sung Pyo Hong, Ye Jin Nim, In Jin Nim, Heung Jin Nim, Kwon Jin Nim and Sun Jin Nim. At the far ends of the head table sat Mr. Sung Young Moon, Rev. Won Pil Kim, Mr. Young Whi Kim and Col. Bo Hi Pak.

Mr. Young Whi Kim offered the invocation, and the newlyweds were called to the stage to cut their wedding cake. With the accompaniment of piano and flute, each guest received his plate of prime rib.

During the dinner, Col. Pak, the master of ceremonies, invited various leaders of our movement to come to the stage and sing for True Parents and the new True Children's couple. Dr. and Mrs. Mose Durst, Mr. and Mrs. Osami Kuboki, Rev. Jae Suk Lee, Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, Rev. Chung Goo Park, and finally Col. and Mrs. Bo Hi Pak sang. Whole groups were also called to the stage for introductions and a song: 22 members of the 36 blessed couples were introduced; at Father's request, they sang "Sanae." Other Korean leaders came and sang, followed by European leaders and foreign missionaries (some of whom had just arrived only a couple of hours earlier, unaware of the event about to take place). Sixteen older children of Korean blessed couples who were the attendants of the bride and groom at the wedding also sang.

The prepared entertainment for the four and a half hour celebration also included several Korean songs by the New Hope Singers, the "Fan Dance," by the International Folk Ballet, and several selections by the Go World Brass Band, with vocalists including In Jin Nim singing, "You Light Up My Life."

Several leaders offered their reflections on the significance of this day:

Rev. Jae Suk Lee (president of the Unification Church of Korea):

There are several reasons for great congratulations on this occasion:

For one, Hyo Jin Nim has at last become an adult. In Korea, no matter how old you are, you are not regarded as an adult until you are married. I was one of the eyewitnesses of the engagement in Korea, and I know how much Hyo Jin Nim has changed since the engagement. Before, he was always shy and didn't want to mingle very much with older people, especially the leaders. But now he is proud, and his shoulders have become wider.

Also, I was an eyewitness of Hyo Jin Nim's great faith, at the time of his engagement. On the morning of November 22, 1981, when he was asked about the engagement, his answer was: "Father, Mother, do as you will. I am absolutely obedient to your will." Therefore, this engagement and wedding is an act of obedience, because he has true respect and faith in True Father and True Mother.

We 36 blessed couples have not had much opportunity for fellowship with the True Children, because we have been so busy. But it is such a joy now to find such absolute faith in Hyo Jin Nim. He was in Korea on December 28, his birthday. On that occasion he told us, "Father has suffered so much for mankind and all the world; I am the one who must vindicate him."

By nature, Hyo Jin Nim is a man of big heart. He is a strong, masculine man, but he has a great and soft heart. When he speaks of Father and Mother, he moves the hearts of all those around him.

It came to me as a great realization, although I had seen this same great heart in Ye Jin Nim, that we cannot compete with the level of heart that True Children hold for True Parents. All of us as leaders or members of the Unification Church make an effort to love and imitate True Parents. But True Children are born with that heart.

Now for the bride. Her selection was truly unexpected. After she was chosen, when we looked at her, we realized that the heavenly dispensation was upon her. She and Hyo Jin Nim seem alike, giving the impression of being brother and sister. Also, in a deep way, she imparts the same essence as True Mother. So I congratulate her from the bottom of my heart on becoming the daughter-in-law of True Parents.

By the holy wedding of Ye Jin Nim and now by this wedding today, we are truly embarking on the new age of the children. Through this consummation of the fruits of True Parents in this new Abel family, we all become a Cain family, and there is room for our salvation. I pray that the blessing of God will dwell abundantly on this new family, Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim.

Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak:

According to God's ideal, the True Parents and the True Children absolutely need a pure and happy environment. Because we have not fulfilled our responsibility, although God prepared True Children, a true and wonderful environment was not prepared in which to receive them.

When those of us who are parents go on a long journey, our minds are sometimes uncomfortable when we think about our children. But imagine how True Parents, who have sent their children to schools in the outside world, must feel. Or consider how God must have felt when He sent True Parents to this world. We cannot compare our mind and heart with that of God and True Parents. True Children have grown up surrounded by sinful acts. Today they shared with us how their original mind has led them through all these experiences, enabling them to follow True Parents' guidance.

Therefore, we should be ashamed in front of Hyo Jin Nim and the other True Children and make a determination to devote ourselves in the future to the True Children and their families.

True Children are so precious; yet True Parents spend all their time and heart for our benefit. Even though externally True Children live with True Parents in East Garden, True Parents spend so much time traveling. Moreover, 24 hours a day, they live for us, their Cain-type sons and daughters.

I have spent much time with True Parents, but True Children spend only a few moments a day with them: they bow to them upon rising, before leaving for school, upon returning from school, and before going to bed. If True Parents had been able to spend more time with the True Children, imagine how much more their characters and hearts would be able to develop!

Of course, we can offer our congratulations to True Children, but we also have a debt to pay to them. The main Cain/Abel relationship we have to restore is as blessed couples before the True Children's blessed couples. Without the True Children's families, we would have no way to reach heaven. Therefore, we have to show loyalty to our Abel families, and then we can relate to True Parents.

This is still 1981 according to the lunar calendar. Because of Ye Jin Nim's Blessing in May of 1981, we were able to start the second 21-year course centering on the blessed couples. Because of this Blessing, we can truly start our course. Therefore, the blessed couples of Ye Jin Nim and Hyo Jin Nim are our eternal source of life.

Col. Bo Hi Pak:

Mr. and Mrs. Hong are surely a special couple, since both the bridegroom of Ye Jin Nim and the bride of Hyo Jin Nim come from the same blessed couple.

Mr. Hong joined the Unification Church in 1957. After going through elementary duties as a church member, he served as a regional director for ten years. In 1970, Father asked him, because of his educational background in pharmaceutics, to pioneer Il Hwa. Under his guidance, Il Hwa has developed many products to promote the health of the people around the world. He is truly a pioneer and a dedicated man. Mrs. Hong has been in the church for 21 years, the last 20 standing side by side with her husband. There are abundant stories of their dedication, too many to enumerate here.

Mrs. Sung Pyo Hong:

Ever since the Blessing of Ye Jin Nim, I have not been myself; my mind is somewhere else. I had to pinch myself to make sure it was not a dream. I was not truly prepared to come here for this Blessing, I came here hastily... my voice is hoarse. I need your support. It is not easy to become the mother of a bride.

The groom and bride were called to the stage, greeted with musical fanfare, applause, streamers and orchid leis.

Hyo Jin Nim [in English]:

First, I want to thank True Parents and Heavenly Father for giving me such a beautiful and wonderful bride... My feelings are very difficult to express with words. I am very limited. There is so much I want to express. There is no word to express my feelings... This is the first time I'm getting married! Father and Mother could not control their laughter.

I don't know how to call my... whether to call her "darling" or just by her name. Usually I call her in Korean shekshi [meaning bride]. It's the easiest thing for me to say.

From now on, I... we... will try to fulfill Father's goal and what everybody is giving me at this celebration. We'd like to thank all of you for giving us this great celebration. Good night.

Nan Sook Nim:

Father and Mother leaned forward to hear what Nan Soak Nim would have to say. She spoke briefly in Korean. Col. Pak asked Hyo Jin Nim to translate, and passed the microphone to him. Hyo fin Nim seemed at a loss for words for a moment, and then said, "We are supposed to be united; she said the exact same thing I said." Father and Mother laughed and applauded. Then Col. Pak said, "It's really heartwarming. I never heard such a great speech (as Nan Sook Nim's) in my life. She said, "First of all, I want to give my heartfelt appreciation for Heavenly Father and True Parents, who picked me for this position, of which I am not worthy. I am very young. I still have much to learn. I will strive very hard to live up to Heavenly Father's and True Parents' expectations. All can say is thank you very much, to Heavenly Father and True Parents, from the bottom of my heart."

Hyo Jin Nim:

We will sing a song, one of the favorite songs of Mother. I'd like to thank her for giving me the opportunity to come to this world so I could meet such a wonderful bride. They sang, "Got pan chi," meaning floral ring.

We only practiced one song. That's the best we can do so far.

Both forgot some of the words of the song. At the audience's insistence, they sang a second song, "Sarong he." Then Father and Mother came to the stage, and groom and bride greeted them with kisses. The other True Children and many church leaders also came to the stage.

Father:

I'd like to thank you for this wonderful celebration. I know Heavenly Father takes delight in this celebration.

I'm sure you don't know fully the Divine Principle implications of this day, but I hope I will have a chance to explain it to you on a later day.

I wish them well, first of all, the bridegroom, Hyo Jin, and the bride, Nan Sook, that both will make a heavenly family, inherit the tradition that True Parents have been erecting, and do even greater than True Parents. That is my wish and my prayer, and I believe that will be done.

Mother:

When this most memorable day came, I could not help but think back on those hard and difficult days of the past. Tears mingled with her soft voice. My heart is deeply filled with gratitude and inspiration. I want you to know that when I came as a bride to True Father, I knew nothing about marriage or, of course, how to bear a child. In these circumstances I gave birth to Ye Jin and Hyo Jin... and now they are already grown up and married.

Her tears of relief spoke more than words, and Father said softly in English, "This is a memorable day for her." Then Mother continued, Instead of speaking, I will sing. My heart is choked; my voice is choked. I cannot talk.

Mother sang "Arumda Unggum" meaning Beautiful Dream. Several times she was engulfed in tears during the song, and Father would take her arm in his and help her continue, softly singing the melody until she could take it up again.

Mother in English]:

I'm sorry.

Father [also in English]:

I'm sorry, too.

Then Father began to sing another song, asking Mother to join him in some of the phrases, kissing her on the cheek while she sang. Later he suggested that she sing a song. He sang along with her, three beats behind, teasing her as he often does, but she was not distracted; she finished the song perfectly. Father grinned at the end.

The two youngest True Children present, Sun Jin Nim [age 5] and Kwon Jin Nim [age 7], began dancing around and playing with the quantities of streamers that had been tossed onto the stage. Mr. David Kim and other leaders present took handfuls of colorful streamers and laid them around Hyo Jin Nim's neck and then placed some on Nan Sook Nim's head. Bit by bit, streamers were piled on the bride and groom until only their big smiles were visible.

Father began singing "Um Maya," giving both halves of the audience, as well as those assembled on stage, parts to sing. He asked Mother to sing, and commented in English, "She has a beautiful voice." Hyo fin Nim and Nan Sook Nim had to sing a few phrases in turn, separately and then together, and also Mr. and Mrs. Hong.

Finally, the dancing began, and three or four concentric circles of members -- the performers and church leaders -- joined hands and danced around True Parents, True Children and the new True Children's couple.

To close the celebration. Rev. Won Pil Kim led three cheers of mansei for Heavenly Father, True Parents and bridegroom and bride, and the crowd on the stage picked up Hyo Jin Nim and tossed him into the air several times, to the cheers of the audience. Finally, the band struck up the final march, and the curtains closed. 

Holy Wedding of Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim

Joy Pople
January 7, 1982

Belvedere, True Parents' first home in the United States, opened its gates to welcome the eldest son of True Parents and the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sung Pyo Hong, to be blessed in a holy wedding on January 7, 1982.

The Western-style wedding ceremony began at 10:40 a.m., in the library on the first floor of the main house. The half-hour ceremony, conducted in Korean, was witnessed by 120 selected members dressed in white robes; these included 73 Koreans, plus Japanese, European and a few American leaders.

Red carpet, covered by white cloth, ran the length of the main hallway, with members standing along both sides. When Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim arrived arm in arm at the far door of the hall, Dr. Mose Durst offered the invocation.

The first to enter the wedding room were the representatives of the friends of the groom and bride, followed by their attendants. Father and Mother, dressed in gold-trimmed robes and crowns, descended the stairs and entered, followed by the groom and bride, and then the other members present.

Opening the holy wedding ceremony, Father asked the groom and bride three questions, similar to those asked of all couples at their Blessing. They gave their pledge to fulfill these conditions. Father and Mother sprinkled on their heads scented water. For the Blessing prayer, Father placed his hand on Nan Sook Nim and Mother her hand on Hyo Jin Nim. Following this, the bride and groom exchanged gifts of rings and watches.

After a song, Mr. Young Whi Kim gave a congratulatory message. He referred to the mission of the eight members of Adam's family, including the three sons and their wives, who were supposed to establish pure families so God could work through them. After this foundation was lost, God tried to restore it externally through Noah's family. Now, through True Parents' family and the three children's families, the original significance of the number eight is restored internally. Upon this foundation, therefore, the Cain- type blessed couples can prosper and receive more blessing.

Closing the ceremony, Father proclaimed the holy marriage of Hyo Jin Nim and Nan Sook Nim and led in three cheers of mansei.

Confetti, brightly-colored streamers and rice greeted the groom and bride on their wedding march, between two rows of members offering their congratulations. After the ceremony, members of the wedding party returned to the room for picture taking. Photographs were made of many combinations of True Parents, the groom and bride, and the wedding party.

According to Korean tradition, the bride should look serious on her wedding day, and Nan Sook Nim kept a calm composure. Hyo Jin Nim, in contrast, was joyful as well as dignified.

The traditional Korean-style wedding took place in True Parents' second-floor living room, after the members of the wedding party changed into Korean clothes. This was a more intimate ceremony, attended by the immediate families. Lengths of pastel-colored fabric decorated the room and the three doorways leading to it. Tall stacks of fruits were visible on a large offering table.

Perhaps some background on Korean wedding traditions would be helpful to Western members. Although there are some variations in details, according to regions, the following description would be typical.

Weddings are generally held in the home of the bride's parents. The groom and bride sit at either end of a table on which various symbolic items are placed. These might include a cooked chicken, chestnuts, we chu (a dried fruit similar to plums or dates, used only for weddings), evergreen branches, flowers, bamboo and candles. The bride bows three times to the groom; then the groom bows twice to the bride; finally, they both bow once to each other. Then the groom and bride drink rice wine, first separately and then together.

Then the bride bows to her new parents-in-law. The bride is accompanied by two married women who have already given birth to sons. The groom's parents then toss some we chu and chestnuts to the bride (symbolic of their hopes that she will have good fortune and give birth to sons).

A celebration follows the wedding. The parents and the newlyweds then sit together around a long table piled with stacks of food (similar to the way our church's offering tables are decorated). The wedding feast includes special very thin, long noodles, symbolic of long life. The first night, the couple sleeps in the bride's house; the following day, they go to the bridegroom's house, the groom riding on a horse and the bride in a palanquin (a covered litter carried on poles by two men).

The night of the wedding, in the house of the bridegroom's parents, the wedding guests tie a rope around the bridegroom's ankles and hang him upside down. Then they tease him and beat him, asking him how much money he was planning to give them. If he names a sum they are not satisfied with, they might continue beating him and teasing him until he gives a figure that pleases them.

Father once explained the reason for such a custom. Other people might be jealous of the groom if he easily takes a beautiful girl as his wife. So the friends of the bridegroom can hit him and tease him, and thus help him pay indemnity.

The night of his Blessing, Hyo Jin Nim was given this treatment, and not only him but also Mr. Sung Pyo Hong, Mr. Soon Jong Hong (Mother's uncle), Col. Bo Hi Pak, Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, and Father's two relatives present, Mr. Sung Young Moon and Mr. Sung Kyun Moon -- all were spontaneously caught and hung upside down one by one. "You receive too much of Father's love," the other guests teased them. "How much money will you give us?" They collected promises of $20,000 by the end of the antics. Father was highly amused and said, "Since none of you have too much money, I'll pay on your behalf."

According to Korean custom, wedding celebrations continue for three days. Each morning, the bridegroom and bride should dress in traditional Korean clothes and greet the groom's parents, bowing to them three times. Hyo Jin Nim protested that his pink and light-blue outfit was awkward to wear, but his mother-in-law told him that he was still the bridegroom and besides, he looked so handsome in his clothes, why not wear them throughout the day for the three days. So he agreed to.

In Korean tradition, the relationship between the bridegroom and his mother-in- law is particularly warm and close, as well as the relationship between the bride and her father-in-law. This is a form of a mother's love for her son and a father's love for his daughter. Therefore, such a relationship between Hyo Jin Nim and Mrs. Hong was very natural.

On January 8, the Korean, Japanese and European leaders spent the entire day playing Yute at East Garden; the third day, January 9, was devoted to meetings with international leaders.