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.


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?