Master Woo Myung Message – A Complete Person
Education began a long time ago. In the past, education in Korea focused on character-building. The emphasis was on memorizing the words of saints, and striving to act in a similar way. In recent times, education has changed to specializing in a certain field.
Education of the “whole person” or the “complete person” is commonly spoken of, but the definition of a complete person in education and the way to become so is unclear.
In China, a complete person is called ji yin yong. In Korea it is thought that a complete person must be wise, ji, virtuous, deok, and courageous, che, so the word has been changed to ji deok che and this term has been used in schools.
A true complete person is a person who is true; a whole and complete person is one who is real. Although there is a great emphasis on being educated and there are many educational institutions, there is no place that offers the education to truly become a complete person.
The world currently has divisions between nations, gaps between the wealthy and the poor, those who are superior and those who are inferior. There is a lack of trust between people and the world is a di-vided place that is unable to unite and become one.
More than anything, educators who are in the front lines of education need to become complete people and educating people to become complete should be the first priority. Only then can education be a proper one. Put in another way, the world will become brighter when man first becomes a true person before studying a specialization. If man lives for others, knowing the value of life and the reason he is born in the world, he will be able to live a joy-filled life.
Until now we have lived only for ourselves. We need to think at least once about what we have achieved by living in this way. If one wants to become an educator who can hold his head up high, he himself needs to become complete, and help his colleagues, family and students to become complete people.
Man can become true when he discards his human mind world and his false self that is living inside that mind. When he discards it all, only Truth remains and he will be reborn as a true, complete person.
To be complete is to be without death and anyone can become a saint if he is resurrected as Truth itself. I hope that educators will flock to the place where one becomes Truth and help to bring light to the world.
Only then can our world, the world of our descendents, become brighter; only then will it become one, where all can live a life of joy and all men will be able to live with true values, and know the value of life.
Woo Myung
