How wonderful it would be to have this sentiment directed toward a loved one with a pledge of undying devotion to another. This saying implies the steadfastness and reliability of the created world.
"Faithful as those hills", "right as rain", "deep as the ocean" and so forth speak about the perfect integrity of the things of creation in the universe. Poetry uses comparisons to the creation which talk about their oneness of purpose and expression, character and form.
This is the harmony between word and deed, mind and body which is a necessary condition in order to possess true and enduring love.
Indian philosophy calls them spirit (purusha) and matter-energy (prakriti). The inner nature of a being gives it its purpose and direction and commands its outer form. These inner and outer natures are so inextricably connected, so inseparable—indeed, one cannot exist without the other—that we scarcely notice them.
All beings possess a duality of inner and outer natures. Animals move according to their instinctive mind. Even a plant responds to their environment by virtue of their invisible life within them. Inanimate objects also behave according to their chemical natures.
Aristotle termed these two dimensions "idea" and "matter".
The inner instinctive thoughts of animals direct their body's behavior to be used for a purposeful action. This is why we like to observe the careful, graceful movements of an ordinary house cat. Even the house cat follows its own essential and God-given feline nature.
What about an oak tree?
Is there any inch of the trunk, branches, roots, leaves, acorns, bark that is not true to its own nature inherited by God? This is the reason why human society relies on this absolute integrity of nature. Also, this explains the significance of offerings at the altar of valued things of nature in the Old Testament times. Nature, after the fall, became the closest entity exhibiting God's integrity.
The absolute integrity within the creation is a reflection of its Creator.
St. Paul speaks of God’s “eternal power and divine nature” expressed in the created world
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1.20
God's "divine nature" is His character and His "power" is represented through the world He created -both the inner and outer manifestations of God.
The divine Word and His deeds are one;
What I have said, that I will bring about;What I have planned, that I will do
Isaiah 46.11
If we want an ultimate example of harmony and unity we can just look at God's words, deeds, character and expression. These elements of God are the equivalent of mind and body unity. We humans are created in God's likeness in this way.
We can bring this integrity about from within us.
When this is exhibited, we witness authentic humanity and likeness of the divine God.
A government official that speaks out against a tyrant at the risk of their life, an Ivy League doctor who sets up a practice in the impoverished slums, a middle-class couple who adopts three orphans with disabilities even though they have children of their own are all people practicing the true and deepest heart and conscience.
They exampled the mind and body in service of love.
How can it be cultivated?
The Divine Principle teaches that in order to have altruistic love there absolutely must be unity of mind and body. This is the principle of true love. People who live deceitful, aggressive lives betray their essential God-given nature.
How can we better understand mind and body unity?
We must first understand the meaning of "mind and body".
The mind refers to the inner self, the heart and conscience, the moral and spiritual dimension. This is that which is oriented towards purposes beyond the self and prefers the needs of the others, one’s family, the community, the nation, the world and God before their own needs.
The mind is also that part of us which is more receptive to the Creator and His inspiration.
The mind has an an enlightened self-interest in others. It understands the principle that the 'lesser' sacrifices itself for the greater whole. For instance, if the nation succeeds, then the individual citizens that live within will prevail, too.
The body focuses more on the here and now aspects of life.
Its function is to preserve and maintain the individual's well-being. Because of the body, we are allowed to be participants of the physical world and enjoy its richness which God provided for us. Once we shed our physical bodies like a cocoon, we enter the new world of spirit.
Mind and body are both to be respected and were meant to be interdependent but at the same time complementary to one another. The mind and body were not meant to be opposing entities or isolated from the other.
The Western notion believes that there is supposed to be a split between the flesh and the spirit, the physical and the metaphysical.
This only happened after humanity could not engraft onto God's pure lineage without the need for a Messiah. In all of creation, everything has an inner and an outer aspect that allows them to interact. For instance, even physics is recognizing that even matter has a primitive volition at the subatomic level.
Human - Mind Body
Animal Instinct - Body
Mineral Inherent Nature - Matter and Energy
Plant "Plant Mind" - Body
For its own part, the mind possesses inner sight and intuition that complement the body’s five senses. The Chinese yin-yang symbol pictures this duality well: within the yin is a spot of yang, and within the yang is a spot of yin.
The Western culture affirms the inseparable nature of mind and body through medicine. A mature person and loving individual directs their outer person through their inner self creating a natural and wholesome balance. The mind and body works in partnership toward a goal.
The mind seeks value and the body brings this value onto the horizontal plane. A person with mind and body unity make promises and practices them, their deeds correspond to their words and their life is a manifestation of their ideals. A person with these qualities are prized universally.
Contrasting Characteristics of Mind and Body
Mind Body
Inner self Outer selfHeart conscience Instincts and practical sense
Moral spiritual dimension Material dimension
Orientation towards Here-and-now focus
eternity
Orientation to higher Orientation to self purpose
purpose
The Experience of Inner Unity
Many people have enjoyed moments of mind and body unity and experience exhilaration through this accomplishment. The simplest form of this unity is when the body is trained to follow and obey the particular goals of the minds.
It fulfills the mind's ultimate goal such as witnessed in the grace and speed of a great athlete, artist or performer. This moment of mind and body unity has been called "in the zone", or as psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi labels the "flow", or "peak performance". During this moment they experience a thrush of joy, heightened awareness, greater clarity of perception and thinking at top performance.
“Once I get warmed up, it feels like something takes me over,” says a professional singer. “I surprise myself later on when I listen to the recording. ‘Who’s that?,’ I ask myself".
Psychologists have included this list where there is a great calm, focus, confidence and a sense of well-being or a clear sense of what is occurring all around the individual.
Other control the body to reduce pain without the use of drugs is pain, to control the heartbeat and other aspects of the autonomic nervous system. This can all be achieved through meditation, conditioning and biofeedback techniques. This kind of mind and body unity is called instrumental virtue, morally neutral.
Even thieves and assassins can have great control over their nerves and focus when it comes to executing their devious acts. It is more rare to witness the moral dominion of the mind and body that is centered on God.
Return for Tomorrow's Post: The Love Man and Woman Desire
This text was rewritten and derived from a speech of Dr. Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the author of the Divine Principle which every post is based upon.
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