2. Cultivate Sincerity before Taking Action

World Scripture

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4.23

The truly upright is that which flows out of your genuine innermost self as a result of the sincerity shown by the kami; on all occasions, you must exert this sincerity to the utmost, even in the most minor of your activities. Courtesy and ritual without this sincerity and honesty is mistaken and insufficient. It is like drawing a bow and merely releasing the string blindly without firming your hand, or like trying to move in a boat without an oar.
Moshimasa Hikita, Records of the Divine Wind (Shinto)

Thoughts alone cause the round of births (samsara); let a man strive to purify his thoughts. What a man thinks, that he is: this is an old secret. By the serenity of his thoughts a man blots out all actions, whether good or bad. Dwelling within his Self with serene thoughts, he obtains imperishable happiness. If the thoughts of a man were so fixed on Brahman as they are on the things of this world, who would not then be freed from bondage? The mind, it is said, is of two kinds, pure and impure: impure from the contact with lust, pure when free from lust. When a man, having freed his mind from sloth, distraction, and vacillation, becomes as it were delivered from his mind, that is the highest point.
Maitri Upanishad 6.34.3-7 (Hinduism)

What is meant by “making the will sincere” is allowing no self-deception, as when we hate a bad smell or love a beautiful color. This is called satisfying oneself. Therefore the superior man will always be watchful over himself when alone.

When the inferior man is alone and leisurely, there is no limit to which he does not go in his evil deeds. Only when he sees a superior man does he then try to disguise himself, concealing his evil and showing off the good in him. But what is the use?

For other people see him as if they see his very heart. This is what is meant by the saying that what is true in a man’s heart will be shown in his outward appearance. Therefore the superior man will always be watchful over himself when alone. Tseng Tzu said, “What ten eyes are beholding and what ten hands are pointing to— isn’t it frightening?” Wealth makes a house shining and virtue makes a person shining. When one’s mind is broad and his heart generous, his body becomes big and is at ease. Therefore the superior man always makes his will sincere.¹⁵
Great Learning 6.1-4 (Confucianism)

We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are.
Science and Health, p. 8 (Christian Science)

If, brethren, a woman or man or a young lad fond of self-adornment, on examining the reflection of his own face in a bright clean mirror or bowl of clear water, should see therein a stain or speck, he will strive to remove that stain or speck; and when he no longer sees it there he is pleased and satisfied, thinking, “A gain it is to me that I am clean.” Likewise a monk’s introspection is most fruitful in good conditions, thus: “Do I or do I not generally live covetous? Do I or do I not generally live malevolent in heart? Do I or do I not generally live possessed by sloth and torpor? Do I or do I not generally live excited in mind? Do I generally live in doubt and wavering, or have I crossed beyond it? Do I generally live wrathful or not? Do I generally live with soiled thoughts or clean thoughts? Do I generally live with body passionate or not? Do I generally live sluggish or full of energy? Do I generally live uncontrolled or well controlled?” If on self-examination a monk finds thus: “I generally live covetous, malevolent in heart, possessed by sloth and torpor, excited in mind, doubtful and wavering, wrathful, with body passionate, sluggish, uncontrolled”—then that monk must put forth extra desire, effort, endeavor, exertion, impulse, mindfulness, and attention for the abandoning of those wicked, unprofitable states.
Anguttara Nikaya 5.66 (Buddhism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

The saying, “Sincerity moves Heaven,” like “Faith will move mountains,” is a proverb in Korea, but truly it is also the natural order of things. The proverb, “Act with utmost sincerity,” means act with all your efforts, inside and outside, heart and soul. The proverb, “Practice everything with sincerity in your words and deeds,” means to completely unite your body and soul in a conscientious life. This means a life of dedication. We call it “utmost sincerity” or jeongseong. The Korean word jeong deals with the spirit, and song means the fulfillment of the Word. Thus jeongseong means fulfilling everything inwardly and outwardly and offering it.¹⁶ If you do everything with jeongseong you can “move Heaven.”
(78:31, May 1, 1975)

Usually, what percentage of your feelings turns out to be true? You should analyze the process of your life and gauge the results. You cannot assess whether God or the Devil is with you unless you can connect with your internal environment and analyze what percentage of your feelings are right and what percentage are wrong. Develop this mindfulness in your life of faith. If you develop such mindfulness, your feelings will accurately disclose what is coming your way. When you go out for a certain purpose, without even praying you will sense at your first step whether your journey will lead to something good or something bad. You will sense immediately whether it will make God happy or sad. You will be able to sense, “This pleases God” or “This pains God.” Develop your faith through experiencing the feelings of God in your inner self.
(40:288, February 7, 1971)

Do not bear a grudge, thinking, “This work is tiring, yet Reverend Moon never acknowledges me.” Were I always to praise your efforts, it would block the flow of your love and sincerity. By staying quiet, your sincerity and love can flow. Like water and air, love flows when there is a hole to flow into.
(308:205, January 5, 1999)

In your life of faith, do you have an explosive and stimulating power in the center of your heart which is moving unceasingly towards the world of God’s Will? When you have that heart, it is evident that God is with you. On the other hand, if you don’t have that power, it is evident that God is distant from you. When your heart is pouring out love for humankind, and you have the mind to share your life with others limitlessly, it is clear that you belong to Heaven. But if after awhile you become proud of your great love, then your self-centered love and proud self-centered values are evidence that God has begun to leave you. Be careful! People like that are not headed for heaven. Their self-centeredness will take them so far, and they will reach their limit. The world of self-centered limitations is different from the world God desires.
(32:21-22, June 14, 1970)

Therefore, you have to be able to empathize with Heaven and move God’s heart. Whenever you are in a quandary, it is a time to offer more sincerity, live more for the sake of others, and love more.
(308:203, January 5, 1999)

Human beings still affiliated with the fallen realm… must complete a revolution of conscience. This means that they must maintain a tradition of true love, true life, and true lineage in accordance with the predisposition of the original mind endowed in us by God. They must do this without even the smallest deviation, regardless of whatever worldly sovereignty or ideology they may encounter. They must live a life of “high noon settlement,” where they do not leave any shadow or even a speck of shame in the presence of God or the creation. The revolution of conscience is completed when our lives reach a state of one mind, one body, and one thought, and so establish an eternal and unchanging tradition as the ground of our pure love and pure lineage. The age of unity and harmony will blossom from that point.
(January 27, 2004)