All human beings are born with both a heart and a conscience, whereas animals are born with only a heart. In other words, conscience belongs only to human beings; animals do not possess it. Within this conscience are nine divine qualities: a loving heart, a merciful heart, a rejoicing heart, a benevolent heart, a peaceful heart, a gentle heart, a self-controlled heart, a patient heart, and an obedient heart. Human dignity and elevation above animals are not due to intelligence or knowledge, but because humans alone possess this divine attribute—conscience. It is because of this divine character that a person can become a child of God and is qualified to be called human.
A good conscience always guides us by a right standard, away from mere desires and greed. Yet the majority of people pursue the gains and pleasures their bodily desires offer rather than the right standard that springs from a good conscience. From a very young age, people are habituated to selfish habits that chase desires and greed—pursuing only pleasures and satisfactions that benefit themselves, even if those pursuits are somewhat unlawful or lacking in conscience. Still, because humans are born with a conscience that presents a right standard even without being taught, in most cases a person will, from early childhood, feel ashamed or repent through that conscience when someone points out a wrong. By contrast, animals have hearts but no conscience; even if an animal does something wrong, it will not seek forgiveness of its own accord. At best, through repeated training it learns by cue, but animals do not possess a conscience that leads them to realize and repent on their own. They merely notice from being scolded or beaten by their owner.
Conscience—the divine character—is the condition and qualification for being born a human. Animals, having only heart and no conscience, can never be born human. This fact disproves the reincarnation theories of Buddhism and Hinduism that claim animals can become humans after countless ages; such claims are plainly false. That only humans possess conscience is shown in ordinary life: regardless of race or nation, when people see someone suffering, hungry, or in a pitiable condition, most respond with compassion and help. Animals, however—even among their own kind—will humiliate or expel a weakened leader, drive it out of the group, or even kill it; they fight and kill when their territory is invaded. This is true of birds in the sky and even tiny ants—such behavior is commonplace among animals.
Of course, there are humans worse than beasts, and conversely there are animals better than many humans. Many people, driven by insatiable bodily greed and selfish interests, repeatedly sin without feeling the pangs of conscience; their conscience is dead—worse than beasts. Although humans are born with a good conscience, repeated sin dulls and kills it over time. For example, children will instinctively feel their heart pounding with shame when they do wrong, even if no one has taught them. But as people grow into adults, the conscience’s pangs that once made the heart pound fade away—because with each repeated sin, the conscience dies further. That pounding heart is the voice of conscience warning us about our sin. (For more on reincarnation and transmigration, attend the lecture.)
Infants look pure, beautiful, and precious because they have not yet recognized the bodily desires arising through the senses; they have not yet formed the greed and sin that follow those desires, so their good conscience is still alive. But as they grow and begin to feel bodily desires through their senses, they develop self-esteem and possessiveness; through repeated sin, conscience gradually dies. From elementary school through middle and high school to college and adulthood, in the name of building self-esteem and identity, people increase the greed born of bodily desires. As a result they pursue self-interest, develop calculating and crafty habits, and commit sins according to selfish emotions. With senses fueling desires and self-centered standards of worth, envy, jealousy, strife, lust, falsehood, hatred, and pride inevitably recur within contests of interest.
Thus most people do not live lives guided by conscience and spiritual values; rather, they live according to bodily desires, repeatedly committing sins and pursuing emotional values. Even religionists are no different: they cannot discern whether they are following conscience and living spiritually, or pursuing bodily desires and living carnally. Spiritual value does not arise from study, scholarship, sensory learning, knowledge, experience, or theory. A truly spiritual life follows the just, righteous, and godly standards that spring from a good conscience. In other words, the divine power, ideals, and truth that come through the wisdom of loving conscience are realms of God that cannot be comprehended by human intellect, reasoning, or common sense. (Attendance at the lecture and questions are strongly encouraged.)