Summary of the Shinji (July 1, 2020) from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

With Shinja Kokoro no Michi Benkyōkai, Kami teaches us the necessary things from January through August based on the Shinji for Kigansai, to live our life strongly in the society. It is already July and the next month is the terminal point. After passing this time, Kōju Shinja Sanpaiji comes when all shinja report their spiritual growth for the year, and express their gratitude to Shinkon. Also, there is Shingyokusai that shinja inform their deceased family members and ancestors that they are happy and well.
Kami teaches us that The Strength of the Unmei Is Honed in the Family this month. Each unmei is honed in the family. The family is where you are born, grow, live and close your life, and will be reborn once again. Kami explains the significance of the existence of the family.

The Shinji that Kami has revealed for July 1 begins with the principles, followed by what we should deeply understand, and ends with two important things we should realize.

The first part shows us the principles, or the structure of the world. This Shinji reveals a profound, ultimate truth of what the family means to each and every human being ―important principles beyond human understanding.
Human beings inherit their jittai from their Kokoro no Michi and are given life (unmei).
Based on this truth, Kami places the soul at the time of birth.
This principle is the truth of all truths. The Kokoro no Michi of human beings continues from generation to generation, passed down from parents to children and to grandchildren and so forth. This is the vertical Kokoro no Michi, where jittai is inherited from the parents and ancestors which manifests itself as one’s habits (temperaments and physical constitutions)or one’s ways of living and thinking. In order for us to walk a happy life, Kami endows unmei to each human being according to the jittai inherited in the bloodlines. Unmei is the strengths to live to contribute to society. It is one’s life itself.
To improve and ensure the Kokoro no Michi of one’s family line, how we live now is important. With what kind of mentality one lives ―the voluntary determinant of life― will influence one’s unmei-jittai -—the fatal determinant of life―. When you are harmoniously involved with people and contribute your strength to the well-being of many, your vertical Kokoro no Michi will be made prosperous. In order for this to happen, put the teachings into practice and cherish your relationships with others, which is to enrich your horizontal Kokoro no Michi (surrounding relationships).
It is how we live now that determines the unmei that Kami will give us in our next life. As unmei is something that is given to us by Kami, there is nothing we can do about it. All we can do is to strive to enhance our jittai. When we know the truth that unmei is given according to the jittai, or the ways the members of one’s family have lived, we will see how important it is to create a family that lives by the teachings.

Based on this principle, the next Shinji shows us what we should understand deeply. This is what each of us should aim for. We should make it part of how we live.
Understand well the Principle of Life; the shinja should live based on this principle with family members.
Unmei-jittai makes the world go round; this is the Principle of Life. Subject to this principle, the more we strive to enhance our way of living, the more our jittai will be corrected and our good unmei given by Kami will be extended. That is why it is important for all family members who are connected through the same Kokoro no Michi to strive to live based on this principle ; by being in touch with the teachings and acquiring the right way of living.

When each day is lived with this belief, the shinja’s kokoro is protected in Kami’s hands and there will be no accidents, disasters, and illnesses.
When we strive to live by the teachings with our family members, each of us will be protected in Kami’s hands. First of all, our kokoro will be protected. Our life is created by the accumulation of the movements of our kokoro, and when our kokoro is protected, our emotions will be anchored and we will not go off the path. This accumulation of the right kokoro will prevent us from getting into accidents, disasters, and illnesses.

To lead such calm and peaceful days cumulatively, what we hold as our mainstay of life, or what we base our life on is what matters. And Kami teaches us to base our life on the kokoro of faith with the following Shinji.
This is the kokoro of faith.
Kami is always watching over and protecting the kokoro of each and every one of us. Always sensing and revering the existence of Kami in our kokoro and cherishing the spiritual world—this is the kokoro of faith.
Knowing the truth that life is steered by the unmei-jittai, we should live by the teachings with family members. Then the kokoro of the family will come together, and there will be less disasters in the family. We will come to feel the worth of living under the protection. This is what we should aim for. It is to create a family where there is the kokoro of faith—this is what we should strive the most.

The latter half of the Shinji provides two points to realize.

To the Shinja
Do you know what the unmei is?
It is the strength to live that Kami has given each person.
Human beings who live a life that is one with their unmei are all in Kami’s hands, their kokoro is protected from straying, and they live a life of much meaning and purpose.
The unmei is the source of the strength (life force).

The first thing Kami told us to realize is what the unmei is. Unmei is the strength to live that Kami has bestowed to each and every person. When human beings are able to live a life that is one with their unmei, they are in Kami’s hands, and their kokoro is always calm without being carried away by their emotions. Because their kokoro is calm, their innate abilities will come to the fore and be of use to many people, which in turn give them much meaning and purpose.  Because they are respected and liked by others, every day will be filled with joys no matter what they do. That is the reason why Kami expressed the unmei as  the source of the strength (life force)
The strength of the unmei is honed in the family, which means that one’s innate unmei is brought out when the family members live by the teachings and thereby their jittai gets enhanced. You have your own unmei that Kami has given only to you. But If you keep on wanting something beyond the parameters of your unmeij-ittai, you go off the path and you will have your unmei withered although it was meant to bloom.

Therefore, with the last part of the Shinji, Kami showed us one more thing to realize.
When you live within a harmonious family that is in touch with the principles, that strength expands and draws out a strong, cheerful kokoro that lives in the now.

In order to build a harmonious family, learn the teachings as a family and have a right involvement with one another. Simply exchanging words is not sufficient. When someone in the family is feeling sad, listen to them, sympathize with them, and encourage them. When someone is feeling happy, share their joys. If a family member becomes ill, then, support them as a family and overcome together. That’s exactly what a family is all about―a harmonious family.
Such a harmonious family environment will overflow with the strength and energy of each family member’s unmei —alive with power and a will to live. The kokoro of the family members will be cheerful and strong, which will allow us to live in the now vividly. Now is the time to deeply understand that to live within a harmonious family is the basics upon which the strength of the unmei is honed and the Kokoro no Michi will prosper generation after generation.