Entitlement

Hyo Jin Moon
October 15, 2006 7:00 am
Belvedere

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 15 October 2006. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record.

Hyo-Jin-nim's website is: http://www.canaanstation.com/

To see one of the projects that Hyo-Jin-nim is working on log on to: http://definingmoment.tv/

Joe Kinney

All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage)

Please sit.

Good morning.

Today's topic is "Entitlement."

This world is crazy. Let's go to the story telling phase.

Let's go back to the beginning of how we build our understanding as to what is right and what is wrong.

What are we inheriting? That is the question; right?

In democracy and free society we talk about entitlement and that is about basic freedom and human rights. It's a fundamental thing that makes you who you are in relation to God.

It's the case that there are many people that see otherwise. It's basically where we stem from. That's where we start. That is the conflict. If there is any conflict in a fundamental sense, that's where it comes from; entitlement issues. Why?

Because children of God have a certain promise based on religious doctrine and some traditions that you have something that is inherent in you because God exists. That's it.

When you take God out of the picture the entitlement issue disappears. It's every man for him self. If you don't have parents you don't inherit anything; you don't even exist to begin with. That's the fundamental stuff.

When you're dealing with people who don't believe in God that's why anything is open to every kind of crazy stuff that comes down the pike based on conflict or whatever situation that exists based on voluntary issues ultimately things get crazier because it doesn't have any root.

There is no connection. It is very difficult when you have to prove yourself on a momentary basis, how great you are, why you're better that the next person if you don't have some kind of connection that allows you to speak representing good.

It doesn't work. The only reason that there is good accepted in the world is that we believe in God. I know you never saw God. You don't call Him on a red phone or something. I know that doesn't exist. The only reason that we try to take the moral higher ground is because we believe that we have some kind of relationship with God. Whether we understand it clearly, whether it is real to us, to what degree that is true in every individual case, because there will be many variations of it.

That becomes the focal point ultimately no matter how you address it that will pretty much determine the outcome. When it comes to dealing with what we have to face in reality there are people that don't believe in God. Another unfortunate fact is that beyond that reality it doesn't end there. There are many groups of people who say that "My God is better that your God."

I'm not talking about polytheism here; I'm talking about one single God, but my belief is better than your belief, my faith is better than yours.

It all comes from the concept of entitlement. I deserve something because of a religious teaching. God promised. God exists. God created everything. God gave me the opportunity to be something. Based on that people try to translate whatever, however they want to translate entitlement issues. That's it.

Let's go back to the Christian stories. We kind of get along OK; it doesn't matter how crazy the stuff we do is, still we seem to get along because of the Christian concept. You have to promise something. What is the entitlement? If you go to the mythological story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the fall occurred because the entity who was delegated to rear the primary ancestors of the human race, Adam and Eve had a falling out with that particular entity based on entitlement issues.

On a hierarchy level, jealously normally comes from the bottom up; it doesn't come from up to down. Up to down you will have contempt. "That is contemptuous; I am disgusted with that person's actions." It won't be out of jealously or envy.

Jealously and envy are due to things that you see and feel, tactile things, things you need to feel and you need to have. This application will trigger jealously. If something is just out there in theory, how can you be jealous of something that you can't measure? Jealously and envy exist because it's measurable.

You want something. You want to take something. "Oh he has more power." That's measurable stuff. Base on that kind of thought provoking emotional thing you act upon it and try to claim it for yourself. This causes all sorts of problems.

When you talk about entitlement then what is the essence of entitlement? What are you really trying to.. As the human race if we believe in God and God is the Almighty, the Creator, we have to accept the will of God.

What are we ultimately inheriting? Do you think it is something that will trigger jealously and envy? I don't think so. It has to be something better, Why? Because you have to ask the question: What do you say when somebody says "I'm perfect?" What does that mean?

Perfect in what? Am I perfect in suffering like God? Am I perfect in forgiveness like God? Am I perfect in sacrificing? What kind of perfection are you talking about? That has to be clear. And why do you want to be in that position? Why do you want to emulate God? Why do you want to assume God? What is your intent? Do you really know what God's perfection is?

Or is your perfection or your desire just a product of just human history in the general sense? It doesn't have religious or secular. It's just filled with crap all over the place. Why do you want to assume that position? Why is it important to you; and if you are a representation of God then what can you do with that stuff. What is the thing that makes a difference ultimately and not just in the present, but in the future?

You can't judge somebody until they're dead right? So I'll leave it at that.

You will be judged, by your children, and by God. You can't just think about yourself, my children, my posterity, my people; there is no such a thing!

We are obviously going through religious strife in the most appalling way possible dealing with racial differences and all sorts of crap.

That's why you have to talk in general when you try to understand God because no matter how we try to understand in detail it will take time. It's not going to happen like that. Why? Think about your self. Know your limits. You don't live that long. History did not start from you.

There are many things you can be addicted to. I've seen all sorts of addictions, but the most devastating stuff is power and money. That will make you think all sorts of stupid things. If you're high on drugs you do crazy things and its not you making the decision; it's the drug making you do things that you will regret. Ultimately you are responsible for it whether you like it or not.

It has to be that way if everybody is going to achieve perfection in the eyes of God, "I didn't do anything wrong" To whose eyes? To what standard?

The world will change. No matter how crazy it is, it will change. In the past it was crazier. We know a lot. That's why we struggle in our discretionary measures. We do have a greater understanding of how history works, of how human beings work in a basic sense, physical, emotional, psychological. So basically its mind and body -- body and mind.

People 2000 years ago, 4000, 5000, they were trying to have a relationship with God. We're still going through that phase and we still struggle till this day to have a spiritual relationship with God, a God that we all see, that we all talk to every day.

Obviously something has evolved in betterment, we understand that, but still we struggle. Why? Because It's Real! Because we can't control it to the level of our understanding what the spirituality is just on the individual level. Remember that reality is various. It is not uniform. It is different in all sorts of crazy ways. But that's what it's about, nothing else.

When you talk about your entitlement, what if you're a prince? What kind of entitlement do you allow yourself that this is legitimate this is justifiable, and what gives you the right to do that? Because I'm a prince? What if you're not? What if you're the lower rung of the ladder?

Does individual responsibility differ from the people at the bottom to the people at the top? Even society doesn't allow that, secular, democratic society. Do you really think God's ideal society will allow that? Just because it (our church) is based voluntary participation that doesn't mean that it (this standard of responsibility) doesn't exist.

It might not be coerced and enforced by punitive measures, at every turn that you take, every little step that you take, but it exists. There is nothing different in the end because it can't be.

Who cares? Why do you want to be that important? You have no idea how miserable that is based on how Father prescribed it, based on His pathways. It is miserable. It is not fun. It is not glorious. It is not easy. It will be miserable and you're willing to do that.

That's something that I still have problems with. I'll tell it to you like it is. A lot of people think that they're more effective, more able, smarter, but they all want something, the thing that I have been burdened with.

Take it! I could care less, because that was the source of my misery all my life. Take it!

I wish I could be like the other guy and just kick you out and I'm better than you, live like that. I take care of myself and do good in my own way and let God sort it out.

But I still care, No matter how selfish you want to be because of climate or whatever; you care because of your blood, of your lineage.

Sometimes I get a call "I'm your brother, I'm your sister, help me!" I need help too. (Laughter) What can you say? Can you turn them down? That's part of your family.

When you've got nothing to look up to, when you're hopeless because you're sitting in a hole somewhere and you feel that pressure the enormous shame and uselessness, and hopelessness. It bothers you. It eats you up. What are you going to do? Kill everybody?

In some ways when you talk about this kind of human stuff the most fundamentally important stuff is that entitlement stuff that created all this other stuff.

When you open up to spirit world it's a two-edged sword too.

I do preach a lot about dying. Life is short. Do the best you can. Give the best you got. In this short span of life you don't want to put your nasty stuff first. Try to build something that will be lasting like the spirit that is given to you, that is entitled to you at birth.

You have to acquire and earn that stuff and make it matter because in the end you will be judged. How do you think you will be judged? You will be judged by the standard of what the spirit is. What is that? You are going to answer that on your own. OK

Am I helping you? If I'm helping you with something so be it.

I'm going to talk about God and I'm going to talk about my self.

If I'm making a difference, that's all I can do for you. That's all that matters.

Stick to your role. Stick to your purpose.

I started this for a reason and its personal and I admit it and you know it.

Take it or leave it.

It doesn't matter to me what you do in the end. I will not be your judge.

The fact of the matter is I don't even know many of you; it just happens that I'm in the position where I can make myself useful if I choose to be.

If I did that it hurts and you get disappointed to. I don't want to be hurt again.

But that does not mean something stops.

You know its right and ultimately the practical defensive approach that I have at this point, I know that can change.

I want to do the stuff that we need to fight and win. At the same time I'm disgusted that I have to be defensive about my self in my own world. It's just for now. I know it will change.

You can't be that selfish forever. You can't be that self righteous.

Try to control your angers, because anger in certain cases lead to jealously and envy. It can lead to self righteousness and superiority stuff.

Hey, just be grateful that you wake up in the morning and say "What am I going to do today?"

Count your days and be grateful that you can.

There are all kind of crazy people out there.

I have another audition (for a production on http://definingmoment.tv/)

We can deal with Christian stuff and with other stuff too.

You just invite all sorts of people and just let them talk about themselves, all different Christian denominations.

We have access to their heads thanks to modern technology. The more we understand the better.

That's the basic essence of communications. We're just going to do it because we have a purpose as a church and something has to be done in fundamental ways. That is essential for our success and the future.

The more we understand, the more we have the better. Not guessing, we know exactly what you are. The difficulty is that we are guessing (about people's views) half the time, more than half, 95%. We can be clear in dealing with humanity because we are clearer when we practice that stuff.

Practice what we learn (from these interviews) and that's good schooling isn't it? It's not just because you have a Harvard degree you might have a lot of learning, but learning doesn't stop there.

I don't think you can change the world with physical things or intellectual things. The world will be changed when we understand God. Spirit, mind and body all that has to be proper, not the other way around. Any other mixture variation or alternative is crap. Either you do that stuff or get out, because you're going to loose in the end.

No matter how secular you are, the world will teach you. You've got to know your limit. No matter how gangsterous you think you are, other men are tougher and stronger and bigger than you.

There is no doubt that America could nuke North Korea and pulverize it theoretically, but they can't do it because of radiation fallout etc. contaminate Russia China. Let them see who can piss harder into the wind. Let them do that stuff.

Let's get our act together and make a difference. In our lives as an individual that is something of a good legacy. If there is any value in any thing, it has to happen with a purpose intent and action. OK?

That's how we will be judged in the end. So please the more you do that and make a difference not just to your self but to others, the whole hell, the human race all too somehow.

Anyway how are you going to inherit something become a king and control everything? What does that mean? That is the curse. That's why God suffers. Do you understand me?

Don't like that stuff to much. It don't work like that.

Take care.

Giving Thanks

Hyo Jin Moon
October 8, 2006 7:00 am
Belvedere

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 08 October 2006. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record.

Hyo-Jin-nim's website is: http://www.canaanstation.com/

To see one of the projects that Hyo-Jin-nim is working on log on to: http://definingmoment.tv/

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and Yeon-Ah-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage; he brings a small notebook to the podium.)

Sorry that I'm a little late.

Based on Korean Tradition, just a few days ago we passed Thanksgiving. (Chu'sok the Korean "Harvest Moon" festival is on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month)

What are we thankful for? When you are first born.. I don't know if a baby can realize the status of their own being at the moment of inception when they emerge from the womb venturing into something that is absolutely foreign to them.

That's a different state. I don't know whether the newborn coming out of the womb can actually feel that stuff or anything for that matter. This is something that I wish that I could understand. Does the infant coming right out of the womb feel anything, and if it feels anything what does it feel? That's pretty much where you have to start.

Anything that is going to be anything; that is the start. Do you see God? And that kind of stuff. Do you know God personally? Do you have His cell phone number? (Laughter) That kind of stuff.

We believe in something because we want ... because of our intellectual capacity to look at the past. And the past doesn't really look pretty in terms of building what we want in the ideal sense.

That's why religion is a powerful force in history. Because we want to know "what did I think when I first came out of the womb?" Think? If I did then what did I think? Was I happy to be here or not happy? We could start with that.

Do you remember what you thought when you were first born? Can you honestly say to somebody else, yourself even, that you know absolutely, for sure, that I know the answer, "I was happy." I was not happy." Or what ever in between, I don't care. Do you have that answer? Pretty much, basically that's where we start from, our individual self. Everything else is influenced. If you are nor sure of your self, if you don't know who you are, if you don't know your limit, pretty much you're the product of influence around you, your reality.

Go back and think about your situation. Think about your reality. How far can I go back? To my beginning, my beginning. Now just put aside somebody else for now OK? Your beginning. How far can I go back and start to fundamentally ask myself and give myself fundamental answers?

What am I thankful for? If you want to change the world you'd better answer that question. As far as you can go back, teenage years, whatever. Middle class parents want to do their best to put their children through school and a good school is all the better, Ivy League even better right? Because they will get preferential treatment and go on to the next level.

You start off with an annual salary of $70,000 or $80,000 up to $120,000 with a law degree from an Ivy League school, an MBA or whatever. The more the better. Actually, just for fun because this information is so easy to get these days I found that from established schools like Harvard Yale etc about 25,000 to 30,000 kids come out every year. Obviously there are more prominent schools out there in America; every state has state universities from grade "A" to whatever and it's like that everywhere in the world.

Then what? Other issues? What is free in America? It's an opportunity sure. You know mind and body stuff to me is sometimes very simple. I look at it sometimes as life and death, life and sense, and life and love. You kind of have to measure people based on that kind of stuff. When you look at civilizations what are they chasing?

Of course even in spirit it can be good and bad. Even in intelligence there is good and bad. Even in body there is good and bad. Right? Just because in comparison to some spiritual dumb ass on a physical level you might be better off than that because you seem opposite it doesn't make it right forever; It is very temporal.

Father has invested in the second generation I know for sure two kids that have gotten a PhD in economics. They're doing well on their own, but that's about it. I could go into detail, but it's not necessary.

There is a lot of stuff that it is not necessary to talk about. You just have to understand the essence of stuff. You have to ask yourself "Why do I want to give thanks to something? Do I mean it?" When you are thankful for something what happens? Most likely you're thankful for some kind of personal reasons, that some kind of personal benefit might happen to you. People who are thankful, what happens to them if you're normal? You make some kind of offering right? You don't make an offering unless you feel something like that. Obviously unless you have something to be grateful for or thankful for it (the desire to make an offering) isn't going to last long. That's reality right?

That's why that I guess in a sense that you have reached some mind of understanding that in spirit there is an end to reality as we understand it. Because of that basic reality our ability to understand stuff, God doesn't want to be alone. God is almighty by Himself He doesn't need law, but because of his counterpart he has to have law. Law exists for the sake of the counterpart, that's it.

When you have that reality obviously there is a give-and-take principle that's the basic law to bring about that happening, to bring about somebody wanting to give something because they are genuinely thankful.

That's why there is a funny phenomenon in America where you always try to look for bigger Gurus. In this wealthy country you have time and money and I guess you have nothing better to do.

Find the greater defining meaning of being truly thankful. That's (those Gurus) what we have to compete against. Do you actually believe that stuff? I've tried it all there are so many ways in which you can abuse things. There are so many ways in which you can do right; but you have to make that choice.

When you try to do right you will suffer. You will suffer, suffer, suffer. If you take, take, take or you try to do the opposite, you'll suffer, suffer, suffer. It's up to you. It never ends.

What's the difference between Mother Teresa and the Bill Gates of the world? Both started with nothing, seemingly. They're self made people. That's the commonality between Bill Gates and Mother Teresa. That's why people respect them whether they like them or not. For whatever their reason it doesn't matter. You respect them to the core, to a point; they started from nothing in general.

They've gotten something based pretty much on the traditional kind of sacrifice based on religious dictum regardless of what religion. A self made man is a good opportunist that comes along at the right time and something was there beyond them self. They were in the right place at the right time. Their contribution will stand and they will at least be given the credit for discovery and application, and implementation. To what degree? It doesn't matter. They did something and we accept that. It seems like some sort of offering.

When we have to try to teach ourselves to be thankful on a daily basis remember your life is an offering in the end. Right? The way I look at it, and I'm a simple and morbid kind of guy, even if you die it's not important. It's about an offering.

There is a connection between freedom and desire. If you have uncontrollable desire what good is freedom? How did the fall occur? Because desires couldn't be controlled. Why? Because of individual responsibility. So even if you're given the freedom to make the choices.. Freedom means we have the ability to make choices unlike dumb animals that act in instinct and impulses.

We have the faculty of higher developed intellectual processing to determine, beyond the fate of impulse and instinct, to actually go further to the desire. It is constantly expanding and seemingly infinite. What the heck is freedom then? It has no meaning in the end. We have to live by the law of God in the end, right, whether you like it or not. Why, Because God says "When I made you I had... Because of you law has to exist. Otherwise I'll kill you. The law exists so that I won't kill you.

Sometimes no matter how much you love something, I don't feel that way all the time, maybe everyday once, but what if God is more extreme than me? (Laughter) How the heck do you know?

Some second generation ask me should I go to school, what should I do? What should I major in? I tell them that in your life you have to make choices and in the end it's about making an offering, whether you make your livelihood out of it or from the body you make something greater and greater. Pretty much it's about that.

What are you good at? What do you like? Start from there. Don't ask me! How the heck do I know? I have a hard time keeping my self on track sometimes. There are so many things that can distract you in a tick-tock moment.

Just do what ever you learn apply it. Sometimes you can really logically process everything till it makes sense to you.

How many of those thanksgivings that we talked about do you think I will see? How many will you see? It happens once a year, how many times? How many times did you see? Most of you maybe forty or fifty times, maybe some of the young kids here ten or twenty. Will you see three digits? Good for you. That's reality. You can't deny that.

You have problems; I have problems, why, because stuff happens. The thing is; what can you do about it. What am I willing to do about it? I can blame stuff till kingdom or hell freezes over. I'm just doing my part here. What you take from it doesn't really matter.

You really don't have to own the world to change the world. What we do with our lives and the choices that we make can make a difference and inspire each other. What kind of choices do you want to make?

You don't need a billion dollars to change the world as long as intention is correct. I know about self promotion and I really don't do it. I go out of my way not to do it. I know it better than you. Trust me. It's not about that. Why do you want to promote yourself?

You see this terrible situation in the Amish community where those children were shot. (Hyo-Jin-nim is referring to a horrible school shooting where five little girls were killed in Lancaster Pennsylvania last week)

(Hyo-Jin-nim broke into tears and I could not make out his words. I believe the thought of those parents loosing their daughters reminded him of his own loss of Shin-Gil-nim less than one year ago.)

We aren't always good and great all the time, but you don't want to be foolish and judgmental. If you think that you can judge someone, and then prepare to explain according to what standard you live.

We all want to receive love from God equally and we should all try to do that. That is the only definition of the ideal world that really matters.

Our life is an offering; correct yours, its depending on the choices you make and history will judge you by it.

Include God and you won't die.

See you later.

Propaganda

Hyo Jin Moon
October 1, 2006

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 01 October 2006. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record. To see one of the projects that Hyo-Jin-nim is working on log on to: http://definingmoment.tv/

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and Yeon-Ah-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage; he brings a small notebook to the podium.)

Be Seated

How are you doing?

Good to see you.

Today's topic is Propaganda.

Is it necessary? Propaganda has been around ever since people started to group together. Leaders and kings have abused it throughout history and you know for organized religion; it's very useful for them and it's necessary at the same time to promote their faith.

Pretty much that is the pattern of what we know today that we see all the time on television; there's infomercials and commercials. The need comes because we do need to propagate the message whether we sell cereal or a message from God.

Having said that, the first thing that we have to think about is how we go about achieving the concept of propaganda for commercialization of the purpose of propagating the faith. There are many countries in the world, first of all, right? Every country has a distinction that they try to put forth that they try to do based on their law and on the unique way they proscribe and actually implement the law the way that they accept as a nation.

When you talk about law you have to go to the beginning and ask God "Did You need law?" Did God need law when he was by Himself? He was almighty. So going back to the pre-creation period when God was still God. He was almighty and omnipotent and omnipresent, you have to ask Him, Did You need law?" I'm sure that He didn't.

Why would you need law when you're by yourself, especially when you're almighty, omnipotent and omnipresent? Was it necessary? So I guess the answer can only be that in the purpose of creation as we know it and allege it is that the law exists because I want an object. The law exists for the sake of the object, not for one's self.

Of course you know God was almighty and he wanted to create something. That is the ultimate something (the creator) that the almighty can be. That's the miracle I guess. That's why we exist. Unfortunately we had a difficult time understanding the value of the law, but that is the essence.

So when you talk about the concept of law which defines us as a group, a nation, or a world, or even a universe ultimately you have to accept that concept that God has intended, that God's intention by having law is to create ultimately a family, something that reflects him and that has volition, consciousness and can reflect what He is. That is the essence.

From that we have to actually start trying to create something that we can showcase to the world because ultimately we have to compete and win it won't be automatic. Even if we have our own laws by having it and being who we are, that has to reveal to the world and through that revelation people must choose because its restoration. Something that is greater and has greater promise greater than yesterday, greater than today.

Making that kind of statement is very challenging. How do you go about doing that? Do think it would be easier to just shine the limelight on a few individuals? I don't think that will work. Not today.

Throughout history propaganda has been abused in so many ways. Mostly it's a kind of psychological warfare tactics. Propaganda really doesn't have a positive impact. It has a kind of negative connotation. We have to try to do it (spread positive propaganda about our movement) systematically.

Unless you can constantly prove something in today's world where there are so many issues and so many questions, unless you can handle all of the volume people put out that can literally go around the world, regardless of who you are, in a few seconds, its very difficult.

What's the best way if you're going to use that concept (Of multi media / propaganda) and we have to use it somehow because others do even to sell cereal? It's better that we increase the standing of everybody in the group. That's the challenge. You can invite people from third-world countries who want to live better. There are still a lot of people out there. I don't like traveling, but if you do travel there a lot of places where the people live miserably. I certain places because of that physical hardship and the challenges that they have to face; some places like it would be easy to bring people in to the workshop and make them committed (into our movement). Why, because they have nothing to loose.

I know that feeling. If you have nothing to loose then you'll do anything. Are we ready to prepare them, take care of them step-by-step, to raise them to the position where we can say "Hey, These are the kind of guys (members) that we've got; Look at their quality; they're better than you."

How do you go from there to there? Does it happen automatically? You pray a lot and things change? It doesn't work that way. As much as we need to disseminate the faith, disseminate properly the information, we have to increase the quality of the faithful. It is the most important thing, if you are going to use propaganda, in the end that is the only way it will work in today's world. There is no other way.

I wish that I could believe that we go to Father's speeches, and I did some of them, and I wish it could change people's lives. But it usually doesn't happen. It is just a condition. I'm trying to be honest with you. There is only one (True Father). It's not going to happen, but he is going to do what he is going to do. So be it. Make that commitment. More power to you. That's His (Father's) prerogative, and there is only one man like Him; Right?

When others start to do that, that's a problem. That's a serious problem. Why the hell do you want to be that famous? Why the hell do you want to be in that focal point? Why? Why do you want to be that important? Why the hell do you use propaganda? This is not the nineteen-twenties. You must be crazy. You have to be beyond stupid using imageries and stupid sentiments and crazy stuff. It's ridiculous. Even a teenager will laugh at that in today's society, never mind grown-up people who have been through that nonsense all throughout their lives.

Everybody sitting here, you know in today's world and in today's media driven world, we are a victim to that stuff (multi-media / propaganda) one way or the other. We can't even use what is obvious for tutelage. We blatantly sometimes just use it for our selves. That's ridiculous. It makes us look so stupid. That's shocking. That's shocking to me. That has to go away because it's just absolutely humiliating. I believe it's better to inspire and uplift. Make other people the star, not yourself.

If you have that capacity; if you have that realization or enlightened heart, you should do that because that is better, and I have something to give that is also great, much better than just a commercial. Even if you consider it as being a cynic, that action of self promotion; that's a better way to self promote.

There are certain things that are basic, that are fundamentally basic and if we don't practice it, well nothing is going to change.

What you see is what you get.

Have you ever thought of the relation ship between ...You think about your desire a lot, right? Sometimes it can be a problem. If we have a problem dealing with our desires then what good is freedom? Freedom can be a problem if you have uncontrollable desires. What good is freedom if people living "in freedom" can't control their lives?

If it's uncontrollable; they'll probably kill each other in the end. What good is freedom? Why do you need freedom for the people when they can't control their desires?

It's that kind of basic stuff. Unless we can address those kind of basic questions all the ideal stuff that we think about and talk about really doesn't mean anything. You can talk about it till the cows come home I guess. It isn't going to happen till you have all sorts of stuff (knowledge ideas) in your head that you want. You have to know how to control stuff (your desires) you had better know why you want that stuff. Think about this week OK.

You're free to do so in America. That's why it's silly in the end. But I live here; I have freedom, but you have no absolutes. Of course you have a lot of laws and regulations, a lot of secondary absolutes. I call man-made laws secondary absolutes. God-made laws like simple physics are primary absolutes. We make our laws because we need to live gregariously. If we don't have any we would probably kill each other or something. There are layers and layers of complicated laws. They will absolutely go after you if you break one of them. It's absolute; trust me! They'll penalize you in an absolute manner. When they come after you it's absolute.

Think about what you want to be and how we want to present ourselves to the world and try to do something to help each other. (Hyo-Jin-nim is in tears) Do something meaningful, something from the heart. Don't do it because someone is watching you or because of your pride. Do it because you are made of something and it's just the right thing to do.... (Hyo-Jin-nim's words become hard to understand because he is in tears.)

Do you know the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey in Buddha's hand? (Explained below) That's how you feel. That's what you are in the end and you know it.

You will die. You want to leave a lasting propaganda? Die well and let somebody else say that "he died well" That's the way to do it. Anyway something like that.

Take care.

I'll see you.

Here is an excerpt from a synopsis of the story of the monkey in Buddha's hand that Hyo-Jin-nim referred to.

Buddha challenges Monkey: He will make Monkey emperor if Monkey can jump out of his hand. Monkey thinks this sounds easy and leaps across the universe. When he lands, he sees five pillars. To show he's been there, he writes "Monkey was here," and in a naughty mood, he also leaves a puddle of pee.

Then Monkey flies back to Buddha and boasts that he has won. But Buddha shows Monkey his hand-on his middle finger are the exact words Monkey has just written and, phew, the smell of monkey pee.

This is a synopsis of one event from the novel: "Journey to the West" which was written by Wu Chen-en, and is considered to be one of the four great classic novels written during the Ming Dynasty (c. 1500-1582).

Dream

Hyo Jin Moon
September 24, 2006
Belvedere, 7:00 am
Notes: Joe Kinney

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 24 September 2006. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record.

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and Yeon-Ah-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage)

Please be seated.

Good morning. (Audience responds, good morning.)

Let's talk about Dream. (Laughing)

I'm not talking about fantasies or night mares but about dream.

I guess that everybody knows about Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.

So when you talk about dream, you're talking about a vision, and when you talk about a vision, obviously you're talking about something greater than your self beyond your personal individual desires or reality, something grander than that. Hopefully if you believe in God it has some kind of religious tone to it.

It is a kind of mission statement. When you talk about a dream, ultimately it becomes a mission statement. I believe. I dream about something. We like to talk in general about, everybody whether you believe in God or not, world peace. We don't want people killing each other. We want harmony. We want peace, prosperity. So that is basically what it is in the end when you talk about a dream; something beyond your self, something greater that involves a higher power.

How one interprets what is a higher power obviously can vary. Communism had its own ideology that lasted about seventy years, and pretty much conquered the world -- almost conquered the world but they failed. It lived about the average life span of an individual human being and disappeared. Nobody will believe it again.

It's something like that. A dream is something grander because its vision oriented. And when you think about a vision obviously it's beyond what you are immediately pursuing and need. So how do you go about achieving something that you immediately need and can achieve?

What ever the circumstances might be, if you make a mission statement, obviously you have to prove it. You're committed. You're basically telling everybody that this is what I am. And you're forcing something to other people, a third party, expectation. That's what you're doing. What you're dream becomes in the end, just for your sanity's sake, your survival's sake; it becomes a need-to-do responsibility; because otherwise you will fail.

When you fail; when you say all those big things and you fail, it's miserable. You're asking for it. That's why we have to think about what we make that kind of mission statement.

Why do we do it; for what reason are we doing it? Are we doing it for ourselves or are we truly pushed because of some kind of circumstances you genuinely feel that you have to do that. And if you fail with that honesty therefore you have some dignity in it.

Even if you fail, start over. If you don't you're in trouble. Why? The definition of arrogance is ... Keeping your word is very difficult. Being humble is keeping your word. Avoiding arrogance is trying to be humble. What being humble is is keeping your word.

And it's very difficult. You can be a humble guy and try to keep your word and miserably fail. But in the end, the good people, who observe a higher power, can forgive you. If you don't have that, it is very difficult.

It is easy when you look at this world to self promote and you think "I'll become a star." Becoming a star has nothing to do with becoming something that is relevant in changing the world. Especially in relationship to God, most likely it has a negative connotation. It's all about megalomania stuff.

Most stars you see, they put on a front. They're different but it's difficult to find the definition to describe those kinds of people. They definitely have a certain kind of mental state, whether you describe it as a disorder or not that's relative, especially people who are in it. Obvious they do have a sense of self grandeur and power and money and whatever.

What does that have to do with a vision? What does that have to do with a dream that we seek?

There are examples our there all over the place. The problem is that it (these stars and the multi-media) comes into our sanctuary. Our individual home is, in a way, our individual Garden of Eden. Do you know that? You as a parent who have children, you're basically going through the process of building the kingdom of heaven on earth starting with your family. As the story goes, the person who had that kind of understanding to give proper guidance to Adam and Eve, because of his corruption things were tainted and the fall occurred.

Do you think that you're absolutely in control of your Garden of Eden? You're not! You have so much corruption coming in whether you like it or not. Unless you make you're house a prison, literally, you can't stop it. You can't stop those influences. It's corrupt. It's decadent. And sometimes it's outright criminal. Just because it's available and just because you can do it, not everything is good for your Garden of Eden.

The problem is that you can't control it. You might make your house into a prison, but the children have to walk out to go to school Pretty much they spend at least sixty percent of the time out of the prison, even if you built it into a prison. How are you going to control that? I can only control the Garden of Eden but not the other stuff.

You have to start from somewhere, the individual level and the individual family situation. From that multiplying and through connecting you build the ideal Kingdom. Now put aside the connection for a while. Can you protect your own Garden of Eden? And if all sorts of stuff is coming in that can contaminate it and corrupt it, then what are you doing to replace it. Do you have something to replenish? Do you have a system do you have a means by which to replenish that kind of corrupt influence?

(I believe that in the next several paragraphs Hyo-Jin-nim is referring to our thirst for knowledge and the influence of bad types of multi media and information and the need to have good multimedia and information to counteract it.)

You can't stop the mind, or the hunger of the belly or the mind or the spirit. Its wants to grow and it's going to take it one way or the other. When you're thirsty in the desert you're going to drink piss water. If you're adrift on the sea and you've got no water, you are going to start drinking seawater and kill yourself. It's that stuff. It's the nature of survival. So you have to deal with the basic element of what it is. It makes us who we are.

We cannot avoid what we are as a human being, physical human being, intellectual human being, spiritual human being. You can't just emphasize one. You have to align that stuff in the proper way and that's the difficulty. And you have to keep it coming.

Wouldn't you like to know how people think in politics and religion and business and what makes them tick? With any age group, young people, middle aged people, old people, the more stats you have the better chance you have in dealing with the physical world right? Wouldn't you like to have that kind of information? Wouldn't you like to know how your children think? You might think that you know how your children think, but what about their peers?

It's not just your children who are living on this planet. There are hundreds of millions of fifteen year olds and fourteen year olds, thirteen year olds. Wouldn't you like to know the answer to the basic question of how they think? Wouldn't that give you a better understanding as to how you go about literally dealing with your children? It's better to take the guesswork out of dealing with the problem.

If we can do that we will be a better organization. That is the kind of empowering attribute that can change, not just the world, but you, your family and make a difference in your family. That's the kind of stuff that can stick; the kind of stuff that can take root and from that you can build. So you don't have to fight when you these crazy kinds of examples of people who just because they have something well political ambition, maybe oil-rich people like Venezuela or Iraq pursuing their own agenda and having some kind of hoopla in the moment but in the end because they are pursuing something personal it's not going to make anything better. It has to be fundamental. If you really want to change; if you really want to really make a change that matters in building an ideal world you have to include everyone. Everyone to what degree; by knowing what they're dealing with in life, what kind of people they're dealing with, what kind of world that they're dealing with. The more information that you have the better.

I know that you're not going to go and betray somebody; you're not going to back-stab somebody, if that information is given. You are not going to use it for your selfish abuse, your gain, your greed. That's important.

That gives you the power, if we have to survive on our own, to survive because we understand how the world works, how people think, every aspect of life. The more you have it, the more detail you have, the better for you. Then it can really build the strong root. Screw the flower. The strong root is what is important. The flower will blossom one day. The whole point is to be the best, to be the (knight in) shining armor stuff, right; to be the vanguard of humanity.

We're competing with every other religion in the world. I know that in the end we don't need religion. What is your dream? The people that precede you should try to give you as much information as possible.

Go ahead and learn your skill. Learn something; learn your skill; find your calling. I don't know what your calling is. Wouldn't it be great if we were in a certain position where we could take care of all those things and reward those who actually sacrificed for something because every thing is managed properly? Even if it doesn't I still believe that's right. If you do (sacrifice) so too then I will try to do what ever I can in my little power.. Let me just put it this way: I will be there for you.

With Father every time it's always an emergency. The reason is that He has to love you right? And He has to love a certain tradition. We all have to have that. It can be done right and it can be done wrong.

If you go into the game of criticizing; I can do that really better than you. (Laughing) I went out of my way not to do that for a long time. I made my self not to speak and taught myself how to shut up. I'm just picking it (public speaking) up again.

To be honest with you, I'm feeling something. I started this (Speaking at Belvedere on Sunday mornings) on a condition. Something changed in me. I said that I felt that I need to do this, but it's a little more because time has past and I see certain faces and when you have that kind of human relationship and human interaction, things do change.

That's personal and I don't want to get into that. This is something that is mine; you try because you have that kind of stuff. You don't always find hope at the top of the mountain. You don't always get inspired by the biggest things that you see. Sometimes that can be big and that can be invisible.

It's up to you. What are your dreams? There is a way to make that dream come true. You can do it. You always have to know where you stand before you die. When you die everybody knows that you're going to be judged by God and history and posterity, if you believe in the spirit world. Before you die the greatest judge is the judgment that you give to your self. I want to be proud. I want to have no regrets. I did every thing that I could, the best that I could. Regardless I did it the best that I could.

OK?

Dream the dream. I hope that we can meet each other ion the end.

Alright; take care of your self.

We'll see you next week.

It Doesn't Matter How Old You Are

Hyo Jin Moon
September 17, 2006
Belvedere, Tarrytown, NY

I apologize that last week I incorrectly spelled the names of Yeon-Ah-nim, Hyo-Jin-nim's wife and Ryuichi Fujita the executive producer of definingmoment.tv. I hope that I have the correct spelling now. Thanks to those that E-mailed the corrections to me.

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 17 September 2006.

My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These at most convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record. Please go to: http://definingmoment.tv/ to see some of what Hyo-Jin-nim is speaking about.

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and Yeon-Ah-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage)

Did you check it out? (Referring to http://definingmoment.tv/ web site)

It's OK? Just keep it coming.

Well it's got a format so as much as we can invite (people to do interviews), you can e-mail suggestions about what you're interested in, anything, information that you would be useful to you. Let us know. We can do it.

At the same time we can develop new characters too.

These days more than any other time it doesn't matter how old you are. Obviously young people live under the pressure to be something great, something that can be in the limelight as quick as they can if it is doable. They need to really prove them selves because there are so many ways to put a spotlight on an individual. You can deliberately do it to your self or because of what ever circumstances, because of whatever occupation you are choosing an inquisition is on your tail.

People want to know what the best trend is; whatever it is at all times. In order to actually find some kind of success in today's world you have to go through that scrutiny. That's the kind of reality that my children will face, that young people are facing, today's people in whatever profession that you're involved in have to contend with just to further their carriers.

Having said that, how do you go about achieving a reality where you can actually do something and that you can compete and win? Obviously with something like this ( http://definingmoment.tv/ ) if we have more of it would be better.

For our church we can provide an incentive to seek out and further individual aspirations and understanding so that you can ultimately have control over your destiny and what ever responsibility that you might have at hand. Ultimately in order for you to be successful put aside your success for a while and just deliver your expectation. (what's expected from you). Do your responsibility and you have to be up to whatever the standard of the present might be. That dictates what you have to deliver in the end. It doesn't matter what other people tell you. That's about it.

You can't change that reality. It would be nice if we could just go out and witness to several politicians and through some kind of miraculous inspiration you convert them into our way of thinking. That's not going to change how America will be the day afterwards. America is a very different place (than Korea?) The four hundred and some odd people who make the laws get elected every two years. To pass a law or make an amendment to a law and put it in the law books, people from both sides have to agree and they went out of their way to avoid the kind of system that they ran away from. (King and feudalism)

It's a very difficult place and even the person who is in the position of management doesn't have absolute power. Yes, the president gets presidential treatment and to a point and within the context of the law does have absolute power, but his power is limited by the law and by term limits.

Ultimately in the end in order to change America, you can't do it with judges. You can't do it with politicians. You have to convince the people, people like us have to be well informed as to what America stands for and how it work; even just basic nitty gritty stuff from the bottom up that's essential (information) to the point, no nonsense just the facts.

In America there so many ethnic and religious groups of people in this land of opportunity, the land of immigrants. So many groups hold on to their own traditions and their own cultural identity. Never mind religion.

In religion too it depends on what part of the world you came from. So you have to understand all those facts. It's not a silly thing. It's crucial information if you want to believe that you have the potential to change these people. You have to know these things whether you like it or not. Otherwise you can't communicate. You are speaking in a different tongue, speaking a different language.

It would be like me talking to you in Korean. You could understand my gestures to a point but it's limited to how universally we understand body language. So as long as we clearly do not have a universal language to present a universal culture, it's very important that we are informed about those variations of human history. Why? Just to communicate, just to say hello in the right way. If we don't have those basic fundamental facts...

We can dream all sorts of dreams and anything is possible; I believe that. I believe that certain things will take time. I believe that certain things can be done relatively faster than something else. However you have to dream the dream in a realistic way. And the way to dream of changing the world, the universal idealism, the ultimate stuff regardless of who you are. Who ever does the basic homework first has a better chance of scoring than somebody who is not doing it.

Eventually everybody who wants to, every organization, every religion that wants to realize the dream will put greater and greater emphasis on that fact because that is the only way. There is no other way.

We can talk about stuff that we understand and we can inspire each other because we want to hear certain things that make us feel good, because it distinguishes us from some other groups of people. We believe that what we believe is greater than the other guy. So be it! That's beside the point in changing the world. I don't think that religion should be something that just caters to holding on to and managing someone's status of reality of being or frame of mind. I think it should be more than that.

For us to increase who we are it is important that we use formats like that that are so readily available. Of course it isn't cheap, obviously it's cheaper than the fall, but it's global and we should use it to the hilt. We should use it as much as we can, why? Because ultimately and in the end, if you are better informed and you can deal with the basic facts more than the other person then you will have a better chance of reaching out, connecting. It's very important.

You can't do it alone. We need more and more people like you, not less. Just even for your children's sake, just imagine. Let's get to the point on every issue, how the government works on every different level. If we can have something that you and I can feel comfortable with and give them the facts on how things work, starting with the government, wouldn't you feel better?

What is the extent of the power of the president, and what is the extent of the power of the legislature, and so on and so forth. Wouldn't you feel better? And if that came from somebody like you and me who are committed, then that's important. We should have more of this, and it's never too late. I try to do more, more, as much as possible, but it's limited. I don't want to sound cheesy, but stuff costs and you can only do so much. But you want to do more. OK, all right. That's your limitation but you try to do something more. It's easier said than done, right? Always, right? Let's make a greater commitment and take a greater risk and all that troublesome stuff, that pain and heart ache. There is no guarantee. What needs to be done?

Somebody has to do it right? Somebody will always say that. I hate that term. But that's true though. Somebody will say that and somebody will have to do it though.

I want to dream what Father dreams. It's very difficult, but I want to dream what Father dreams. I want to believe it too. But my inner mind says that it is going to take some time. I've got to be patient. It'll take time. It's going to take time to convince Americans. It's going to take time to convince the rest of the world. It's going to take time even just in our situation to get all the generations motivated together.

Starting with ourselves, I don't think it's that difficult if there's a will, that there's a kind of uniform will. The problem, I feel, is because so many people want to still insert their way of trying to proselytize. Their way of ecumenism still has a certain validity even to this day and that's the tragedy. What's important for us is that from Father's blessing we go out to the world using whatever means that is necessary that gives us the ability to spread the news, clear, concise and to the point, as fast as we can. There is no other way to do that. It must use multi-media. There is no other way because it is so flexible.

It's through communication. It's not just showing how great we are. We can also educate our selves about what kind of similarities that we have with others that we can use. For long we thought that we were different. The more that we have in terms of building strength between human relationships it gives us greater opportunity, a greater chance to make something good come out of it. I know that everybody wants to be good in the end.

We should do away with the idea of just saying something (to people on the street) because in America the time of the sixties is over where you can just talk to some hippie on the street and they'll say "Ok I'll come over." That kind of time is gone. That might have been a unique experience in America and that's not going to happen any more. I'm sure a lot of you joined that way. (Laughter) A lot of the late baby boomers are still into the hippie way of thinking. OK more power to you, but that's only an American experience. You don't find that anywhere else.

People know that life is short and that we'll do the best we can. They know that there is law and that law should be absolute. People say that death and taxes are absolute. Yes the IRS will come after you and the government can harass you to the letter of every law on the books. Within the bounds of the law the government might be lenient or they can enforce it to the max. That's absolute. If you disobey the law you could be in flight for the rest of your life.

It's like that in America too, there are things that are absolute, but some people don't know it because they live a kind of routine life where they just wake up and go to work and come home and enjoy the weekend. They take off one or two week's vacation. That's just how they live. They don't know anything else. Even in America you have to obey the laws that you permit. If you vote, your vote gives absolute power to those people that you elect to public office to make laws that they feel are right for you and that will get them reelected. Then they can boast that they did something to help humanity.

That is real. It's absolute. How can we better reach out to people who are important, somebody who has something to give? I wish it could just come naturally. You have to know your self and I know my limitations, but if it has to be done you have to do it right? You have to do as much as you can. People that share our beliefs are some dedicated people and I will invest more with bigger stuff.

That's going to take some time. If something can be done like Father says "Hey do it!" that maybe it can be done in a month, on my own maybe it will take a few years. That's my limitation, even if we dedicate every resource that I have into it.

I know it's important. I know that's how you're going to change the world. Let's start for real. I don't care what other people say. What better way is there to hear it from the horse's mouth? (Hearing interviews with prominent people) You say "OK talk about your self. Let's talk about our problems. Let's talk about your problems." That's powerful stuff, first-hand information. Having that footage is powerful in a world where you have to compete with communication.

If you become more able and therefore feel more confident, we all benefit. That's strength in us and if every individual that's dependent on basic information received first hand accounts then that benefits us all to further our cause, to make the dream come a little closer to reality. That is the only way where you're going to succeed in America and elsewhere in the world. There is, in my view, no other way.

Any way it's another speech and I'm saying the same things over and over again. (Hyo-Jin-nim laughs) Any way you can never change certain main things. I'm just giving you what I feel from the bottom of my heart you know that when it comes to that question I don't see any other way. (Except multi media) I just don't see it. They can try that hocus-pocus stuff on me but I'm not going to change. I can't because I'm a product of it. That's reality, my reality, our reality. That's the body reality. Do I like it? Does the stuff that I am constantly bombarded with inspire my spirit, Enlarge my spirit? Mature my spirit? Heck no!

There are many things about it that infuriate me. Does it titillate my intellect? Some do. Some don't. Much of it I get offended and I get concerned because I have young kids growing up. I have to accept it because it is reality. That's about it. It is that important. It affects me that much I know that it affects you too as much as it affects me. We have to live with that. Let's keep on doing it!

OK? (Yes)

We need hosts for different age groups and for more different specialties. We have to make those things ours. We have to get people involved and bring it to our community so it's not foreign to us. Whether it is science or medicine it doesn't matter. The things that are relevant you civilization; well we're going to be come familiar with it. It's necessary. I'm not saying we have to be like that. We just have to know what we're dealing with.

Just because you study something doesn't mean that you are it? I live in America. I am accustomed to American culture but I'm not American. Why; because I choose not to be in many ways. And I'm still a legal alien. I never had a desire to become an American Citizen. That's about it. I look at it that way. Not because I hate Americans, I just don't feel the need personally.

I know America is important. I know we have to win here. Why the heck do I need to be American when I have a lot of Americans like you, right Joe? (Laughter)

Something like that. It's that kind of attitude; to boldly go and be brave. Within us everything can grow. Everything can happen. Everything can exist. "Everything has a purpose" God said. That's the attitude that we must have. You think big, but practically speaking. It's the best approach I feel. Please become effective and become more confident. Also be more loving. You can feel more love when you are a little strong and confident than when you're the opposite. You know what I'm saying. (Yes) Something like that. (Laughing)

See you next week.

OK

Take care

Three Generation Tour - Switzerland

Hyo Jin Moon
September 11, 2006
Geneva, Switzerland

Noting that Geneva is with special heritage, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon offers summary remarks prior to delivering the Keynote Address:

Geneva is a city with an illustrious history especially as relates to interfaith. Many of the different branches of Christianity began to expand across the European continent. Especially, at this time in which the world is embroiled in such conflict that has brought the Abrahamic states at each others throats as races look at each other not as one ideal family but as enemies. This is a message for this age because it is a message of hope, a message of unity and a message on building bridges of peace. It is a message founded upon the theme of true love--living for the sake of others -- and on building God-centered ideal families as the basis for building God's eternal peace kingdom.

Awe and definingmoment.tv

Hyo Jin Moon
September 10, 2006
Belvedere
Unofficial Notes: Joseph Kinney

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 10 September 2006.

My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These at most convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record.

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and Yun-Na-nim offer a bow. (Yun-Na-nim, Hyo-Jin-nim's wife, has been accompanying him every Sunday) (Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage)

Good morning.

Please sit down.

Do you feel awe when you see parents? (Some in the audience respond "Yes")

When do you feel awe?

Some young people are in awe if they are face-to-face with movie stars or something, a rich man, Bill Gates or somebody.

Let's say even if you walk into a palace. Let's say you live in a palace and you walk into your palace for the first time and your awed by the magnitude, everything to the extreme, great halls, great dining halls, great gathering halls, everything great great grand grand magnificent and you're awed by it because of that presence, that ambiance everything grand.

But let's say you live in it. How long do you think that awe will last? ...

Let's look at the opposite side. Let's say that you go to prison. You're awed by that uncertainty, that fear. But let's say that you have to live there and you have to survive in that opposite environment of living in a palace, by living in a hell hole for however long that you're sentenced. And what you have to face initially is that awe, that awe of uncertainty and when you transcend that, when in time what happens is just livelihood.

From that moment what's important is what is important to you in life itself.

So for instance, if we believe in religion and in your case you believe in True Parents.

You know sometimes I feel awed by it. Even though they're my folks I don't know them as much as they know themselves.

So in that sense I am awed by them (True Parents). Of course through more interaction, if we can actually live together like ordinary folks, I'm sure through livelihood we would get to appreciate each other in life and understand the basic human experience that we all go through in an ordinary setting.

But in some kind of extraordinary situation the awe can sometimes really get you. And if you get addicted to that kind of stuff it can really mess you up whether you're living in a palace or living in a jail somewhere in a hell hole what ever it might be.

So, in essence, in order for us to understand what's important in life its not just "boy I'm just trying to have fun". Of course that's important to young people because they want to experience life to the fullest.

It is part of human maturation that you go through many extreme experiences so that you can understand your potential range. A lot of young people take risks while they're young and some people never grow out of it, and that's a problem.

But beyond the obvious process of trying to discover yourself through experimentation. because you have to; you will, because in the end that's what you take to the grave till your dying day, the experiences that actually molded you and gave you some kind of enlightenment as to how one should live and how one should control their lives through living with other people because you don't want to live alone.

Many times you do not just take extreme experiences to understand your boundaries but you do also take other extreme measures to understand how to live as a human being in a gregarious setting.

That social experience some times will take you to push your self a bit. Why? Because you need to understand your boundaries, your limitations and you do take chances at times. Some people mess up and break the law. There are obviously consequences to every individual action.

Even when we think about True Parents, Parents to me doesn't just symbolize parents and the ancestry of humankind the restoration version of it, but it's (True Parents are) also the embodiment or symbolification of law, right?

The American government has three branches executive, legislative and judicial. It (My view of True Parents as the incarnation of law) embodies pretty much that aspect of it.

So when you talk about Parents as that kind of symbolic figure, that is what a King is and the reason that you don't trust a king is that historically kings have abused their powers. Because that's what it (True Parents) represents, technically, theoretically, in every aspect. I doesn't matter what kind of historical tribe that you come from, what kind of heritage background that you have, you pretty much follow that route.

And many times you don't trust those kinds of circumstances because of historical experience. Then we don't trust.

But however with True Parents, when they talk about individual responsibility, to me that is the way to be free from judgment. If you're individually responsible then you're free from judgment from God, from history and from posterity. That's freedom.

We're not talking about freedom in the sense that there is no law, no boundaries, then obviously that is nihilism, anarchy.

Responsibility is freedom. That equalizes things. And even if you fail, in God everybody has the opportunity to be God's children, to feel God's love. Why? Because even if you fail your responsibility, there is a course. You pay your consequences and indemnity, and restoration through indemnity can be restored.

That is the greatest freedom, is a sense. We can all achieve that end indeed. Sometime when you are going through paying the consequences this is very difficult, because you have to live through it. It's not somebody else, it's you. You have to live through that stuff and that's nasty. Sometimes its painful, sometimes it's hopeless, helpless, powerless, and it's bad.

Your whole perspective of life changes sometimes when you're going through some kind of serious situation, paying those consequences. It's bad, nasty, but it will end some time, it won't go on forever. That's about it. That's what you have to walk through. You try to tough it out and try to reason with your self "there is a purpose for this and I accept it. I know this will end one day. It will not last forever"

In that sense when we're awed by things in life whether it is positive or minus, it has to do with life itself. We have to understand the basic premise of life and see the value in it. If we can appreciate that value of the plus or minus experiences that you might have. If you can try to understand the essence of why they exist, and how they affect you and why they should be relevant to you and you accept it, you have taken one step closer to understanding and mastering your life.

Ultimately you can help people, other people, if you can help your self.

Yesterday some second generation came and I showed them some video because they were wondering about Archbishop Milingo working on the issue of married priests.

Actually these are productions from a company that I created several years back, and since last year we have been working on this kind of partial format stuff.

I was going to report to you when we had over one hundred interviews, but now we have a little over twenty interviews on these kind of topics in that same spirit. They're inspiring and I want to use them.

You can also have access to them at http://definingmoment.tv/ because it will benefit you.

The plan is to create shows like these. The host is Bret Moss. He's been around for a long time. If we have more of these we can but them together and make an internet broadcasting company. It's a cheaper version of cable TV, but you have to start somewhere. It can be done; it can be done.

The reason that we want to pursue this is because it's for the purpose of immunization, detoxification and straightforward education. A lot of people still to this day have a kind of (negative) notion about the Unification Church "Moonies" that they still hold on to that was influenced by broadcasters in the beginning of our ministry in the early seventies.

We still hold that stigma, and that is something that we need to detoxify. We need to provide our people with information. People aren't out there just to be our enemies. We can bridge the gap through this kind of understanding, and build on the similarities that we have with others to create a positive outcome. We can grow into something more constructive. Because it is doable when you do things in a doable way.

You can always attack. There are times when you have to attack. Most likely you defend your self first. We should always try (to educate people) and if it works, that's great isn't it? That's the way it should be. I think it can be done that way. Because this is just about detoxifying people's hearts and strengthening people's minds, sharing and educating about what is right and wrong.

There are some crazy people that we may have to fight, but in general, in essence living in civility I think we can do it through education. Basically that's the first step we can take on the twenty first century platform. The fastest way we can achieve this is through the field of multimedia. That's why I've always been adamantly pushing that kind of area.

We have several other production companies because we have to be self sufficient. Some things are non profit, just for education, others produce income. You can't do anything without money. If we have more money the quality will be better. This is low budget, but the content is OK. We try the best we can and we'll do other stuff to support the growing community that we have.

The executive producer of Definingmoment.tv is Fudinori Yugi is in the back. Please raise your hand. These projects will give us more tools to communicate better.

This is our strength. You need to network. The more networking you have even in your personal things this networking will improve your personal livelihood.

I don't know how because I don't know your talents or what you do for a living but it can help you in many many ways. Of course I'm not asking you to be a self centered...

(Hyo-Jin-nim caught him self before he finished the sentence with a harsh word and started laughing. Many of the audience understood and there was general laughter)

I'm trying to change … anyway you know what I mean. (Laughter)

Check it (DefiningMoment.tv) out and help your self with it. I'm sure that it will be helpful to you. And we are going to produce more and more content and add it to the site. The more the better.

Anyway we're trying.

Take care of your self.

See you next week.

Salvation And Growth Through Experience

Hyo Jin Moon
August 27, 2006
Belvedere
Unofficial Notes: Joseph Kinney

Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 27 August 2006.

My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These at most convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record.

Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and offer a bow. (Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage)

Please sit down.

Good Morning!

They're a lot of young people here. (Members of a 2nd generation workshop being held at Camp Sunrise were in attendance.)

Salvation is a concept of the Divine.

That's where we can understand salvation; that's where it comes from.

It's not mankind's concept unless you are in connection with God.

So its not mankind's concept alone, so if you think and look around the world and see that things need saving, the answer will lie not in your own heart, but when you are connected to God ultimately you will find the answer.

How do we learn? You are forced to go to school and you learn something, I guess even when you're forced. (Laughter) Some kids do like studying and reading, but most kids, especially boys like to be active and they don't come around to see the importance of studying until its too little too late. Most likely when they're a little older than you gals (Referring to some 2nd generation sisters.)

In America it's kind of unique that you do kind of encourage your children to be independent and to be equal, to some degree to the point of fault. They're a lot of Tom-boys out there, even the girls you know. You have to be competitive and you're kind of encouraged to do so, even on a social level.

That's kind of an American phenomena and it does get spread around the world because of the influence America has through Pop culture. Because Pop culture is powerful you see it every where. Now days you can't stop it because all the kids have to have a computer just to do their homework; and they're connected to the world-wide web.

So it's very difficult to take care of that situation, in other words to monitor constantly. You can't. It's impossible. Who knows what kind of what kind of information your kids are soaking up while you are not vigilant?

We learn things through experience. Experience is very important. For instance, when I was growing up all I can remember is a kind of persecution and just fighting, fighting, fighting. Someone would try to steal something or put you down because of who you are or literally threaten your life.

Every phase of my (early) life that's all I can remember just fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting; One conflict after another. For me, you know, living well, it doesn't matter. Life is short.

Life is very short. You come to realize how short life is when you have to constantly fight all the time whether you like it or not. Nobody likes to fight but you are forced to by being in that circumstance because of your uniqueness. I certainly didn't choose to elect myself and give myself this position or this circumstance.

So you are kind of a product of your experienced. So in a certain way of thinking having to deal with that kind of stuff, it ended a long time ago, but I do kind of have a kind of morbid way of looking at things. I do talk about dying a lot because it's important to me. Your life is short. You never know when you turn the corner what kind of other struggle is waiting for your sorry butt. (Laughter).

The end is coming, one way or the other, it will always be there for me. It will never change. Some things will never change for you and for me. It might be different in your case. I don't know, because I don't know you that well. Everybody has some kind of experience that molds them into something.

There is a kind of cycle (stages of life); a ten year cycle, twenty year cycle, thirty year cycle, forty year cycle. For members the forty year cycle is mid-life crisis. What the heck am I doing? Who am I? Where am I? (Laughing)

The thirty year cycle normally happens in the family setting (on the family level) in the conjugal or married situation. For example for a woman starts to think that her biological clock is ticking

At twenty your cycle peaks in terms of finding your limits. When you're twenty you challenge your self in all sorts of areas. You think that you can do anything. That's when you're invincible you're super man and you go out for the biggest thing possible that you can tackle. But as you get older in the valley of the cycle you start valuing simpler things, right? Simple things matter to you.

The ten year cycle is like an individual growth pattern.

(You go through) the individual, family tribe, society, nation, and world, (levels) because you feel those things. You think about those things. Those things become important to you. There is always this kind of basic pattern for us to measure our self based on what we learned and what we learned through experience.

So God gave you a certain kind of system or pattern that you can always check and balance your self. You just have to understand how to adopt yourself to the plan. Always something like that is there because God is loving. Whether you understand that or not it's up to you.

You have to figure that out. You have to experience that. Otherwise it's not going to be yours. You can't be taught something that will last forever. You have to experience it. It has to become part of you. The things that you experience, that literally become part of you, are the things that you are going to die with.

You can experience something just for fun and say that I did that. I'm not talking about that kind of experience. That kind of thing just comes and goes. It's not important because it won't stay. You have to try really hard to recall that experience for it to matter to your life.

But if something became part of you, literally became part of you through experiencing it, that's the stuff that you take on to the final resting place, or final dwelling place or whatever. That's why you look forward to that stuff (spirit world) but I'm not about to strap a bomb on my self and blow my self up (laughing).

I'll pay my dues. I'll pay the price. And when I'm gone, I'm gone. Bye-bye. I won't look back. And hopefully everything is taken care of. My kids will take care of them selves and take care of their children. Hopefully I will get to see my grandchildren.

I sent my wife to attend the wedding of Father's grandchildren. They're getting married. Father is going to be a great-grandfather soon. I don't know it I'm looking for that kind of opportunity. (Laughing) Short and sweet (lifetime) is better for me. (Laughter from Hyo-Jin-nim and the audience)

If you want to connect with God, you have to really know how to kind of … because in the end you're in control … be the captain of your own ship. You have to steer it to the kind of experience that you choose to have.

Balance your cycle according to the system that is out there, made by God in order to protect you and give you wisdom and natural guidance. Hear that, look for it, find it and make it yours. That's the way of learning because it is literally yours. That is the creative process. You take a certain concept and apply it and you kind of make it yours. People consider that the creative process. You can literally become a product of your own creativity.

When you experience this it really lasts. You can literally take that home.

This was simple, short, bang!

That's how I like it.

See you next week, OK?