The Search for Knowledge

The search For Knowledge is incumbent upon everyone. Education and diligent study elevate and ennoble the human person. Several aspects of the search are developed in these passages.

First, the search for truth is a religious obligation, and the search takes us back to the Source of the universe from whence comes all truth.

Second, an important aspect of learning is to examine oneself.

This includes recognizing the extent of our ignorance—how little we know.

Third, knowledge is not handed to us but requires us to comprehend a topic and make it our own. Therefore, the student makes thorough efforts to understand the matter from all angles.

Fourth, the search should be broad, embracing all religions and cultures, including all the sciences. Several of Father Moon’s remarks in this section were addressed to gatherings of academics and scientists. Others describe his personal search for truth.

God and His Principles Are the Starting-point for Understanding

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9.11

Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, but believe that you may understand, as was said, “Except ye believe, ye shall not understand” (Isaiah 7.9). Saint Augustine, On the Gospel of John 29.6 (Christianity)

Without faith there is no knowledge, without knowledge, there is no virtuous conduct, without virtues there is no deliverance, and without deliverance there is no perfection [Nirvana]. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 28.30 (Jainism)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. James 1.5

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our, glorification. 1 Corinthians 2.4-7

Carefully ponder moral principles and cultivate their source. Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

Truth is the way; truth is the goal of life, Reached by sages who are free from self-will. Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6 (Hinduism)

A disciple in training will comprehend this earth, the realm of death and the realm of the gods. A disciple in training will investigate the well-taught Path of Virtue, even as an expert garland-maker picks flowers. Dhammapada 45 (Buddhism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
To reach the goal of philosophy, to know the ultimate truth, it is necessary to posit a transcendent or absolute Being. Why is this? Apart from the Absolute Being, one cannot understand the origin of existence or its meaning.

Therefore, when facing serious difficulties, people have sought solutions through making a relationship with the Absolute Being and the truth of that Being. (24:318, September 14, 1969)

The truth is one, and it is the principle that rules both the natural world and the human world. In nature this principle is the root and source of all things of the universe.

For human beings this principle is the absolute value of true love, which guides us to complete our personalities through harmonizing our spirituality and physicality and to realize truth, goodness, and beauty. I do not believe that the claims of theism, humanism, and materialism are in irreconcilable conflict. I think, rather, that they were incomplete and one-sided expressions of the one principle of absolute values.

In order to fundamentally solve various human problems of the modem world, we should find this one principle, the absolute value—which can cope with the whole, beyond any existing ideologies and claims. The search for absolute value leads us ultimately to the fundamental question of God.

To accept that God exists is to recognize that there exists a universal principle that operates consistently in nature and the human world.

On this foundation, values that appear to be relative can be understood as interrelated with each other when viewed from the viewpoint of absolute value. (170:268-70, November 27, 1987)

Know Thyself

An unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates, in Plato, Apology 38 (Hellenism)

He who knows others is wise; He who knows himself is enlightened. Tao Te Ching 33 (Taoism)

Mencius said, “A gentleman steeps himself in the Way because he wishes to find it in himself.” Mencius IV.B.14 (Confucianism)

Too late did I love Thee, O Beauty so ancient and yet so new! Too late did I love Thee! For behold, Thou wert within, and I without, and there I was seeking Thee—I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty Thou didst make. Thou wert with me, but I was not with Thee. Those things kept me far from Thee, things which would not be had they not been in Thee. Saint Augustine, Confessions 10.27 (Christianity)

What thing I am I do not know. I wander secluded, burdened by my mind. When the Firstborn of Truth has come to me, I receive a share of that selfsame Word. Rig Veda 1.164.37 (Hinduism)

God gives wisdom to whom He will, and he to whom wisdom is given has truly received abundant good. But none remember except men of understanding. Qur’an 2.269

I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance. Socrates (Hellenism)

To know when one does not know is best. To think one knows when one does not know is a dire disease. Tao Te Ching 71 (Taoism)

The fool who knows that he is a fool is for that very reason a wise man; the fool who thinks he is wise is called a fool indeed. Dhammapada 63 (Buddhism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
If you do not know your present position, you are like a person sailing on the ocean without knowing his latitude and longitude. You must know where you are now before you can set your proper course. (120:303, October 20, 1982)

In today’s world, quite a few people attempt to commit suicide, taking overdoses of sleeping pills… Why do they take their own lives? It is because they do not know the purpose of their life. When studying philosophy, the first question you ask is: “What is life?” The next question is: “What is the purpose of our life?” (222:70)

What is the origin of the evil mind that incites evil desires in opposition to the original mind?

What is the root cause of the contradiction that brings people to ruin? In order to ward off evil desires and follow good desires, we must overcome this ignorance and gain the ability to distinguish clearly between good and evil. Then we can take the path to the good life the original mind seeks. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)

How can we find the truth by which to judge what is good and what is bad in this evil world? You have to get rid of your self-centered mind and take the lowest position.

The Bible says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”4 (2:138, March 17, 1957) If you know yourself, you will say, “I am inadequate in many areas.” This is a good gift to have. (Way of God’s Will 1.3)

Comprehend the Truth Not Merely on the Authority of a Teacher, but from One’s Own Extensive Study and Research

Do not be misled by reports, tradition, or hearsay. Be not led by the authority of religious texts, nor by mere logic or inference, nor by considering appearances, nor by the delight in speculative opinions, nor by seeming possibilities, nor by the idea: “This is our teacher.” But when you know for yourselves that certain things are unwholesome and wrong, and bad, then give them up… And when you know for yourselves that certain things are wholesome and good, then accept them and follow them. Anguttara Nikaya 1.190-91 (Buddhism)

The search for knowledge is an obligation laid on every Muslim. Hadith of Ibn Majah and Baihaqi (Islam)

Thinking is like drilling a well; if we are persistent we will reach clear water. At first it must be muddied, but by gradually scraping away it will naturally become clear. Chu Hsi (Confucianism)

He who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients, and will be concerned with prophecies; he will preserve the discourse of notable men and penetrate the subtleties of parables; he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables. He will serve among great men and appear before rulers; he will travel through the lands of foreign nations, for he tests the good and the evil among men. Ecclesiasticus 39.1-4 (Christianity)

By collecting contrasting divergent opinions, I hope to provoke young readers to push themselves to the limit in the search for truth, so that their wits may be sharpened by their investigation. It is by doubting that we come to investigate, and by investigating that we recognize the truth. Peter Abelard, Inquiry into Divergent Views of the Church Fathers (Christianity)

The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue. Antisthenes 5 (Hellenism)

Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, the discussion is apt to become worse than useless. Leo Tolstoy (Humanism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
The ultimate purpose of religion can be attained only when one first believes it in one’s heart and then puts it into practice. However, without first understanding, beliefs do not take hold. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)

Do not recklessly make a move when you are given a vague teaching. Do not make a move unless the direction is established in clear truth. Even if someone propounds a new teaching with great persuasiveness, do not simply believe it. First discuss it with someone who is more Abel-like6 than you. (3:212, November 1, 1957)

Although you have joined the Unification Church, if it does not answer all your questions, then pack up and leave. (150:110, September 4, 1960)

Philosophers, saints and sages set out to pave the way of goodness for the people of their times. Yet so many of their accomplishments have become added spiritual burdens for the people of today. Consider this objectively. Has any philosopher ever arrived at the knowledge that could solve humanity’s deepest anguish?

Has any sage ever clearly illuminated the path by resolving all the fundamental questions of human life and the universe? Have not their teachings and philosophies raised more unsettled questions, thus giving rise to skepticism?…

If we are created in such a way that we cannot live apart from God, then surely our ignorance of God consigns us to walk miserable paths. Though we may diligently study the Bible, can we really say that we know clearly the reality of God? Can we ever grasp the heart of God? (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)

Before I began my path of life, I asked the question, “Does God exist?” Only after I could give a clear answer, “Definitely, God exists,” did I begin my course. (13:201, March 15, 1964)

When searching for truth, it is not enough to just accept what you read in the Bible. We need to be able to measure the truth with precision.

I searched for truth like a researcher who does experiment after experiment to prove his results. The Divine Principle contains many such well-tested discoveries. (May 1, 1977)

What did God teach me when I was a boy?

Do you know what a hard time God gave me? Step by step I had to verify for myself the two fundamental axioms: love passes through the shortest distance, and the origin of the universe is the father-son relationship.

Then from these two truths, I had to work out everything else. I had to elucidate the truths of the world of the principle from this new starting point—the original father-son relationship that has nothing to do with the lineage of the secular world.

Hence, I could not understand anything without knowing the particulars of the Human Fall. Now I have uncovered the origin, and from it, I have revealed the law of the universe, the heavenly law. (376:315, April 29, 2002)

Once I started seriously questioning a certain passage in the Bible, I would strive continually even for three years to solve the mystery of it. Until I could shout, “Eureka!” I would push myself to penetrate the root of the problem. (35:38, September 27, 1970)

Investigate All Sides of a Subject

A gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias. The small man is biased and can see a question only from one side. Analects 2.14 (Confucianism)

I am not biased in favor of Mahavira, nor averse to Kapila or other teachers. I am committed to the preaching that is truly rational. Haribhadra, Loktattvanirnaya 38 (Jainism)

There are three things that occasion sorrow to a superior man [who is devoted to learning]: If there be any subject of which he has not heard, and he cannot get to hear of it; if he hear of it, and cannot get to learn it; if he has learned it, and cannot get to carry it out in practice. Book of Ritual 18.2.2.20 (Confucianism)

Ben Zoma said, Who is wise? He who learns from every person, as it is taught, “From all my teachers I have acquired wisdom.” [Psalm 119.99] Mishnah, Avot 4.1 (Judaism)

The Buddha says, “To be attached to a certain view and to look down upon others’ views as inferior—this the wise men call a fetter.” Sutta Nipata 798 (Buddhism)

Comprehend one philosophical view through a comprehensive study of another one. Acarangasutra 5.113 (Jainism)

I intend to make a careful study of my own religion and, as far as I can, of other religions as well. Mohandas K. Gandhi (Hinduism)

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. Albert Einstein, The World as I See It

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
In order to become a great scholar, you should absorb the great teachings of the many great men and women of the past.

As you go through kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school, college and graduate school, you should be absorbing all the knowledge of the world’s prominent thinkers.

You need to digest them and synthesize their thoughts into your own understanding. You can appear as a new, extraordinary thinker as you add your originality to the elements they provide. That is the way to become a world-class scholar. The same applies on the path to fulfilling the Will of goodness. (35:327, November 1, 1970)

It is sad to see that, although knowledge in various fields of study does interrelate, all too often scholars prefer to concentrate only on their own field of study. Extreme specialization provides knowledge that may mean little to anyone other than the individual who pursues it.

The joy of discovery should inspire a scholar to communicate his findings to others in terms they can understand.

We should all be willing to listen, lest our knowledge be superficial and imprecise. Religious people have felt threatened by the development of science—especially since the time of the Renaissance.

Yet how can a religious person be concerned with salvation without being concerned with developing the knowledge and techniques necessary to solve the problems of hunger, disease, old age, and inadequate housing and clothing?

Certainly, science has contributed much towards these ends. Furthermore, in contemplating the mystery and wonder of man and the universe, religion and science through inspiration, logic and observation both seek to explain, or at least point to, the cause that brought into existence the universe and humankind. Such contemplation of our origin and purpose is certainly one of the things that distinguish us as human beings.

It provides us with never-ending sources of energy. In this regard, twentieth-century cosmologists and biologists concern themselves with matters related to the concerns of theologians and philosophers. (95:202- 03, November 25, 1977)

In a world of many cultures, religions, and social systems, where can we find a transcendent ideal and public purpose that can harmonize them all?

To avoid being misled by partial values that favor one nation, culture, religion, race, or social system over another, we invite scientists and scholars representing every nationality, culture, religion, race, and social system in a common search for truth.

This truth should regard both the spiritual and physical aspects of human beings, that is, the needs of physical well‑being within a comfortable and productive environment, as well as the spiritual needs—regard for personal virtue, promotion of morality and religious faith, and respect for the traditions of every culture.

We must lift up the absolute value that will create the basis for constructive cooperation in every aspect of human existence. (November 25, 1988)