1. The Light of True Knowledge
World Scripture
The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away. Surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish.
Qur’an 17.85
Jesus spoke to them, saying “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8.12
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119.105
You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
John 8.32
The holy Preceptor by the Word lighted a lamp; Thereby was shattered darkness of the temple of the self, And the unique chamber of jewels thrown open. Wonderstruck were we in extreme on beholding it— Its greatness beyond expression.
Adi Granth, Bilaval, M.5, p. 821 (Sikhism)
To know the eternal is called enlightenment Not to know the eternal is to act blindly, to result in disaster. He who knows the eternal is all-embracing. Being all-embracing, he is impartial. Being impartial, he is kingly [universal]. Being kingly, he is one with Nature. Being one with nature, he is in accord with Tao. Being in accord with Tao, he is everlasting, And is free from danger throughout his lifetime.
Tao Te Ching 16 (Taoism)
It is wonderful, Lord! It is wonderful, Lord! It is as if, Lord, one might set upright that which had been upturned, or might reveal what was hidden, or might point out the path to one who had gone astray, or might bring an oil lamp into the darkness so that those with eyes might see material shapes.
Udana 49 (Buddhism)
When they listen to that which has been revealed unto the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. They say, “Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses.”
Qur’an 5.83
As sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1.6 (Hellenism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
For fallen people, knowledge is the light of life holding the power of revival, while ignorance is the shadow of death and the cause of ruin. Ignorance cannot beget true sentiments, and in the absence of knowledge and emotion the will to act cannot arise. Without the proper functioning of emotion, intellect and will, one cannot live the life of a true human being.
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?…
The heart of God: His heart of joy at the time of creation; the broken heart He felt when humankind, His children whom He could not abandon, rebelled against Him; and His heart of striving to save them throughout the long course of history.
(Exposition of the Divine Principle, Introduction)
Today the world is in need of a great spiritual enlightenment. Individuals, nations and the world as a whole must achieve a new understanding of the existence of God. We should have an encounter with God, through which we can restore and secure our original inseparable relationship with Him.
(234:241, August 22, 1992)
The day of the Second Coming is the time when we wake up to the reality that God is our Parent, and we shed tears with Him. We open our eyes to discover that God is our True Parent, and for six thousand years He has grieved over the sorrow of humankind and wandered in search of us. God grieved for us long before we knew of our plight. When everything that has inflicted deep pain in the historical heart of God is thus revealed, I can truly call God “My Father” and He can call me “My son.” This is the day of the final awakening.
On that day, our hearts are filled with tremendous hope and determination to right the wrongs of history and stand up for God’s providence. On that day, we experience joy as if God’s entire purpose were fulfilled. It is like the feeling we would have experienced had we reached perfection, never having fallen.
(6:155, April 19, 1959)