ritual life in daily life of cig deepak nepal. spirituality of 천일국 as expressed in ritual life...

Ritual life in daily life of CIG

Deepak Nepal

Spirituality of 천일국 As Expressed in Ritual Life

Let us first describe some of the various features which distinguish the rest of creation (which is the object of the joy of human beings) from human beings (who were created as God’s children and the lords of creation) according to God’s original design.

• Existence in accordance with “Logos” (manifested differently on different levels)• The element of purpose (and its importance in life)• The unique qualities of love and beauty

(the way of the manifestation of Logos in the human sphere)– Minerals (external physicala-chemical law: natural law)– Plants (internal “life force” and natural law)– Animals (internal instinct and “life force” and natural law)– Human beings

• Natural law• Internal “life force” (vitality)• Internal instinct (hunger)• Ability to manifest love and beauty (spiritual qualities)

According to Unification Thought, God created all things (minerals, plants, animals) for the sake of us (His children). Everything exists with a certain balance and cycle.

All things are created to exist and act in accordance with Logos (reason-law):• Minerals exist and “act” in accordance with Logos, in this case external natural law (physico-

chemical law) – always with an element of purpose (no purposeless mineral)• Plants exist and act in accordance with Logos, in this case the life or vital force, the conscio

us, purposeful force acting from within (from within the plant seed)– Phtotaxis (turning toward the sunlight) – always a sense of purpose (no p. plant)

• Animals exist and act in accordance with Logos, in this case the life/instinct operating from within (from within the animal seed) – always a sense of purpose (no p. animal)– Stimulus-response as an instinctive reaction (animals do not design or plan ahead)– Animals were not created to live in accordance with (one the level of) love and beauty.

• Human beings, as with all things of creation, act in accordance with Logos– Logos on the human level means a life of love and beauty– Love & beauty not given from outside, not merely instinctive, not merely vitalistic– Love and beauty must be learned (through education, fulfillment of responsibility, etc.)– Human beings are able to live a ritual life - habit, tradition, culture --- world of true l

ove – there should be a sense of purpose (w/o purpose -- no value)

True Father: “Heaven is a world overflowing with God’s true love and established with true love as its axis.

It is a world where true love is the external form as well as the internal content of every environment.

It is a world where true love is present at the beginning and end of life.It is a world full of people who were all born through true love, who live in the

embrace of true love, and, following the track of true love, finally pass on into that next world, the spirit world.

Heaven is a world filled with the air of true love, where all breathe true love.It is a world where life throbs with love everywhere, all the time.It is a world whose constituent members are all connected to the true God

through blood ties.It is a place where the whole world and all people are linked together in an

inseparable relationship like the cells in our bodies.It is a world that is governed only by true love, the love that is God’s essence.Accordingly, God also exists for true love.You should lead a life that is completely devoted to true love.True love brings about the spiritual order, peace and happiness that serve the

common good.True love is love that determines the source, center and owner of the

universe.”(PM 3, 50-1)

Because of the fall, we lost true love and became separated from God.We became self-centered, selfishness, and egoistic, oriented to our physical

needs.

True Father: “Nobody needs to be taught the path leading to evil. anybody can take that path without being taught…Evil can be enacted even without an education. Anybody can get a perfect score.”

Is education necessary if you want to engage in evil, or not?...Education is totally unnecessary if you want to become an evil person…If someone wants to do evil or become evil, he will become evil whether you teach him or not. Even if you don’t teach him to do evil, automatically he will learn how to do it. On the other hand it isn’t all that easy to become a good person even if you want to.

To carry out evil, neither education nor discipline is necessary. Anybody can become the most evil person in the world if they just step outside their house without any preparation…You don’t need education to become evil.

To become “good” you need a) education and b) discipline.

Ritual is a deliberate and disciplined performance of prescribed actions, words, thoughts, etc. oriented towards a specific purpose.

Ritual helps in “creating” a certain desired kind of “atmosphere”Ritual can be understood as a kind of “condition” (in the Principle sense)

One purpose of ritual is to consciously re-orient myself to the correct way and pattern of life. Or, more strictly, the original way and pattern of life.

Human beings actually live a very ritualized life. Most of the rituals we observe are so much a part of our lifestyle that we don’t much notice what it is that we are doing.

• Rituals of grooming, dress, eating, greeting, social conventionsThere are many kinds of ritual.• Seasonal rituals (planting, as seen in Korea’s rice rituals each year)• Rituals of greeting (greeting, condolences, official, spontaneous, etc.)• Behavioral rituals (what we do “socially correct” in various contexts)• Religious rituals (rituals, liturgy, ceremonies, etc.)• Daily, weekly, monthly, annual rituals (what we do habitually each day, week, month, a

nd year; we observe rituals or “ways of doing things” all the time)

Rituals are very important in religion (Mircea Eliade: The Sacred and the Profane)• Myth, symbolism, and ritual are intimately connected together with life and culture. Th

us, religious people are involved in many rituals/myths.• Sacred space, and making the world sacred (in a social context)• Sacred time, and myths (concerned with sacred time)• The sacredness of nature• Human existence, and a sanctified life• [ all accomplished through ritual]

When we engage in ritual, we are bringing to a place (space) and time the qualities which we ourselves embody.

Inasmuch as we are “holy” beings, by our deliberate participation in a “ritual” life, we are endowing that place, time, and context with holiness.

By living a “ritualized life,” (not “like” an animal) we are making good conditions.

Especially in regards to Unification ritual ( 경배 , 훈독희 , etc.)

Person ------------- Ritual living ------------ Ideal (true love) life(Human being) Observing ritual (through the conditions

Deliberate action we make, we are with a purpose bringing our thoughts,

ll feelings, motives, etc. Making a condition back toward the original An intermediary “vehicle” standard of 천일국

영성 )

Historical example:Confucianism: an effort to create a deliberate ritual or tradition (in order to restore order in the

kingdom)

“My” daily schedule• Ritual is incorporated into my daily life (morning, afternoon, evening)

– My daily life is lived in the context of ritual– Ritual becomes tradition, and our life becomes a life of tradition

• Making God and True Parents a living part of my daily life• Developing the awareness and the attitude that God and True Parents are

with me at all times• Continual self-reflection on my thoughts, desires, motivations, actions,

expectations, priorities, values, etc.– Are these correctly aligned with God and True Parents and God’s

providence?– Am I gradually becoming more in tune with God and True Parents?– Through ritual, I can gradually align and become in tune (more and more)

What kind of atmosphere am I creating through “ritual”?What kind of feeling do I cultivate through “ritual”?What kind of energy do I experience through “ritual”?Our psychological makeup is very important in ritual.• Is my conscience clear?• Is my attention focused?• Are my “feelings” appropriate?

Some elements of my MA thesis on the Pledge Service (old “Childrens’ Pledge)A, Non-verbal component

1. Mental attitudesa) Preparation for Pledge Service

(1) Long-term(a) Location (spiritual, physical)(b) Participant (spiritual, physical)

(2) Immediate(a) Location (spiritual, physical)(b) Participant (spiritual, physical)

b) Pledge Servicec) Closing of the Pledge Service

2. Gestures and actionsa) Preparation for Pledge Service




3. Posturesa) Preparation for Pledge Service




B. Verbal component1. Preparation for Pledge service2. Pledge Service

a) Children’s Pledge(1) Opening(2) Five statements(3) Ending

b) Pledge of the Families

3. Closing of the Pledge Servicea) Prayer

(1) Representative prayer(2) Unison prayer

b) Song (optional)c) Greeting (optional)

This “Childrens’ Pledge has since been transcended.We now observe the Family Pledge.Much the same elements, however, can be observed. For example:

• There are both verbal (8 pledges) and non-verbal components ( 경배 )• There are considerations in regard to

– Mental attitudes– Gestures and actions– Postures

• There are “long-term” and immediate preparations one must make• The spiritual and physical components of both the place and the individual• Song, greeting, and representative and unison prayer vary• Each of these can be affected by our “attention” and our “valuing”

It is very, very easy to “go through the motions” or do things “absent-mindedly”

Dae Mo Nim: to do even 10 경배 as a 100% pure offering to heaven is not easy

We need to try and develop our awareness of what we are doingWe need to try and feel the value of what we are doingWe need to try and feel as if God and True Parents (and our ancestors) are actually there with

usChairman Ha: make a space for your ancestors’ shoes so you can develop the feeling that th

ey are with youDae Mo Nim (during the Azalea Festival, May, 2008): your ancestors may cause you difficulty

so that you will set up and take notice or realize that they are with youOur ancestors are desperate that their descendants take them into account and live with the

m; they are serious about God’s will, and want us to be to.A spirit, who had been “casual” about CP, came to Dae Mo Nim in spirit world and begged her

to tell its descendant to please liberate this spirit and other ancestors.

We cannot/should not/must not live just a casual lifeIf we wake up in the morning

…my knee hurts this morning; uh, I need to pray; what is for breakfast?; what shall I do today?; where is my jacket?; I need to clean this place a little; oh! The dishes are dirty!; what should I wear today?; what is the schedule?; where is my notebook?; I need to go to the bank to get more money; I am tired, I think I will lay down for a minute and rest; oh, I have to go to Hoon Dok Hae; I don’t really feel like going this morning; I am worried about my spouse; what can I accomplish this week?; I feel a little depressed; I have a paper to do and a presentation to give in class day after tomorrow; where is the laundry I have to do?; I need money for laundry; I should pray; what time is it?; I have to take a shower; someone should clean this place a little; I have to throw away the trash sometimes; oh, I forgot, I have an appointment at 10 this morning; I am going to be late for class; where is my pen?; what was it that I was going to do?; I forgot something, what was it?; I have to plan for what I am going to do over vacation; if I am late for my appointment I will have a problem; why can’t so-and-so be more neat?;

UNBALANCED AND OUT OF HARMONY; PLUS, WE ARE NOT MAKING CONDITIONSThere is too much on our mind, and we can easily get scattered or out of focus (we sometimes

call this being “spaced-out”)We need to plan ahead, be more organized, and prepare (Dae Mo Nim: vs [“hurry up!”])Here is one important function of ritual: helping us to be more structured: we are making a goo

d condition

One example (everything is a kind of condition) (a written list):

4:00 am - wake up, make bed, light candle, Walk and study Korean5:00 am – Announce date and offer 경배 to God and True Parents

Pray, do Hoon Dok Hae6:00 am – meditation [explain ] and prayer list [comment on prayer list]Greetings to God, True Parents, True Children, wife’s parents, my parents, ancestors (6)Simple stretching exercises and massagePut laundry in and water plants (Sunday and Wednesday)Walking on spike footprints (apply lotion on Monday and Thursday)Reclining on incline (head lower than feet; reverse gravity, improve blood circulation)Prepare matches for 경배 , wash hands, and set breakfast things on table (oatmeal)Do 경배 and “serve glasses of fresh, cold water to True Parents”Heat water and do sit-ups, simple Tai Chi-like exercises (smooth, fluid motions with easy breathi

ng, deep breaths); other exercisesAdd water to oatmeal and study Korean while waitingEat breakfast, put laundry to dry, do dishes, iron 1-2 shirts, check calendar, put books away, cle

an table off, shower, greet God and True Parents, check list, leaveOf course, you can develop your own ritualized schedule as your situation dictates.

In this way my morning is completely structured and I don’t have to “think” about it.I can focus on more important things (and there are many more important things!).My mind is clear and at peace (I know I am not forgetting anything)Here is a “psychology of being organized”David Allen: “A paradox has emerged in this new millennium: people have enhanced

quality of life, but at the same time they are adding to their stress levels by taking on more than they have resources to handle.”

“Focusing on values does not simply your life. It gives meaning and direction—and a lot more complexity.”

“Reflect for a moment on what it might actually be like if your personal management situation were totally under control, at all levels, and at all times. What if you could dedicate fully 100% of your attention to whatever was at hand, at your own choosing, with no distraction. It is possible.”

“Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.”

1 “Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind.”

2 You must clarify what your commitment is and decide what you have to do, if anything, to make progress toward fulfilling it.”

3 Once you’ve decided on all the actions you need to take, you must keep reminders of them organized in a system you review regularly.”

“You have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you’re afraid you might.”

“Whatever we are carrying on our mind is a burden. Until those thoughts have been clarified and decisions made, and the resulting data stored in a system that you absolutely know you will think about as often as you need to, your brain can’t give up the job. You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool your own mind.”

“To deal with stuff is our responsibility as knowledge workers.”

Ritual helps us in a similar manner. Especially in this case, we are focused on God/TPs.When you know what you are doing, and you can do it purposefully, your mind is freed to be mu

ch more creative. It is not burdened by worries, anxieties and apprehensions of the things you may have forgotten, or things you must do.

A “mind like water”

We need to be completely organized, prepared, and in control of all aspects of our life.Of course, some flexibility must be built in:• We get tired; we forget; things change and we must adapt• But the context is still there in which we can function

By having a balanced, rhythmic, cyclical life• We are less casual, more conditioned, more balanced, more harmonious• All of creation has this kind of balance, rhythm, cyclical nature, harmony

It is certain that the spirituality of 천일국 involves this kind of balance and harmony• Everything is cyclical

– 4 seasons– Day and night– Ebb and flow– Inhalation and exhalation (enhanced through meditation); etc.

• We will have better health (because even eating, and other “functions” such as digestion, will become cyclical, and more balanced. The body’s functions will become more enhanced, integrated and balanced.

• Our making conditions makes us less like “instinctive animals,” and more resonant with spirit world and, eventually, with ancestors and with God/True Parents. We become more like “children of God”

The spirituality of 천일국 , an original way of a true love life, is a natural and balanced life (born, live, die in true love). We would not have to think about what to do, it would just spontaneously/naturally well up from within ouselves.

Ritual helps/”forces” me to get to the “place” I want/need to be in.Ritual helps/“forces” me to act and think and feel and be aware in certain ways, and grad

ually I can change “myself”Ritual help/”forces” me to sharpen my “attention” and my focus

If we live a ritual life (a condition life), thus maintaining a sense of harmony and balance, and organize our lives well, planning well in advance each day/week/month/year, with appropriate values, priorities and objectives always before us, and present in our mind, we are guaranteed to prosper.

We (our spirituality) and the life that flows forth from it will more and more resonate with a 천일국 spirituality; it will become more and more natural to us, guiding us from within more and more, guiding us more and more to higher and more refined values, objectives, priorities, harmony, etc.

Some of the more serious aspects of a ritual life

Now let us consider some more serious aspects of ritual.

Rev. Kwak (1987):“Rituals can lose their spirituality.It may be said that God is the goal of all true ritual. The true purpose of ritual is to be a door to

relate with Absolute Reality. Participation in ritual should lead beyond itself, giving people living spirituality and the heart of universal love for their brothers and sisters.

Through ritual we recall the founder’s struggle, his faith, and his revelation. Through ritual the spirit of God is communicated and inferior thoughts are banished. Ritual is a bridge linking the internal victory of the founder to all those who call out in their weakness.

Ritual can suffer when the original spirit is lost. Formalism and ritualism may replace genuine spirituality. Thus, we must always look to the founder, the founder’s vision, the founder’s spirituality, and the founder’s ritual life (and try to copy or imitate)

We must seek to live together with True Parents (as if….)

Some rituals are unique, once-in-a-lifetime rituals (such as the HWC or Blessing)Other rituals are repeated daily, weekly, yearly, etc.

The unique rituals are laden with significance. Through them we re-live, re-iterate, re-present, re-create, re-member, re-enact an

original or primordial time.But we are also changing, restoring, transforming, and reversing things.There are five kinds of time: physical, biological, cultural/historical, providential,

originalIn primordial or original time, there is no “time”]

When we take part in ritual, we are creating anew in a real sense. This “present moment” becomes/is my primordial reality; it is not “primordial,” it is now, my present reality. We are cutting off, severing the whole past because it is a false past. We are truly only now re-born. We are creating an archetypal form, only with new players, new positions, and new purpose, attitudes, feelings, motivation, direction, etc.

By living the myth/symbols we appropriate them. We participate in them.In this case, the myth (in our case, a true love life) is the true reality for us.

Recreating the original situation during the HWC and others; with an actual primordial time and space experience

Unfortunately, we have needed to partake of HW on more than one occasion.Actually, this is a demonstration of God’s profound love for us

In rituals which are repeatable:there are many meanings of “time” (True Father: the importance of “the moment”)

The importance of space (place) and timeSpace• The place of ritual, effectively, becomes the “center” of the world (my world)• As the center of the world, I can orient myself correctly• Only in the sacred world (created by ritual) do I truly have being and real, genuine existence• Cosmoshouse->human body (temple, shrine, church, mosque, synagogue, etc., are

synonymous in their axiological meaning)• I (the “original I”) have the desire to live in a pure and holy cosmos, as it was “in the beginn

ing,” when it came fresh from God’s handsTimePhysical and biological time are irreversibleSacred time is reversible in the sense that it is a primordial, mythical time made present throu

gh ritual. [what is 안시일 ?]It is recoverable and repeatable. “Cosmic” time is a primordial time which is the paradigmatic

model for all other “times”. [in illo tempore: “beginning of the world”]In Divine Principle, there is a “restoration,” a return to “beginnings”We are restoring the myth of Adam and Eve and bringing it into present reality.

Myth is the paradigmatic model [Living a Mythic (extraordinary) Life]

The person engaging in ritual makes the time and the space of the ritual sacred T/S• When we participate in, or observe a ritual (even a daily one such as Hoon Dok Hae, we ar

e making sacred a) ourselves, b) the place we are in and c) the time we are in. Thus, even the mundane world becomes a sacred world, because of us, through us, and in us (because of, through, and in our attentions, our seriousness, our thoughts, feelings, motivations, aspirations, visualizations, hopes, desires, emotions, longings, etc.)

The RC mass and its limitation• The elements (body and blood of Jesus)• Aristotelian philosophy: a thing is a) substance and b) accidents• The substance is like the essence of a thing and cannot change• The accidents are the sensible qualities like color, shape, size, etc. and can change• RCs believe that with the “prayer of consecration” the substance is transformed into Christ’

s body and blood; the accidents remain the same (bread and wine)• SS and HS must change together; the sacrament is a matter of faith, not science

How spirit world can work with and through ritual• Depends on our attitude, seriousness, heart of attendance and attention• The ritual is focusing our being on things that matter and this creates a stronger correlative

base for our ancestors to work with us (inspiration, energy, tears, feelings of determination, repentance, etc.)

Everything must be connected with God and True Parents• Ultimately, that connection is the only reality• Everything that is so connected will endure and remain eternally• Everything that is not so connected (everything that is of me) is changeable, and will chang

e, and will not last• We can nurture a mind of absolute faith, love and obedience (as well as trust, belief, assur

ance, and conviction) through properly observed ritual– This almost borders (I think) on spiritual law– Evidence The Secret, Think and Grow Rich, etc.

• We must nurture a mind of absolute faith, love, and obedience in ritual

Ritual is very important in the nurture of 천일국 . That is why True Father encourages us to observe Hoon Dok Hae, Pledge, Sunday worship at church, tithing, prayer, etc.

These are all rituals, but they are the highest level of ritual, designed to make us 천일국 citizens. As we do so, we are making spiritual progress.

ritual life in daily life of cig deepak nepal. spirituality of 천일국 as expressed in ritual life...

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