Month: June 2020

Last week I wrote about the duality of human desire, and said,

‘There are two types of desire: healthy desire and evil desire’.

‘We all have these two desires, and they are impossible to extinguish.’

There are two sides to everything, and desires have these two different aspects as well.

We can never erase our desires, but we do have to control them.

God has given these desires for the sake of human progress, so humankind is encouraged to demonstrate healthy desire more and more.

When you look at the world, however, you can find either:

‘People who continue to demonstrate healthy desire.’

‘People who continue to demonstrate the evil desire.’

Or,

‘People who have demonstrated healthy desire, but start falling into the temptation of evil desire from some point.

No one on the planet is perfect, and

‘I thought that person was a wonderful man, but then all of a sudden, his attitude changed to negative.’

There is no shortage of such cases, and anyone can be sincere or dishonest in human nature.

So, how can we be faithful at all times?

How can you become a person who is always faithful and devoted to others?

Now suppose you are alone in a room.

You are looking at a table that has a pile of $100 bills, totaling a million, on it.

How many of us would not take a few bills and put in our pocket?

I assume there would be four categories of people in the situation.

– People who don’t touch any of the bills and call the police immediately to let them know.

– People who take a few bills, and call the police.

– People who take only a few bills, put in the pocket, and leave the room quietly.

– People who take all the bills in a bag and leave the room.

We all fall into one of the above patterns.

Hopefully, we are the ones who call the police and let them know right away without having to do anything about the money on the table.

And all the Divine Light Practitioners I know are the obvious ones. These are the people who call the police immediately without taking any single bill.

Where does their sincere attitude come from?

Is it from faith in God?

Of course, sincere prayer and communication with God can lead you to be a righteous person.

However, the reality is that people can do unrighteous things even if they attend church regularly.

We even know some missionary can misbehave. This means that praying to God alone will not make you a righteous person.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the only thing people can do is to control their evil desire.

In other words, people who fall in evil are not in proper control of their evil desires.

Then, how can we better control our evil desires?

After all, it’s not enough to control your evil desire by praying to God alone.

But in fact, there is a way to become perfect in control of your evil desire within.

That is Divine Light practice, and the secret lies in your divine nature within.

I’ll continue next week.

Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words.

Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions.

Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits.

Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character.

Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.

                                                                                        (Mother Teresa)

This is a very simple saying but this tells us how our thoughts shape our destiny.  

I came across this saying a few years ago.  Since then, this quote remains in a special place in my mind as the reminder to have better thoughts.  

Happy thoughts create a happy destiny.  Unhappy thoughts create an unhappy destiny.  

Thoughts are the fundamental aspect of our destiny. 

However, in my opinion, it is impossible for us to keep positive thoughts all the time.  As humans, we face obstacles from time to time.  During adversity, it is normal to experience emotional ups-and-downs, which influence our thoughts.

The other day, something put me down.  This made me upset and emotional.  People around me gave kind words of encouragements, but this did not reach my heart.  They were kindly trying to pull me up but I shut them out and built a wall around my heart.  I thought I was alone in the situation that no one could understand my struggles.  I knew my thoughts were making me feel worse; however, nothing calmed down my temper. 

While having this negative temperament, I made unusual mistakes. I stubbed my toe and dropped a treasured piece of dishware, which shattered all over the floor.

These events happened to me just within a few hours while I was upset.

These consequences were obvious signs that my mood was attracting these unhappy situations; however, I allowed myself to be depressed for a moment.   During that time, I confirmed that negative thought is a magnet of the negative consequences. 

Then, what can you do when you are in these situations? 

What kind of mindset should we have when facing obstacles? 

Our Prayer Book says, “Most conditions that are judged as bad through human knowledge are the source of good in the spiritual realm,” and “Most phenomena that are judged as bad by human thought will turn out to be the beginning of good.”

We are taught that God knows the capability of individual souls and He gives us the suitable challenging in order to nurture us.

God only gives us the challenges which we can surely overcome.  In other words, everything is God’s arrangement.  In the eyes of God, challenging situations will become heavenly gifts to improve our soul.

This is what I try to think about whenever I’m feeling down or facing difficulties.  And leave everything to the universe with my fingers crossed.   This is the small step which I can at least make in order to move out of the bottom of the waves. 

Five years ago, a sharp pain suddenly occurred in my lower back.  I had never suffered from such a heavy backache.  Unfortunately, the pain intensified day by day.  It eventually got so bad that adjusting my posture was ineffective.   I felt hopeless and scared that I would be stuck with this pain permanently.

At the peak pain, my friends gave me an intensive Divine Light session to my back.  After the session, I felt much better as if I was a different person.  The core pain was still there, but it was such a huge improvement compared to what it was before the Light session started.

Just after this Divine Light session, a lady came to visit the center.  She was a single mother of five children and she was suffering from chronic back pain for decades.  Due to the heavy pain, she was even limping.  She had tried everything to heal her pain, but nothing worked.  She was desperate to relieve her back pain.   After hearing her story, I volunteered to give her Divine Light session.  Because I know the pain, I thought I could at least help her.  Her pain spot was located in same place as mine.  I performed Divine Light with my whole heart.  During the session, I was so focused and I even forgot about my own pain.  I had a sensation that something was leaving from her back.  After the session, she said that her pain was nearly vanished.  The change was very obvious to anyone as she was not limping at all.  Her refreshed and relieved face with the hope that Divine Light would help her gave me such a joy. My back pain was worth experiencing in respect of assisting her.  At the moment, I was so flattered that my pain became my advantage as a Divine Light performer. 

After seeing her off, to my surprise, my backache which I suffered for nearly two months was completely gone.  Since then, I no longer suffer with back pain.     

As I experienced, our pain could be the advantage and benefit in helping people.  The pain and struggles will surely be transformed into assets later in the future.

In this universe, Heavenly Will overflows everywhere.  Believe that all the phenomena are the nutrients for the development of the souls. Having this idea and thought, and being grateful for everything, we can arrive in a good destination.

If each one’s thought is in the good place, the destiny of humanity shall be brighter.  Our thoughts change our future.  Sharing good thoughts with people around us will bring a better future, as Mother Teresa says.

When I was in the first grade, something amazing happened.

A revolution in home entertainment occurred in Japan.

Until then, kids and adults played videogames at the local arcade, and this was a common activity for kids.

Now you could play games on your TV at home.

In July 1983, Nintendo Co., Ltd.  released the Family Computer (a.k.a. “Famicom”) videogame console.  

What was so amazing about this console was that you could play a variety of games by swapping out game cartridges. It may not have been the first home console to exist, but it did solidify the business model and videogames are now a multibillion-dollar industry.

New games were released one after another, and many children, including me, who were born in the mid to late ‘70s, were obsessed with video games.

One day, my parents took me to the shopping mall, and I found a newly released game.

It’s was a top-rated ninja game according to a then popular kid’s magazine.

I immediately picked up the box that contained the game cartridge and was tempted to buy it on impulse.

Looking at the price, I saw that it was sixty US dollars at the time.

That price was much more than I (and most kids) could afford.

I wanted that new game so badly that I went home feeling very frustrated.

Not giving up, I made a promise to my parents that I would help around the house more if they helped me purchase the game.

Thanks to my parent’s understanding, I was able to purchase the game finally and enjoyed it with my friends.

Not long after that, an incident occurred in the same shopping mall.

A group of boys committed theft, causing considerable damage to the store, including clothing and many game cartridges.

Soon, the authorities caught the group of boys.

They said, ‘We want clothes and games,’

Well, we all have such desires, it is part of being human.

However,

‘You can’t steal it.’

We all know that too.

The mind of ‘wanting’ comes from your desire.

The mind of ‘behave’ comes from your consciousness.

Everyone has these dualities within.

Although we have to be right all the time, there is a possibility that we may end up being involved in injustice.

The story above is about children; however, it’s also true for the adult.

When it comes to desires, adults can be somewhat prone to excess.

In the business world, injustice never goes away.

In the world of politics, injustice never goes away.

It all comes from lust, and in essence, it’s no different than a child wanting a game.

The wars that have been repeated throughout human history are also primarily generated by desire.

‘We need resources.’

‘We need food.’

‘We want territory.’

At the same time, however, we all know ‘you should not murder people.’

It all starts with human desire.

Of course, it’s not true that desire is wrong.

God gives us desires for the sake of human progress, and we can never get rid of them.

Every person has desires. However, the truth is that there are two kinds of desires: healthy desires and evil desires.

Essentially anyone can have both of these, and it is up to you to decide which side of the pendulum you want to touch.

Many people exert a healthy desire, but sometimes people can fall into showing an evil desire.

Our desires never cease to exist.

That is why we need to continue to exercise our healthy desires, and we can also continue to be a good example to others.

In other words, we need to have the ability to suppress the evil desire.

I will continue next week.

Enjoy your life more, and stay tuned to World Divine Light.

Life has its ups and downs like a roller coaster.

When you face challenges and trials, what do you always think about it?

It might be difficult to avoid getting depressed about the challenges and trials and to accept the fact easily.

The good news is that challenges and trials basically happen before things around you change to the positive way, and it always comes from God’s Great Love.

According to Divine Teachings, God’s Great Love consists of two essences, “Great Mercy” and “Great Strictness”.

The nature of “Great Mercy” is mild and tender, and it refers “Salvation”.

On the other hand, “Great Strictness” is signified as tests and exams given by God through various challenges and trials.

If God’s Love is only mild and tender, most people surely rely on His gentleness and tenderness, and it might postpone improving ourselves.

Since God loves His children very much, He prepares not only blessings and rewards but also challenges and trials for their improvement as necessary.

The challenges and trials manifest various events that most people believe as misfortunes, such as disease, conflicts, financial issues, and so on.

God silently and quietly watches over His children to see what kind of action they will take after giving them tests.

Sooner or later, God puts them in another test and examines what they do.

In addition, God is not cruel, so He occasionally blesses “Salvation” to His children.

By repeated test and salvation, God tries to improve not only their behavior or deeds but also to positively develop their spirits.

The combination of “Great Mercy” and “Great Strictness” helps human beings to evolve each soul through accumulating experience.

Besides, we can help many people through our own testimonies that we overcame the challenges and trials following the Universal Law.

When I was a high school student, I suddenly faced a severe health condition.

I couldn’t attend class even though I wanted to be there.

The situation depressed me so much, but only thing I could do was receive and give Divine Light.

After engaging in the sessions of Divine Light, my health condition somehow became better, and I was really happy to move freely for the sake of God and the sake of others.

After overcoming the challenges, I enrolled in the college of World Divine Light in order to become a missionary.

I have met many people who struggled with health issues like I had.

I developed the confidence to encourage them through my testimonies.

Without challenges and trials in the past, I guess it was difficult to understand it and grasp the joy of helping others through the Divine Services.

Those experiences in the World Divine Light Organization have shaped my character.

If you face challenges and trials, please accept it and confront difficulties with your hope and expectation that you will discover something new in yourself and become the the shining Light in your family and society.

May God help you to open the next door!

A friend of mine told me her incredible story about a narrow escape from death.

One day, she arrived home after having a long day.  She did not eat due to her busy schedule. After changing her outfit, the first thing she did was rush into the kitchen to cook something.  She was so hungry that she needed a hot meal as quickly as possible.  Once she began cooking, her phone, which was upstairs, began to ring.  Normally, this would be regarding as an annoying situation.  People do not want to be interrupted while in the middle of something.  Besides, her phone was too far away to answer.  

But then she felt a strange urge to answer this call.  The feeling quickly intensified, “I NEED TO ANSWER THE PHONE”.  So, she stopped cooking and ran upstairs to get the phone.  Then, a few moments after picking up her phone, she heard an ear-breaking crash from downstairs.  She ran downstairs to check what happened there.  She could not believe what she saw.  The kitchen was devastated. The whole kitchen ceiling had collapsed and smashed all the appliances.  If she had not gone upstairs to answer the phone, she would have been killed or severely injured by the falling ceiling.  Fortunately, she was completely safe. This phone call saved her life.  Something let her leave behind her phone upstairs, which is the safest place out of this situation.  Someone called her in the perfect timing so that she would escape from the falling ceiling.  She was not using fire to cook at that time.  If one of these factors did not happen at the same time, she would have a different future.  She concluded her story saying, “it must have been an angel protecting me.”  

In our lives, those miraculous and unbelievable experiences of narrow escapes from deadly situations can happen. 

Some people may say that it was the coincidence.  Others might say, “She was simply very lucky.”

In our Basic Practitioner Seminar, there is the teaching of “Guidance from Guardian Spirits.”

Generally speaking, minors should be accompanied by their guardian.  As such, each individual has a invisible connection with entity called “guardian spirit(angel).”  It does not matter who you are, how old you are or what kind of position you have, but we are all accompanied by guardian spirits. In my friend’s case, it must have been the arrangements from her guardian spirits.  

Then, what is the mission of the guardian spirits?  The answer is to protect and guide us behind the scene from heaven.  They are watching over us for 24 hours seven days a week, even while we sleep.    They are like the parents looking after their children to protect from danger and guide them to have a better result.  They are doing their best to protect the person so that they can have smooth life, avoid misfortune and meet relevant person.   They could even remind us to finish the homework or bring an umbrella with you.  We all have their back-up supports every moment from heaven.

Let me also share one of my own experiences. 

One day, I headed to the office for an appointment.  When I arrived at my office, I realized that I left my phone at home.  It was a few hours of the appointment, so I thought that I could survive without my phone.  However, I remembered that there was delivery arriving at the office and I needed the phone to have the confirmation.  So I made an unexpected trip back to my home to pick up my phone with my small frustration accusing myself how come I left my phone at my apartment. After picking my phone up in the living room, I somehow went to the kitchen to check the food stock in the pantry. To my big surprise, my eyes caught the smallest flame of fire in my cooking stove.  Instantly, I turned it off the fire.  I found bigger carelessness of mine than leaving the phone at home.  I thanked God and my guardian spirits for this special arrangement to avoid awful accident which I might have caused.

Ever since this experience happened to me, conveying my gratitude towards my guardian spirits became one of my routines. Simply, I say in my mind, “Dear guardian spirits, thank you very much for your hard work to protect me from heaven.”  

The chain of gratitude and “Thank you” will bring another positive consequence.   “Thank you” is the magic words to build a powerful relationship with God, our guardian spirits and people around us.  If you send out your positive energy of “Thank you” around you, the vibration of “Thank you” will definitely come back to you.  I strongly believe this small habit will build a stronger connection with our guardian spirits.  Your guardian spirits will adore your acknowledgment and they will give you their utmost guidance, support, and protection.  This is tiny secret from heaven.

Sharing how you are grateful for your surroundings including your own angels from heaven, you will find pieces of happiness which will lead you to have a blessed and successful life.