Forgiveness

Hyo Jin Moon May 20, 2007 7:00 am Belvedere, NY

My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo Jin nim said and are not a verbatim record. Hyo Jin nim's website is: www.canaanstation.com/ To see two of the projects that Hyo Jin nim is working on log on to: definingmoment.tv/ and definingmoment.eu/ Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo Jin nim and offer a standing bow.

Hyo Jin nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage.

Good morning. (Good morning)

Let's talk about forgiveness.

Have you ever hated somebody?

If you have hated somebody, please raise your hand.

Do you still hate that person?

If you look around, all the religious conflict is based on the ability to not forgive, right? It's born out of hatred because of differences of belief.

That fanatical Islamic community, they don't need any drugs, they purely hate Western society, especially America because it goes against what they believe.

And what they believe is absolute. Nobody else is right other than them. That fanaticism is fueled by anger, its some kind of self-righteous spiritual anger in the name of God, borrowing the name of God.

That's why they can kill themselves and teach young people to strap bombs on them selves and kill as many as they can.

And it doesn't stop there; if they could they would create more mass-destruction if that is doable.

But how do you stop this? That is by a reality based on spiritualism.

What about hatred just based on an intellectual level?

Let's say somebody stole your idea; let's say somebody conned you out of your hard-earned money because they're weaselly like. Whatever. You want to hate that person, and it's very difficult to forgive that person because they have taken so much from you. However, even on the intellectual level, that is doable. That can create the kind of hatred that changes your life, not for the good. Unfortunately it will torment you; it will isolate you. You will literally live in mental hell, mental incarceration. Why? Because you're just so angry you want revenge.

What about just on a physical level? Somebody beats you up, or somebody just stole your money outright, but not burglary and you have caught that person, and you know who beat you up. It is easy for you to forgive that person? You want some sort of retribution don't you?

Just because we have the ability to grow based on give and take, if it falls on the opposite direction, yes just that technical aspect of it will kick in too. It will affect you. That's why, in anger, if you feel that you have been victimized, you want to turn that process; you want to turn it on and do something about it. And what are you doing in actuality? It's about retribution and revenge.

If you want to forgive, you have to understand that you have the greater possibility to expand to grow.

An arrogant person cannot forgive. An arrogant person is limited to the body, limited to the mind state, spiritually limited as well.

Why? Just think about it. Suppose someone takes away your whole family and brainwashes your children to hate you, hate your own kind. For what ever self-justification they might have, they feel superior to you. How can you forgive that kind of person? Because you feel the anger from the tip of your hair follicle down to your toenails, your anger is to the degree that is makes you sick, physically sick, intellectually DARK.

You won't see the light of the day. All you'll see is what is in your head. It's that pure hatred, and that's what you feel too. And how do you go over that?

How do you try to forgive somebody when you feel that much hatred? It's difficult, obviously. You have to recognize.. But then you have to try. If you don't heal yourself then no body will. If you can't take care of yourself, nobody will.

Why, because you'll be dependent on someone else for the rest of your life. And who's to say that that person that you put yourself in the position of depending upon in curing your anger, dismissing your anger, nullifying your anger... how can someone erase something when someone doesn't know what the hell you've got?

In that kind of situation the only person that can cure you is you. You have to tell yourself, "OK what is going on here with me; why am I this angry?" Physically you have limited yourself to where the hell you were at the moment of inception of this miserable stuff. You're still stuck there physically.

Intellectually you have only entertained yourself with the thought of this tremendous amount of hatred and you're only allowing yourself to let that grow. Spiritually, pretty much, you've shut down.

Why? "I've got a problem with life, breathing stuff; I've got a problem with dealing with stuff with my mind and my body and I need to somehow resolve this." I know that is crying out inside of me. The inner voice inside me is crying out "You need to resolve this, other wise you're going to kill yourself"

Why, why am I stuck in this limitation? What is my limitation? You need to go back...

It takes two to Tango right? And basically you're trying to evaluate the wrongdoing in terms of a ratio. That guy is nine and I'm one or eight and two, that kind of stuff. It's that justification process.

Because it falls into that kind of rational thinking, that category of thinking, that happens. If you think like God obviously you can be a little more patient, more expansive right? But that's just good enough for me. Pretty much that's where I'm stuck.

Remember, we all die and will be judged. You stand for your consequences.

Some people do stupid stuff; they play games with you and you forgive them and you forgive them. It's a never ending game with some kinds of people. So you say to yourself "Why the hell should I forgive that guy one more time?"

But there comes a time in situations like that that you have to say "OK I'll forgive you." And walk away.

Why? Obviously that person has an issue that he needs to control; he needs to manage on his own, prior to having any kind of relationship with anybody else.

Why? Because we have to be responsible in relationships; at least if you have done wrong, you have to recognize what you have done wrong. If you don't have that capacity, what's the point? You start something and it will end the same way over and over and over again.

For the sake of that person, sometimes you just have to walk away. OK.

He'll face God's judgment. They'll face their own consequences. Every individual has a responsibility for their own perfection. And the basis of perfection is knowing how to relate with one another, and making the human relationship deeper and deeper and wider and wider and that kind of stuff.

You can't talk to a wall and understand human relationships. Do you understand me? So how do you, when you're faced with stuff, deal with somebody who has no capacity at that moment in time to change? You can be patient, but the thing is, the changes will happen when they will, and isn't that the catch.

If God cannot control mankind from the beginning, because of individual responsibility, no matter how you try to invest in somebody, unless they understand their basic value, and the responsibility of being human and facing up to the consequences of their own actions, right or wrong, and know how to complete them selves, you don't expect every direction you take, every step of the way to succeed all the time.

The basis of humanity has to be there and understood by yourself to build a true relationship with other humanity. And when you don't have that capacity, why, because you don't think that is important then why the hell don't you talk to a wall? You're just talking to the wall!

You're talking to some kind of entity that doesn't understand your language or concepts, perceptions.

You got a problem.

The only thing that you can do is pray for that person's soul. Sometimes that's all that you can do. "I hope you find yourself before you die." Because it will be much easier (on earth) than after dieing. "You will learn your lesson one way or the other."

So if you want to forgive, try to be humble. Be a humble man. It takes effort.

I jokingly always say that a humble man is nothing other than a man who keeps his arrogance to himself.

Know your limit.

Arrogance is limitation, and you can flaunt it as much as you want, but it's only in this life that you can find some sort of audience in certain unique circumstances.

Steve Jobs or whatever, that guy in Apple, his philosophy is that "I don't particularly care if I'm right as long as I'm successful." That's screwed up OK.

You can find something in life, but you want to complete your life, and in oneself there is Spirit Mind and Body. And controlling that in union is more important than centering on oneself possibility. You aren't going to take it (material) with you (when you die); that's for sure.

I need to forgive too.

I need to be forgiven by some people too.

And I have to do my best to be as humble as I can when I'm faced with that task at hand.

And so today...

OK

It's kind of depressing but, hey!

See you next week.