April 23, 2021  Shinja Kokoro no Moto Benkyōkai about the Family
Summary of Shinji from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

Shinji
People (human beings) who live each day with hope and have dreams in their life, know what is a family that lives in harmony.
To the Shinja
Politics and economics do not have the power to protect life. They simply create the structure of a country, produce goods, and generate capital.
They do not have the power (vitality) to make life abundant and fulfilling.
The person (people) who learns the principles of life from the teachings and realize what true abundance is, will always protect the family.
The kokoro (soul) of the human being anchors in a family that is one with the principles and is guided to a life that is one with their unmei.
The dreams in life become the strength to walk the correct path the more the belief to protect family members grows.
The hopes in life bring out the kokoro to live and give back the more encounters with people deepen.
All human beings will live out a life of happiness and prosperity by manifesting Kibō no Michi when they gain awareness from the teachings and their understanding deepens.
Know that the environment that fosters a life of abundance is the family.

This month’s Shinja Kokoro no Moto Benkyōkai is about ‘Family.’ The Shinji starts off first with a deep understanding.
People (human beings) who live each day with hope and have dreams in their life, know what is a family that lives in harmony.
Every individual must embrace this guidance from Kami, and strive to practice it. Utilizing the given strengths and abilities and wish to be useful for many is what it means to have dreams in life. And to live each day with hope is to know your role and boundary in the given environment, and just carry on doing the things you can and need to do.
Kami revealed that a person who live each day with hope and have dreams in their life know what is a family that lives in harmony. The foundation of everything in life is the home/family. Your health is protected if your home is a warm, comfortable place, where the family cares about each other and supports one another. Not just that, the energy to work hard will increase, your life will be comfortable, and each day will be filled with liveliness. That is the reason why we must all focus and strive to create a harmonious family.

The Shinji continues with six important realizations that you must never forget to establish a harmonious family. The first realization is as follows:
To the Shinja
Politics and economics do not have the power to protect life. They simply create the structure of a country, produce goods, and generate capital.
They do not have the power (vitality) to make life abundant and fulfilling.  
All of us encounter myriad information about politics and the economics as we live in our society today. It is important to know the information. However, it is more important not to be consumed by them. But as we look at our surroundings, the more we absorb information, the more we waver. This is shown in the Shinji where Kami pointed out that politics and economics do not have the power to protect life. They simply create the structure of a country, produce goods, and generate capital.
Amid the pandemic, politicians are struggling to find a way to resolve things to keep the economy from crashing. But for human beings who cannot see what’s coming next, decision making in this kind of situation must be a very difficult thing to do. Added on to that are the criticism and rejections from the people despite all the effort they are going through. People do not have the power (vitality) to make life abundant and fulfilling with that kind of kokoro. If the epidemic continues, take control of it and do what you can to stay safe. That is all you can do in times like this. There are things more important that we need to focus on. And that is the second realization.

The person (people) who learns the principles of life from the teachings and realize what true abundance is, will always protect the family.
The kokoro (soul) of the human being anchors in a family that is one with the principles and is guided to a life that is one with their unmei.
By learning the teachings, you gain awareness about what is truly important in life—how humans must live, and the important kokoro. And with that awareness through the teachings, Kami showed that you will know what true abundance is, and what will always protect the family. You must not react too much with what goes in the society and color yourself with anxieties and anger. Kami is saying that you must always be looking at where you stand and keep your home/family a place where your kokoro can feel peace and calmness no matter what goes on out there in the world.
When you grasp the principles of life and able to see the right path of life, your kokoro will not be distracted. You will be able to see the priorities and dismiss all the noises that could keep you away from your role and what you need to do. With this, your kokoro will gain more anchor and more versatility. Hence your conversations will probably be more fulfilling with thoughtful exchanges.
The pandemic has taken away many things from us—traveling, going out to dinners with friends, etc. But there are still ways to enjoy. Being creative will bring families closer and sustain adaptability among each member.

The next is the third realization.
The dreams in life become the strength to walk the correct path the more the belief to protect family members grows.
Having a harmonious family/home anchors the kokoro of each family member, and brings forth the energy to be useful for someone. You can have a dream to contribute to make this world a better place. People who are always restless and irritated do not see the first and the second realization mentioned above. If you have the belief to protect family members, you will not live to go off the right path. If you are aware of what’s important, you will do your best to accelerate your strengths, and do your best to be useful in the given role.  These dreams become the strength to walk the correct path.  

The next is the fourth realization.
The hopes in life bring out the kokoro to live and give back the more encounters with people deepen.
While dream is a vague thought of wanting to be useful, having hope is seeing what exactly you can do to fulfill your dreams. And the way to develop those feelings is by honing your unmei and striving to merge with your unmei. And the more your hopes in life become clear, you will start to get involved with people and the encounters with people deepens. Deepening the encounters starting with the family and with many people, your kokoro to live and give back will develop for sure.

The fifth realization.
All human beings will live out a life of happiness and prosperity by manifesting Kibō no Michi when they gain awareness from the teachings and their understanding deepens.
As you follow and try to practice each realization shown today in order, this is what you will experience in your life. To gain awareness from the teachings is to learn the teachings until it becomes your way of thinking—a part of you. This will naturally allow you to stay within your parameters—without overextending yourself. Manifesting Kibō no Michi(*) helps your kokoro to be calm at all times. And you will live out a life of happiness and prosperity.
If you can extend your abilities without being overwhelmed, you will be able to live each day filled with meaning and purpose, supporting and supported by your family. And you will live out your life without any regrets and be promised to a next life. Here, a true happiness is realized and kaiun is achieved.

Lastly, the sixth realization.
Know that the environment that fosters a life of abundance is the family.
When you learn the teachings as a family, you can go with the flow and adapt to any circumstances without criticizing or rejecting people and their opinions—whether it is in the midst of a pandemic, or any social unrest. This is because your kokoro is calm and anchored. Because you are feeling more flexible and versatile, you know when and where to use your strengths. Kami pointed out to make sure we understand that the environment that fosters a life of abundance is the family.
Kami has clearly pointed out what we need to focus on and given us step-by-step instructions of what we exactly need to do. If this is followed correctly, a harmonious family will be achieved in your family, that becomes the base of happiness in all aspects of life.

(*) Kibō no Michi: Salvation revealed by Ōyamanezunomikoto that helps lead one’s life to a fulfillment. This is achieved by correcting the jittai (temperament, predispositions) handed down from parents and ancestors, and drawing out the unmei given at time of birth.