Dr. David Hanna, head of the North European subregion of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, spoke at an online international prayer meeting on October 23rd, 2024.
Our True Parents have spoken about and guided us all in the practice of prayer. We’re doing quite a bit of it […] in our new style of resonance prayers. That’s very wonderful.
They’ve also, but maybe less frequently, used the term “meditation”. But still, our True Father especially has talked about quiet reflection and the importance of being in a state of mind where one can connect deeply with the divine.
In fact, I suppose the Unificationist approach has more to do with active engagement with God through heart-driven action and community involvement, rather than the practice of solitary meditative introspection.
As far as I know, our True Parents never promoted any particular technique of meditation, and you will know that there are many. So why might that be?
I would presume myself the reason for being non-specific, not mentioning any method or technique, is so that that does not become the way that is focused on and promoted above all others in this stage of God’s providence.
It’s more something that is left up to us if we see the need and seek the benefit.
Personally, I like that approach, and it has parallels with other aspects of our life as Unificationists. We can be, and I think should be, what’s often referred to as a “broad church”.
That’s an expression in English that is not only used for churches, but any institution or organization that is accepting and embracing of various understandings and approaches, or a range of views, some that can sound perhaps quite fundamentalist, others quite liberal, but all happily coexisting.
Let me share one excerpt from a speech of True Father. It’s back in 1975. He said there, “Due to the human fall, we lost all relationships – with God, among human beings, and with nature; all were entirely severed.
In order for us to reconnect our relationships, we should always strive to make these connections ourselves. If we do not have the attitude to make connections with others, we cannot improve the environment in which we live.”
And he goes on to say, “For this reason, you should all have a mind to anticipate new things. When praying in the morning, you should feel, ‘Today, something good will happen.’
But don’t simply think that good things will just happen. You have to seek for them. This attitude of seeking should be your life of faith. Experience and continual practice bring relationships to life. Yet, it all stems from cultivating a dreamlike state in meditation. (From a speech Father Moon gave on 2nd Feb. 1975)
With these words, True Father connects the active aspect of seeking for good things to happen and bringing relationships to life – a lovely expression!
It connects that with the starting point, that’s to be found in a state of dreamlike meditation. Isn’t that curious?
That certainly takes practice. But as with all things, the more we practice, then the more natural it becomes. Perhaps you see that working more successfully in the life of some other “brother” or “sister” than in yourself.
I’m certainly like that, but by my simple thinking, that means I should give it more practice. It would not be right for a person to think, “Well, that may work for some people, but not for me.”
When we think about coming to know the heart of God, probably the heart that we most readily associate with or think of is God’s suffering heart. And sometimes we refer to this as God‘s heart of the fall.
We should remember, though, that this is not the only character or quality of God’s heart. We also refer to the heart of creation, which is the more original and, you could say, lasting heart of God. We also talk about the heart of restoration.
Remember that Chambumo-ron [Discourse on True Parents], whatever form it ultimately takes, includes also the entire principles of creation.
Being mindful that the way of referring to the interplay of God‘s emotion, intellect and will as three separate hearts is itself an artificial construction, right?
We can do well, then, to meditate on more than God’s suffering so that we can find the power and the drive to do things and develop relationships that truly express God‘s truth, beauty and goodness.
Let me give you an example. I found it an exciting and significant development that True Mother invited a number of musicians from around the world to come to Korea to write songs and music for the opening of the Cheonwon temple, purposefully in an atmosphere of prayer and meditation, and with the opportunity or fortune of a strong connection to the higher spiritual world, we could say this is more of a focus on God‘s heart of creation.
Again – to quote True Father – he says, “Eventually, everyone is to be connected to the spirit world, reaching the realm of God‘s heart and feelings. Unless you experience such things in your life of faith, you cannot carry out God‘s great will on the stage of your own life.
Therefore, I do not trust believers who have not had actual spiritual experiences. Please understand how important it is for you to have these spiritual experiences for cultivating your life of faith.” (From a speech Father Moon gave on February 2nd 1975)
“Brothers” and “sisters”, remember, we cultivate external determination based on our internal determination. We need training in the way we think and the way we use our minds. And meditation and prayer are two well-proven methods for cultivating the mind.
I wish you a very wonderful and victorious week, and I thank you for listening.