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English is written from left to right, and here on the board I write from top to bottom. You would say "Day of Victory," while Orientals would say "Victorious Day." The word sequence is reversed, just as your hands are opposites. Your hands become one internally, palm to palm, not side to side or back to back. There is a vertical line from your eyes to your nose and mouth, and the hands should come together along the same plane as that line. That means the eyes represent God and the nose represents man. When God, man and everything come together, all will be fulfilled.
This may not be familiar to the Western mind, but to the Eastern mind there are 24 seasons; that signifies twelve, which is a product of three multiplied by four. Each four has three points, so the number twelve signifies the whole universe, the whole world of creation. Numbers which are multiples of twelve can also represent twelve. The right side, which has twelve, signifies the subject, and the left side, which has twelve, signifies object, and together they make 24. In spirit world, centering on twelve disciples, there are 24 and 72 elders. In this world, with twelve in each side, 24 makes up one year; the horizontal and vertical lines, or subject and object, will come into perfect oneness.
When you draw a cross, do you draw the vertical or horizontal line first? Usually the vertical line. Which is easier to draw? When men view the world, they look horizontally. When you say something is a straight line, your standard of comparison is a horizontal line; this vertical line crosses it at 90 degrees, or a true perpendicular.
The cross also represents the number ten, according to Chinese characters. Which of the two lines is longer? The vertical one. Why should it be drawn longer? The world is a circle. Is the axis of the earth longer or shorter than the horizontal diameter? Since the earth revolves around the axis, you get the idea that the axis is longer. The four directions can vary relative to each other, but what about the axis? If you envision the universe as a big sphere, then it should have an axis which centers on God and man. Where is the center of that axis? Does the origin have to be big?
That bigger aspect signifies the subject part. It seems rather simple, but there is a never failing principle that the subject is always bigger. Is the East or the West the subject part? We see that in the East people maintain a rigid relationship between subject and object, while in the West people form horizontal relationships rather than vertical ones, especially between men and women. They think vertical relations are secondary to horizontal ones; for instance, they think husband wife relations are more important than parent child relations. Even the horizontal relations they maintain are not done in a straight way, but at many angles other than perpendicular.
That is more confusing than establishing relationships centering on certain principles. The West emphasizes horizontal relations between men and women, whereas traditionally the East emphasizes the vertical relations, such as parents and children. Marriage always takes place or is broken up in consideration of the couple's parents or children. In the West, the main consideration is whether people feel good together.
In the West the individual centers around himself. Because Westerners think in horizontal terms, they offhandedly sacrifice vertical traditions. Westerners do things based on individual concerns, while Easterners make the important decisions centering on vertical relations. This sounds true to you, doesn't it?
When you say that someone writes well, you are considering in part whether he writes on a true horizontal plane. Character represents words, and words represent culture, so you may say the West has a horizontal culture, since it writes from left to right. In the Orient, beautiful writing should form a true vertical line; if the line slants away from vertical, it is considered to be poor writing.
Why do we have that notion? Centering on this vertical line, the other line must make a true perpendicular. The cross signifies the world and the universe. The fact that Jesus died on the cross signifies that he lived for the sake of the world, the perfect unity of vertical and horizontal lines. Even though men may not know the principles of history clearly, human affairs tend to develop according to certain principles.
Men feel it is comfortable and appropriate for hands to join palm to palm along the line that joins the nose and eyes, instead of horizontally, paralleling the ground. Thus, a circle is formed along the plane between the eyes and the hands. Your eyes see most easily at a 45 degree angle, not ninety degrees. That's the way man is built, so it feels most natural. Again, a circle is naturally formed between the eyes and the object along a plane. When you look closely, you can see this is a general rude.
What do we mean when we say "victorious"? It begins when two come together successfully. In the Western tradition, being victorious means confronting someone, as in a duel, with one winning over the other and the defeated person leaving the picture. But actually the winner should be subject and the loser take the objective side. The loser will yield to the winner, and then they become one instead of continuing to be antagonists. That's the principle in the world of movement.
The name of a club of boxing athletes should be "The Champions Club." In the West, the fighter who beats everyone else is the sole champion. If Westerners had realized that there is another principle which governs winning and losing, then fighting would have happened only once and not been repeated throughout history. When two men compete, the loser will not leave the picture but will follow the winner and continue to exist. Everyone who followed the loser will come to the winner's side and continue to exist also.
Then actually both will lead. If man had examined the universe and discovered these universal principles, how different would history have been, and how long ago would conflict have ceased? The Western concept of winner take all in a duel would have disappeared a long time ago. Thus, the meaning of being victorious would mean receiving the one who lost, not severing all connection to him. Instead, the winner would have the loser and they would exist together.
It would have been better for the winner and loser to exist together than for the winner to chase the loser out of the picture and remain alone. That would be no victory at all; he would have done much better never to have fought. When Western countries collide, they just make a big noise. But if when they collide they embrace or hang onto each other, they will continue to live. They should determine to cling to each other when they collide, not to repel each other.
Even if both sides do not think this way, as long as one side has this concept and grabs hold of the other, it can work. I am a problem person in the Western world at this time. I am not challenging the world; it is the world which is challenging me. I may suggest new and different things, but it is never in order to destroy the world; it is to set the world on the correct way. Just as they have done historically, Westerners want to do away with their opponent, but they can't as long as this universal principle exists. Eventually somehow they will come to cling to their opponent. Then all losers will cling to the winner and continue to exist. People don't oppose Unification Church by themselves; they are just following a strong person who opposes Unification Church. If that person later is defeated then everyone who followed him will glance around in embarrassment, but they will come to my side and continue to exist.
The victorious person in the Unification Church is the one who always tries to cling on and save the other, striving to come into unity. The one who is defeated is he who packs up and leaves. The victorious one should always try to cling to the defeated one, saying, "We must get together."
We can apply that rule to ourselves-are we following the pattern of the victorious person or the defeated one? If I bothered you very much, always trying to hold on to you so you wouldn't leave, the situation would continue. But what if I just continued to bother and didn't try to hold on to you? Would you be the one who wanted to cling, no matter what? Then you would get the blessing of heaven, even if I did not. Does this sound right or wrong'?
Are you going to be the man of truth, or the man of untruth who is defeated by the universal law? If you are determined to be victorious, you will grab hold of the world and bring it to the right place. That way of thinking is really a great thought. If you grab hold of another person, you have a choice of going higher, straight up, or of going horizontally, right at the center. When either one comes to that point, they feel good because they have reached their natural destination.
If you choose to go the vertical way, you will cross the horizontal line and go to the end. If you choose the horizontal way, you will find this central crossing point and come to rest. If you grab another person and try to bring him where you want to go, he will resist because he wants to be free. But if he realizes that you are bringing him higher and higher, or to the center, then he won't mind and will stop resisting. People don't like to be pulled usually, but if you can help them make friends with the President, for instance, then they won't mind.
It is a great person who will grab people and bring them higher, or to the central point. The victorious boxer is the one who will never give up until the fight is over, and at the end will never fail to grab hold of his opponent. If your hands fail, you can use your feet or even your mouth to grab hold. If both fighters are equally strong, then the winner will be the person who never gives up until the last. Eventually such a man will be the center of all things and the highest of all things. What is so great about that position? God Himself will have to follow whatever that person wants to do with the world, and the world would find hope in that person.
Would you want your central figure to be indecisive, always moving from one place to another, back and forth, to and fro? I don't like that. How would you like it if I changed from time to time, back and forth? Why wouldn't you like it? Because the universe doesn't like it.
The victorious person must always be aware of the highest point and the center of things, wanting to bring himself closer to them. Let's examine whether this is true, or just a concept. There are two long phases in the history of restoration, the Old Testament era and the New Testament era. Who are the victorious people in these eras? Was Noah persistent, or did he quit when things became difficult? Although no one understood Noah, he stood on his conviction that he mattered for God.
Who was another person who never gave up but just continued the fight? Jacob. He wanted to win the birthright of the elder son. Though people wondered what he was up to, he just kept going. Jacob thought that if he was better in every way than his brother Esau, serving God more and being more attentive to his people, then he could have the birthright. Jacob already envisioned the goal when he started his course, seeing a vision of the future and then beginning his fight. On the other hand. Esau didn't care, so much about the future but only about the present.
Does the victorious person have a more vivid image of the future or of the present? God is very much in the present, but He emphasizes the future. Tomorrow will come even for the person who cares only about today. If a person can envision both the present and the future, which would he place more emphasis on? Would the person who wants an easy life look to the present or the future?
All along you thought salvation was mainly for yourself, but here in Unification Church we are trying to save God and the world, and you come at the end of the list. What kind of salvation is that? If you really believe it is more important to save God, then He cannot help loving you. I would love such a person also, regardless of how difficult things get. I looked everywhere for such a person in the Western world, but so far I have not found one. Is there someone who can say that he has been such a person all along, and that I just failed to see him?
Just about everything is done the reverse way in Unification Church. It's no secret that our members don't marry for today; actually, today is the most painful time. We marry for the future and for our descendants; though it is not easy, our better judgment tells us to do it anyway. Imagine that the most handsome man in the world decides to marry the ugliest woman in the world, feeling that for the sake of the future she will be the most ideal mate for him. Would people be happy or uneasy at seeing that scene? Would the person who supported the idea be happy at their success, or the person who did not support it?
That husband and wife might seem to be an unbalanced couple, but the husband who pursues that future goal is the highest, and therefore the central one. Will history have to record this event for the education of other people, or should it write disapprovingly of this couple? Today is always brief, but the future is everlasting.
You know that I am famous. Have I become a different person since becoming famous? I am famous because I am consistent and have crossed over much opposition on a giant scale. It is irrelevant to me if the whole free world or communist world opposes me. I will not change. God is on my side, so nothing bothers me. I am always eager to grab others, and victory always goes to such a person. The same holds for whoever is married to a person they don't care for. Even if you are crying, hold onto that person and never let go, even if you have to bite him. You should hold on even if that person decides to kill you. Don't be like the typical American who is very nice, but then one day just says goodbye and disappears.
You might wonder why I spend so much time on this topic, but it is more serious than you think. I know what your ideal is in daily life. It wouldn't have made any difference to Jacob how long he had to persevere to win, whether 7, 21 or 210 years. When Jacob said that he would be a better elder brother than Esau and in fact did it, then no one could justly blame him for what he did. The victorious one would have to remain with his opponent in order to be victorious; Jacob had that quality, and this is what mattered.
This is one thing I have been doing exactly; for instance, in the ecumenical movement. Many churches and denominations argue with each other over who is right or wrong. I appointed Reverend Lee, who is here this morning, to do ecumenical work to create unity among religions. If he had quit then there would have been no ecumenical work, but he has clung to it, despite what people say about him. He never had the idea of giving up, because I told him to do it. Once he contacts a minister, Reverend Lee will never let go, but works hard to bring him to a higher place. He feels really deeply that God would go through much more difficult situations in order to save these people who betrayed Him. Reverend Lee came to realize that many years ago.
I never give up until somehow I bring a thing to success. Once I start a business, I will never give it up or compromise. In the last three days I made an incredible journey, doing everything time would allow, sleeping only three hours in all three days. In the course of the trip I went to Alaska. In returning to New York I changed airplanes four times, riding virtually all day long and arriving at midnight. Even if the people with me are too tired to continue, it doesn't matter! I will go on. I decided that as long as I had to sleep, I would sleep on the plane and save that time, even if I wasn't sleepy. So I sleep on the plane or in the car whenever I am moving from one place to another.
Yesterday I called Reverend Kwak from Seattle, telling him to take care of morning service because I might be too late to attend. But then I decided to come speak. I got back at 2:20 a.m. and by the time I took care of immediate things, like taking a bath for Sunday and so forth, there wasn't much time left before 4:30. The first think I thought of when I got up was that I must talk to the members. Do you like that?
This topic may seem deceptively simple, but the truth is never complicated. If you know the principle which God will work by and you follow the same way, then you have grasped the element of victory. I always look at things from the viewpoint of who can live this way better, and who stands a better chance of victory. In comparing Germany and America, 1 decided the Germans would probably prevail. Germans never smile, but they always think more strongly about their future and about their country than Americans. Americans laugh and joke all the time. it's better not to laugh all the time with someone who jokes a lot, even if his jokes are funny. A joke is not lasting, even though it is enjoyable. As time goes by it is forgotten, so it is time wasted.
The person who must sustain himself in a hard situation must have a quick mind, plus wit and tact. The person who supports himself by begging day to day must always be alert and sharp witted.
The center of all things is always hidden deeply and doesn't show. It is difficult for Westerners to conceal their deep side, and for others it is not difficult to see what they have in mind. In the short time of three days you can know all that goes on in their minds. The Chinese, however, more typically do not show what they have inside. They are small and have a low profile, with lower nose and eyes which are not deeply recessed. They seem to blink all the time-and that's all. But those eyes are always shining and the Chinese always have some idea in mind. Their centers are deeply hidden. An American may say they don't seem to have anything in mind, but of course not; how could they show the deep, high things that should not be shown? If you see a person's deep side then maybe he is not deep enough.
Is it difficult or easy to meet me'? It is almost impossibly difficult for the world to meet me, but here you are with me. It is easy for Unification Church members to see me because I make myself available all the time. Jacob also looked always for opportunity and waited for the future. When You think in these terms, then you understand better what Jesus meant when he said to love one's enemies. If Jesus had not said those simple words, Westerners would never have loved their enemies, or thought twice about trying to cling to them.
There are sometimes scenes in Westerns of a man or animal being bitten by a poisonous snake, so the person with him knows that he will not survive the trip to the nearest place for help. So the person decides to shoot him there in order to save him the pain of a long, lingering, inevitable death. Is it better for a person or animal to die a natural death, or to have someone shorten that life? Almost always in the movies the man or animal is shot. It is easy to conclude that someone won't survive anyway, so why not hasten the inevitable. If this is how one thinks in every situation, it is a grave matter of principle.
An Oriental person would stay until the animal or man actually died naturally, then bury him, and only then leave. He would never shoot him and then leave. Which situation seems to be more in accord with universal principle? It would be better to wait for his natural death. With this viewpoint, you can visualize where in history we stand today.
I realize that this might have been easier for you to accept if you heard it from a white man, but when a man from Korea-a country with many problems today-says it to you, it might not be as agreeable. But I am not saying this because I am Oriental. Whatever race I might be, what I say and what I am will never change.
Jacob's attitude was never to give up, but to keep trying to bring blessing to Esau. Without Jacob, Esau would never have received blessing. Let us find another person in history who illustrates this principle. Moses was consistently a good man but he failed to meet the necessary standard because in anger he broke the stone tablets. He was short tempered and gave up easily.
Jesus had a short life' but what he did was profound because he lived for the sake of the future. Above all, he resolved that in order to remain a son of God He would go on and on, even if it took a thousand years. He felt this to his bone. Even at the moment of death, he embraced the enemies who killed him. Though he died, he met the qualification of being a victorious person. The conditions for him to be victorious in the future were fulfilled at that time.
The great religious leader always follows this pattern. He will give up everything, but hold on to his vision for the future, knowing it will eventually be fulfilled. Even though he confronts impossible people, he knows he has to digest all his problems and cause them to change.
The greatness of Unification Church lies in its vision' in its conviction that it will not compromise, regardless of how difficult the road is. It has a great vision, yet it is realistic about the present. We digest everything today, putting up with impossible people. This is why we typically visit those people who disagree with us and persecute us. People will challenge you, as they have challenged me as an individual, as a family, and on ever higher levels. When you confront a challenger you don't eliminate him, as Westerners are inclined to think, but embrace him and live together with him.
The universal power protects such a person and God approves of him. Heaven will always protect such a way of thinking. If God holds strongly to this principle then certainly in the end He will realize His ideal. If a man would follow this principle, he will be victorious for sure. Certainly I have to fulfill this qualification.
The victorious person always aims at reaching the top and being the center of all things, persisting tenaciously. While doing this he will digest and get along with impossible people. God has been pursuing precisely this course' trying to play the central role in all situations in order to be victorious. Every person who goes the way God has gone and I have gone will be a victorious person as well. If you really understand the meaning of this principle and pursue it, then automatically things will come into unity.
Jesus said he would come at the end of the world. Early Christianity centered around the Roman Empire, and Jesus said his followers should bring this gospel to the end of the world, until there were no more enemies. Will the Unification Church prosper more widely in Korea, where it started, in America, or in the world'? Let us digest the democratic world and the communist world, even though it seems impossible. We even have to digest hell, and everything that is most disagreeable.
The only difference between me and most people is that I have this highest thought. After liberating mankind, wouldn't God say that the next step is to liberate hell? If this is true then it is only logical that in looking down on this earth God feels that the only person He can work through is Reverend Moon. Even though millions of people feel I am their enemy, God cannot leave me. Without me the end of the universe would never be fulfilled. While I am climbing up and up, America is steadily going down and down.
If America sinks below my position then automatically, without trying, I will be raised up. I will continue in my low position, even though I go higher, holding tenaciously to my opponents and living together with them. This is no invention of a great man; it is the principle which heaven has applied throughout the history of restoration. When we live accordingly, our objectives will be fulfilled.
Such a person's life will never be easy. When he has to cry, it must be in many different ways, experiencing many different kinds of tears. It is only natural that he has to go through many things. Such a person is able to offer a deeper prayer to God than any other people, appealing to Him more movingly. God will have to listen to one person and go in one direction; He can't go in multiple directions, so He would listen to that person.
We know the secret of victory. You have to have an ideal higher than anyone's, with a strong determination to become the center of all things. That is exactly how I am going. In my life I am perpetually working toward the center-horizontally-and vertically I am always reaching toward the highest ideal of God. I reach into the realm of God's heart, not just His ideal. Is this easy or difficult? It is the most difficult.
That's where we all are going, and no matter how long it takes, we go without complaint. This outlook and thought will go through any barriers, even through the democratic world and the ideal of the communist world. I will even go beyond the boundary of God to liberate hell. That's the extent of the highest thought. By carrying out this thought, we are all looking forward to a victorious day.
Everyone knows that the job of President is a difficult one, but is it harder than living this thought? Whether heaven or hell, this is something that must be fulfilled. Now that that ideal has been established on earth, it cannot be erased. Now that the road is set, people have to go. We will continue to the very end, until everything is done.
It is natural that since I have met God in my victorious day that you will continue until you also meet God in your victorious day. God will have to bring me to the highest, central point for the victorious day, for without me there is no central "one." For my part, I will try never to let go of the least people in the world, desperately working to bring them to their victorious day as well. Since I never complained once to God about what He did to me, isn't it reasonable that you not complain to me or the Church? We are not doing this for ourselves individually, but for everyone else. Do you really have no complaints?
No matter how difficult the way, we are still grateful to Unification Church. Is that the way you are? Summer is the favorite season for vacation in this country, but now I will send you out for forty days of witnessing. This time you will visit those who oppose and persecute us, not those who are sympathetic and understanding. You will challenge the other extreme, and using every approach you will somehow get hold of them. I feel that I must determine myself to outdo the dog who is barking viciously at me. If there is a snake trying to bite us, then we have to try harder than that snake, or harder than the lion trying to engulf us. None of these things are unexpected.
Before ever going out you must resolve that you will never let go but will digest such a person. When you are opposed for the first time you stagger somewhat, but soon you can feel, "Oh, is that all opposition is?" A vicious dog will never bark at you for a whole hour because he has to eat and pass waste and so forth, so when he stops to do those things then you go visit him. If you give him better food than he has been eating, then his attitude will change.
One way of expediting the victorious day is first to win over your challenger. That will shorten your way to victory. If you know that for sure, are you going to visit people who oppose you? Will it be more effective to visit them on a cool, comfortable day, or walking in the heat to see them?
You might wonder why you have to suffer an unreasonable amount if you are on the side of justice. But it makes sense once you understand that God allows you to encounter persecution so that you will become undaunted and strong. The number of challengers you confront and convince will be a source of reward in the future. That is what gives meaning to this life on earth. I have been trying all the time to fulfill this part, fighting my challengers with perseverance. When you subdue the highest peak, there will be fewer and fewer challengers, though it may seem endless.
How much have you complained before now? It seems to be our nature to complain at the things that go against us. We choose to go the unnaturally difficult way, however, because we know that by doing so we can shorten the distance to victory. Here hands from East and West will meet horizontally where God is the center. In order for God and man to meet in the future, we will have to bring them together in the right place.
Buddhist doctrine emphasizes always being grateful for all things but no one ever knew the reason why. Heaven and earth will meet in a central point of harmony, and they are grateful to heaven for this coming together.
Do you know for sure why Unification Church members suffer? In order to digest difficulty and prevail over the challenger. Without overcoming suffering we would never be able to prevail.
If you don't like suffering then you shouldn't even enter the boxing ring. Once you enter the ring and decide to fight, it is natural to receive pain. No matter how difficult things may be in the future, never be defeated by your challenger. Fight against him all the way, centering on God's love and ideal, and go on until the day of victory. That is our path. Now is it fully clear? I wish victory to all of you.
Those who are determined, raise your hands. Let us pray.