Friday, November 25, 2011

The structure of the human mind - Unification Theory of Personality

Unification Theory of Personality: Unification Thought Unification Psycology
The structure of the human mind

By Y. Marianov, Unification Psychology 

Psychology tried to understand how the mind works. Psychology however made one cardinal mistake of limiting it's studies to the physical mind only. Thus psychological studies could mostly observe the fallen nature and could not distinguish what is our true original state.

Religion on the other side was trying to research the mind through spiritual experiences and revelations. Unification Psychology, based on the Unification Thought, uses the structure of the 'Four Position Foundation' to understand the functions of the mind in a more unified way; spiritually and scientifically. As Dr. Moon explains,
"The Kingdom of God, according to the Bible, is in your mind... It is not the mind that has elements of death from the fallen world, but the mind that has waves of the grace of life. This is the mind that can extend the grace of life to the world by removing the elements of death." Sun Myung Moon

To understand why the human mind can tune to vibrate, either with the waves of death or with the light of God, we have to first understand the dual structure of the mind.

The Dual Structure of the Mind

As Unification Thought states, "We may say that a certain individual's mind has a different kind of "structure." ...it is possible to understand the invisible mind by speaking of it as if it were a structured thing." UT p.27


Fig. 1-4. Give-and-Receive Action and the Four-Position Base

The human mind has a dual structure. It consists of Spiritual and Physical parts relating to each other as subject and object partners. We may call them respectively, spirit mind and physical mind. When they become one through give and take action with the Heart as their center, they form a united functioning entity. This united entity is the human mind.

The physical mind corresponds to the brain and the human instincts.  It is mainly concerned with our individual survival; food, sleep and sex. The physical mind is temporal and limited. We may compare it with a radio receiver, which perceives the functions of the spiritual mind; intellect, emotion and will. Thus, even though our physical mind is not much different than that of an animal, we human beings are reasoning, feeling and acting on a completely new and higher level because of the constant give and take action with the spiritual mind.

When man's spiritual mind (Sungsang) and physical mind (Hyungsang) engage in give-and-receive action centering on Heart, they form a "harmonized body," or "union." Through this process, four positions come to be established, namely, the center (i.e., Heart), the subject (Spiritual Mind), the object (Physical Mind), and their harmonized union (The Human Mind). The structure made up of these four positions is called the "four-position base."

This normal functioning of the mind is only possible when the spiritual mind is in subject position over the limited (enamel-like) physical mind. The reverse state is very dysfunctional and leads to selfish and self-destructive behavior. Not only that our spiritual capacity will be imprisoned and blocked by the limitations of the physical mind, but in this reverse state the brain is incapable to recognize the source of any spiritual influence and easily creates give and take action with low spirits, whose life was also dominated by low physical and selfish needs and strives. This inner reversal is the main cause of all the evil, suffering and misuse in human history.

Spiritual Mind
Our spirit self consists of the dual characteristics of the spirit mind (subject partner) and spirit body (object partner). The spirit mind is the center of the spirit self, and it is where God dwells. The spirit mind has the main functions of intellect, emotion and will centered on the impulse of the heart. They are created to directly perceive and respond to God's intellect, emotion and will. In addition, our spirit mind is sensitive to the true feelings, joy and pain of the people around us. Thus it is incapable to lead us towards any evil and selfish acts.

When the physical mind obeys the spirit mind and the physical self acts according to the good purpose of the spirit mind, the physical self receives living spirit elements from the spirit self. In this state, the person is spiritually and psychologically well. When the physical mind subjugates the spirit mind, this reversal of dominion results in numerous spiritual and psychological dysfunctions.

Truth illuminates the innermost desires of the spirit mind. A person must first comprehend his spirit mind's deepest desire through the truth and then put this knowledge into action to fulfill his responsibility. Only then do the living spirit elements and vitality elements reciprocate within him, enabling him to progress toward goodness.

This implies that one's spirit mind always knows right from wrong. It always senses God's truth. When one actually leads a life of goodness, the living spirit elements engage in proper give and take with the vitality elements and are infused into his physical self to make it wholesome. Meaning, our psychological and physical health are enhanced. In fact, living for the sake of others is the only sure way to be well and happy.

The spirit self can attain perfection only during a person's earthly life. The spirit mind guides the spirit self as it grows in the soil of the physical self. The growth of the spirit self toward perfection progresses through the three orderly stages ordained by the Principle of Creation. A spirit in the formation stage of life is called a form spirit; in the growth stage, a life spirit; and in the completion stage, a divine spirit.

A spirit fully matures as a divine spirit when the person's spirit self and physical self unite through perfect give and take action centered on God and form the four-position foundation. A divine spirit can accurately feel and perceive every reality in the spirit world. As these spiritual realities resonate through the body and manifest themselves as physiological phenomena, they can be recognized through the five physical senses. People of a divine spirit, who thus resonate with the spirit world, build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. When they shed their physical bodies, they will make a smooth transition into the Kingdom of Heaven in the spirit world. For this reason, the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven will be realized only after the Kingdom of Heaven on earth has been established.

We can develop sensibilities of our spirit only through the physical self

All the sensibilities of a spirit are cultivated through the reciprocal relationship with the physical self during earthly life. Therefore, only when a person reaches perfection and is totally immersed in the love of God while on earth can he fully delight in the love of God as a spirit after his death. All the qualities of the spirit self are developed while it abides in the physical self: Sinful conduct during earthly life aggravates evil and ugliness in the spirit of a fallen person, while the redemption of sins granted during earthly life opens the way for his spirit to become good. 

Humans are created so that once they reach perfection they will fully breathe the love of God. Those who committed sinful deeds while on earth become crippled spirits who are incapable of fully breathing in the love of God. They find it agonizing to stand before God, the center of true love. Of their own will, they choose to dwell in hell, far removed from the love of God.



Physical Mind
The physical self consists of the dual characteristics of the physical mind (subject partner) and the physical body (object partner). The physical mind directs the physical body to maintain the functions necessary for its survival, protection and reproduction. Instinct, for example, is an aspect of an animal's physical mind. For the physical self to grow in good health, it must have proper nourishment. It must absorb air and sunlight, which are intangible, yang types of nourishment, and must eat and drink food and water, which are tangible, yin types of nourishment. The body has give and take with this nourishment through its digestive and circulatory systems.

Good or evil in the conduct of the physical self is the main determinant of whether the spirit self becomes good or evil. This is because the physical self provides a certain element, which we call the vitality element, to the spirit self. In our everyday experience, our mind rejoices when our physical self performs good deeds but feels anxiety after evil conduct. This is because vitality elements, which can be good or evil according to the deeds of the physical self, are infused into our spirit self.


Heart
The key to God's first blessing is the perfection of individual character and heart. An individual's mind and body are discrete projections and object partners of God's dual characteristics. In order for an individual to perfect his character, he must form a four position foundation within himself whereby his mind and body become one through give and take action with God as their center. Such individuals become the temples of God,15(I Cor. 3:16) achieve complete oneness with Him,16(John 14:20)  and acquire a divine nature.
They experience the Heart of God as if it were their own. Hence, they understand His Will and live fully attuned to it. When a person abides in the state of individual perfection, he lives as a substantial object partner to his mind. Because the center of his mind is God, he also lives as a substantial object partner to God. Both the mind and God rejoice as they experience their internal nature and external form through the stimulation which their object partners give them. Accordingly, when people realize God's first blessing, they become God's beloved who inspires Him with joy. Sharing all the feelings of God as their own, they would never commit any sinful acts that would cause God grief. This means they would never fall. 


Human Mind
The human mind has three faculties: emotion, intellect and will. The human body acts in response to the commands of the mind. When the body responds to the mind's emotion, intellect and will, its actions pursue the values of beauty, truth and goodness respectively. God is the subject partner to the human mind; hence, He is also the subject partner to human emotion, intellect and will. Desiring to realize his original value, a person responds to the perfect emotion, perfect intellect and perfect will of God through his mind, and acts accordingly through his body. Thus, he manifests the values of original beauty, original truth and original goodness. 

Outer and Inner Four-Position Base

The Outer Developmental Four-Position Base: This base produces a new body through give-and-receive action between the Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang centering on the Purpose of Creation. In this case, the Sungsang is the same as the Logos produced as a new body through the inner give-and-receive action. The formation of a new body through give-and-receive action between the Original Sungsang and the Original Hyungsang relates to the creation of all things. "Development" here refers to the emergence of a new body through give-and-receive action.


Fig. 1-6 The Two-Stage Structure of the Original Image