The Ascetics Practice and Development of Spirituality in Unification Theology

ABSTRACT

This paper is an attempt to explicate the concept of “spirituality” of the Unification theology and introduce the systematic methods of developing the spirituality. The word spirituality is not found in the textbooks of Unification theology, nor in the Founder’s preaches. In its stead, “Heart” is used, which not only implies but also substantiate the concept of spirituality. Heart refers to “an affective drive to get pleased through love”, represents the God’s deity, and also represents the true characters of the human beings as they are created. The purpose of religious education is to cultivate men of spirituality, and its curriculum should be organized to serve that purpose. Spirituality should be cultivated through an integrative education for the whole person, and what makes an integrative education for the whole person of spirituality possible is Heart. According to the Unification Theology, human beings are created for the purpose of accomplishing the three Great Blessings, namely, Individual Perfection, Family Perfection, and Perfection of Domination for Whole Creation. The God’s three Great Blessings are the very raison d tre for men, and the spirituality is cultivated in the process of accomplishing the three Great Blessings. In the discussions of Unification Theology, Heart substitutes for spirituality and resurrection substitutes for the cultivation of spirituality. Resurrection refers not to a physical or spiritual phenomenon but to a change from non-existence to existence. In other words, it refers to the restoration of once lost God’s love. As beings of intellect, emotion and will, we all strive for truth, beauty, and goodness. And spirituality is cultivated through the development of intellect, emotion and behavior. Under the Unification doctrine, these three dimensions of spirituality are developed by legalistic ascetic practices, doctrinal ascetic practices, sacramental ascetic practice, and self-realization ascetic practices.