Sun Myung Moon
March 21, 1976
Barrytown International Training Center
Founder, Unification Church International
Our world is certainly in a state of confusion -- economically, militarily, and ideologically. In this confusion, God wants to move this world towards a culmination of ideal. However, there is one important principle. When God fulfills His will, He cannot do it Himself. He has to go through men and women. We are the instruments of God.
As you know, man coasts of two major elements. One is spirit or mind, and the other is body. This physical body has a limitation.
That limitation gets narrower as our life goes on, so that it comes to an end. However, the spiritual side, the world of the mind, has no limitation. As you go on, it will expand without any limitation. When you say, I embrace the world, you certainly do not mean that you embrace it with your physical limited body. You are embracing it with the mind. Your heart, your mind, your thought embraces the world. When we think of the providence of God or the will of God, how can we embrace the great thought of God? Certainly not with our limited body, but only with the unlimited world of mind.
We conclude that this body is merely a vehicle for our spirit and our mind. Therefore, by completely becoming one with the mind, this body is serving its purpose. Then what will bring unity between mind and body? Do you yourself make that unity or does somebody else create it for you? You do it yourself. You have the power in yourself to unite mind and body right now. Man's agony throughout history has been the result of separation between his mind and body. We are seeking the ideal: How can we bring these two things together going in one direction? But right now, in the fallen state, both are going in fallen directions.
What is the true man?
What is the state of true man? The righteous man or true man is the man whose body is united with his mind at the center, not whose mind is subjugated by his body. Then that mind must be centered upon love.
You don't know the definition of yourself. You ask: Who am I? What am I based on, this body or my mind? What kind of person do I want to become? This is really the most fundamental question of man. There are two different I's. As a son or daughter, my parents give me birth. That's one me. I am the center of this universe. Where do I want to stand? Where am I standing now? What is my permanent position? We must discover the true I. That is, the mind as subject, the body as object united together with mind, become completely in harmony. That I, my true I, will control my mind and also control my body.
But throughout history, there has been a struggle between mind and body. The mind and body are always pursuing separate purposes, going in different directions; there is no united I to be found. When you have two directions -- when both mind and body are going in separate directions -- there can be no happiness. Once you have found complete unity between mind and body, then you are parallel with the Universal Being. You are a son of the universe. Through that, I God will fulfill His providence. God is seeking such a man. And we desire to become such men. It is God's will to create such men, to search for such men; through them, God's providence will progress. That person walks side by side with God and is the champion for God's cause.
The topic of today's message is the providence or the will of God. First of all, what is the will of men? The will of men cannot solely be for the purpose of men, or oneself. The will of man has to be parallel with the will of God. The will of God is for the universal purpose, in which everybody can be included, everybody can find their happiness. No one can avoid standing side by side with God or within the will of God.
God's will is eternal and unchanging
Is God's will changing day to day, hour to hour? God was working with the Christians in the Roman Empire in the fourth century, and God is working with the Unification Church today. God's will has not changed. God is eternal, unchanging and unique. Therefore, God's will is also eternal, unchanging and unique. Centuries change day to day, year to year. However, God's will penetrates the backbone of that history. The will of God has never changed, though the application or the method to fulfill the will of God has to change from one time to another. Since we cannot move straight to the goal history has gone a circular way. But man does not realize we are moving in this pattern. Man does not see because we are too shortsighted. We are making a great circle.
What is the fall of man? The fall of man is his deviation from his original perfected state. We are like a machine that is out of order. Because of that, there has been a contradiction between our mind and body. The mind is in subject position but the body wants to play the subject role. Plus and plus repel each other, so there is no harmony. The perfect plus is mind. The body should become a perfect minus. Then you don't have to even ask them to unite; they automatically unite.
The permanent plus in this universe is God. Representing God, our mind is like a microcosm of the universe; it is also plus. When God is plus, God's creation is in the position of minus. When my mind is in the plus position, then my physical body is in the minus position. When they are united into oneness, is there struggle, is there fighting among themselves? No.
If there had been no fall, no effort would be needed to unify. Unity would be automatic. But because of the fall of man, another illegal plus or subject has come into being; that is Satan, and Satan is based on the body, the physical world, the things of creation. This is Satan's base.
The struggle between mind and body
God is based on the invisible mind and invisible spirit world. That is God's territory. God's territory and Satan's territory both want to play plus, so they repel each other. Both pluses are trying to get all of creation as their permanent domain. They struggle for who is going to get hegemony. How about you? Don't you have some struggle between your mind and your body every day? Your body will say: go ahead, take care of yourself. Go ahead, have the good portion of the meal. Don't worry about others. You must take care of yourself, your body. You need the nourishment. Your body is talking to you every day, isn't that true? On the other hand, your mind says: go ahead, help others. Give other people first chance. Serve others, tens of millions of people. Give your love. Give your service. Give your sacrifice. This is your mind talking to you. The mind is also in a way very cruel in its mandate. Give yourself totally to the entire world. That's not all. Not only mankind but you must also love animals, nature and all things of creation.
Satan on his side is trying to be big boss. Material is everything. The goal is everything. Serve yourself. You are the most important. Be self-centered. You are the center of everything. But God says no. Mind is the center. The mind is everything. Which one is the original standard? This is a visible microphone, but this is a minus position. What is the plus then? What is the subject of this microphone? Before this microphone was ever created, there was the idea for this microphone. That invisible idea which designed the microphone is the plus, the subject. But people say: No, I don't care about that. I can see this so this is the plus.
The false ideology of Communism says that there is no such thing as spirit world. There is no such thing as spirit body and eternal life. Material is the best. But Christian people say there is a heaven and a spiritual world, and these are more important. There is a struggle between two ideological schools. That's the battle we are in.
The most precious things are invisible
Visible, material things always deteriorate. Invisible things, do you think they will deteriorate? When you get older, your body gets older. However, does your mind get older? There is one beautiful lady probably older than most of you are, but her mind is just as beautiful as you are. In a way her mind is much more beautiful because it is matured. That does not mean aged, but more perfected, more glowing and polished. A grandfather, before he passes away, leaves his will. We read that will very seriously because it is sacred. He wrote down his lifetime experiences, something he wanted to leave to his posterity, his children. The grandfather knows he cannot leave his body to posterity, but only his ideas, his thoughts. The most precious things are invisible.
What is the origin of the mind? Communists say the mind is an illusion. You think there is a mind because you think. Can the material create the mind? Can the material paint an ideal or create beauty, love? When you ask such questions of atheists and materialists, they say: don't worry about that. Worry about what to eat, what to wear, how to live, how to enjoy yourself. Don't worry about your ideal. Just worry about your hungry stomach. But man was not created to be that simple. That ideology is wrong. That cannot really cope with all the human aspects of life. Our life is much more complicated.
So the invisible mind cannot originate from the visible material world. The invisible world has to originate from an invisible source. That's most logical. What is that invisible source? That is the universal ideal mind in the universe, which we ca t God.
So we come to the conclusion that the ideal way of life is to find ourselves in God, mind and body united together in God. To find God and try to fulfill His will in our lifetime, that is the ideal way of life. What is the will of God? What is God trying to accomplish? That is nothing else but the perfection of God and the perfection of men together; that summarizes the will of God.
Man's ideal is to unite with God
What is man's will? It is to find God and to be united with God. That is our desire. We want to find God and become united with Him. Somebody told you to go ahead and find the ideal. How can you find the ideal? By getting control of all of nature and the world? That's not your ideal. Finding God, to be resting peacefully in God, that's the ideal.
Here in America, how would you like to spend your lives? What would you like to achieve? As far as the American government is concerned, the presidency is the center. Everybody has at some time a certain dream. Women wonder, how can I be a first lady? Is there any chance? Do you think about that? If you are given that position, everybody will say: I am deeply honored. It's an honorable position, no question about it. Men, if you have ambition you say, one day I want to become the president of the U.S. That's certainly a good ambition. But if I don't become the president, <at least I want to be an equivalently respected man. I want to be respected. I want to lead my life honorably. Every good man thinks that way. This is human nature. Everybody wants to advance himself into the central position. Why do we have that tendency? Because God is like that. We are uniting with the center position, which is God in the universe. In other words, it is a search for God. That tendency is the fulfillment of the desire to be one with God.
One portion of me is plus, one is minus. But when you have two portions, both plus, there is conflict. If God is universal, then I also, in order to communicate with God, should be universal. I should have a universal mind, and a universal body in minus position -- plus and minus.
Would you like to be a person recognized on a worldwide level or just recognized in one small family? In the smaller circle, it is easy. But when you expand to the worldwide level, it becomes most difficult. Why do we take the difficult route? If I just sit idle would everybody come to respect me? On the worldwide level, you have to demonstrate yourself worthy of that honor. You have to recreate yourself, recreate your society, recreate your nation. Your impact must be felt throughout the world. When you become respected on the worldwide level then automatically the nation comes inside that, the society and family as well. So by placing yourself in the center on the worldwide level, you become the center of the nation, the center of the society, the center of the family.
We want to become like God
All these things add up to one conclusion: we all harbor the desire to resemble the personality of God. We want to become like God. God is universal. God is in the subject position. I am in the object position; to be united with Him, I must truly become a universal man. When you are completely one with God, you become like a mirror, a reflection of God's feelings. When God is happy, you are happy. When God is joyful, you are joyful. When God laughs, you laugh. When God is sad, then you are sad. That is the desire of man -- to live side by side and one with God. The will of God is the same thing -- to live together with true man.
Once a great theologian was invited to speak to us in Korea. One of our students asked him: could you teach me precisely what is the will of God? The professor shook his head a little while and then stated: well, that sounds very easy, but it is very difficult to answer. Without knowing crystal clear the will of God, how can we follow that will? What is our answer? We have just one simple sentence that takes care of it all. The fulfillment of the ideal of creation, that's the will of God. Then what is the ideal of creation? To fulfill the purpose of creation. What is that purpose of creation? That men and women become one in love and happiness after they reach perfection. You are perfected when your mind and body, centered upon God, are muted into one. The man and woman, centering upon God, have a double unity: spiritual unity and physical unity. When that is fulfilled, then the ideal of the purpose of creation of God is fulfilled. When men and women are united centering upon the ideal love of God, God is master of their hearts. That's the ideal world.
Actually, God is searching for perfected man. When God and men are united, God is subject; you are the object. However, sometimes men claim: God, let us be subject so You can be object. God will not deny that. He will say, go ahead. Whichever way, as long as you and I are united, we're a happy couple. Between God and man, we'll strike a happy medium. That's the ideal of creation, complete unity between God and man.
Love must include children
But God and Adam and Eve are only one level. There should be another level: the children, offspring. In other words, love must include love of the children. Conjugal love, parental love, and children's love - these three loves together completely represent God's love that will go on forever.
When you get married, you definitely want to have children, don't you? Do you know how painful it is to give birth to a baby? Why do you have to take on such pain? God is very righteous; He prearranged such pain because if you painfully gain your son, that son is more precious.
When you sew and put lots of energy, lots of concentration into it, that particular item you sew will become more beautiful and perfected, more precious. When you create a sculpture, if you put all your heart into it, then that sculpture is more precious to you. Sloppy work never brings preciousness. This is why Jesus said in the first commandment: Love God with all your mind, all your heart, all your soul. Did he leave any room for yourself? Nothing. He called for complete devotion in loving God. When you say all your mind, all your heart, when you say all, a-l-l, the longer the better -- alllllll.
Your body and soul may be in terrible torture or incredible hardship, but if you have the proper perspective, proper will, proper love, knowledge of God, you can persevere through that road of hardships. Then you will ultimately reap a precious treasure. God is looking at you. How much did you persevere through hardship for Me? How much hardship did you go through in the name of God? This is the criteria or test. Go the sacrificial way. Pick up the torture, pick up the hardship for the sake of your husband, your wife, and your children. The amount of energy you expend in loving the members of your family, gives them more preciousness. Invest your energy, your soul, your mind. The degree of investment decides the value.
We are born to sacrifice ourselves
When we come to this realization or noble awakening, then we come to the simple way of life. That is, we realize we are born in this world to sacrifice ourselves. To give of ourselves, that's the precious life. It's simple to say but difficult to live. But once you live this credo, this principle, you will find an unlimited reservoir of value. In that way of life, God's true sons and daughters shall be resurrected. For the eternal God, for His eternal glory, there is nothing I cannot bear. Everything belongs to Him. Use me for Your purpose. I am Your instrument. That kind of attitude is the most blessed kind of life. It will make you saints here on earth.
The road of true love is not an easy road. It's difficult but I'm not crying. I'm joyfully taking that route. Once you reach that realization, there is nothing that cannot make you happy. Think of it: when you get married, do you chink life gets easier? Actually, when you get married if you are very selfishly oriented, that marriage will not last more than three days. But when you totally forget ourselves, then you find meaning in living sacrificially. It is not easy to bring forth a child, your own son or daughter. To be a mother of a child, that is really a totally unselfish way of life: feeding the baby, changing the baby's dirty diapers. Sometimes the baby gets sick, needs doctors and so forth. You have on your shoulders incredible hardship and agony. Why are you willing to take that? Because the joy is greater. When you have love, nothing is impossible. Suppose you get married. Your husband is truly loving to the degree that he can sacrifice his life for your sake. You are a happy person. You are fulfilled as a wife. You can't ask any more. You have everything. When you are united in that kind of love, there's nothing you can't share between the two of you. There is nothing you are stingy about. Only love can make such unity, nothing else. Neither money nor knowledge nor power could bring about a such beautiful relationship; only true love can bring it. It is important for God and important to man. When God and man are united, the whole universe becomes one, because both are universal entities.
The ideal family fulfills God's will
The will of God is the fulfillment of the ideal of creation. The ideal of creation is the fulfillment of the heavenly four positions: God, Adam and Eve, and children. That is a most incredible, most beautiful conclusion. Your husband, your son are God's representative. Look at them as you would look at God. When you are like a child, you can get into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is in the Bible. The child is the visible, innocent form of God. A child is tiny God.
Today's American women are so selfishly oriented in a way. First of all, they deny the responsibility of giving birth to a child. They don't want to have a child. When they have a child, they think it so much burden, so much trouble. Yet that child represents God; so does your husband.
You came into this world to love God. That's your duty; that's your purpose of life. You have no other purpose to live. That's the ideal family. Anybody who dwells in such a home is destined for the kingdom of heaven. But those who do not want such a home are destined toward hell.
Everybody wants to be respected, to lead an honorable life. We want to be respected like God is respected. You truly want to be in the role of God. You would want to embrace such a man -- the visible God walking in front of you. Each one is striving toward that goal. I want to live in that world. How about you?
What does God want? Does He want the same thing, too? You want to live in that world. God certainly wants to live in that world. That's the ideal world. There is no conflict. Man can truly live as God: be born as God, live as God, and go to eternity as God. That's man's role when we complete the heavenly four positions in which the ideal of creation is fulfilled. Within God there is the male characteristic and the female characteristic -- dual essentiality. The male part was manifested in Adam and the female part in Eve. Adam and Eve united together in love truly represent God. In that love, their children can be born. That's the point -- men and women become one. Horizontally, vertically, all are united into one central point. When men and women are united into one, actually the whole universe is united together in microcosm.
So we come to the conclusion that unless you know God, love God and love the universe a husband and wife can't truly be happy. The entire universe is within you. God's ideal, God's will is fulfilled in the home. And where does the purpose of religion lie? The destination of religion is also the family. Is this your home? No, this is a church. We are in the process of returning to homes. Once we restore happy, heavenly homes, we won't even need the church. Eventually, our church will be filled with families, everybody united into one big family unit.
We desperately need three elements for the ideal of God. First, of course, is His ideal of creation. Second, God's love. Third is the family of God. God needs these three and we also need those three elements. That's God's will. To obtain a heavenly family is the ideal of creation.
Within you, find God's ideal
Within you, find the purpose of life. Within you, find fulfillment. Within you, find God's ideal, God's love. Within you, find God's home. You are the creator of the ideal home. You are the instrument to make yourself whole. You work toward your own perfection. Who are you? You are the chosen instrument to fulfill the will of God.
So let us resolve today: we will be like God; we'll be busy like God; we'll work hard like God; we'll be anxious as God is anxious. You cannot say: God, you go ahead and work, I need a little rest. You cannot act without God. In a way we are competing with God. We have the same purpose. Those who are trying to run ahead of God are the ones who will win. The more you put out effort, the better your outcome will be. You don't need a supervisor. You don't have someone checking on you whether you are doing your homework or not. You are the supervisor of yourself.
You go higher and higher, from the individual level to the family level, society level, national level, worldwide level, bringing yourself up by doing so. You are bringing your race and your nationality up too. Do not stop; do not even slow down. You are marching toward the ultimate goal of the fulfillment of the will of God. Think of it: God is waiting for you beyond that hill. So we must go over the hill first. Beyond, God is waiting for you.
I do not want an easy battle. The harder, the more serious the battle the better. The harder the course through which you go the greater the victory, the greater the reward. God is doing His best, I am doing my best, you are doing your best. Truly this is going to be a magnificent victory.
There is one group of people, one formidable group of people whose eyes will pop out. They are the Communists. They will feel threatened. If the free world recognizes Rev. Moon and follows his leadership and heeds his words, within seven years the Communist power will subside.
Do we have a juvenile delinquency problem in our church? Once we are united in an ideal way, will that home have a problem with the family breaking down? Will there be a hippie and yippee problem in our movement? Will Communists be strong in our church? Will the drug problem persist in our church? We solve all those problems. Do you think Rev. Moon does it himself? Behind him is the work of God. Who can ever deny the work of God?