Here are my notes from Hyo-Jin-nim's speech Sunday 24 December 2006. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo-Jin-nim said and are not a verbatim record. Hyo-Jin-nim's website is: http://www.canaanstation.com/ To see two of the projects that Hyo-Jin-nim is working on log on to: http://definingmoment.tv/ and http://definingmoment.eu/
Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo-Jin-nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo-Jin-nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage. He places a small notebook on the podium.)

Good morning.

This is the holiday season. Is it supposed to be a happy occasion?

The topic is happiness.

When do we feel happy?

Help me out here. (Asking for responses from the audience)

(When our desire is fulfilled, when we are with people we love, when our kids are with us)

That's true, all those things.

Happiness begins with life itself, right?

When you see children just feeling life as they start to walk and run and see the open field and they want to run. They have a clear blue sky and it makes them happy like a little colt.

All those things, just life, in life itself you can start to find out what basic happiness is all about; then comes the phases of growth, and finding the meaning of life. Understanding the meaning of life becomes more important than the actual physical give and take. That is very necessary for us, however the meaning of life and that understanding, finding the meaning of life becomes more relevant as we inspire. Because life itself is about growth. It's perpetual growth. It's constant growth.

We have to learn, we will learn whether we like it or not, one way or another about the greater meaning of God and the will of God, the love of God. Because understanding the essence of God's love is a life-long journey, and I don't think that it ends there. That's what we're taught that we will forever eternally have a relationship with God and in the Divine relationship there is something called True love that we offer each other, because the meaning of love to me is offering.

When we truly offer our selves, our greatest, of course the meaning of love, the definition of love, will constantly expand because it should. You're growing; you have to expand.

Of course after finding the meaning of life you come to the point where it has some way or another that it has to be manifest; it has to be substantiated. So the fulfillment of life will give us happiness.

So the stages of growth formation, growth, and completion/perfection as we understand the process as we go through it and as we deliver the expectation, therefore complete the course. That's when you understand what greater happiness means.

When you're young just learning something new or something exciting it might give you that kind of feeling, stimulation, but it becomes more when you complete something when you find fulfillment. So the fulfillment of life will also give you that happiness that you seek.

Of course the final phase will be the legacy phase of your life. You will die. We will die. I believe that the greater problem is that the period of growth where you're trying to seek out understanding, new understanding, greater understanding, about the meaning of life. Sometime it can be confusing.

You can say that true happiness comes from having the ability of being able to see happiness in the eyes of others. It sounds nice, but I'm not talking about a bank robber's happiness. He'd say "I scored big and I'm very happy" I'm not talking about that kind of happiness. There are certain boundaries there. Understand that boundary; it takes time because we have to find the meaning in the end.

Obviously to a bank robber money is meaningful. That's why he robs banks! I guess he is unable to make it properly. So happiness itself can be defined in many different ways. You can say that in the process of growth we try to understand happiness based on individual, idiosyncratic ways first. What ever your preferences are you can say that we define happiness based on our idiosyncrasies or preferences. When we get something that we prefer over the other and we have it or possess it, it gives us happiness.

The process of growth becomes difficult because you have to evaluate all those things; you have to make proper analysis for judgment ultimately in the end because you'll be judged, and prior to that, you have to make that analysis. What is truly happy for me? What will bring me true happiness?

That is the period in which you struggle. Sometimes the happiness that we seek perhaps might infringe upon somebody else's existence. In the late '80s and early '90s my little brothers were becoming company heads and Father was putting them in charge of businesses and stuff and there were a lot of complaints. I used to tell them as long as I don't have it, don't complain too much. And bringing that order, for me, is happiness. Because that's what you have achieved.

It's not really what that I possess that brings me happiness; sometimes it's the opposite. Understanding that kind of stuff through life, and understanding how you connect, you make the connection, and what is does, the kind of things that you're trying to achieve, the things that your are building in growth. Once you start to figure out the meaning behind it, the meaning always has to be something greater.

So, until this day I try to keep that kind of concept and life that way. That's better especially because of what I… There was a time when I was struggling too on a personal level, kind of personal faith challenges. But all-in-all in the end, if you have to think about it, you are not just who you are a connection to something greater. There is an historical presence. You are that, a by product of, according to Father, the providence.

So, that's a challenge to understand it and trying to manifest it, and if you do, if you do succeed in your mind, it starts from somewhere; it starts somewhere, it starts with you. And other can recognize. Obviously that will define happiness for you. It will substantiate the happiness to you because of your action, not just to your self, but to others.

That kind of stuff, as it accumulates, it becomes something greater, and pretty much that's what you're going to fulfill in the end. Fulfillment is all those feelings that happen, all those things that others recognize, and ultimately that will be your legacy. When you're dead and gone that's all they will remember.

That will become, not just your own happiness, because you have completed something, because you have perfected your self. It's beyond that. It becomes something to someone else, even after you're gone. It can count as something that can make other people happy after you're dead.

Happiness is not that far away from you; it starts from one's self and how much you're willing to listen to what you're inner self, your true self, is saying. Finding that is going to take your life time. You're not always sensitive. You have good days and you have bad days. You feel like an idiot on some days; you don't always feel sharp and smart. It's a life-long journey just to listen to that inner self because what makes everybody... What is true happiness, it's the kind of happiness through which we can rejoice with God, exchange with God, relate with God.

It has to be something that all of us can feel. True happiness is universal. Universal in what way? The Creators own. You have to understand to recognize that; It takes time to recognize that. One day you try to talk about your inner self, your inner truth, your inner happiness to a little kid; I don't think they'll understand what you're talking about.

There are always steps. There's always formation, growth and perfection of something just to get to a certain phase; and there will be many phases. How can you be happy with just completing one thing? Every body says that something better is coming tomorrow. Right? Because, if you have everything today, then there is no concept of better, right?

That's why we live. We try to find happiness just in life it self, just because we're given the opportunity to have life until the state of greater things. People that have faith, at least try to have some kind of pure heart, humble heart. I don't want you to.. If you ask all the people that say they believe in that, if you ask them to define it, they'll come up with all sorts of definitions.

The thing is, it takes time. It takes time to be humble. It takes time to be pure. Because it's never ending. You wash one time and you don't wash anymore until you die? (Laughter) Who'd do that for hygienic reasons? It's something like that. Keeping purity takes a lot of effort.

Any way, you know that I don't like to talk too long. (Laughter)

I guess today is the last day. (Last speech of this year) I'll be gone a few days.

It was meaningful for me personally.

I feel I've made… it heals to forgive his mother to care about her and in the end to take care of the family.

That's what I feel. I think its fine.

At the same time this has been a journey for me. It was challenging in the beginning because I hadn't done it for such a long time. (Speaking at Belvedere).

It means something to me. It meant something to me.

I learned a lot.

I hope that I have shared something that helped you in some ways.

I hope you guys will have a merry Christmas and a great New Year.

And I'll see you next year.

I'll see you the second Sunday.

OK?

All right, take care.