Summary of the Shinji (January 15, 2021) from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

This is the first Shinja Kokoro no Michi Benkyōkai in 2021. The Shinji for Shinja Kokoro no Michi Benkyōkai teaches us how we should live in the here and now looking at the movement of society. Before getting into this month's Shinji, let us heed the Shinji that shows us what we should keep in mind throughout this year.

Be the person (life) who deepens their understanding having gained awareness through the teachings.
Unable to perceive your mainstay in life, confusion and doubt arise when your thoughts rely on knowledge and effort.
Shinja should strive to make the teachings the mainstay of their kokoro (life) as they live.
Having realized the truth about what a family is, family members must strive to live by the teachings.
The kokoro (jittai) of each family member gradually deepens in understanding, the emotions to reach out to one another, to enhance one another, and to support one another grow.
Realize that the unmei is the foundation of life.
The unmei is honed in the family (home environment) where family members reach out to one another, where their kokoro (jittai) is corrected through the teachings and the unmei becomes the strength to guide them to a life (an era) where there are no regrets.
People (humanity throughout the world) live and are protected by a mysterious power (the unmei).

Kami has pointed out that many people today are stuck in confusion and doubt, because their thoughts rely on knowledge and effort, unable to perceive their mainstay in life.
The mainstay, or the foundation of life is the unmei that each one possesses. It is a treasure that will be of use to society and guide our life to happiness. Unable to perceive that our unmei is the energy and power to live, our thoughts rely on knowledge and effort.
However, when we learn the teachings of Kami, we can be aware of the negative aspects of our characters; how we perceive and feel. With this awareness, we should strive to make the teachings the mainstay of our kokoro as we live; we should make the teachings a part of how we live.
The most important social setting, among others, where we should practice the teachings is home. Family members must strive to live by the teachings as a family. Then, as Kami has shown us, the emotions to reach out to one another, to enhance one another, and to support one another grow. Family members are strongly tied to one another through the Kokoro no Michi that gets passed down from the parents to the children, and to the descendants. When family members mutually enhance their jittai, their unmei will increasingly come together. If the unmei does not get drawn out and there is friction, it is because of the lowness of the jittai. Learning and acquiring the teachings as a family will enable us to correct the jittai, and the home will become a harmonious environment where its members' thoughts come together. We will be able to live each day with a calm kokoro and eventually live out this year with no regrets. 
The unmei is the foundation of life. All people throughout the world live and are protected by a mysterious power of the unmei. Therefore, we should gain awareness of the worth of the unmei, which is the treasure of one's life, and strive to hone it based on the teachings. This is what we should aim for throughout this year.

 

The theme for January is " Feel the Invisible Power of the Unmei ", which comes from the first part of the Shinji for January 1 Kigansai.

The world is now beginning to be aware of the existence (the truth) of an invisible power (unmei).
It is a mysterious power (unmei) that is the source of humanity’s knowledge and life.
If you understand the principles in the teachings Kami reveals, you will live a life where your kokoro will not be consumed by the changes occurring in society.

As Kami has predicted that now is an era undergoing a great change, experiencing difficulties beyond human understanding, the world is now beginning to be aware of the existence (the truth) of an invisible power (unmei). The unmei is the strength and power that each and every human being has. It is the power that makes each of us indispensable in this world.
However, the strength of our unmei will not be made use of and we will be troubled and suffer if we keep on criticizing and denying others, lacking in harmony. The way of life of those who seem to have achieved a brilliant success but soon lost momentum, is not one with their unmei. It is whether one can make use of one's given unmei or not, that decides whether they can fulfil themselves or not in the world.
Many people are beginning to be aware that the world peace will be attained only if they merge the strengths of one another's unmei together and make use of one another's goodness.
When we make use of the strengths of the unmei— a mysterious power that is the source of humanity’s knowledge and life; and we utilize the knowledge that human beings have created, then we will be able to overcome various hardships. Kami declares that if we understand the principles in the teachings Kami reveals, we will live a life where our kokoro will not be consumed by the changes occurring in society.

Now let us read today's Shinji. The first paragraph is what we should be aware of.

Unable to have hope in their lives, why are people troubled and suffer from their encounters?
Strive to become the shinja who understands this truth based on the principles.

Those who have hope in their lives live an energetic way of life. If one is not energetic, unable to have hope in their lives, that is because they avoid people, or they look down on , blame, and criticize the people they encounter. What is the cause of the truth that many people are troubled and suffer?  We must become the shinja who understands this truth based on the principles. To understand based on the principles means to be able to grasp the core of the problems and the way things should be through the teachings.

The next paragraph shows us what we should understand deeply.

The era continues to flow—it does not stop even for a moment.
The emotions of human beings move to correct their jittai when they gain understanding of the principles.
When the changes of an era are accepted, the idea to be correctly involved grows.
This is the kokoro (condition) of the person (human beings) who lives with the flow and whose kokoro (life) is protected by the power of the unmei.
Strive to be the person (human beings) who makes the most of an era’s power (unmei) as the unmei is mutually drawn together. 

It is often said that history repeats itself. Although similar kinds of events do take place, an utterly identical era will not come again. The era continues to flow. It is the flow of time and it does not stop even for a moment. Whether it be wars or infectious diseases, humanity has had similar experiences, but we have allowed them to occur repeatedly because we have been unable to grasp the way things ought to be. What is necessary is to gain understanding of the principles. When we learn the teachings, our kokoro will look to correct our characters and how we feel. Therefore, we will not go off the path. We will not take actions driven by jittai such as posting one's feelings of dissatisfaction on social media to elicit sympathy or to disseminate groundless information, or to deny others' opinions and thwart them— all rampant in society.
We will be able to accept various changes, and be correctly involved with our surroundings. We can always be involved calmly, with honesty and an open mind, and with sincerity. Many people in the world are apt to get upset with things and criticize others. However, with the teachings, we are able to see things level-headedly and not in a complicating way.
This will allow us to live with the flow and our kokoro is protected by the power of the unmei. What is important is to merge the powers of all unmei; our own unmei, the unmei of people around us, and the unmei of the era. In other words, what we should keep in mind is to harmonize in regards to everything. If you cannot get along well with the people around you including your family, it is because of your jittai. A company's unmei will shine when the unmei of each employee comes together. This is also true of a family. It is crucial for the kokoro of each family member — the father, the mother, the grandparents, and the children—to strive to come together and harmonize.
In order to go with the flow, we need to get involved from our own, rather than to avoid. We should not feel like "I don't want to be with that person because we don’t get along well, " or "I'd rather not talk with that person." Those who can make use of their own and others’ strengths can go with the flow. Kami has called out to us to strive to be the person (human beings) who makes the most of an era’s power (unmei) as the unmei is mutually drawn together.

The third paragraph shows us what we should be aware of.
To the Shinja
There are many things (existence) in this world that human beings can neither directly see nor feel the existence of.
When the principles are understood, knowledge finally becomes the wisdom that guides life.
Unable to make the best of their encounters, many people are troubled and suffer because they do not perceive the truth about the unmei.

In this world, there are many things (existence) that human beings can neither directly see nor feel the existence of. Therefore, we should live humbly. There is a mishmash of truth and untruth in the world. What we need is the criteria through which we think in terms of the principles.
The knowledge that human beings have created finally becomes the wisdom that guides life when the principles are understood. In other words, knowledge will be helpful when we use it for the existence of each and every one to come to life. Otherwise, driven by avarice, knowledge will be harmful.
In today's society, unable to make the best of their encounters, many people are troubled and suffer because they do not perceive the truth about the unmei. When we look back on history, those who succeeded could perceive the great power which is beyond human effort, and could go with the flow of the era. They all cherished the spiritual world. What is important is the kokoro to allow one another's strength to be extended. If one lacks in this kokoro and will not cherish their encounters, then their strength will not shine and they will be troubled and suffer.

The last paragraph is what we should understand deeply.
This world revolves as the kokoro (unmei-jittai) comes together and at times collides.
Be aware of this truth and ask Kami for a life that is one with the unmei, and live by the teachings.

The world revolves around the kokoro. The kokoro is unmei-jittai, composed of the unmei that each one possesses and the jittai that each of us has inherited. All things—including oneself, other people, one's family members, companies, and nations—have their own unmei-jittai. And the unmei must be made use of. And the way to do so is to correct and enhance the jittai based on the teachings. Unmei-jittai comes together and at times collides. The reason why it collides is that the jittai remains low. That is why we need to ask Kami for a life that is one with the unmei, and strive to live by the teachings.This is the deep understanding and the ultimate gain of those who have grasped what it means to Feel the Invisible Power of the Unmei.