Enlightenment means dispelling the darkness of ignorance. According to how Reality is perceived in the different traditions, enlightenment may be either the intuitive grasping of inner wisdom, illumination by the truth of the Word, or direct apprehension of transcendent Reality.
The true self, formerly obscured by false habits of thinking and vain desires, is suddenly revealed. The inner eye, which was blinded by defilements of worldly living, opens to a vision of the true Reality.
From that moment, life can never be the same, as the enlightened person begins to live by the knowledge he has acquired. There is rational enlightenment, the cognition of truth.
Knowledge of God’s Word enlightens the mind, lighting a marked-out path to a person formerly lost in the darkness of ignorance. Father Moon is one with the Christian tradition in teaching that the Word of God can transform lives.
A second group of passages describes enlightenment as self-realization, the inward experience of finding one’s original mind, the God within. This describes the experience of salvation in Hinduism and Buddhism, yet it is common to most religions.
This can be a soul-shaking experience, as the mind opens to receive massive amounts of energy. Having stripped away everything false, the enlightened mind corresponds to the standard of the Divine Mind, setting up a powerful connection.
Father Moon encourages every person to gain such an experience on the path to wholeness and completion. He teaches that no amount of conceptual knowledge or faith can substitute for the realization of the God within.
Finally, there is shamanistic enlightenment, which opens the five spiritual senses and enables one to see, hear and sense the invisible spirit world. With proper training, anyone can access this knowledge and a source of spiritual power.
01The Light of True Knowledge
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119.105
The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away. Surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish. Qur’an 17.85
Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8.12
You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 8.32
As sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1.6 (Hellenism)
The holy Preceptor by the Word lighted a lamp; Thereby was shattered darkness of the temple of the self, And the unique chamber of jewels thrown open. Wonderstruck were we in extreme on beholding it— Its greatness beyond expression. Adi Granth, Bilaval, M.5, p. 821 (Sikhism)
To know the eternal is called enlightenment Not to know the eternal is to act blindly, to result in disaster. He who knows the eternal is all-embracing. Being all-embracing, he is impartial. Being impartial, he is kingly [universal]. Being kingly, he is one with Nature. Being one with nature, he is in accord with Tao. Being in accord with Tao, he is everlasting, And is free from danger throughout his lifetime. Tao Te Ching 16 (Taoism)
It is wonderful, Lord! It is wonderful, Lord! It is as if, Lord, one might set upright that which had been upturned, or might reveal what was hidden, or might point out the path to one who had gone astray, or might bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with eyes might see material shapes. Udana 49 (Buddhism)
When they listen to that which has been revealed unto the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. They say, “Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses.” Qur’an 5.83
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
For fallen people, knowledge is the light of life holding the power of revival, while ignorance is the shadow of death and the cause of ruin. Ignorance cannot beget true sentiments, and in the absence of knowledge and emotion, the will to act cannot arise.
Without the proper functioning of emotion, intellect and will, one cannot live the life of a true human being. If we are created in such a way that we cannot live apart from God, then surely our ignorance of God consigns us to walk miserable paths.
Though we may diligently study the Bible, can we really say that we know clearly the reality of God? Can we ever grasp the heart of God?…
The heart of God: His heart of joy at the time of creation; the broken heart He felt when humankind, His children whom He could not abandon, rebelled against Him; and His heart of striving to save them throughout the long course of history. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)
Today the world is in need of a great spiritual enlightenment. Individuals, nations and the world as a whole must achieve a new understanding of the existence of God. We should have an encounter with God, through which we can restore and secure our original inseparable relationship with Him. (234:241, August 22, 1992)
The day of the Second Coming is the time when we wake up to the reality that God is our Parent, and we shed tears with Him. We open our eyes to discover that God is our True Parent, and for six thousand years He has grieved over the sorrow of humankind and wandered in search of us.
God grieved for us long before we knew of our plight. When everything that has inflicted deep pain in the historical heart of God is thus revealed, I can truly call God “My Father” and He can call me “My son.”
This is the day of the final awakening. On that day, our hearts are filled with tremendous hope and determination to right the wrongs of history and stand up for God’s providence.
On that day, we experience joy as if God’s entire purpose were fulfilled. It is like the feeling we would have experienced had we reached perfection, never having fallen. (6:155, April 19, 1959)
02Inner Enlightenment
Brahman is all in all. He is action, knowledge, and goodness supreme. To know Him, hidden in the lotus of the heart, is to untie the knot of ignorance. Mundaka Upanishad 2.1.10 (Hinduism)
In the golden city of the heart dwells The Lord of Love, without parts, without stain. Know Him as the radiant light of lights. There shines not the sun, neither moon nor star, Nor flash of lightning, nor fire lit on earth. The Lord is the light reflected by all. He shining, everything shines after Him. Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.10-11 (Hinduism)
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche, and within it a Lamp; the Lamp enclosed in Glass: The Glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, Whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it. Light upon Light! God guides whom He will to His Light: God sets forth parables for men, and God knows all things.13 Qur’an 24.35
Even as a mirror stained by dust Shines brilliantly when it has been cleansed, So the embodied one, on seeing the nature of the Self, Becomes unitary, his end attained, from sorrow freed. Svetasvatara Upanishad 2.14 (Hinduism)
The Self within the heart is like a boundary which divides the world from That. Day and night cross not that boundary, nor old age, nor death; neither grief nor pleasure, neither good nor evil deeds. All evil shuns That. For That is free from impurity: by impurity can it never be touched.
Wherefore he who has crossed that boundary and has realized the Self, if he is blind, ceases to be blind; if he is wounded, ceases to be wounded; if he is afflicted, ceases to be afflicted. When that boundary is crossed, night becomes day; for the world of Brahman is light itself. Chandogya Upanishad 4.1-2 (Hinduism)
The Sixth Patriarch was pursued by the monk Myo as far as Taiyu Mountain. The patriarch, seeing Myo coming, laid the Robe and bowl [of office] on a rock and said, “This robe represents the faith; it should not be fought over. If you want to take it away, take it now.” Myo tried to move it, but it was as heavy as a mountain and would not budge. Faltering and trembling, he cried out, “I came for the Dharma, not for the robe. I beg you, please give me your instruction.” The patriarch said, “Think neither good nor evil. At this very moment, what is the original self of the monk Myo?” At these words, Myo was directly illuminated. His whole body was covered with sweat. He wept and bowed, saying, “Besides the secret words and secret meaning you have just now revealed to me, is there anything else, deeper still?” The patriarch said, “What I have told you is no secret at all. When you look into your own true self, whatever is deeper is found right there.”14 Mumonkan 23 (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Whatever difficulties you face, do not ask others, but ask your own conscience.
When you pray, do not pray vaguely. God gave you an original mind, so you should be united with that precious gift. Once you are united with it, you will know everything about yourself. Once you have cultivated your heart and mind, you can be tuned to God’s heart and mind. (307:216, November 21, 1998)
Even though I am your teacher, my teachings cannot connect you eternally to God. It is your task to find your original heart. You have to hear the calling of Heaven through your mind’s ears. You have to see the divine nature through your mind’s eyes. You have to feel the heart of Heaven through your mind’s senses…
We have thought that God was the only precious existence, but now we should understand that our minds are just as precious. By finding the nucleus of your mind, you can attain the high standard of value by which God can make a relationship with you.
Otherwise, how can you be in alignment with Heaven’s principles?… Today’s believers frequently take comfort from their conceptual beliefs and their world of faith. Yet although we are fallen, our minds contain elements of the ideal of creation by which we can commune with the eternal God.
What, after all, is the purpose of prayer? Why do Buddhists seek a state of emptiness through Zen meditation? It is to awaken the elements that lie at the nucleus of the mind. (2:192-93, May 19, 1957)
Shakyamuni Buddha said, “In heaven and earth, I alone am the Honored One.” In what state did he teach this? If you were to enter that state of resonance, you would become one with God. In that state, you would be able to see thousands of years of human history unfold before your eyes. You would experience yourself as having that incredible value.
How can we humans escape from the painful cycle of suffering, life after life? How can we escape from our miserable life’s destiny that ends in the cemetery? This is the homework given to each of us. In order to solve this, we have to receive training to enter the realm of resonance.
When mind and body have the same power, they fight. We must establish the mind over the body. There are two ways: The first way is by weakening the body through conditions such as fasting, prayer vigils, etc., and then to drag about the weakened body for several months.
After a while, even when the body is comfortable, it will obey the mind out of its newly acquired habit. If you reach that state, you will experience Heaven’s help bringing you success in what you do…
The second way to establish the mind’s dominion over the body… is to give more energy to the mind. Make continual efforts to give energy to the mind. When these efforts accumulate to a certain point, the door of your mind will open.
Once that door opens, you will gain immense power. If you strengthen the mind’s power at least three times over, then you will have no problem with the body.
People make many conditions in the religious life to focus the mind’s power to lead the body. Once you attain spiritual enlightenment, you gain great power in your mind.
Then, if you yield to your body’s desires, you will feel nauseous and want to vomit. A person who has attained spiritual enlightenment has strong mental power; hence his body follows the mind’s desires automatically… All religions teach this as the way to reach an advanced stage in the life of a human being.
Following this way, and centered on God’s love, you will enter a realm of high dimension—when you realize on your own that you are sons and daughters of God.
That is why Buddha said, “In heaven and earth, I alone am the Honored One.” A person who has attained enlightenment is the source of his own authority; that is why he has the right to boast of how precious he is.
By becoming a son or daughter who receives the unique love of God, you are in a position to inherit everything that is God’s. You realize that you are of yourself an elevated being. The path of every human being ends here, in the realm of God’s love. (38:270-73, January 8, 1971)
03Opening the Third Eye
I am blind and do not see the things of this world; but when the light comes from above, it enlightens my heart and I can see, for the Eye of my heart sees everything; and through this vision I can help my people.
The heart is a sanctuary at the center of which there is a little space, wherein the Great Spirit dwells, and this is the Eye. This is the Eye of the Great Spirit by which He sees all things, and through which we see Him.
If the heart is not pure, the Great Spirit cannot be seen. Black Elk (Native American Religions)
The enlightenment consists of a mysterious light which the shaman suddenly feels in his body, inside his head, within the brain, an inexplicable searchlight, a luminous fire…for he can now, even with closed eyes, see through dark-ness and perceive things and coming events which are hidden from others: thus they look into the future and into the secrets of others.
The candidate obtains this mystical light after long hours of waiting, sitting on a bench in his hut and invoking the spirits. When he experiences it for the first time, it is as if the house in which he is suddenly rises, he sees far ahead of him, through mountains, exactly as if the earth were one great plain, and his eyes could reach to the end of the earth.
Nothing is hidden from him any longer; not only can he see things far, far away, but he can also discover souls, stolen souls, which are either kept concealed in far, strange lands or have been taken up or down to the Land of the Dead. Iglulik Eskimo Shaman Initiation (Native American Religions)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Most people do not know the spirit world. They know only the world they perceive through their five senses. However, when we directly relate to God in true love, we can cultivate our ten senses—the five physical senses and beyond them, the five spiritual senses.
This will enable us to resonate with the spirit world. People who only seek self-centered love cannot achieve it. Fallen love is dark; it is destruction itself. The more you immerse yourself in fallen love, the more darkness will envelop you. It is as if an insulator covered your electrical terminal; no electricity can flow. (399:220, December 24, 2002)
Cognition of spiritual reality begins when it is perceived through the five senses of the spirit self. These perceptions resonate through the five physical senses and are felt physiologically.
Cognition of truth, on the other hand, arises from the knowledge gleaned from the physical world as it is perceived directly through our physiological sense organs.
Cognition thus takes place through both spiritual and physical processes. Human beings become complete only when their spirit self and physical self are unified.
Hence, the experience of divine inspiration gained through spiritual cognition and the knowledge of truth obtained through physical cognition should become fully harmonized and awaken the spirituality and intellect together.
It is only when the spiritual and physical dimensions of cognition resonate together that we can thoroughly comprehend God and the universe. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Eschatology 5.1)
END OF BOOK CHAPTER
Sun Myung Moon
Chapter 7: Salvation – Liberation – Enlightenment
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