BOOK 2 - The Birth of True Parents
Chapter 1 True Father's Birth
Section 2. True Father's Lineage
Ancestral traditions
The founding ancestor of the Nampyeong Moon clan, Moon Da-seong was given the title Duke Museong. He was born in February of 472 CE at a place whose present-day address is in Punglim village, in the Nampyeong township of the city of Naju, in South Jeolla Province. It is said that he was placed in a rock cradle on top of a huge rock in the Jangjayeon neighborhood. In that rock cradle the Chinese character moon was inscribed in red. We read in the genealogy of the Nampyeong Moon clan that King Jabi of the Silla dynasty was told in a dream, "A special child has been born in this nation; go and find this child." His people searched for the child and found him crying on that rock. This, according to the records, is the origin of the family name Moon. Moon Da-seong rose to become a high government official and also was given the responsibility to pick young men of good and strong appearance and made them leaders of the Hwarang (elite youth corps). He taught them to practice filial piety, loyalty and righteousness. True Father said, "Members of the Nampyeong Moon clan uphold a tradition of being conscientious, loyal, uncompromising with unrighteousness, and fiercely stubborn."
1 The people of the world must be wondering about the connections in my bloodline. My bloodline is connected with the foundation of sacrifices made by all the ancestors of Korea over many generations.
To be a sacrifice is to offer yourself for others. A living seed grows well if planted in rotting soil. Historically, if a nation has suffered great hardships and pain, its people will welcome living seeds and grow them well. A region that endures such hardships can produce a great saint. That is where a righteous person, a righteous leader, a righteous nation, and the teaching of righteousness are bound to emerge. (334-232, 2000/09/30)
2 I am from the Nampyeong Moon clan. Nampyeong literally means a flat land in the south. According to Oriental concept, south represents the ideal. Hence, Nampyeong means a natural, open land, a flat land where all is in balance, a southern country waiting for the people to gather.
The character moon ) means a piece of writing. When you write the character moon you place a dot on top of the character which means "again." Then you end up with this character, moon, which looks like an offering table for the ancestors with food placed on top. This signifies that the Moons must take on the responsibility of the chief priest. They must become masters of religious rites. By repeatedly making offerings to God, they must become the masters of religious rites to dissolve God's deep sorrow. That is what I think my name means, and that is how I live. (283-157, 1997/04/12)
3 If you have among your ancestors a national patriot, a saint, or a divine son or daughter who rendered distinguished service, you must attend that person as the ancestor of your ancestors.
During the Goryeo Dynasty, one ancestor in my bloodline was Moon Geuk-gyeom. He died while traveling back and forth trying to bring reconciliation between military officers and civil officials. The tradition he established served as a bridge which enabled the Goryeo dynasty to last for 500 years. Also, I am the 23rd-generation descendant of Moon Ik-jeom, who risked his life to smuggle cotton seeds into Korea from China for the poor to make clothing. (606-234, 2009/01/13)
4 My family began residing in Jeongju when my great-grandfather moved there. We had a family motto, "Let us cherish the entire land of Korea and look forward to having visitors from all parts of the land. Whenever they find their way to our home, let us attend them with all our heart. If a guest happens to stop by our home, we will attend him with our utmost sincerity. Then blessings from all parts of Korea will come to our clan."
That is why I am telling you: do not be inconsiderate to anyone who visits you. You do not know what lineage each visitor or guest is from. If you offer visitors your most sincere hospitality before sending them on their way, you will bring blessings to your descendants. Since those blessings come from the entire land of Korea, the blessings that come on the foundation set by your sincerity can be conveyed back to the land of Korea. Then, when you expand this foundation to the world beyond Korea, you will be showered with blessings that you can share with the world. This is how you should think. (127-085, 1983/05/05)
5 One thing I am thankful to my mother and father for is that, based on our family motto, they taught me to never send anyone who came to our home away without feeding them first. They taught me never to give anyone a cold reception, not even a beggar.
That is what my grandfather had practiced as our family tradition. Even if we were in the middle of our meal, if a beggar came to our house asking for food, my grandmother or my mother would immediately leave the room to serve him food. Especially in the winter, if she did not prepare it fast enough my grandfather would take his own meal on his portable table and set it in front of the beggar. Thinking of the beggar hungry in the cold, he just could not continue eating. He would give the beggar his own food, and he did not mind if he had none for himself. Based on this family tradition, I have been doing the same for the people of the world.
People from all over Korea, from the Honam region to the Yongnam region, traveled to China through the North. On their way they would look for the main state road, which ran close to our house. If those travelers happened to come to our neighborhood and wanted somewhere to stay overnight, our neighbors would tell them, "If you go over there, you will find the Moon's residence. You can sleep there." That is why in all four seasons of the year the guest room at my house was never empty. My mother had to cook for them, and I know it caused her to suffer greatly her whole life. I tell you, a household that has fed the people of the eight provinces of Korea will never go to ruin. Such a home would see the birth of a descendant who would be welcomed throughout the provinces of Korea. (147-306, 1986/10/01)
6 There were always many people visiting my house. One night when I was about eight years old, I awoke from sleep to find a group of strangers in the guest room and my family giving them a feast. I asked what the gathering was for, and I was told in a whisper, "Independence fighters have come." Back then I often heard stories about those people—that they slept in tents, walked on rooftops, and could leap over a wall with just one hand. My mother served them a midnight meal of noodle soup. She caught a chicken and made noodle soup with it; it would feed more people and it was faster than cooking rice. My family motto was to feed hungry visitors, even if it meant that there was no food left for my family and we would go hungry. Such was the education I received. (300-134, 1999/03/02)
7 Our family motto urged us to uphold the historical tradition of patriots and loyal subjects. One unusual thing about the members of my family was that when anyone smoked or drank alcohol they would break out in hives or a rash. For this reason they could not drink or smoke cigarettes. Another exemplary thing about my family tradition was that no one had concubines. My grandfather practiced the highest possible life of faith based on Confucian teachings. My great-uncle was a Christian minister and could understand all the books of prophecies. My mother and others in my family had a gift that they could know the future if they prayed about it. (588-064, 2008/04/12)
True Father's family
The Nampyeong Moon clan, which originated from Jeolla Province, began putting down roots in the regions of Pyeongan Province and Hamgyeong Province from the time of Moon Jung-sil who was known by the title Duke Uian. He was the third of the five sons of Duke Chungseon (Moon Ik-jeom). Moon Dal, Duke Uian's fifth-generation descendant, was the first to settle in what is now the city of Jeongju. True Father's great-great-grandfather Moon Seong-hak was the 19th-generation descendant of Duke Uian; he had three sons: Jeong-ho, Jeong-gi, and Jeong-heul. The youngest, Moon Jeong-heul, was True Fathers great-grandfather. He was the first to reside in the village of Sangsa-ri.
Moon Jeong-heul had three sons: Chi-guk, Shin-guk and Yun-guk. The eldest, Moon Chi-guk, was True Fathers grandfather. He said about Father, "He will become a great man in the future; support him in whatever he wants to do.'
Moon Chi-guk had three sons: Gyeong-yu (who lived from the 11th day of the 7th lunar month of 1893 to the 11th day of the 10th lunar month of 1954), Gyeong-bok and Gyeong-gu, and also two daughters. Gyeong-yu, who was posthumously given the title Chungbunim, was True Father's father. He married True Father's mother, Kim Gyeong-gye (who lived from the 15th day of the 10th lunar month of 1888 to the 7th day of the 1st lunar month of 1968), who was posthumously given the title Chungmonim. She came from the Yeonan Kim clan, and her birth name was Kim Ju-gwan.
Chungmonim was from a prominent family in Jeongju. She was born as the first daughter of her father Kim Baek-hong. Her mother, who was from the Indong Jang clan bore him five children, three sons and two daughters. Her father supported independence activities and contributed to building the Osan School in Jeongju, which produced many patriots for the independence struggle.
Her family, surnamed Kim, was from a Kim clan that produced many prominent people during the Joseon dynasty who passed the national examinations to become government officials. Her family brought her up well, with purity and dignity. She was tall, and her personality was active and passionate. She lived such a sacrificial life for True Father, thus laying the foundation of perfect mother-son cooperation for his path as the Lord at the Second Advent.
8 My family was blessed by God during my great-grandfather's time but they paid indemnity during my grandfather's time. It is an absolute principle that after receiving blessings indemnity follows. Consider the history of Israel: after having received a blessing, indemnity followed without fail. If you receive ten blessings, then you must pay indemnity equal to that amount. For this reason, my family went through considerable turmoil before God called me. The family fortune was gone, and family members lost their lives. Not only that, people who were close to me also faced many troubles. Thus it was that once my family was given a special blessing from God, God left our family in the hands of Satan until we hit the lowest point. During that time Satan attacked my family and we had to suffer a course of indemnity through three generations. (029-208, 1970/02/)
9 Many years ago, in order to try to eliminate me, Satan assailed the members of my family with all kinds of incomprehensible spiritual phenomena. I was born in an environment full of such problems, and I had to deal with each of them myself. Of course I had my parents and also many relatives who were willing to help me. Among them was my grandfathers younger brother, who was a well-known minister. He was an expert in the Chinese classics and the history of China. He had graduated from Pyongyang Theological Seminary, and he spoke English well. He was knowledgeable about Western culture and became a pioneer in the independence movement.
Even though I had such family support, I solved all the problems on my own. Even if I had consulted them, none of them could have understood what I had to do. None of them, not even my parents, knew about the path I would take in the future. Yet due to the spiritual phenomena behind the scenes, all kinds of problems arose throughout my clan, from my parents to my relatives. Indeed, many incidents occurred. Satan knew very well who I was and what I was, and he caused many evils to befall my family. (227-115, 1992/02/11)
10 I was born in a family that made a great contribution to the March Is' Movement and the struggle for independence. The member of my family who led this was my great-uncle Moon Yun-guk. When I was growing up he used to tell me, "You, great-nephew, must become greater than me." My great-uncle loved me dearly. He was behind the establishment of the Osan School. (300-134, 1999/03/02)
11 My father was the kind of person who did not need law. When my father borrowed money for some reason, he felt deeply compelled to pay the money back, including interest, no later than the due date. He kept his word no matter what happened. He was exemplary in keeping promises. (045-136, 1971/06/24)
12 My mother gave birth to 13 children. I have three older sisters, and I am the second son. Five of the children died, while six daughters and two sons survived. It was devastating to my mother that as she was raising her sons and daughters, one after another departed from this world. Whenever a younger brother or sister died, my father took responsibility for their burials. He made a simple plank coffin, carried it on his shoulder to the burial site, and buried the child himself. Even my older brother was too young to help him. While my mother was in tears due to having to send her child to the spirit world, my father, having buried the coffin alone, returned home. But he did not wash the burial ground dirt off his hands.
Only after three days had passed did he wash his hands and start eating. My father must have thought, "How can I wash my hands and eat right after burying my child?" When I observed this, I knew he was an honorable man who naturally went beyond the requirements of the law. His seriousness about the dying wishes of his ancestors surpassed his regard for human laws. (601-187, 2008/11/07)
13 My mother was a virtuous person. She had a very strong personality, like a man, yet she was a good daughter-in-law. Whenever her father-in-law said he would be going somewhere early in the morning, she prepared his breakfast and served it to him no matter how early it was. She lived her whole life that way without ever complaining. I took after my mother in many ways. (300-135, 1999/03/02)
14 I resemble my mother in many ways. I have my mother's revolutionary disposition. My father, on the other hand, was more like a scholar. Once he heard something he never forgot it, like today's computers. He had a photographic memory. I inherited my creativity from my mother. My maternal grandfather was also this way; he was innovative. In his village, he was involved in ocean-related work, and he was quite creative about it. So when I was six, seven and eight years old I used to visit him at his home and follow him around catching fish. You have no idea how excited I was, and how anxiously I waited for an opportunity to go and see him. (470-126, 2004/09/24)
15 My mother bore many children, 13 in all. I still remember what my mother said, "Although there are all kinds of fun things to do in this world, nothing brought me more joy than nursing the babies I gave birth to and raising them. Now that I am too old to give birth, I find that nothing I do is nearly as much fun as that." I looked at my mother's face, haggard from hard work. Her face showed that in her life she had been through every possible difficulty, but to me she looked beautiful as she worked hard to raise her beloved children. Her true love was accompanied by difficulties and sacrifices, but she forgot about her sacrifices for the ones she loved. Indeed, sacrifice turns into the compost that fertilizes the soil, enabling it to yield life, flesh and bones, which is joy and happiness. It becomes love. (044-200, 1971/05/07)
16 My older brother absolutely supported me, his younger brother, even though he was older than me. In this way he naturally established a foundation to totally indemnify Cain's position. My older brother's life of faith was deep to the core. He knew when the Korean War would end and the day that Korea's independence from Japan would come. His level of faith was such that he could resolve all difficulties with guidance from the spirit world. He recognized that our relationship was not like the many other older-younger brother relationships throughout history. I was not an ordinary brother, but a person of historic significance.
Therefore, he had absolute faith in me and would do whatever I asked. Once when I was in Pyongyang, something providentially significant happened and I gave him some directions to carry out. I asked him to do things that would be incomprehensible to the common sense of any ordinary person. However, because it was for me, his younger brother, he helped me by doing this and that. It did not matter if the tasks were difficult; my older brother always supported me in every possible way, without any hesitation. (029-209, 1970/02/)
17 My older brother could communicate with the spirit world, so he knew I was not an ordinary younger brother. He always thought, "All families have siblings, and within a clan there are vertical and horizontal relationships. However, among brothers, my younger brother is the best one in all of history." The spirit world taught him that. Therefore, my older brother did everything I asked him to do. If I asked him to sell the house, he would sell it; if I asked him to sell a cow, he would sell it. When I had no money for my tuition, he was ready to sell even his own land to help me pay it. He never once opposed me. That is how he restored the Cain-Abel relationship. (309-281, 1999/06/06)