Our Standard of Love & Purity
by Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 1, 1981 (Belvedere USA)
Translator – Bo Hi Pak
Edited by esgd
15 minutes
When we narrow down “our standard,” it becomes “my standard.” When we broaden it, it becomes the “world standard.” Where do we find our standard- the present, the past, or the future? Do your favourite things change or not? People are changeable, and particularly women! The three qualities of value apply to people as well as to material things, so we can say that a changeable person has no everlasting value or uniqueness. We know that man has the two aspects of mind and body; which changes more? More specifically, does your conscience change more than your physical desires?
When I asked you whether the mind or body was more changeable, you couldn’t answer. Is the conscience pursuing good or evil things? The answer will be the same 1,000 years from now. If I ask people from 10,000 years ago, their answer will be the same. That means the conscience has an unchanging quality, and thus we say that the conscience must be the base of value. Now we can say that man’s unique value comes from his conscience.
Today’s scientific world is confused about what is reality. Religiously and philosophically there is confusion, and we have to clarify this confusion by setting the standard. We need philosophy and religion, but what do “I” need most of all? An active conscience. To determine true reality, we have to restore our consciences to be true ones. Have people in history ever lived with true consciences? The common desire of all men has always been to live with true conscience, but how can this be realized?
One important quality in a moral code is filial piety. We value this, but what is it, and why should we exercise it? Filial piety is loyalty to the unchanging value of the family. The son of filial piety pursues the principle of serving his parents and brothers and sisters even if they do not reciprocate. Conscience dictates that this is the right thing to do. But if you do not recognize the value of conscience, you will not recognize the value of filial piety; you have to have some starting point. Conscience values your parents’ welfare more than your own.
The Western way of life is pragmatic, so people look for comfortable and convenient things in life. To people who want to go to the disco or enjoy sex, the conscience seems to be an obstacle. When your body eats, it wants delicious food, and prefers to have delicious pleasures always. Why does the conscience put the brake on what the body desires? Habits and customs are hard to change, no matter how logical it is to change them. Addiction to drugs and alcohol, which poison the body, are hard to cure, but how can you cure sex addiction? Have you ever thought about that?
We have to base our lives on a firm foundation of principle; if we don’t have that then we have to create one. Without standards or principles, we will see only destruction around us. If no principles bind parents and children or husband and wife, the family will fall apart. The mind wants a principled life, but the body pursues all kinds of addictions. The friction caused by that contradiction is a terrible burden. People feel sorry for a mentally ill person, but once a person’s mind or conscience becomes sick, it is even harder to restore. Religion deals with that world.
A grasshopper doesn’t plan for the winter, but enjoys the warm weather and thinks he has a sweet life. Spring and summer always come to an end, however. The important point is that we must arrive at a standard of law and principle which is followed by everyone in our homes, society, nation and world. Such a standard should be based in your conscience. That standard should be acceptable to everyone and still be unchanging, eternal and unique. We conclude that the conscience provides such a standard.
What does God have that can fill the conscience? God knows you like diamonds. If God is almighty then would He be satisfied to make a lot of diamonds to fill everyone’s conscience bag? Why not? God can make diamonds and gold, but there is something that God cannot control at will: that is true love, which is activated only in a reciprocal relationship with an object. Without an object, love cannot be activated. If you have love, can you show it to me? Man’s love is activated only when he finds a partner; when you are sitting by yourself your love is not activated. God has been sitting all by Himself, so can He enjoy His love, slapping His side and laughing? God has been lonely just like you would be. No matter how much potential love God has, by Himself God cannot feel its excitement. Always an object is needed to activate love through give and take.
Even God needs an ideal object. Why did God create the whole universe? For the perfection of His object. God is gigantic, and He needs an equivalent object who can stand side-by-side with Him, so He created man with a conscience as big as God’s conscience. When man completely fills his conscience and he starts to laugh, then God can respond, and the whole universe will laugh together with them. That is God’s design.
Nothing else except love can fill that conscience, however. Love alone can excite God. In love God is an enormous plus and man is an enormous minus, and when they join a giant spark will flash. How much power would that generate? The entire universe will be jolted by the shock. God and men and women will all be totally intoxicated and melted by the power of that love. All the creation will be affected, from the one-celled amoebae to insects to the galaxies.
Conscience is OK, but it is centred on what? Life? That is good. On knowledge? That is nice too. On power? But these are not the central things. What is it that everyone likes and can participate in? One substance alone has that universal character-love. When the cornerstone of existence is conscience that is based on true love, or true love that is based on conscience, then everything will be in the right place. That is the standard. The essentiality of love is always the same, but the components are different from person to person, depending on where love appears. Each individual is a truth body with unique characteristics, but they all share a common essentiality in God. Thus, each individual contains unique love with a common essentiality, like the cells in a body. Each person is a cell of love. Each individual’s love has uniqueness which cannot be duplicated by anyone else, yet also it is unchanging and eternal.
If you have true universal love within you then you have become a standard man or woman of the universe. We come to the conclusion that we need the standard of conscience which is true love. With that alone can we digest the world and bring it into our consciences. As long as you have that true love, you can turn in any direction. That world of true love also transcends time and space. With that standard of true love all five senses will cooperate instead of repelling each other, for they do so out of happiness, not duty. All five senses should function in the intoxication of love. Even if you use all kinds of uncomplimentary adjectives in describing someone, as long as you speak from love there is no disharmony between you.
Unless we have the standard of true love and conscience, we have no way to reach the true ideal world; we could not even glimpse that world without it. The Principle explains about the dual of God, how the subject and object create a circuit, and how the energy of that give and take can bring the perfection of creation. Everything has dual aspects of mind and body, and in order to be persons of conscience and true love, we must first unite mind and body. There are only two directions to go in-the heavenly way or the secular way. That means each person is in between heaven and earth. Love is the central factor around which the whole thing will turn. The body should be centred on love and harmonized with all things of creation. Love is the central factor which can harmonize all creation. Thus, when man becomes a being of love he is the supreme creation of God. Without that love man is no different from an animal or plant.
The centre of the two worlds is the same love and same God, making a gigantic turn together. They are centred upon true love and upon you. Man can ask for nothing more; there is nothing greater or higher. At that point man is totally fulfilled; then your conscience is totally filled and you feel complete satisfaction and happiness. Then you can manoeuvre as a unique, everlasting and unchanging entity in the universe, on your eternal journey. Amen! With this as a standard you have a goal to accomplish, and when you reach that universal goal you will shout out “Amen!” I am introducing you to the taste of true love, so even if the entire world comes against us, nothing can stop you once you taste that love. When you are traveling with the love of God, you can be accepted anywhere, even in Hell. We are front- line soldiers in the fight to restore true love to the world. There are all kinds of commotion when the world sees these flag bearers marching forward, and people accuse me of taking their children or their husbands or wives. People around the world have accused me of being a love thief.
“Our standard” is true love and conscience. “My standard” is also true love and conscience. In order to make it the “world standard” we have to give to the world by serving all mankind – eating, fundraising, witnessing, marrying and having children – everything for the sake of the world. In centring upon this standard, everything – whether family, nation, world or universe – is consummated by following the one goal. This is the beauty of it. This is truly a supreme ideology. Can you find any other preacher teaching this love? I am not just speaking about it, but living it, and you too can become deeper and deeper. It is the law of love that when you pursue this goal, God will definitely intervene in your life. This is our permanent, supreme standard. It will bring permanent, eternal happiness. That is the goal. Have you lived that way?
Totally empty yourself and be filled with this new command. When you listen to the voice of your mind, tears of joy and liberation will overflow. At that moment you will feel that universal love has touched you. Just as you like to touch beautiful flowers or butterflies, when you become lovable the universal love will want to touch you. When you are united with that love, you can give it to all things. When I teach you here at Belvedere, I am always thinking that I speak to you so that you can reach the same goal. My fervent desire in teaching you is for you to become intoxicated in that deep love also. When I am away you feel that Belvedere is empty, but when I walk in, the room feels full. Why is that? It is because I am a messenger of this love. Your privilege is to come and be ignited. It is completely possible.
