2. Sincerity as the Measure of Worship
World Scripture
Like a clear mirror Reflecting images according to the forms, So from Buddha’s field of blessings Rewards are obtained according to one’s heart.
Garland Sutra 10 (Buddhism)
When the monks assembled before the midday meal to listen to his lecture, the great Hogen of Seiryo pointed at the bamboo blinds. Two monks simultaneously went and rolled them up. Hogen said, “One gain, one loss.” Mumon’s comment, “Tell me, who gained and who lost? If you have an eye to penetrate the secret, you will see where their teacher failed. However, I warn you strongly against discussing gain and loss.”
Mumonkan 26 (Buddhism)
Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His messenger, his migration was for Allah and His messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.40
Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 1 (Islam)
The Dharma is without taint and free of defilement. He who is attached to anything, even to liberation, is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in the taint of desire. The Dharma is not an object. He who pursues [the Dharma as an] object is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in objects…
The Dharma is not a secure refuge. He who enjoys [it as] a secure refuge is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in a secure refuge… The Dharma is not a society. He who seeks to associate with the Dharma is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in association.
Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 6 (Buddhism)
God revealed this to David: “There is no more unjust man among My slaves than he who serves Me for the sake of Paradise or for fear of Hell. Would I have been unworthy to be served if I had not created the Paradise and Hell?”
As-Sharani41 (Islam)
O God, if I worship Thee for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, And if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, Exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, Grudge me not Thine everlasting Beauty.
Rabi’a42 (Islam)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Why did you come and sit in this room this morning? Are you sitting here and listening to my good message so that you can become a great person? Or are you sitting here and listening to my message because you want to make the church prosper and make America great? Which is your reason for being here, the former or the latter? After listening to me now, those of you who came with the first motivation have converted to the second. You prove that by your laughter!
(118:45, May 2, 1982)
People who believe in religion for their own benefit stop believing when they receive blessings, because their goal of faith was to receive blessings. After enjoying their blessings for a time, they fall away from God. You should be different. The goal of your faith in God should be to bless the world, because that is what God wants from you.
(127:27, May 1, 1983)
When I visited the spirit world, I saw that the martyrs who died in order to enter heaven did not enter heaven. Rather, those martyrs who died with a grateful heart entered and dwell there. They went the way of martyrdom with this heart: “God walked a suffering path to find me; He shed His blood for me. I will go anywhere and do anything to repay God for His grace.” For whom did they die? Did they die for their own sake? No, they died for the sake of heaven and earth. On the other hand, those martyrs who thought, “I will die like this because it is the path to heaven,” for whom did they die? They died for themselves. As fallen people, we can never enter the Kingdom of God by insisting on ourselves.
(41:355, February 18, 1971)
When you offer sincere devotion,43 you must not offer it merely for your own work. Do you realize this? If your devotion is merely for your own work, it turns out to be just that; it is like asking God, who makes His sunlight shine over all the earth, not to shine it equally on everyone but to shine it only on you.
Hence, you must have the presence of mind that you are praying as a representative of all humanity, even representing God. When you pray representing God, when you offer your sincere devotion representing God, you must try to imagine how much sincere devotion God Himself has been offering throughout providential history and continues to offer even now.
(308:200-201, January 5, 1999)
God’s sorrow is that He has no one who will suffer with Him when He suffers and be sorrowful with Him when He is sorrowful. Though God has embraced humankind for thousands of years, He has suffered alone. He suffered injustice alone, and suffered sorrow alone. When He suffered hardship, He had no one with whom to share the hardship. When He was sorrowful, there was no one to share His sorrow. That is why God’s suffering has been so great, and His sorrow so great.
(11:95, February 12, 1961)
Father, make Thy heart and mind my heart and mind,
Thy situation my situation,
Thy hope my hope,
Thine enemy my enemy
and Thy battle my battle.
May we be Thy victorious offerings,
sons and daughters who make Thy dream come true.
(5:213, February 1, 1959)