Section 1. Reverend Moon's Childhood
1. Reverend Moon's Birth
I was born in 1920. In those days, the situation in Korea was miserable. Korea was under Japanese rule. It was a miserable period, a period of historic change. Thus, I was born into and have been living in an age of tribulation (age of uncertainties and difficulties). Korea as a nation was suffering under Japanese rule. The year 1920 was just one year after the Sam-Il Independence Movement of 1919, and it was also a year with a bad harvest.
While I was in my mother's womb, people allegedly ate pine tree bark to avoid starvation. When I think of all those things, I ask why God, who seems to love Reverend Moon today, had to put me through such historical difficulties and make me suffer in the deepest valleys of tribulation? And when I was born my tribe also suffered difficulties. All this was the work of God. Since I know the law of indemnity, I can understand these things, otherwise I would say they are all lies. (41-30)
2. Growing In Faith
I was born into an affluent Confucian family in the countryside of North Korea. When I was about 15 years old, my whole family converted to Christianity. I was deeply inspired at that time. I liked my new faith, and I loved Jesus more than I had ever loved anyone else before.
When I was 16, I had a special experience on Easter morning while praying deeply from my heart for many hours. Jesus Christ appeared to me and gave me revelations and instructions. Jesus told me many very deep and remarkable things. He said that he thought a lot about suffering humankind and that God was sorrowful. He asked me to play a very special role in the history of God here on earth. (134-144)
3. Search For Nature
1) Learning from Nature
I spent my childhood in a rural district. When the seasons changed, various migrating birds came and also various different kinds of flowers blossomed. I was raised under those conditions. When I was young wherever you went in Korea the seasons were clearly distinguished, and as they changed we could see the beauty of nature. Today, unfortunately, if we walk around Seoul, we don't come across nature. Every area has been urbanized here, and all we can see is artificial nature. When I think of people who grow up under these urban circumstances I feel sad because they lack emotional feelings. Since there is no opportunity for them to feel the mystery and beauty of nature, there is a tendency for people to become violent or individualistic. You must know these things. People learn many things and realize many things through encounters with nature.
I learned and experienced many things through nature. Through it I learned on my own what true love and happiness are. What we learn through the natural world is more fundamental than what we learn through school education.
When a new season came, beautiful birds flew around. When I saw those beautiful birds I ran after them and observed how they laid their eggs and hatched their chicks.
Sometimes I spent one whole week looking for a bird nest. I once spent more than 10 days watching a bird lay its eggs and hatch its chicks. I looked at how the beautiful chicks resembled their parents, and it confirmed the deep mystery and love of God. (1986 Jan. 3)
In those days I was living in a rural district. What I hated most was to feed the cows. Although in the beginning I felt disgusted, I later learned to love the cows from the bottom of my heart. One day the following happened. Cows know when lunch time comes around. However, in my case, when I was playing, I hated having to feed them before having finished playing, so I said to myself, "Wait another 10 minutes or 30 minutes" and then played for another hour or two. The cows waited for me wondering, "Where is our master, the one who was supposed to pick us up? Where has our master gone? If I had been a cow whose master had come very late I would have gotten angry and become violent. However, the cows just looked at me without saying a word. So when I saw them I said in my mind, "Oh how great! You are great. I'm sorry." That happened many times.
I then realized that "Cows are greater than I am." And I said to them, "Now that I know that you have an aspect greater than I do, I will feed you a great deal, and I will indemnify my short comings." I kept feeding them until after sunset and it was dark. The cows continued to eat because their master was feeding them.
They could eat throughout the whole night because they have big stomachs, and they can put a lot of food into their stomachs, like a savings account.
Like this, there were many things I learned from the cows. Cows sometimes look great and kingly as they lie in the burning sunlight on a midsummer's day shedding sweat and looking over the remote mountains meditating calmly. So people all over the world like to eat their meat. People don't like to eat dogs, tigers, etc. Cats meow, dogs bark, etc. So I said to myself "That's why everybody likes cow meat." In those days tooth brushes were made of cow bone. So every part of the cows was utilized. There was nothing to discard, even their manure was used as fertilizer. Therefore everything about a cow is good. Do you under, stand? (109-40)
2) I Built My Character Through Nature
In my yard there was a garden with a big chestnut tree about 200 years old. It was very beautiful, and being born in the year of the monkey I often climbed that tree and climbed from one branch to another. Since I was fat, sometimes I almost fell down because the branch would bend too much. So I prepared to hang from the branch in such a way that if I fell I would get caught on another branch rather then fall to the ground. I even tried to go to the tip of the branch and see if I could reach the ground from it.
Sometimes I stretched my hand out and picked a chestnut. Sometimes the chestnut cases had their mouths open. I tried to pick them before they fell to the ground. But sometimes I couldn't catch them, and they fell to the ground anyway. It was very interesting to try to pick chestnuts without letting them fall to the ground. I still remember how interesting it was. Only those who were raised in rural areas would understand this. There were many trees, 10 or maybe several dozens. The chestnut trees were very big.
There were also some large acacia. In these trees there were several magpie nests. The magpies always sang throughout all the seasons. In the large trees there were always several bird's nests. In Korea the magpies are regarded as birds of fortune. It is said that when the birds sing, "Ka, ka, ka," good news will come. In those days when I entered through the gate, they sang "ka, ka, ka" in the morning and in the evening.
I climbed the tree in which there were magpie nests in an instant. I kept climbing up and down until finally I was able to climb the tree in an instant. Observing these magpies was very interesting. By looking at their nests you can know, "This year the wind will blow from this direction to that direction." When it is likely that the wind will blow from the east then they make nests in that direction. I don't know who teaches them, but they produce magnificent works of art for their nests by gathering twigs.
Since their nests are made of small pieces of wood, they get wet when it rains. So what do they do next? They get mud and put it into the nest thus preventing the wind from getting in. And amazingly, when it rains they put small branches above the nest so that the rain can not get into the nest. Do you understand what I mean? So in that way, by collecting small twigs, they make their nests rain proof. I wonder who teaches them that? It indeed is a great skill. If we human beings were to make such a house, we would have to learn for several years.
But the birds make their nest in quite a short time by bringing twigs. Then what happens after a while? After several days the nests are completed, and then we wait until the eggs are laid and hatched.
When I looked at these birds eggs, I saw that they have light blue stripes. They are mysterious and very beautiful. The size of the eggs is about that of a chicken egg.
Before they laid their eggs, they didn't chirp even when I climbed the trees. But after they laid their eggs, interesting things happened, When I climbed up to their nest which had eggs in it, the magpies made such a big noise that it was heard all around the neighborhood. Then all the magpies in the neighborhood demonstrated. It was very interesting. This is why I became quite familiar with them.
They usually lay from one, two, or three eggs up to 12 or 13. But no matter how many times I climbed the tree and went to their nests, they didn't harm me. They got accustomed to me, and when I got closer to them they looked at me and made a kind of quacking noise. They didn't do me any harm, and I didn't do them any harm. I just went up and watched them, and then came down. That's all.
When it rained I didn't climb the trees, and they sent me a signal by saying "kwa-kwa-kwa," meaning why don't you come? I wondered why they were so friendly. This is not a lie. You didn't know that I had such a hobby. Now that I am old I cannot keep it up.
Then what do the magpies do after the chicks hatch? They keep the little chicks in the small twig nests and bring food to them. When I observed how the parent birds fed their babies I learned many things about how humans should love their children.
Even as the baby birds grow old enough to fly the parents don't leave them alone yet, but continue to feed them. I let a baby bird fly alone once saying, "I will do what is best for you today." I bound a rubber band on the leg and let it fly. I was a bad boy. The baby magpie looked very happy. It tried to fly but couldn't. Then its parent came and tried to take it away, but since the chick was attached or bound by a rubber band, what happened? I did that, but after a while I let it go, and then its parent took it to another big tree in the forest.
When I saw those things I came to realize that the whole creation is based on emotion. Also, the heart of the parent bird when it loses its baby is the same as the heart of a human parent. Or rather the human parents nowadays must be ashamed of themselves in comparison to the parent birds.
So seen from these points of view where is the origin of all those feelings and love? What do you think? Where do they come from? Parent birds know how to love all their babies. Did human beings teach them? Who did they learn those things from? Is it not strange if birds fight instead of love each other? Or catch and eat other bird's chicks? Yet all parent birds love and protect their baby birds. It is a wonder.
In this way, I learned the heart of God and the situations of history. I am familiar with all the situations of the world. Father can predict how human beings will act, how a situation will develop in the future.
I have such vision. That is how I am different from others. In other respects there is nothing different. So you cannot be proud of yourself even if you have a good education. Also, you can not be proud of your self even if you are rich. The important thing is how big or how large the emotional personality within your heart is. (141-33)
3) Father's Curiosity About Nature.
I have a special character in many various aspects. There is nothing I cannot do, no matter what it is. I have been making things, doing whatever human beings do. Whether it is gymnastics or whatever. I have a lot of talent. I have extreme characteristics. Once I have something in my hand I never let it go even if I have my head broken or I have my neck twisted. The same thing can be said of my children. This small Kook Jin is the same. He is like that. When I took him to Chung Pyung lake he tried to go up and up, all the way to the top. He resembles me. In my case, too, I always climbed the highest tree in the village, even at midnight without going to sleep. One night I slipped on a tree and was dangling in mid air. But I was protected by God; He would never let me die.
Also, there was a pond in the neighborhood. I went there and tried to catch all the fish to find out what kinds there were. Once I determined to catch the biggest fish there. I continued fishing no matter how long it took. I was willing to continue even throughout the 12 months of the year. I have such a nature.
Therefore, once I decide to deal with something, I never stop until it is completed. One day it snowed. Without sleeping I went hunting for weasels that night. I ran around hundreds of miles to catch a weasel and didn't even eat.
My mother was very worried about me. I was a terrible boy. So when I became a teenager I grasped the heart of my parents and controlled them. Since I was a boy, I was able to do all these things. Isn't that right? If I see someone who does something thoughtless or stupid I never keep silent. Therefore even my parents had to surrender to me. I never yielded even if I my legs were broken. I never yielded.
Also at my home there were many honey bees. Honey, especially the honey from acacia trees, is really very delicious. The bees land on the acacia flowers and gather the nectar. Near my house there were many bees. When the bees put their heads inside the flower and suck the nectar, they stand firmly like this. With their tails they support themselves and suck the nectar. Once I tried to grasp the tail of one of the bees with a pair of tweezers, but even so the bee would not let go of the flower.
Even if the bee's tail is cut off it, it has such a deep attachment that it does not let go of the flower, Of course a boy who pulls a bee's tail to the extent that the tail comes off is a terrible boy, but a bee who never gives up sucking the nectar is also very tough, so I thought, "Wow, I learned a lesson. I will become like this." Also in those days there was no frog, nor bird which I did not try to catch. When I saw a bird for the first time I could not help wanting to catch it. I couldn't sleep until I caught it. One day when a migrating bird came and disappeared into the mountains I looked for it all day. I also looked for bird nests. It was very interesting. I saw two pairs of birds working very hard making their nests with branches and twigs.
I found a place where the birds drank water. Then by placing a branch over it I was able to catch birds easily. I never missed because birds tend to perch on a branch or tree rather than stand on the ground or on a stone. So by making use of that habit I was able to catch the birds by putting a branch where they drank water. I was always successful at catching birds. I made a trap using horse hair so that birds the birds were caught by their necks. It was very interesting.
The reason that I am saying all these things is that it isn't at all good if in your young days you do everything that you want, or play all you want or see anything you think is interesting. It's no good. If you spend time just playing around, you are likely to fall, and you are not likely to reach your goal. Do you understand? (51-270,136-132,186-303).
4) New Attitude Toward Nature
When I was young I was deeply interested when I found a beautiful bird. I was interested in knowing what the bird ate and where it made its nest for hatching its baby birds, etc. So no matter how many days it took I never stopped until I found the answers. Also, I was interested in collecting herbs. I collected hundreds of different kinds of herbs. I wanted to know which were medicinal, which were poisonous, and how they were structured. I studied them very eagerly.
Every time I looked at nature I deeply thought about how God created all those things. Looking at the oak trees and their acorns and various leaves I used to think about how they were created. As I thought about these things it all seemed very mysterious. Can you create even one stone? I also tried to catch an uncountable number of snakes.
We have to take interest in all things. By knowing deeply about them we can take dominion over them for the first time. If we know the value of nature we can receive an indescribably great fortune. Through those experiences we come to understand that nature has been created centering upon "me." People don't know that because they don't know the art of looking at nature.
Nature is truly mysterious. As we come to know these things, we find even the sound of the wind to be wonderful music. We are greatly helped in our life of faith through those experiences.
It is nature that is closest to our physical body. Therefore we have to make the wishes of nature which is lamenting come true.
Only those who can love the mountains can worship what is high. In that sense Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and all the prophets loved the mountains.
When I visit famous places I always look at them from the point of view of how much value they can have centering upon heavenly fortune.
Thus I try to connect those places with heavenly fortune. Therefore, in the beginning days of the Unification Church, I climbed a lot of mountains.
By looking at the mountains and the land of one nation we can know the characteristics of that nation. The water in Korea is pure. Wherever we drink water in Korea it is pure.
So we have to restore nature first of all, and before we leave our country to visit foreign countries we have to love nature very deeply.
Those who know how to love their hometowns know how to love their physical bodies. Those who know how to love their physical bodies are those who love their own hearts and minds. Those who love their own hearts and minds are those who love God. Therefore those people will not perish. Even heaven cannot strike those people. We must love our hometown more than Niagara Falls. We must know that many people in the process of God's providence were comforted by nature. (14-101)
4. Reverend Moon's Elementary School Days
In my childhood days there was a school to prepare us to enter a national school, just like in Seoul there are schools to prepare one to enter college. In those days it was equivalent to an elementary school.
In other words, it was a place to learn for those who wanted to enter a school recognized by the nation as a prestigious school. We had to go to that school and study and then pass an exam to be enrolled in the national school. In order to enter that elementary school, I encouraged my cousins and revolutionized them.
My parents were opposed, and my grandfather said, "If you go there, you will die," because there had been such a case in the past. But I was determined to go to the school and overcame all those difficulties.
When I entered the school I had to learn Japanese. It seems just like yesterday that I studied the Japanese language and how to write the Japanese characters. I memorized all the Japanese characters in one day.
When I entered that elementary school I found that all the third graders, fourth graders, and fifth graders were able to speak Japanese. We were behind them because we had entered the elementary school late and could not speak a word of Japanese. It was very hard for us. You will never understand how difficult it was because you have never experienced it. Therefore I had to study very hard. I memorized all the contents of all the text books used by the first graders, second graders, third graders, and fourth graders in only 15 days. By doing so I was able to speak Japanese. (171-2-258)
Did I also study or not? When I studied I studied like lightening. In other words, I studied in several days the content which other students studied over several years. My hometown is in North Korea, and I lived in a village 8 km north-east of Chonju. Do you know what a traditional lamp is? Do you know what those lamps look like? In those days we used those oil lamps for light, and I used to sit up till late at night, until one, two, or three o" clock to study. Then while I was studying, my parents would say to me, "Oh come on, go to bed. You will become physically weak." They always said something like that.
At those times, my best friends were the nocturnal insects. In the summer time those nocturnal bugs became my friends. I was studying late at night until two or three o'clock in the quiet night. In the countryside the nights are really quiet.
At night the buzzing sounds of the insects were very mysterious. I felt as if it were just yesterday that I studied and played around like that. Our life, human life is very short. (100-461)
When I was an elementary school pupil I always observed the behavior of the school principal, and I trained myself always by saying: "I must live like that." (25-124)
The elementary school graduation ceremony included a program of one student giving an address in reply to the greetings of the younger students and the principal, so one representative of the graduating students gave a speech. I was chosen to do that. I still remember giving that speech on the stage. In the hall there were various important guests, such as the police chief, county representative, the school principal, etc. I wanted to speak in such a place. Therefore I went up to the stage with dignity. I said that I had something to talk about. In my speech I criticized the education which I had received in my boyhood, and I criticized each and every one of the teachers. My speech was seen as very controversial because nobody thought that a student graduating from elementary school would say anything like that. I was so labeled in those days. (15-182)
I am smart. When I was in the sixth grade of elementary school I set a record of having memorized a 180-page book in one day. I have such a good memory. If I concentrate I can do that. And yet now even though I determine to study English, I am unable to concentrate.
Therefore I have to make you study. So, do I want you to study only in the day time? Is it OK for you to say you have to go to bed at night? No! You have to study day and night.
Then what are you going to do? You have to follow me by doing exactly as I say. And if you begin to follow me, you have to follow me not only in this world but eternally. (66-75)
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Section 2. Father's Student Days In Seoul
1. Father's Life In Terms Of Clothes, Food, And Living Circumstances
When I was young I came to Seoul to enter middle school. (153-33)
I left my hometown at the age of 18, and I risked my life in order to restore the Satanic world by forgetting about it. (147-253)
In my student days I did my own cooking for seven years. In those days Seoul was very cold. Although it has good weather these days, in those days the temperatures reached minus 20 degrees Centigrade, and on the average it was minus 15 degrees Centigrade. It was that cold in Seoul. When we got water from the well often the string broke because of the weight of the iron bucket with water in it.
We also had to live in a very cold room. In my days as a middle and high school student I slept in a very cold room. It was colder then than it is now.
I put my sleeping bag in a cold room and slept, and when I woke up in the morning there was a mark on the floor that did not disappear even after one week. So you may think I was miserable as a young man having to live without heat. When it was very cold I used electric heating. I often got burnt here and there. I'll never forget that. I never said that to my mother. But I had burns on various parts of my body. I also economized my living expenses and saved money so that I could pay for my friend's school expenses. So in order to make money, I sometimes worked by pulling a wagon or a cart with baggage. (137-283, 51-262)
In my middle school days I did not eat lunch, not because I had no money but because I wanted to know how the hungry felt. Also, I did not eat lunch because there was no food. I did that because I felt I had to train myself during the normal days of my life.
In those days it was a great pleasure to do that, even greater than eating something. Young people naturally want to eat as much as they can. Still on my own volition I did not eat lunch. At lunch time it was very difficult to control my desire for food. While my friends ate their lunches, I sat in a remote comer not eating, just meditating. It was a serous place. (50-308)
I am very stingy toward myself Until I turned 30, 1 never bought a new suit. I would always buy a secondhand suit in a secondhand store and wear it. In my student days all my clothes were student uniforms. I patched them when necessary and continued to wear them. I often went to a secondhand shop in Seoul and purposely chose the uniforms which other students would not dare to choose because they were too old, stained with oil, or too smelly. Also, I did not get my hair cut, nor did I shave.
Why? Because in that way I was able to do whatever I wanted wherever I went. I made all my own undershirts and underpants. I did that because I wanted to train myself so that I could do the will of God even if I had to live alone. So, by living in that way and saving money I helped many poor and miserable people. And sometimes when the families of patriots in the resistance movement had difficulties because the husband was in prison, and so on, I went to help the family members without giving my name. I lived such a life. (51-262,31-260,137-235)
2. Church Life
In those days while I was attending school, I also served as a Sunday School teacher at the Heuk-suk-dong and Seo-bin-go Churches.
In the winter the Hangang River froze at night. One could hear the sound of the ice breaking. I was scared when I was alone. Still, I had to cross the river by walking over the bridge in order to teach at the Seo-bin-go Church Sunday School.
I taught the Sunday School students very well. Nowadays, I cannot make my sermons as interesting or as funny as I did then. In those days I made my teaching very funny and interesting, and when I shed tears, the students also cried out loud. I thought once they had cried, it would be enough for them. But, I was asked to talk again. I often attended Sunday School and taught them in that way. (15-182)
I served at the Sunday School and taught the young. I was the Sunday School teacher at a well known Sunday School. Why? Because I knew the minds of the children very well through my own experiences.
When I was a teacher I told them sorrowful stories. The stories could have become long novels. I improvised novels.
So people like me have no difficulty preaching or giving sermons ten times or even a hundred times a day. That's why I can do this work. So I make a living serving as a preacher or as a teacher. Am I not the Reverend Sun Myung Moon? I am the Reverend Moon of the Unification Church; I am Reverend Moon in front of elderly people, like grandfathers, and I am Reverend Moon even for Dr. Yun, and I am Reverend Moon even in front of his grandfather.
I am also Reverend Moon to children. I often play with children. I am also good at sewing. I made all of my underwear. I can even knit. I can make my own clothes. I can make my own socks, even four pairs of socks a day. (139-51)
3. Father Wanted To Save Money
When I was a student I didn't go to school by streetcar. I never rode one. The fee was only five won. Yet I always walked to school to save the money and to give it to the beggars in the street. I observed those beggars very closely. There were many. When I passed them I looked at them, and then on the way back I looked at them again. I made distinctions among the old and the young. I did not give my money to the young, but only to the poor elderly people. I also served the old people. So when I make offerings I do it in that way. (50-308)
I remember one day walking from Heuk-suk-dong to Seoul station. In the summer all my friends used the street cars wherever they went, but I walked. I thought: "I'm different, I should not go this way." When I got to the train station I gave that money to the beggars, and I prayed for them saying, "Although I can give them only a small amount of money, please make the day come that the beggars of this nation can have a day of liberation."
Thus you should know what the conditions are in this miserable nation which is in great difficulty and in trouble. Also you have to know your own tribe. Who are the members of your tribe who are shedding blood, sweat and tears during the days of tribulation of the nation, and you have to know your own family and your own parents.
When I went to Japan, I still remember, I cannot forget, how many days I spent covered by my overcoat from Seoul station to Shimonoseki station. In those days, the Koreans on the train were those going to Japan where their parents lived. So I prayed to God saying, "Oh God, I understand that I have to pass through the path of tears by going out with burning love and a burning heart so that I may lay the foundation on which I can go forward with all my forces along the path of your Will, so please let me follow that path."
I did not follow that path from a high position. I walked it from the lowest position, from the ghettos of the people, from the bottom of society. I experienced everything in every field in order to know the situations of the suffering people of the world. I also experienced doing physical labor, doing farm work, and working on a boat. There was nothing I did not try to experience.
I prayed to God, "Please let me inherit all the sorrowful hearts and miserable resentments of people through my life, and if You still have any sorrows or resentments please go ahead and strike this son of yours, and please feel in Your heart that you can solve those resentments by striking me." I have been following that kind of path. (127-230)
4. Learning
During my student days I shed tears while reading a page of a book. I learned things thinking that on each page there may be included a secret which could influence the destiny of our nation. You should pray in that way. (39-62)
I am a man with ability in various fields. I have ability in drawing and painting. When I was twelve, I went to a calligraphy school and drew the model of calligraphy. I felt there was nothing I could not do. When it comes to studying, I memorized a book of 200 pages in one day. I am a man of such great talent.
So if I had chosen to become an academician I would have become superior to everybody. Everybody would have envied me. I had that kind of a brain. (68-66)
I majored in electrical engineering. At school I asked a lot of questions and put my teachers on the spot. They thought whenever they saw me, "What kind of question is he going to ask me today?" Since I asked them so many questions, they thought of me as a troublemaker. So because of those things, I was able to establish a foundation for controlling this world now. That is why the titanium factory exists today. In the field of chemical engineering we are going forward toward the position of king. I was also interested in ceramics. In the future the scientific civilization will use ceramics as material, so we have to take the most advanced position in that field. (165-186)
5. Student Love
In those days I thought like this, "I'll show God that I love him like a crazy man, and I will prepare myself to become a person who can testify to that." Then what is the limit of love? It's not the point you think. It's not as trifling a matter as you think.
Therefore I made haste wishing that my youth, like a flower, would pass away fast. When I was a student, I walked not with my face looking up but rather looking down.
In my student days whenever I came home from school I took off my student uniform, and I went to do physical labor, not because I had no money, but because I wanted to experience those jobs. I carried coal and I experienced the work of a construction laborer. I experienced everything. In other words I wanted to know everything about human suffering and human joy. I thought that my responsibility was to liberate all those people completely by becoming the man responsible for liberating those people who are living in suffering and joy. (37-36)
Was there nothing that I was envious of when I was your age? You go to movies often, don't you? But in those days, you must know, I never went to see movies, I never went in front of movie theaters.
We must equip ourselves with such subjectivity that no matter how ugly the behavior we may see is, we are not infected by it. We have to be able to guide the people who act like that. In order to do that we have to go through those things. Why?
Because we have to stand in a position transcending the line of committing crimes and sins even if we have to go through circumstances that are like movies or ugly places without being accused. (93-278, 184-247)
6. Father Accumulated Rich Training And Experiences
Yes, there is nothing which I have not tried. I learned everything, even how to make charcoal in the deep mountains. Also I learned how to dig a hole. So I can take responsibility for physical laborers. I can even use swear words. I can befriend those who use swear words, and I can control them. I am not a person to be controlled. When I went to a construction site there was a leader. If I had defeated him by knocking him out, he would have been embarrassed. So I said, "Hey, don't speak like that. Listen to me. You are bad. You are no good because you are exploiting students for money." I spoke to him like that.
But after saying things like that, you should also be able to flatter them. You must be able to do all those things. If you want to lead people, you should be able to do both things. Life is not just a one way road. Do you understand what I mean? In dealing with those things, you should deal with them quickly.
When you have to retreat you have to retreat. You have to be able to do those things freely and flexibly depending upon the situation. In order to be able to do those things you have to be experienced in many things. Do you understand? (143-297)
I am good at sewing as well as knitting. There is nothing I cannot do. When my older sister got married I taught her how to knit. . . I can learn everything through books. (86-310)
I'm good at doing small things. Once I observe something, I can do it. If I am told to assemble something, I can do it. I have also experienced carpenter work. I went to Pusan and made my living by doing carpenter work for US servicemen. I learned how to do carpentry by watching carpenters. I was able to understand, so I went there and on the first day I did all the work. If I watch a construction job, I can under, stand instantly how to build the house. By clarifying the principle and reason in doing the work, I could become familiar with all those things. (68-67)
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Section 3. Father's Faith And Thought
1. Father's Life Of Prayer
So far we have offered our prayers only for the sake of human beings. I don't do that. I say we should pray not only for us human beings but also for the sake of heaven. We have to pray for the sake of Jesus. We have to return appreciation to Jesus who came down to this earth and prayed all throughout the night for our sake. Next, we have to pray for the sake of God who has suffered until today. Also, we have to pray for the sake of all people. Those who live with that heart can be regarded as closest to God. It has proven to be true through experience. (6-344)
In my daily life when I come across important problems I always pray to God and find a solution. I don't look for an easy solution. (43-33)
When I used to pray kneeling on the floor my tears never dried. Do you understand? My knees had bumps on them. Still there is a trace of the bumps on my knees. That's because I prayed in a shrimp position. These days I don't pray like that. In Korea there is a saying, "Is it possible for a tower which is made with lots of care to collapse? It will not collapse." I mean that we have to contribute to God. We have to enter into the state of mind where we feel pain in our heart to the extent that we become insane out of love and longing for God; if God dwells somewhere, don't you have the longing to go there 1000 times a day? Since there is no such place, God could not help but send me instead.
Since this is the situation you can't help but love me. Do you have such a heart? In my case when I prayed shedding tears sometimes my cotton long underwear became wet. Think about it, how terrible it was. There were occasions, more than once or twice, when I prayed to God as seriously as if I were thrusting a dagger in order to ask for a reply. (60-212)
I don't know how many times I prayed to the extent that my cotton underwear got all wet. Also I don't know how many times I prayed and pledged before God with a knife in hand and holding it to my stomach. Of course I don't know how many times, how many thousand times I prayed with determination. (19-19)
I have been suffering for the sake of the Will until now. Even now I am following that path whether I am awake or asleep. Those who have not experienced attending me closely can not understand me well. Even when I'm trying to sleep, as long as I'm awake, I pray on my stomach.
Why do I live like that? Even today there are my beloved children around the world who are praying to God through me. So I think I should be with them, and I should not be behind them in offering my devotion. So when I go to sleep even God does not know when I'm asleep, so God forgives me when I sleep. just like parents watch their tired children sleeping so God watches me and prays for me instead of myself. (26-138)
2. Father Was Worried About The Problems In Human Life Since His Early Days
Ever since I was young I have always been serious about the problems of human life. I was serious about the problem of death. I came to realize that Heaven exists. I also searched the secular world and decided, "I will go this way. This is my formula course."
Throughout my life I received persecution, and I always thought there is no idea I did not try. In a serious situation or in one in which I had to suffer, I always acted that way. I did not try to protect myself with the sword from my innumerable enemies. I did concrete things through various operations behind them. Therefore you are wrong if you live a comfortable life. At the time of departure, there is already a difference between those who become generals and those who become soldiers. (124-198)
I have experienced studying one page for several months. Also, I have tried to think of everything for several months. I did that with regard to the fundamental, important questions of human life and of existence. We must confront those problems at the cost of our lives.
We have to think that if we can find solutions to these problems, not only we ourselves individually but all people can be liberated, and the door will be opened for the liberation of Heaven and Earth. So, with that thinking even if there is danger or the possibility of death, we must do it at the risk of our lives. Even if we died on the way, that death would not be a death of despair, it would be a glorious, wonderful death. You have to know clearly what will determine the true result by knowing the situation in front of you, behind you, to the right, and to the left, and then you must confront those problems with faith and confidence. Do you understand what I mean? (37-140)
Even as a boy I began to worry about various fundamental problems of human life: "Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the purpose of life? Does our life continue after death? Does God exist? Is God almighty or powerless? If God is almighty then why does God not solve the problems of the human world? Why is there so much pain and suffering on this earth?"
Then after that, for nine years, I always lived together with the Almighty God and Jesus. I entered into the spirit world several times, and gradually God taught me amazing truths. It was as if a long dark night had passed away and the sun was rising, and in the midst of the truth I was able to see the shining glorious light of a new culture. (102-288)
3. Father's Mottoes And Goals
1) life mottoes
Father's three great life slogans:
a) Before controlling Heaven and Earth, perfect your control over yourself
b) Act after asking.
c) Act according to order. (27-298)
2) Three Great Goals of Self Discipline
In order to hold public authority, ask for:
a) Please give me faith. The faith with which I can do everything for the sake of God's Will.
b) Please give me love, the love with which God loves.
c) Please give me wisdom. (27-298)
So far I have established three great goals for my self discipline. In the past when I appeared with this Will of God, I had established three great goals: What is the first? Before desiring to control Heaven and Earth, you must perfect your own self control. This is the most difficult one.
Every time you follow the path of suffering, of crucifixion, your self tries to escape. In that case you have to control yourself.
The eyes of this self wants to see what is good and let go where it is bad. You must ask yourself. "how come?" The mouth of the self wants to eat delicious things. At that time you should say, "No, you should not." Also this self wants to hear everything that is good to hear.
This self always puts priority on itself. This is no good. So as a man this self always thinks about women, about making love. You should say, "No good, this is being a bad guy." So regarding the matter of love I have always said, "Unless I can control myself, all the control of heaven and earth will collapse and disappear."
What is the most difficult thing? It is the problem of sleep. The problem of sleep is the most difficult. The next is the problem of hunger, and the next is the problem of sexual desire. These are the three great enemies. So I have prayed all through the night and established goals in the process of my self discipline. Even if I was hungry I set up those goals for my discipline. While living, I established those goals as the process of self training. You may think that I am a saint. I am different from ordinary people. You must know that since I am sensitive, I am more sensitive in those problems as well. So because of that I had more difficulty than ordinary people.
You have to know those facts. Before you can control yourself you cannot control heaven and earth. Only by controlling yourself can you control heaven and earth. By controlling yourself, you can see God and you can meet God. This is the Principle view. Adam fell because he was not able to control himself.
What do the hands, the legs of a person do? Only by becoming a person who has a physical body with which to think, see, hear, to be seen by God, to be felt by God, and only by becoming God's representative for the providence can one become a person whose conscience is not accused, or who does not feel conscience stricken. That person is the one who passes in the test of the Principle view. I think that way. The same thing can be said of you. Unless you can control all these things, you cannot come closer to me. You cannot become sons and daughters of God.
You have to know how terrible it is to control yourself before you wish to control heaven and earth. You have to know that here lies the root of the Satanic world, and here the nucleus of the Satanic world still remains. This is not to say that evil exists in front of you. Nor is it to say that the environment is bad. The world is bad. Evil and badness exist within yourself, within your heart. (131-137)
4. Father's Motto Of Life
I never surrendered to my parents when I regarded myself to be right. How terrible. When I cried I did not cry for nothing. You know that in country homes there is a carpet made of reeds. Do you know that? Those who have experienced living in the countryside can understand. So when I cried, I sat down on that carpet and cried. I remember those days.
When I cried, I cried all day until the person who made me cry came and apologized to me. I never stopped crying. Do you understand? I was such a terrible person. Also, when I cried I never cried quietly. I cried to the extent that blood came out of my nose and that my skin came out. Therefore in my home my parents concluded, "Let that child do what he wants." My mother, father, and elder brother surrendered to me. Are we right all the time in our life? In my case, when I based myself on righteousness and when I followed heavenly reason, my parents never opposed me, they never said anything. (105-237)
You who are born as men at the historic end of this century should try to settle all matters. In order to do that, you should not try to escape but should embrace all those things and put everything in order. In my case I have been doing that until now.
I needed limitless experience. So I went to a place where people were doing physical labor, and I became a first class laborer. There is nothing I cannot do. Therefore I never worry about how to eat and how to live.
If I go to a work place and do physical labor, and people think that the teacher of the Unification Church is doing this kind of work because he does not have enough money, this is a great mistake, a misunderstanding. Even now wherever I go, I can do anything with this physical body. There is nothing I have not tried. There is nothing I did not complete once I had started it. Also, whatever I do, I can do it within at least the third prize level, even if I do it half-heartedly. I suppose because God is wise, He chose a person like me.
Once you start doing something you feel satisfied only by completing it. Even if you have to die on the way. If I had to leave the work undone, that ugly way, I would not start doing it. Once you start there are only two alternatives: either you collapse or I collapse.
When I started on this path I searched to know whether God exists or not, and after I was sure that God exists, I started on this way. Next I asked God, "Do you desire anything?" Then I knew that God has a desire. Then I asked God, "Do you need me?" Then I knew that God needs me. Then I asked, "How much do you need me?" In this way, I always asked God and asked for His reply. Otherwise I did not start. (13-201)
What kind of person is Reverend Moon? He is a person with only one talent. He is a person who just goes straight foolishly. Only straight. Quietly with his mouth shut. He never takes a detour. Why does he always do things which are spoken ill of? By doing so he goes past the point where he receives opposition. By doing so he goes beyond all the opposition, even by those whom he loves. By the way, you're thinking of taking a detour, aren't you? Then why do we have to go the way of cutting off from everything in the secular world? It is because we can, not go straight if we are pulled by our love for our physical parents.
Since God has been going straight to come to us, we also have to go straight. Do you understand what I mean? (97-257)
5. Father's Understanding Of The Way Of God's Will
How seriously have I been following the path of God's will? I have been following this path all throughout my life. Even my wife and children don't know. Only I know the situations which nobody else knows. It was a lonely path which this lonely man had to follow and then had such amazing achievements thanks to God's help. I have become a person who presented solutions to society and presented a new wave in the realm of thought of the democratic world. I have become like this not because I did so well but because God was with me.
It is because I knew that God was such a lonely person, like me, and that God understood my situation that I have been walking this path thinking that it is my mission to find solutions to the problems of God's Will until the day I die, and then to expand that foundation, and gather together those who are called and those people willing to live and die for the sake of God. It is because I felt myself responsible for establishing the Will of God that I have persevered until now even if I was spoken ill of, and even if I was accused, all this without taking revenge. It is also because I was born as God's son. Therefore I always thought about how to establish this tradition, and I have been fighting no matter how difficult it was, even if I had to crawl instead of walk. (82-47)
I am an Asian, a Korean. From a secular point of view I am a citizen of a developing nation. So why are you following this person named Reverend Sun Myung Moon? Why is your heart moving toward my heart? It is because I have a tradition, a message which can help you establish a relationship with God centering upon the principles of Heaven. So when you connect your heart with the original way, your heart is moved and you feel you cannot help but be pulled along the way.
Without God, Reverend Moon is nothing. Without Jesus, he is nothing. Without the good spirit world, he is nothing. But, as a matter of fact, since God does exist, if secular people speak ill of me, then they will be affected. Their tribe or their nation may perish if they speak ill of me.
Do you clearly understand how to live and what to do? You should not complain. There is no complaint in my mouth. I was not able to learn the word "complain." And in front of God's Will I don't know the word "no." I don't even know the words "no" and "complain." Therefore there is no mistake.
This is the thought I learned when I was a teenager. I learned this, and I have followed the path for the past 60 years, all through my life. This Principle has been developing without fail. (131-330)
6. Our Attitude Toward Reverend Moon
It is important to be equipped with the love of God. If possible God wants to share His love with us by Abel subjugating Cain naturally and making him obey absolutely.
Centering upon the will of God, I have had a hard time. So, in your case you should think that I was suffering and my suffering is for your suffering; and if you offer yourself, do your best sincerely for the sake of the Will, shedding your tears. Then you will be able to enter the realm of love of God. I mean that.
You should be able to feel the same pain, the same sorrow when I speak of my suffering. You should also shed tears or you should get angry just as I do. You should be able to feel the same as I. It is my suffering that serves as material which makes you feel the same way I do.
I suffered a lot and had a lot of pain in the past so that you could realistically feel together with me nowadays. Therefore, if you become able to feel my pain as your own pain, you can be appointed as a Cain in front of me. That would prove that you and I have become one in love. That is where you receive God's love. To what extent does this have to last? It has to last forever. God has been promoting the history of restoration through such a process. For that reason there is a need for the period in which you grow. (34-101)