Cheon Seong GyeongPart 055.15

The Essence of Life

Chapter 187 of 395 · Part 05, 15 of 26
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Cheon Seong GyeongPart 05 · 5.15
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01Spirit is the essence of life

1

Where there is a nucleus, there must be a reciprocally related being to revolve around it. As electrons revolve around protons, human beings are meant to revolve around God. God can pursue the providence of restoration because the human mind, which is like an electron, naturally relates to God’s mind, which can be likened to the nucleus.

When we seek the word of truth, we can feel God’s life pulsating and the harmony of His love. Similarly, by seeking God’s life and love through the path of truth, we become people of value.

The truth is eternal and unchanging. Then how can we find the truth while distinguishing between good and evil in this fallen world? We do it through eschewing selfishness and through constant self-effacement. The Bible also teaches us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and that those who humble themselves will be exalted (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14). We are essentially spiritual. Therefore, when you go to the next world, you will realize more deeply that the essence of being human is in living for the sake of others. Yet why do people persist in living selfishly in all things? It is because all humanity became bound in blood ties to the angel, namely Satan, who contravened heavenly law. (2-137, 03/17/1957)

2

We must now eat spiritual food. Which should be tastier: physical food or spiritual food? In order to survive and stand on God’s side, you need to train yourselves to enjoy the taste of spiritual food more than physical food. The taste of a life centered on spiritual power should far exceed that of a life based on physical might. (131-210, 05/04/1984)

02The meaning of the lord of all creation

3

What is meant by the term lord of all creation? Who is the lord of all creation? Some say human beings, but the fundamental lord of all creation is God. You all know that spirits exist. We all have spirits and, as we are the leaders among the spirits, in the final analysis, we are lords of all creation, directly connected to God.
Human beings cannot become the lords of all creation on their own.

How can they, as created beings, become lords of all creation? Being created makes them reciprocal and resultant beings; as such, they can neither communicate with nor possess the origin, but rather exist to be possessed by it. We are all resultant beings. The lords of all creation I am referring to are those occupying the central position in the spirit world. I am talking about the originally intended relationship of oneness between God and humankind.

Those lords of all creation are in the position to communicate with God. Although human beings are called the lords of all creation, not everybody is actually qualified to be one. Those who live individually are ineligible to join the club of the lords of all creation. And those who have distinguished themselves by seeking the greater good are eligible. God seeks to fulfill His wishes through such people. When that happens, whose heaven will it be? Not His but theirs. (32-136, 07/05/1970)

4

How should people live? Eternally. Living some eighty years in this evil world, some people may see no difference between the death of an ant and that of a human being; yet there is a difference. We are different because we are spiritual beings. How is it that we can become the lords of all creation? It is because our mind does not age; it is immutable and therefore carries the highest authority. All other things undergo change; even pure gold weathers away. (159-277, 05/19/1968)

5

Based on what premises can we be called the lords of all creation? It is neither money, nor knowledge, nor power, but rather God’s sublime love. (210-308, 12/27/1990)

03Inner person and outer person

6

What is the original destiny of humankind? It is to enjoy perfected love and extol the values of praise and respect within the realm of God’s absolute love. Humanity emerged amidst the complete union and harmony of the destinies of heaven and earth. Hence, we have an invisible mind and a visible body. If we had been born according to our original destiny, would our body and mind be divided in conflict, or would they be in total unity? They would be in total unity.

Your inner person and outer person are in conflict. When will this conflict end? After ten years? Or not even by the time you die? If God had created human beings in that way, then He would not be a god with a single purpose but a god with dual purposes. Such a god would be a chaotic god. All the laws of the universe systematically pursue a distinct purpose without being at cross-purposes. From that perspective, we know that we were not originally created in this way. Let us, therefore, cast our body aside and seek our original mind. (44-194, 05/07/1971)

7

Which is more important, our physical self or our spiritual self? Not the flesh, but the spirit. Our flesh has a shelf life averaging seventy to eighty years, within the limited realms of time and space, before disappearing into nothingness. But our spirit has the power to transcend both time and space. Accordingly, it is our original purpose to recognize our historic responsibility and fulfill it. However well you may live physically, in the final analysis, you will all die. Our bodies will perish in any event.

That is how we are made. Then which are more important: spiritual standards or physical standards? Our lives are not meant to be based on physical standards. The flesh exists for the spirit and vice versa. Do not get stuck in the rut of a secular lifestyle.

You must become entities that combine the spirit and flesh in a position of saving the flesh, and begin from a position of greater worth. (20-324, 07/14/1968)

04The purpose of life on earth is mind-body perfection

8

What is the purpose of the Will? It is to perfect humankind spiritually and physically. Individually, our spirit represents the past and our body the present.

Both worlds were invaded. We are to conquer the present satanic world physically and the past satanic world spiritually. When you triumph over both past and present by upholding the standard of mind over matter, your future will be blessed. (73-96, 08/04/1974)

9

We need to know that it is the physical world, not the spirit world, which is the subject. The physical world, not the spirit world, is the subject of achieving perfection. The perfection of the physical world encompasses the perfection of both the spiritual and physical worlds. Thus, life on Earth is precious. (91-177, 02/06/1977)

END OF BOOK CHAPTER

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Connections

Where this book chapter is cited, and what it cites
CITED IN · 4 REFERS TO · 2 Women’s Role in World P…44th Anniversary…, 1998The Atmosphere of the S…I Will Live With…, 1993 Thisbook chapter Matthew 23:12Luke 14:11
Encyclopedia termSermon or textLibrary scanOther page

Cited in4

  • TEXT
    Women’s Role in World PeaceOther · ¶ 43A person’s life is conceived from the ideal of love, and therefore, it is love that comes first. The essence of life is love, and life is the embodiment of love. Thus, life, from the moment of conception, has infinite value and…
  • TEXT
    44th Anniversary of the HSA-UWCSermon · 1 May 1998 · ¶ 72True love is the essence of everything, even germs. Germs have Universal Prime Force, as does everything on the lower level.
  • TEXT
    The Atmosphere of the Spirit World is LoveBook chapter · ¶ 41The air in the spirit world is love. Love is the essence of life. In that world, you do not just breathe through your nostrils but also through the top of your head and…
  • TEXT
    I Will Live With True ParentsSermon · 7 Mar 1993 · ¶ 39…sought the education of perfection, but no one knew what life is all about. This is what it is all about, the essence of life.

This book chapter refers to2

  • BIBLE
    Matthew 23:12Bible
  • BIBLE
    Luke 14:11Bible

Also in Part 05

All chapters →
  1. 5.13Spiritual Phenomena and the Liberation of Spirits15 min
  2. 5.14Our Course of Life18 min
  3. 5.15The Essence of Life5 min
  4. 5.16The Nobility of Life on Earth10 min
  5. 5.17What Kind of Place Is the Spirit World?12 min
  6. 5.18The Position and Actual Situations of the Spirit World9 min

Cite this book chapter

APA 7

Moon, S. M. (n.d.). The Essence of Life [Book chapter]. True Parents Legacy Archive (J. Auror, Ed.). https://n2t.net/ark:/68749/the-essence-of-life

MLA 9

Moon, Sun Myung. “The Essence of Life.” True Parents Legacy Archive, https://n2t.net/ark:/68749/the-essence-of-life.

Chicago 17

Moon, Sun Myung. “The Essence of Life.” Book chapter, n.d. True Parents Legacy Archive. https://n2t.net/ark:/68749/the-essence-of-life.

BibTeX

@misc{moon,
  author = {Sun Myung Moon},
  title = {The Essence of Life},
  howpublished = {True Parents Legacy Archive},
  url = {https://n2t.net/ark:/68749/the-essence-of-life},
  note = {Book chapter}
}
.ris.bib
Text bySun Myung Moon, Founder of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity
TranslationWorking translation from the Korean. Official editions are reproduced verbatim.
Editorial scopeTexts are not abridged or paraphrased. Paragraph numbers are stable for citation. Report an error