March 15, 2021 Shinja Kokoro no Michi Benkyōkai
Summary of Shinji from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

 

In the Shinji on March 1st, Kami explains about general remarks of “harmony and change” Things change its form when they are pressured, but they will change toward the environment to ease, not toward bad ways. You will be swallowed in the flow of its change if you do not notice this truth of harmony and change.
And in the Shinji on March 15th, Kami especially explains about change in “harmony and change”. Some changes are brought about artificially, and others are in the natural flow. The change caused by human greed is exactly man-made and will surely receive a retribution if it exceeds the limit. There are changes to return to the former stable environment from the movements that went to extreme or wrong direction. This is what is happening in current society. However, if you understand the natural way of things from Kami’s teachings, you will not be swallowed by the changes no matter how much the changes brings confusion under the process of return to harmony.

 

Shinji
Humanity feels and perceives the history of the past as an era.
But without the strength to perceive the truths in history, it is unable to make the best of them today.
History shows that changes repeatedly occur as harmony is sought.
When humanity becomes aware of life’s principles, its kokoro will not waver and it is able to focus on what needs to be done now.
Do you know why humanity is unable to make the best of past experience?
Because they do not have principles, truth in their life, their kokoro is consumed by greed and their jittai is lowered.
Unaware of the worth of a family, they live selfishly, willfully and cause changes.
But because historical truth lies in harmony, people who are lost and in suffering are found in this flow.
To the Shinja
Learn the teachings and have the kokoro (conviction) to make them the mainstay of your life.
The Kokoro no Michi of your family (home) will grow strong and anchored.
Be the person (human beings) who lives in harmony to keep your life from being consumed by the flow of an era’s changes.

 

First of all, please check the Shinji on page2 Yūwa No.332. This Shinji is the theme that we always heed in this year.
Regarding a trend of the current society, Kami pointed out that there are many people unable to perceive their mainstay in life and lose their way. Since there is no mainstay, they rely on knowledge and effort. Effort will not connect with the result if it is not right to the point. Relying on knowledge and just making effort that is not one with one’s unmei -the power to be of use to society- will not bear fruits. The gap between ways of thinking causes ambivalence in any world including politics and economy.
What is necessary under such environment is for every one of us to make a family where family members reach out to one another, where their kokoro (jittai) is corrected through the teachings. When we learn the teachings as a family, we could correct our own jittai and character of each other by talking about anything, and things would go toward a good direction. When family exchange their thoughts abiding their position as a father, a mother and a child, the unmei becomes the strength to guide them to a life (an era) where there are no regrets.
 
Today’s Shinji is on page 18 of Yūwa No.332. The first paragraph is an understanding.

Humanity feels and perceives the history of the past as an era.
But without the strength to perceive the truths in history, it is unable to make the best of them today.
History shows that changes repeatedly occur as harmony is sought.
When humanity becomes aware of life’s principles, its kokoro will not waver and it is able to focus on what needs to be done now.

When we talk about history, we tend to perceive the history of the past as an era that has changed from the past to this day. However, a historical view is greatly different from the point of each position like a winner or a loser. It also differs between people who look only one point and people who look over the whole one. Moreover, it is sometimes discovered that the truth was wrong even though it was recorded. Without the strength to perceive the truths in history, people could not make the best of history in their life.
What we need to understand from history is the truth that changes repeatedly occur as harmony is sought. The reason why diverse events occur is that the era always returns to a harmonious environment. An earthquake occurs when the earth’s crust is pressured and it tries to return to harmony. History also moves to harmony under its change.
What you need to do is to become aware of life’s principles. When you know the reason, your kokoro will not waver and it is able to focus on what needs to be done now. To focus on is to make actions carefully and not moving without thinking. It is introspection, not just looking back. Let’s look back on yourself, face and correct the shortcomings, and raise your personality.

The next paragraph is a realization.

Do you know why humanity is unable to make the best of past experience?
Because they do not have principles, truth in their life, their kokoro is consumed by greed and their jittai is lowered.
Unaware of the worth of a family, they live selfishly, willfully and cause changes.
But because historical truth lies in harmony, people who are lost and in suffering are found in this flow.

Although long history have gone through until today, a lot of people are unable to make the best of a lot of experiences, and hate and conflict never to be gone. Even our life became convenient by the development of science and technology, people who engage in producing or managing are just deceived by greed. Under the state of emergency, some people seek only their greed.
Kami revealed the reason why people are unable to make the best of past experience.The reason is that you do not have principles, truth in their life. That is to say, people could not live a life based on the principle of things. Without considering moral sense or kokoro to abide by the path, their kokoro is consumed by greed that is driven by lust, vanity, and money. Then, they strengthen the sense of self-centeredness and their jittai is lowered.
A family that lives in harmony is the foundation which supports their life. Unaware of the worth of a family, they live selfishly, and willfully, and they are consumed by greed and disturb harmony. In other words, they cause changes. However, historical truth moves toward harmony, people who are lost and in suffering are found in this flow if they live a life as they go against it.

Last paragraph is an understanding. It is that you notice and strive to be like this person.

To the Shinja
Learn the teachings and have the kokoro (conviction) to make them the mainstay of your life.
The Kokoro no Michi of your family (home) will grow strong and anchored.
Be the person (human beings) who lives in harmony to keep your life from being consumed by the flow of an era’s changes.

You need to learn the teachings and make them the mainstay of your life,the conviction     
for living. The basic principle that underlies Kami’s teachings is gratitude that accept things with a large kokoro. If someone advise you, it is important to accept it obediently. If you always focus and reflect on yourself, you could involve with your family correctly and the Kokoro no Michi of your family (home) will grow strong and anchored. Human beings cannot live alone. As the ties with the family that are the foundation of yourself and relatives become certain, your kokoro and spirit will be anchored more.
The flow of an era’s changes that is occurring now is to returning to a harmonious way from the wrong direction brought about by human greed. In order not to be swallowed by the flow, the important thing to live a life with the flow is the strength to abide by the teachings. Then, you will be the person who lives in harmony and Kokoro no Michi will surely grow strong.