Summary of the Shinji (May 15, 2020) from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

The month of Kōei (in May) is an important time to reflect upon the first four months of the year. Have I practiced enough of the teachings?  Have I gained awareness to deeply understand the principles? These are some of the questions we ask ourselves during this time.
Let us recapitulate from the Shinji for Kigansai (January 1, 2020).

The state of the world (society) will continue to change.
You have to remember this Shinji was shown at the beginning of the year. And when you see our world today, our life has changed completely amidst the pandemic.  We were enforced to acquire a new normal that changed all aspects of our lives. However, Kami also had told you what you needed to focus amid the changes. 
Effort is needed to learn the teachings as a family and to build a family that lives by the principles.
It is always relevant for the family to stay on the same grounds, but this is especially true in times of major changes like what our society is experiencing today. This is because otherwise, the family will fall apart and end up being consumed by the power of times.
Therefore, Kami was telling you from the beginning of the year to learn the teachings as a family to keep the family together as one.  For instance, what if there was a family situation where the father holds a strong frustration and anger due to a financial difficulty?  The mother starts getting worried and conflicts arises between the father and the mother. And if the father and the mother are in conflict, it affects the children and cause them to feel the tension and be uncomfortable and unstable at home, and the feelings to want to leave the family emerge. 
Without a strong pillar of strength provided by the teachings, the family will go their separate ways, creating harmful resolutions to the family unity. These are the things what Kami had been telling you throughout, and what needs to be kept in mind as we go through this difficult time. And for you to avoid such conclusion where things would fall apart, Kami gave each one of us the specific guidance each month until today.

The theme for May is to value and cherish all our encounters. And as we went over the Shinji for May 2, we were given the guidance on the important mindset and attitude to value and cherish all encounters in life. There were two awareness that Kami taught us; to realize the importance to correct how we perceive things.  And to realize the right mindset that human beings need to have.
With the Shinji for May 15 and 23, Kami is giving us guidance from a different angle, by teaching us on how to become a person who is liked and admired by many.  Although the Shinji for May 15 and 23 have different approaches from the one on May 2, this is needed to reach a complete understanding on the theme for the month of May; to value and cherish all our encounters.

The first part of the Shinji for May 15, is as follows.
The person(s) who lives a life without regrets and leaves behind good elements in their Kokoro no Michi, live with the kokoro to give back.
This is a deep understanding and needs to be absorbed and make it a part of our personalities.  As Kami says, a person who lives with the kokoro to give back, is a person who delivers their abilities and strengths without hesitation. In other words, a person who is always willing to be involved with others to be helpful and giving is always accepted, admired and liked by many.
A person like this would usually receive a helping hand when in times of need. Even if they get sick, the doctors and nurses will be helpful, and moreover, experience a quick recovery. This is what happens when we try to live with the kokoro to give back.
However, if we live the opposite way; living with an attitude to repel others, it would be difficult to find ourselves in a comforting situation. Perhaps no one would help in times of need, or if the company goes into trouble, you could be the first one to be asked to quit. We have to see that life is an accumulation of the kokoro that brings the good or the bad, the light and the darkness into your life. Unfortunately, we see a lot of this in our society today. 

Then what must we do now to become a person who is liked by many?
 Live by the teachings and cherish your encounters with family members, relatives, shinja and the people of the world.
The first on the list are the family members. As mentioned in the Shinji, what we can do now is to do our best to support each other within the family.  For instance, try to spend a good time with the family, try to make good meals, take care and make sure the elderly in the family is staying healthy, etc. To act selfishly to family is not recommended. In order to have good relations with many encounters, it is relevant to establish a good and healthy relationship with the family and relatives. This foundation you build in your relation with the family and relatives is what allows you to be nice, and caring, and always socializing with a great sense of generosity.

The more encounters grow and deepen, the kokoro (unmei) of human beings shine greater and will attract the kokoro of many people.
When life is lived with a willingness to give and to cherish every encounter, this naturally helps the person to thrive. It is better not to live each day holding a deep sense of criticism, complaints or any unpleasant feelings because it will easily bring you off the right path. As mentioned in the Ten Basic Teachings, it is better to live with a sense of harmony such as; “Family members, relatives, friend and neighbors strive to live in harmony,” “Strive to compromise,” “Do not quarrel. Avoid conflicts,” etc. This is how you would naturally be admired and loved by others.

Then what happens is shown in the following.
Human beings who create and foster good encounters with people is a person (existence) who guides society on the right path and receives the support of many people.
If you can become a human being who can create and foster good encounters with people, you will receive support from the surroundings and can live to create peace and harmony in any circumstances that may come upon your life.
And a person who guides society on the right path, is a person who admires the greater power and nature, respects and appreciates their ancestors and forefathers, and who respects all people in general. This is usually descried as Kami, Hotoke and Hito no Michi in the teachings, and it is the basic fundamental principles to practice as a Shinja. And as you are aware of this Kami, Hotoke and Hito no Michi, it gives you a great sense of balance as a human being, and brings forth a great sense of appreciation, gratitude and the feeling to support all people and things. True way of life is what naturally guide society on the right path and brings people’s respect and support back to you.

This pandemic will reach a convergence for sure.  To see things from a greater perspective, as Kami had shown us in the past, that the world (our society) is lacking proportion—it is imbalanced. And the pandemic we are experiencing today is just one of the consequences.  Amidst these confusions created by the changes in our society, it is easy to lose our calmness, and at times, we see people going against each other with a strong sense of justice. But you have to know this is going against the path. What you must do now is to understand what’s being said in the Shinji, and thrive to become a person who is liked by many people, and to become a person who values and cherishes all encounters.