September 15, 2021  Shinja Kokoro no Moto Benkyōkai about Work
Summary of Shinji from Kyōshu Seishisha Tomomarukō Sensei

Shinji
What you must do (the truth) as a person (human being) is to abide (exist) by the path to the end, in order to achieve a life without regrets.
However, movement based on the principles in the world (society) now (today) is feeble, thus the world does not perceive the human kokoro as it should be.
To the Shinja
Gain awareness from the teachings and strive to be the person (human being) who deepens their understanding of the kokoro (principle) of etoku.
The teachings give the human kokoro awareness and suppress the movement of the kokoro to go off and against the path.
You will begin to perceive how precious is the life that is one with your unmei.
When this is perceived, all human beings become the person (an existence) who will guide society on the correct path.
You will be perceived as a virtuous person whose existence is beyond knowledge, experience, education, and connections in the kokoro of many people (humanity).
Dōshin—the more the path is abided by, all people (humanity) will live a life of many joys guided by their unmei.
Shindō—when understanding of the teachings deepen, all people (humanity) will gain the correct kokoro about Kami and Hotoke.
All human beings are in the hands of Kami and they will live a life without regrets, their kokoro (life) protected the more they live out days where the kokoro of dōshin and shindō is the mainstay of their life.
The kokoro (principle) of etoku will gradually become a part of people (humanity) who gain awareness from the teachings and deepen their understanding.

This month’s theme for Shinja Kokoro no Moto Benkyōkai is about work. However, since we are about to enter the period of Kōju Shinja Sanpaiji, the guidance is tied very closely to etoku, which is the topic for this month’s Shinja Kokoro no Michi Benkyōkai.
The Shinji begins with a deep understanding. It is a part where you perceive the principles as a deep understanding, and set your goal of the kind of person you want to be, and strive to practice the teachings in the most natural way.
What you must do (the truth) as a person (human being) is to abide (exist) by the path to the end, in order to achieve a life without regrets.
However, movement based on the principles in the world (society) now (today) is feeble, thus the world does not perceive the human kokoro as it should be.
What exactly is a life without regret? In general, people might think it is to do what you like and follow your passion because life is short. But to be exact, Kami says that a life without regrets is to live a life lived in one with your given unmei.
Every one of us has desired abilities that are needed for society gifted from the very moment we are born into this world. Without fail, each one of us has a meaning to be here and we are invaluable in our own special ways. So therefore, life will become without regrets when we try to make use of the power of our unmei, be useful and helpful for many, and enjoy the meaning and purpose through the many encounters.
And as Kami shows, what you must do (the truth) as a person (human being), is to endeavor to live aligned with the principles—the right way of how things should be.  In other words, it is to abide (exist) by the path till the end. The path always reminds us to be conscience about being a well-balanced person through the teachings of Kami, Hotoke, and Hito no Michi.
In addition, we would like you to pay attention that Kami used the term exist alongside with the term to abide. This shows the significance to aim to become an individual who abides by the path in the most natural way—as their way of life.  To name some examples of a person who abides by the path; they do not worry their surroundings, lives with common senses, stays thoughtful, and remembers to be involved with people with a selfless heart. In other words, it is a way of life that aligns with Kami, Hotoke, and Hito no Michi which can also be said to be equivalent to the life abiding by the principles of work.
Abiding by the path will bring beneficial outcomes wherever you are. The family environment will be peaceful, and your capabilities will be extended at work. So, to achieve a life without regrets, you must have the conviction to be a person who will abide (exist) by the path.
Sadly however, Kami talks about the reality we face in our world today in the next phrase. The Shinji says; movement based on the principles in the world (society) now (today) is feeble. As mentioned earlier, the principles tell us how things should be. So here, Kami is saying that a lot of the things in the world does not make sense anymore. If you want to be treated with respect, be respectful. But today, there are so many people who think selfishly, criticize people and be aggressive to prove their point. They lack the eyes to see how human kokoro should be.   
How you are involved with the surrounding is relevant in extending your capabilities that has the potential to be useful for society. You cannot use your strengths and bloom if you are avoided or ignored by people, not getting along well, or not respected from the people around you. You must understand how human kokoro should be and abide by the teachings to live life without regrets.

To practice and be a person with the deep understanding above, Kami continued the Shinji with two realization. These are something that needs to be acquired as your way of life.
To the Shinja
Gain awareness from the teachings and strive to be the person (human being) who deepens their understanding of the kokoro (principle) of etoku.
The teachings give the human kokoro awareness and suppress the movement of the kokoro to go off and against the path.
You will begin to perceive how precious is the life that is one with your unmei.
When this is perceived, all human beings become the person (an existence) who will guide society on the correct path.
You will be perceived as a virtuous person whose existence is beyond knowledge, experience, education, and connections in the kokoro of many people (humanity).
The first thing that must be done is to gain awareness from the teachings. When you learn the teachings, there is no doubt you will find your shortcomings here and there. It might give you an opportunity to look back and think about how a certain way of saying things might sound hurtful to some people, or you should be putting more thoughts into doing something. Or you might realize it’s better not to be argumentative from seeing someone who always seem to be complaining. Or in other cases, you might be reminded to stay humble and not be looking down on others through other’s actions. Teachings will help you modify your life to be better.
As you continue this, you always maintain peace with people around you, always be respected and loved. And as Kami says in the Shinji, this is a person who deepens their understanding of the kokoro (principle) of etoku. Using your strengths for other people will become the accumulated act of kindness that stays in your footsteps. And therefore, etoku is achieved.
In doing so, the teachings are a necessary tool because the teachings give the human kokoro awareness. And in addition to that, it broadens your kokoro to be more accepting and recognizing the goodness in everything, hence gratitude will deepen within. You will stay away from creating uncomfortable situations. Thus, the teachings suppress the movement of the kokoro to go off and against the path. 
The more you endeavor to abide by the path, you will find yourself living a life that is one with your unmei. On the contrary, a life lived ignoring the effort to abide by the path will not bring your life to be one with your unmei. This means that your unmei will be suppressed if you are disliked by many and constantly creating enemies. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have your own opinions and always be trying to flatter someone to create more allies. What Kami tells us to do is to raise your personality from within. And when that is accomplished, even though it is a work-in-progress, Kami promises that you will become a person (an existence) who will guide society on the correct path.
Guiding society starting with your family environment, your workplace, the immediate society, and wherever you belong. You will become a person that is necessary to bring people together or raise the motivation of everyone involved. This allows the strengths of all people involved to surface and tie together. And you will be perceived as a virtuous person whose existence is beyond knowledge, experience, education, and connections in the kokoro of many people (humanity). A virtuous person is a person who acts with a selfless heart, accumulate good deeds in life, and lives with etoku. Although it may be difficult to identify, people will find you different from others in your approach for work through your words, and your attitude. Put your awareness and aim to be a person like this.

Now moving on to the other realization. While the realization mentioned above is the overview, the following are the details.
Dōshin—the more the path is abided by, all people (humanity) will live a life of many joys guided by their unmei.
Shindō—when understanding of the teachings deepen, all people (humanity) will gain the correct kokoro about Kami and Hotoke.
All human beings are in the hands of Kami and they will live a life without regrets, their kokoro (life) protected the more they live out days where the kokoro of dōshin and shindō is the mainstay of their life.
The kokoro (principle) of etoku will gradually become a part of people (humanity) who gain awareness from the teachings and deepen their understanding.
The terms, dōshin and shindō are used in today’s Shinji because we are about to enter Kōju Shinja Sanpaiji. The principle of work is about using your abilities and serve people with the kokoro of hōshi, which is also a way of life that achieves etoku in life.
The more you follow the teachings and the path is abided, your strengths will surface and you will be useful for many. Which is going to make a lot of people happy and you will gain respect. This means that you will live a life of many joys guided by their unmei. This is the meaning of dōshin.  
And shindō is achieved when the teachings are acquired as part of your way of life. And at the same time, you gain deep understandings, and gain greater respect for the spiritual beings beyond human beings which is the correct kokoro about Kami and Hotoke. When you learn the teachings, you will feel and become more aware of the invisible power that protects you and humbleness starts to grow. And surprisingly, it makes you want to live more sincerely. For example, if a storm is coming, you will sit tight until it passes. You know the nature could be very violent so you will not take any chances to do something dangerous and go outside to feel the impact of nature.
The more you deepen the understanding and live with the kokoro of dōshin and shindō as the mainstay of your life, etoku is naturally achieved. As you learn the teachings, you will make the effort to modify your way of life to do things better and your life will be guided by your unmei. When your life is merged with your unmei, you can accelerate at work. And when accelerated at work, results will follow with the help and support of the people around you. Not only at work, you will enjoy everything you do wherever you go. The point is, wherever you may be, you can draw out your strengths and live each day to the fullest without regrets.

To live your life without regrets—or in other words, to live life led by your unmei, you have to live life in balance between Kami, Hotoke, and Hito no Michi. And this is a way of life that promises people’s support and cooperation followed by good results and satisfying numbers. The more you deepen the understanding of the principle of work, your life will be filled with meaning and purpose.