Hyo Jin Moon

 

Compassion

 

Tarrytown, New York

July 9, 2006

Edited Transcript by Joe Kinney

 

How are you doing? Good morning. [Good morning.] Today I want to talk about compassion. What is compassion? I feel it is very important for us to think about that and live with that stuff on a daily basis for us to realize what is greater. True love, that’s very difficult. I don’t want to just talk about it. You know, one way or the other if you want it you have to get it.

So let’s just talk about something we can understand. Talk about compassion. Latin stuff, com (together) and pati (Latin for “to suffer”) together to suffer, to suffer together. That’s what compassion is.

You have this kind of sorrow for other people who are suffering, who have problems. And you want to do something about it. That, based on definition, according to whatever that we have in terms of dictionary, that’s what it says. You want to help somebody, you want to do something to reach out to somebody because you know they’re in a …

Okay, now, before we get to compassion, let’s talk about our basic subject, individual selves. What is generosity? How do people become generous? Many times, you really don’t think about it. You do it because it happens.

Generosity happens because you think you have something more than you need and it’s-- on a moment of thinking you just do something for somebody else. Sharing whatever that you got. That’s about it, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s what generosity is, right?

(Cellular phone rings) And please, hello?

Basically that’s what it is. That’s what generosity is. You do it at the spur of the moment because you think you got something. You have something to give. [And I have] more money than I normally need so I can do that kind of stuff.

People become generous because they have something to begin with and people act on generosity because they have something, that they have more than ordinarily what they need. So, yea, okay…

Compassion is little more different. It says you need to feel something. You have to feel sorrow for somebody. You have to feel something in the plight of others first before you just automatically go into your good intention or give because you are made that way because you have something. There is thought involved.

That kind of thinking process, that is the kind of growth stage. If something that is generous, if you call that a formation stage, obviously when something provokes you to think and reach far beyond that obviously it’s on the growth stage. It’s on an intellectual phase.

"I feel compassion" is very, very important for you to understand about love. If love is perfection, compassion is the way that you can understand how love works … because you are going to think a whole lot about it. You are going to struggle with it. You are going to struggle with it.

As much as you are willing to, I mean, I try to make a documentary and try to find all these people who are supposedly giving to the people, supposedly. And it’s not really the case, you know? If you come down to it, based on a dollar, there aren’t that many organizations based on charity that gives 80 percent of the dollar. Eighty cents to a dollar, 70 cents to a dollar. It is most likely 50 cents to that….

Having said that, now how do you believe what you are giving into is the little dollar that you give because you care? That’s why it’s important that you show what compassion is, how to think about giving, how to be generous by giving. I mean you can… You know why you want to be giving.

For crying out loud, are you Bill Gates, I mean, or whoever, what’s his name, second richest guy, Warren Buffett, he gave thirty-one billion dollars to Bill Gates Foundation. I mean, you know, if you’re over fifty.

Anyway, he’s the second guy. Hey, look, if you have a few billion dollars, you are going to be well off. It doesn’t matter how old you are. With that money, you can do a whole lot of good, sure. You just go and literally and technically and tackle whatever that is poignant and feasible. Most likely you will do it in medicine.

When you have that kind of money, let’s say you got an 80 billion dollar bank account, money that pays you money. When you have that kind of money in the foundation, you can literally take care of many, many operations. That means 200 million dollars or whatever, 300 million dollars, let say just 200 million. You can literally support 30, 40, 50 operations just on entry level. That’s the kind of money we are talking about. Okay, but they’re doing a lot of this. They can actually make a difference because they’re investing in actuality.

Because in the end, it’s creativity. We need to be involved in creativity. We need to be involved in things such as, and simply put, arts and, art is very, very cryptic and it changes too fast and it is a pain in the neck. I don’t, I do not encourage people to be in it unless you are willing to die for it.

There is something more safe, something that is more safe in creativity. Whether it’s engineering or structural or architectural, mechanical, nanotechnology or something. It doesn’t matter. Something like that or medicine or what else is there? Anyway.

For medicine, you get into medicine, engineering, or you be a scientist getting into crazy stuff, in the end, something that’s more secure than something that we, you know, in definition you need to be defined in definition every single second out of your life. You have a better chance. But I believe that’s what we need to do. Our children need to do, that’s practice. Why? Because it matters in the end.

Because I’m, you know, for me personally, I do have a good accountant, he’s very good. He’s an outside guy. There are accountants for all sorts of different stuff, corporations and stuff. He’s a good guy. He knows his stuff. But he needs to believe in something. And in the end, I have to be responsible for that guy. Why? Because he’s my guy.

What does that have to do with compassion? When you teach your children about something, to give, let’s look at yourself and think about yourself and know where you are at, teach children how they behave. What kind of an experience (would) put a smile on your face, on your children, you know what I mean. What you did in terms of generosity for per se.

They’re little kids, who you know, have something. And there’s little brothers and sisters who know that you got something and they want a piece of it. And why not. Now, that’s the drama, isn’t it? That’s where drama begins.

What happens to the kid who holds that something that the other little guys want? What does that little kid do? Now, you are in control, you people. You know how that story should end because you know all those comic superhero stories. You know how the heroic stories should end, right?

…Anyway. You are going to somehow divert your children to that story. And it’s only that. Dot, dot, dot. It is not difficult. You have to try to teach them how to be generous. And we’re not talking about compassion here. It’s just one tenth of the goal for something, right? How can you guys, you can’t give something unless you got something, right? Now, what are you going to do? That’s what you are trying to teach your children. You give what you got. Why do you give it?

Now, if you give that kind of thing, you have something to work with to move it to the next level, right? You can talk about the next step, compassion stuff, because you give because you feel something. Before true love, you better think about what giving is. You know what I’m saying?

You don’t just do it, you better think it. You better know what you are thinking about when you are giving and you better know what that reason is and it had better not be self-centered, you guys. Alright?

Now, doing that is a process of becoming compassionate. No, I didn’t make this rule. That’s the way it is. You can’t think about yourself even when you think about being generous to other people. Just to be defined as compassionate, that’s what you got to do. And that’s the rule. You understand?

Otherwise, it is not action based on compassion. I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable. That’s about it. So, you better give, do you understand young kids? You better give yourselves to whatever.

I want to reach out to those little guys and I’m going to give it out. No, no, no, no. That’s not compassion. I think that is called desperation. You want something in-between your legs and you are just being stupid. Okay? You will never make it into compassion no matter what. I don’t care if the world stands up upside-down tomorrow.

Please don’t take certain things just based on convenience. Look, in the end you have to die for something. Please, think about dying. Okay? Don’t make it that simple. It isn’t that simple. If you make it that simple, you are not going to die for it. That’s about it. That’s about it. You are not going to die for it.

It doesn’t matter what other people think, what the world thinks, even what you think. If you can’t say that to yourself, don’t even talk about it. Please don’t. Because it’s stupid. It will never last. It will never work. It will never happen. Whatever you believe in, you think you are, it will never happen.

You want love? Oh man, you got to go beyond this stuff. Now you’re thinking about something. How is it that all this crap and beyond that you really have to make the people that you say you love part of you. And look, otherwise, don’t say that because it is a lie. It is not true. You don’t mean it.

You have to understand compassion to understand love. I am telling you. It is not that easy to understand love. Yes, you can be generous. (long emotional pause) You better be willing to die for something. That’s about it. Otherwise, don’t even talk about it. You can never leave anything behind; you can never tell each other “I’ll be alright.” Trust me.

When you do grow, whatever it works. Hey man, that’s what it is. Let’s not talk about that (inaudible). That’s about it. [You know,] let’s forget about everything else. Who gives a flying hoot? You have to deal with the situation as we know it realistically. Let’s not talk about this stuff unless you can die for it. You know what I’m saying?

When you talk about that stuff, you better mean it. And it’s not that simple. And that is the truth. In the end, remember, when you have to fight, you got to compete and win. Everybody believes in God. Oh my goodness. Hey, let the best man win? Do you have any idea how difficult that is?

Okay, simply put, formation generosity, growth compassion, perfection love. Now love is very difficult you guys. Okay? Very, very difficult because you shove all the stuff up your crevices.

Talk about (maturity?). It gives. You need to learn about compassion. You need to teach that stuff. Why? Because it is better than playing a video game with you. If you live, then you have no excuse. You better tell them what that stuff is, otherwise you have no excuse.

Everybody wants to be good. Hey, everybody can be happy, too, in the end, because of simple stuff. So, it’s not about excess. In the end, if you have the basic stuff, you can be happy, as long as you have a purpose. I believe in that stuff.

You want to marry a handsome looking actor and get divorced few years later? Hey, remember that the highlight is; that is for the children’s sake. Excuse me, old people. I’m just going to talk to young kids here.

You know, in school, in high school, it’s most likely physical, jocks or just a little better make star stuff, pretty boys, or nerds. And everything else in between, but it’s not important to you.

The nerds are important because they actually excel in something whether you like it or not. You get an "F" and you are a great jock. Somebody got an A plus and you aren’t a great jock but you are a nerd. And obviously, that is some kind of stigma.

Okay, that’s about it. Look. 'Till the day you die, you better learn something. If you live from birth to death you create something, one thing everyday, best you can do, I guess, is 36,500 things. That is not much. Or you can learn 36,500 things.

You can speed up that process. It is up to you. Creating something everyday is very difficult. If you can, knock yourself out. Nobody is going to stop you. Because this is America, nobody can stop you. You can sue your own parents, they try to mess you up in your own head. So, hey, that’s about it. Knock yourself out.

So, how about you create something of that nature, to that extent, in terms of amount, or you learn something to that amount. It’s up to you. Well, do something. Make something up or learn, take something. Give something or take something, I don’t care what you do with your stupid life.

But that’s about it if you look at it that simply. If you want to make it complicated, then you are going to be responsible more than what is ordinary. That’s about it. Trust me. It is not that simple. Hey kids, do you understand that? And you better understand that. That’s about it. You got me? You better follow.

(Someone coughs/chokes) You are going to be fine.

So, you want to talk about love? Let’s not talk about love unless we talk about something a little lesser than love. I believe it’s more realistic. You are going to help each other, when you talk about this stuff that is less than something that is the ultimate.

And anybody says otherwise, they have nothing coming. That’s about it. You are going to die. You are going to leave me hanging. That’s about it. You know what I’m saying?

Look, I understand. But it can be done. Why? Because this is a great time. So much information can go so quickly. If you do the basics, literally go through the basics, within unison and have uniformity, you can make changes that can make that kind of difference that people who see afar that has to live with us because the way it is. It can be done.

It’s all perception in the end because information is already there. The network is already there. Whether you like it or not, right or wrong, you are going to get it. You know what I’m saying? You can’t stop it. It’s already there. You can’t change it. You just have to accept it and accept yourself to make it better.

That’s about it. There is no other way. I’m telling you there is no other way. Start with compassion. Try to think about other people’s problems and other people’s suffering and try to help out. Find your own, not by someone else’s design.

Think what makes you better. You have to practice this stuff. Practice make perfect. You don’t just become something. There is no such a thing under the heaven. If you want to be good at it, that happens that way, you have to suffer. You have to put your sweat into it. You know what I’m saying? Look man, that’s about it.

And I don’t care what other people say—it doesn’t work. It’s not true. It’s not going to happen. …Because you want to do this stuff and as we grow, we can help each other to be bettered. That is why community exists. You understand? Right?

So, be generous. Compassion. It is better when you give something when you have nothing. Now that is something. And God bless you if you do.

So, I’m going to be away for a while. I’ll miss you, okay? Anyway, I’ll see you later. Okay? Take care of yourself.