Cultivating the Good

Goodness requires effort

Since evil infests our world and infects our minds and bodies, we mostly find it difficult to do the right thing. Hence, to become a genuinely good person requires sustained effort at self-cultivation.

Aristotle writes that cultivating good character is like learning an art or a skill. If a person makes continual efforts to practice good deeds over a long period, they will form good habits. Good habits cultivated over many years lead to the formation of good character.

The human spirit is like a field that must be sown, cultivated, and weeded every day if it is to bear a good crop. If people do not attend to goodness but tolerate small faults, over time, they will develop bad habits that become progressively more ingrained.

Thu,s good begets good, while evil begets evil. Father Moon reminds us that because the propensity for evil is highly developed in fallen people, we must be actively engaged in efforts to do good,d; as even simple neglect can lead to our downfall.

Cultivating the Good through a Lifetime of Practice

The virtues we acquire by first having actually practiced them, just as we do the arts. We learn an art or craft by doing the things that we shall have to do when we have learnt it: for instance, men become builders by building houses, harpers by playing on the harp. Similarly, we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2.1.4 (Hellenism

Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind—this is the teaching of the Buddhas. Dhammapada 183 (Buddhism)

Carefully uphold the proper norms of conduct, and imitate them day and night so that there will not be a moment’s neglect or cessation. After a time, we become familiar with them, and then we no longer need to imitate them but can make our own standard. Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

Gain: The superior man, seeing what is good, imitates it; Seeing what is bad, he corrects it in himself. I Ching 42 (Confucianism)

Whatever you would make habitual, practice it; and if you would not make a thing habitual, do not practice it, but habituate yourself to something else. Epictetus (Hellenism)

Engage in Torah and charity even with an ulterior motive, for the habit of right doing will also lead to right motivation. Talmud, Pesahim 50b (Judaism)

By degrees, little by little, from time to time, a wise person should remove his own impurities as a smith removes the dross from silver. Dhammapada 239 (Buddhism)

By sustained effort, earnestness, discipline, and self-control, let the wise man make for himself an island which no flood can overwhelm. Dhammapada 25 (Buddhism)

Study of Torah leads to precision, precision to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to restraint, restraint to purity, purity to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to saintliness, saintliness to the Holy Spirit, and the holy spirit to life eternal. Talmud, Aboda Zara 20b (Judaism)

This Atman, resplendent and pure, whom sinless disciples behold residing within the body, is attained by unceasing practice of truthfulness, austerity, right knowledge and continence. Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.5 (Hinduism)

Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1.5-8

Maintaining your self-cultivation for a long time will gradually lead to a congenial spirit; a congenial spirit will find one tender, generous, amiable, and agreeable. Anyone who hopes for this must eliminate his ill feelings and break up his anger, and be free of the adversity which invites opposition and attracts indignation. Personal and thorough investigation for a long time will gradually lead to the clarification of principle; perfect understanding will find one able to passively influence others without openly criticizing them. Anyone who heeds this will be well-informed and influential, and free of the worry of rising up in contention and being rejected. Even more must we actively observe the principles of things and deeply investigate our basic feelings; personally experience these things through your own faculties, carefully think about them through time—do these things and you will be free of the errors of bias and deceit. It is important that in all matters you always check your power of learning. If there should be any hindrances or irregularities probe deeply until you discover the malady and then root it out. Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”… And he said to [his disciples], “Do you not understand this parable? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4.3-20

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Good and evil are not decided in the future, but in the present moment, every day. (Way of God’s Will 1.1.2)

Whether you are good or evil is not determined by your thoughts. It is determined by your life. Just knowing in your head what is good does not put you in any relationship with the real world. (359:167, November 7, 2001)

You cannot just pick up a difficult textbook and study it unless you first know how to read. You need to practice reading and train over a long period to become a good reader. You cannot be a connoisseur of music just by listening to a few pieces.

You need to train for many years to understand music deeply and in every aspect. You cannot just stand at a podium and instantly be a great speaker; it requires training. It is the same with our thinking, attitude, and behavior. We have to spend time training our minds and bodies. We can view meditation and prayer as ways of training the mind. (67:178, June 10, 1973)

Well-known violinists know the character of their violin, having played it countless times, cleaning and caring for it for so long. They know how to make the best sound out of their instrument, and can play in total harmony with it.

Therefore, they make the most beautiful and even mysterious sounds. Just as a violinist makes special efforts to care for his instrument, you should make special efforts, through prayer, to cultivate your spirit. Wherever you go, you should raise your spiritual antenna and not be negligent even for a moment. (241:179, December 24, 1992)

How can we, who are fallen beings, return to the God of goodness? First, we have to cultivate our conscience; thus, we begin to take after the goodness of our original self. Next, we have to act according to God’s Word; then, we reflect the goodness of God and the value of His Word.

After we have done these things, we will become people who realize goodness and appreciate the value of God’s goodness. God can then rejoice, finding in us His ideal of goodness, for which He created all things and humankind. (131:170, May 1, 1984)

The spirit grows through give and take action between two types of nourishment: life elements of a yang type that come from God, and vitality elements of a yin type that come from the physical self. The spirit self… also returns an element to the physical self, which we call the living spirit element… Truth illuminates the innermost desires of the spirit mind.

A person must first comprehend his spirit mind’s deepest desire through the truth and then put this knowledge into action to fulfill his responsibility. Only then do the living spirit elements and vitality elements reciprocate within him, enabling him to progress toward goodness. The living spirit element and the vitality element have a relationship of internal nature and external form.

Because all people have living spirit elements ever active within themselves, even an evil person’s original mind inclines toward goodness. However, unless he leads a life of goodness, the living spirit elements cannot engage in proper give and take with the vitality elements, nor can they be infused into his physical self to make it wholesome. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 6.3.2)

You can attain heaven only if you have unity within yourself. Therefore, do not be arrogant. Be humble. Be a sacrifice. That is why we are taught to discipline the body through the path of religion. Although you dislike it, you should do fasting and make sacrifices for more than three years. (245:58, February 28, 1993)

Good Leads to More Good, while Neglecting the Good Leads to Evil

Make haste in doing good; check your mind from evil; for the mind of him who is slow in doing meritorious actions delights in evil. Dhammapada 116 (Buddhism)

Run to do even a slight precept, and flee from transgression; for precept draws precept in its train, and transgression, transgression; for the recompense of a precept is a precept, and the recompense of a transgression is a transgression. Mishnah, Avot 4.2 (Judaism)

Do not disregard evil, saying, “It will not come nigh unto me”: by the falling of drops even a water jar is filled; likewise the fool, gathering little by little, fills himself with evil. Do not disregard merit, saying “It will not come nigh unto me”: by the falling of drops of water even a water jar is filled; likewise, the wise man, gathering little by little, fills himself with good. Dhammapada 121-22 (Buddhism)

For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 13.12

Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8.34

Black goats must be caught early, before it is dark. Igala Proverb (African Traditional Religions)

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. Thomas Jefferson

Mencius said to Kau Tzu, “A trail through the mountains, if used, becomes a path in a short time, but, if unused, becomes blocked by grass in an equally short time. Now your heart is blocked by grass.” Mencius VII.B.21 (Confucianism)

It will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, “Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, “Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much, enter into the joy of your master.” He also who had received one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” Matthew 25.14-30: Parable of the Talents

If good does not accumulate, it is not enough to make a name for a man. If evil does not accumulate, it is not enough to destroy a man. Therefore the inferior man thinks to himself, “Goodness in small things has no value,” and so neglects it. He thinks, “Small sins do no harm,” and so does not give them up. Thus his sins accumulate until they can no longer be covered up, and his guilt becomes so great that it can no longer be wiped out. In the I Ching it is said, “His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, so that his ears are hidden. Misfortune.” I Ching, Great Commentary 2.5.7-8 (Confucianism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
We can become good only if our body obediently follows our mind, which directs us towards goodness. All too often, however, our body rebels against the mind’s direction, repeating by analogy Cain’s murder of Abel. This is how evil grows within us. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Foundation 1.2)

People who only go to church on Sunday without making any effort to pursue God’s Will are very dull. They are too numb to know the difference between good and evil, even if others admonish them. They are used to taking each day for granted, just repeating the daily routine.

Such people do not make spiritual progress; they remain in the same place. After wasting their lives like this for 10 years or more, the day comes when they look back on their past with shame and regret, realizing, “My position is so far below what it could have been.” (89:231-32, December 1, 1976)

People’s original desire is to avoid evil and pursue goodness. Our original mind is always running to promote goodness and eliminate evil from our world; however, through personal experience, we are well aware of our evil mind, which strongly opposes or distorts the good mind. The stronger we uphold our good mind, toat degree we confront our evil mind.

Although our good mind prompts us to head toward a certain goal, it is often hard to see it. Then our motivation falters.

Feeling distant from the goal, there is nothing to stimulate our good minds to continue on the path. On the other hand, there is never any lack of stimulation for the evil mind. Each step on the road to evil links us to ever more evil.

Considering this, people who have a mind to pursue a life of truth and goodness perforce find themselves isolated and beset with sorrows. (36:51-52, November 15, 1970)