The Heavy and the Light

Dr. Thomas W. Selover

It's the beginning of a new semester, and it's time to set the tone for the coming term.

In particular, I want to encourage students of all groups - sengdo, regular students, language students to develop your life of faith and also to find meaning in your studies.

Sometimes you might feel discouraged-there is a lot of work to do. Some of you may be facing particularly difficult situations. Sometimes our life can feel so heavy

Our conscience needs to control our physical mind and physical body, the way a yoke controls an ox. Like the Hindu story, in discipline one should be happy about accomplishing it rather than feel burdened by its conditions.

Burdens and regrets centered on ourselves weigh us down. We should let go of them by becoming more public–conscious.

The Buddhist story of the two monks where one of them carried the woman over the river shows that for the one with charitable (public-centered) mind the incident was light – while the one with self-centered concerns and judgment towards his fellow monk felt the burden from the incident until long after it happened.
 

Sun Jin Nim’s example from her speech during the Great Works also shows to the same lesson about letting go of our burdens which is very much up to each one of us to do.

True Parents did not pray for themselves in the face of heavy trials, but rather prayed to comfort, recognize and thank God whose suffering is greater than any existing being but still do not give up.

Upon True Mother’s recent calling on the leaders for 3-day workshop she asked everybody to empty themselves (letting go of self-centeredness), bring the mind and body together and unite with her as her representative and successor.

Sometimes we do feel heavily burdened by circumstances, by things that have happened, we don't know how to face our own responsibility (or irresponsibility). We should remember to empty ourselves, connect with the current providence and True Parents’ worldwide ministry by looking up to their example. We will see that our burdens become much lighter.