Thank you for your participation in today's Monthly Service.
It is August, and the school year has begun. I, of course, work as a teacher at a high school, and at this time of year, I often relay my expectations for the students.
Each year, I tell my students that I will do my best to teach them different techniques and guide them in their development. I will do my best and see what things are working for them and what are not, and then help them to change anything that isn't, and keep anything that is. But there are two types of students that I cannot teach. I do still try to teach them, I do still try to guide them, but often, if their personality types do not change, all that I do, will not be effective for them.
One is the way of thinking of "I am great." Once you think that you are great, there is no more learning. This would be called arrogance. Though this type of student may be far advanced compared to other students, they are not at the professional level, and often, the difference in their level compared to other students begin to narrow, as they begin their journey in high school. I have seen many "gifted" students fall due to their own arrogance.
The second way of thinking is "I am terrible." or "I suck." This in its strange way has the same effect as those who think they are great. Most of the time, these students are comparing themselves to others, which in itself is not a bad thing, but they then decide that they are terrible at what they do. They may not be wrong, however, it isn't because of "who" they are that makes them terrible, but "how" they do things, in other words, they lack practice, or give up at practicing. I tell them that the only reason really why the talented students are better, is that they practice more. They practice, they get better, they get better, they have more fun, they have more fun, they practice more. We all need to work at our skill, it never comes in a day. In this digital world, we often forget this. We often forget that real life requires hard work. How it becomes similar to arrogance, is that when I try to tell them to try a certain method or technique that would help them improve, the response to me is often, "You don't understand, I just can't." It may be true I do not understand, which is why we should try to uncover the reason together... but this phrase is basically saying, "You don't know what you are talking about. You can't help," or simply, "I know (me) better than you." These are the same words arrogant people relay.
In Tenrikyo, we call arrogance a Dust of the Mind. But what is arrogance? One of my favorite authors is Amy Tan. In the movie, "Joy Luck Club," which is based on her book, it makes an observation of Asian culture. In Asian culture, people often put ourselves down to appear humble. If I took a sip of milk then find that it is spoiled, and if I tell that it is spoiled, then ask you to drink it, would you? It is a funny joke sometimes that we're willing to smell that spoiled milk container even after being told it smells bad. But would you be okay if I said, it was spoiled, and then serve it to you anyway? Yet in this culture, we often offer a dish that we may have cooked to others by saying, "it's not that good, but try it anyway."
Pride is not arrogance. There is a fine line, but it is okay to be proud. "I cooked this dish. I think it's pretty good, your tastes may be different, but please give it a try." "I have accomplished this," "I got a first place trophy," but when does it turn to arrogance. In my observation of school students, pride turns to arrogance when we add a qualifier--a ranking of sort, or a sense of entitlement to it. "I am the best," which indicates others are not as good as you, "I got a first place trophy, and I deserved it." "I'm number 1!"
It is good practice to be humble. Humility is what allows us to improve ourselves, but there is also a fine line between being humble, and putting yourself down. "No, I'm not that good, I do try hard though," would be a humble statement. Similar to arrogance, it seems that crossing the fine line would mean to add some kind of ranking or sense of entitlement. "No, I'm not that good. I suck at it, really." "No, I'm not that good, I don't deserve to be complimented like that." Not only does this prevent you from becoming better, whether you are at a high level or entry level of skill, but the person complimenting you was just insulted. If that person was at a lower level than you, you're saying that they are worse than you, which is a level of 'terrible'. If they are at a higher level than you, you're telling them, they don't know how to judge what level you're at.
It is okay to be proud, it is okay to be humble, and to be fairly honest, both are usually combine, just as being arrogant and putting yourself down, actually go hand-in-hand.
I too, reflect on my actions often. I reflect if it is arrogant or not, and I often find that all I really need to be is honest, "I thought that I did pretty good, but I really want to get better."
I'm not perfect, and I'm always learning. Let us all continue to learn as well. Mahalo
Monday, August 8, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
July Message
How important is sharing? This summer, I have been teaching U.S. History at Summer School. Now, though the students are learning, I too, am learning and gaining insight as to how I may live my life. Focusing strictly on wealth; I have heard arguments from those who are wealthy of "why they should share something they worked hard for?" It is a very good argument, but let us look at the Great Depression.
There are many causes of the Great Depression, but one was a uneven distribution of wealth. In a capitalist economy, there will be some uneven distribution of wealth, however if it is too great, then there will be less money in circulation. If a small percentage of people hold the majority of the wealth there are less people buying basic things. Now, again, this wasn't the sole cause of the Great Depression, other factors did play in. In any case, once we hit the Great Depression, we raised tariffs, taxes on imported goods. This was thought to help protect domestic businesses from competition from foreign products. This actually caused the other countries to raise theirs as well. This hurt the US economy more, because we couldn't get foreign countries to buy our products as well. We needed the foreign market to buy our stuff. This tariff war eventually spread the Great Depression in the US worldwide, and it causes conflict and revolutions, and eventually WWII.
This is the worst case scenario, of course, but there are many cases of people not helping each other during this time, that may have help. For example, President Hoover gave federal money to banks, in hopes that they will voluntarily give loans to businesses; businesses will voluntarily use these loans to keep employees, and keep their wages and keep production up. But very little of this was happening. At each level, people used the funds to "save themselves" and nothing was given to the laborers.
As much as the wealthy people feel they work hard for their wealth, unless they are running a one-man store, and they are the one-man, there are many others under them that work hard making their wealth. This is something we shouldn't forget.
But let's not focus on money alone. In whatever position we're in, there are others that are supporting us. We should remember that.
My friend teaches a 90 year old gentleman how to play the `ukulele. A little history of this man: he was poor as a child, but his parents instilled in him to work hard, even when no one is looking. It is the mantra he lives by. When he got a job as a laborer at a distribution company, he worked a 110% each day. His boss calls him in one day, and he thought he was in trouble. But, instead, the boss mentioned that he kept watching his hard work each day, and wanted to give the company to someone trustworthy before retiring. Long story short, he became successful and expanded this company based in Seattle. He is now retired himself and is able to live some months in Hawai`i, some in Seattle. He lives simply, gives greatly to charity, but does have rich neighbors. Each week, he dines with one couple and the wife, with no expression, when finished drinking her wine, raises her glass, and her husband immediately runs to fill it up. This gentlemen told my friend, "how sad that must be. To be unhappy. If you have that much wealth, and are unhappy, where do you go from there?"
So my friend asks him, what is the secret to his happiness. The gentleman points out 1) work 110% whether or not someone is watching. I think this puts pride in your work, and helps your company to succeed, thus, hopefully, giving you success as well. 2) If you find something that gives you passion, go get it and go do it, life is too short. This can be your job, or something outside your job, but by finding this, it gives that spark in your life. 3) Smile at others. We never know what situation others are in, smile at them, be kind and help others.
In Tenrikyo, we have a word called Hinokishin. This is an act that we physically do to show our gratitude to God. In every sense, it is something we do for ourselves, but the action should be helpful to others. A kind word, even a smile can be hinokishin. By saving others we, in turn, will be saved.
I will do my best to practice this too; let's smile at others. Let's share our wealth.
Let us also lend our prayers that the members of HBH have a safe trip to Jiba this month.
There are many causes of the Great Depression, but one was a uneven distribution of wealth. In a capitalist economy, there will be some uneven distribution of wealth, however if it is too great, then there will be less money in circulation. If a small percentage of people hold the majority of the wealth there are less people buying basic things. Now, again, this wasn't the sole cause of the Great Depression, other factors did play in. In any case, once we hit the Great Depression, we raised tariffs, taxes on imported goods. This was thought to help protect domestic businesses from competition from foreign products. This actually caused the other countries to raise theirs as well. This hurt the US economy more, because we couldn't get foreign countries to buy our products as well. We needed the foreign market to buy our stuff. This tariff war eventually spread the Great Depression in the US worldwide, and it causes conflict and revolutions, and eventually WWII.
This is the worst case scenario, of course, but there are many cases of people not helping each other during this time, that may have help. For example, President Hoover gave federal money to banks, in hopes that they will voluntarily give loans to businesses; businesses will voluntarily use these loans to keep employees, and keep their wages and keep production up. But very little of this was happening. At each level, people used the funds to "save themselves" and nothing was given to the laborers.
As much as the wealthy people feel they work hard for their wealth, unless they are running a one-man store, and they are the one-man, there are many others under them that work hard making their wealth. This is something we shouldn't forget.
But let's not focus on money alone. In whatever position we're in, there are others that are supporting us. We should remember that.
My friend teaches a 90 year old gentleman how to play the `ukulele. A little history of this man: he was poor as a child, but his parents instilled in him to work hard, even when no one is looking. It is the mantra he lives by. When he got a job as a laborer at a distribution company, he worked a 110% each day. His boss calls him in one day, and he thought he was in trouble. But, instead, the boss mentioned that he kept watching his hard work each day, and wanted to give the company to someone trustworthy before retiring. Long story short, he became successful and expanded this company based in Seattle. He is now retired himself and is able to live some months in Hawai`i, some in Seattle. He lives simply, gives greatly to charity, but does have rich neighbors. Each week, he dines with one couple and the wife, with no expression, when finished drinking her wine, raises her glass, and her husband immediately runs to fill it up. This gentlemen told my friend, "how sad that must be. To be unhappy. If you have that much wealth, and are unhappy, where do you go from there?"
So my friend asks him, what is the secret to his happiness. The gentleman points out 1) work 110% whether or not someone is watching. I think this puts pride in your work, and helps your company to succeed, thus, hopefully, giving you success as well. 2) If you find something that gives you passion, go get it and go do it, life is too short. This can be your job, or something outside your job, but by finding this, it gives that spark in your life. 3) Smile at others. We never know what situation others are in, smile at them, be kind and help others.
In Tenrikyo, we have a word called Hinokishin. This is an act that we physically do to show our gratitude to God. In every sense, it is something we do for ourselves, but the action should be helpful to others. A kind word, even a smile can be hinokishin. By saving others we, in turn, will be saved.
I will do my best to practice this too; let's smile at others. Let's share our wealth.
Let us also lend our prayers that the members of HBH have a safe trip to Jiba this month.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
June Message
I have come to realize that there is a fine line between Arrogance and Pride.
This fine line has been avoided totally by putting pride in the same category as arrogance.
I think there is nothing wrong with pride. It is good to be proud of your accomplishments. By going in the other direction, and think we aren't good enough for anything, I believe, is actually more harmful. Just as there is a fine line between Arrogance and Pride, there is a fine line between Humility and Self-Disparagement.
Some people feel that being humble means you have to put yourself down, but that is not the case. Being humble simply is that you do not brag to others, or feel yourself better than others. In our list of Dusts of the Mind, Arrogance is a very strong one. It encompasses other "dusts" as well. By being arrogant, we practice self-love, or loving only yourself. Sometimes it awakens covetousness, or another word in this case may be envy. This is especially if you find someone else might be "better" than you or getting close to be; and this dust uncovers greed. Eventually anger and then hatred. It is definitely a dust that will awaken others, so it is naturally one that we would like to avoid.
But let us keep in mind, that in Tenrikyo, our goal is not to avoid dusts, but to sweep them away. Oyasama, our Foundress, has said that if you sealed a home, that dusts will still enter. We, as humans, will be gathering dust, we just need to sweep them away. One way, of course is doing the Service. The Service is amazing. If you put your all into it, the singing and the hand movements will calm you and put you in a position of better perspective. Other than the Service is to do other things that counter the dust.
We do need to be careful though. If it is arrogance that we carry, we may try to help others in the areas we feel we are good at, it may increase your arrogance, such as wanting/needing to take credit or having a need to be recognized.
Having pride does not mean you are not humble. Criticizing yourself severely does not mean you are practicing humility. It is okay to have pride. Here is are some ways to recognize the difference between pride and arrogance. If you do something well, and you are happy with it, that is pride. If you need to tell others of your accomplishment, then it becomes a step toward arrogance. "But we need to be honest if people ask," you say. Yes, that is true, so if you need to tell others so that you get credit, and that becomes important, then it is a step toward arrogance; if you need to tell others because they ask and demand the truth, then it probably isn't. If you are happy with your progress, but someone else does the finishing touches, and you are okay with it, that is pride. If it had to be you that delivers the last touches, it is arrogance.
So how should we react if we are complimented? Say, "thank you." Believe it or not, sometimes telling others, "no, you're wrong, what I did isn't that good," is not an act of humility, but rather an act of arrogance. We're telling others that they are wrong. It is not the intent, but it is what the action is. But we do not want to increase the "big-headedness" by saying thank you? Then we can add, "you are very kind; I did not realize that what I did was that important. Thank you."
To all of you, Thank you for your contributions everyday.
This fine line has been avoided totally by putting pride in the same category as arrogance.
I think there is nothing wrong with pride. It is good to be proud of your accomplishments. By going in the other direction, and think we aren't good enough for anything, I believe, is actually more harmful. Just as there is a fine line between Arrogance and Pride, there is a fine line between Humility and Self-Disparagement.
Some people feel that being humble means you have to put yourself down, but that is not the case. Being humble simply is that you do not brag to others, or feel yourself better than others. In our list of Dusts of the Mind, Arrogance is a very strong one. It encompasses other "dusts" as well. By being arrogant, we practice self-love, or loving only yourself. Sometimes it awakens covetousness, or another word in this case may be envy. This is especially if you find someone else might be "better" than you or getting close to be; and this dust uncovers greed. Eventually anger and then hatred. It is definitely a dust that will awaken others, so it is naturally one that we would like to avoid.
But let us keep in mind, that in Tenrikyo, our goal is not to avoid dusts, but to sweep them away. Oyasama, our Foundress, has said that if you sealed a home, that dusts will still enter. We, as humans, will be gathering dust, we just need to sweep them away. One way, of course is doing the Service. The Service is amazing. If you put your all into it, the singing and the hand movements will calm you and put you in a position of better perspective. Other than the Service is to do other things that counter the dust.
We do need to be careful though. If it is arrogance that we carry, we may try to help others in the areas we feel we are good at, it may increase your arrogance, such as wanting/needing to take credit or having a need to be recognized.
Having pride does not mean you are not humble. Criticizing yourself severely does not mean you are practicing humility. It is okay to have pride. Here is are some ways to recognize the difference between pride and arrogance. If you do something well, and you are happy with it, that is pride. If you need to tell others of your accomplishment, then it becomes a step toward arrogance. "But we need to be honest if people ask," you say. Yes, that is true, so if you need to tell others so that you get credit, and that becomes important, then it is a step toward arrogance; if you need to tell others because they ask and demand the truth, then it probably isn't. If you are happy with your progress, but someone else does the finishing touches, and you are okay with it, that is pride. If it had to be you that delivers the last touches, it is arrogance.
So how should we react if we are complimented? Say, "thank you." Believe it or not, sometimes telling others, "no, you're wrong, what I did isn't that good," is not an act of humility, but rather an act of arrogance. We're telling others that they are wrong. It is not the intent, but it is what the action is. But we do not want to increase the "big-headedness" by saying thank you? Then we can add, "you are very kind; I did not realize that what I did was that important. Thank you."
To all of you, Thank you for your contributions everyday.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
May Message
Lately, I've been hearing a term describing the younger generation of adults today. This term is "millennials." Now, I would like to mention that there are many people in that age group that are not the typical "millennial."
For those who do not know who "millennials" are, they are basically described as a generation that feel a sense of entitlement, even though they haven't worked at anything. Many people say that this may be due to "babying" them as a child. The idea of "everyone gets a medal."
Now, as an educator, I feel that everyone deserves a fair shot at proving themselves, and I also believe, that anyone who works hard at what they do will be successful, but not everyone will be getting a medal if going into some sort of competition. At the same time, not winning a medal doesn't mean you are a failure, just that you weren't the best that day with the people who were there. After all, if you think of the Olympics, all the nations are sending their best athletes, just because they do not win that gold, silver, or bronze doesn't mean they aren't good, they are one of the best that their country has to offer... and yet, even if they are the best, in a competitive setting, they cannot all get the top three placement, it's just how it is.
Again, I do realize that this is a generalization, and like any generalization, there are examples that go in the opposite direction. I am not making a message about "millennials" but rather the concept behind it. The fact that we tend to feel entitled, when spoiled, when provided for.
Teaching in school, I have students work for answers, and in some instances, I have given some answers. In general, when students work for answers, whether in fun lessons, or difficult ones, the information tends to stay, and when given, they are often forgotten... at least after the test. This seems to be the same for material things as well. In my younger days, I would personally treat instruments better if I had purchase them myself than if it was given to me. Now, of course, I treat all instrument as best as I can.
Perhaps this is what God the Parent has in mind. Happiness comes from our minds, we create it. It really is not an outside force that makes us happy. When we witness something or experience something, we make a decision if it makes us happy or not. Wars, conflict, are all made by we human beings, and it is we human beings that must find solutions to it. And this is why I feel God does exist.
Many people would ask me, if God exists, why is there war. My answer is, there is war because there are human beings who conflict. God can easily give us peace, and make us happy, but if God does this, we will never appreciate those moments. Unfortunately, we often appreciate things when they are gone, and sometimes, when we witness our friends in conflict, hear of other countries go to war, God allows us to hear it, as an admonition, or warning. Appreciate what you have now.
Never give up. When you hear or are face to face with conflicts, keep going and try to achieve your goals. There are people who will support you, but never expect it to be handed to you, and when you can, support others.
Thank you very much.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
April Message
Thank you for your performance in today's Monthly Service.
We have an increase in the musical instruments being performed today, making the service music seem fuller. It is interesting. I was driving on the freeway, and I saw a sign that said, "too stupid for science? Try religion." After seeing that sign, I wondered why those two things were separated. God the Parent has said that he created doctors and medicine. In the Osashizu, the Divine Directions, there is a passage that basically scolds the followers by stating that at no time has God told them never to go to a doctor. We use doctors to find the root cause of our illness. We have symptoms, but underneath the symptoms lies the cause. We often have coughs. We drink medicine to stop the coughs. Instead we should drink the medicine that will cure what is causing the cough. Doctors, though they do give the medicine for stopping coughs so we can be more at ease, do not stop there, instead they find the root cause. Once we find the root cause, we can begin the healing, not just physically, but spiritually as well.
Science and religion. We in Tenrikyo shouldn't be afraid of what would be discovered in science. There are a research going on by doctors who are Tenrikyo, scientist who are familiar with Tenrikyo, and they often are amazed at how the teachings are explaining in simple terms what is happening to our bodies that science can explain in more complex terms.
This past summer I had taught biology. I always have a fascination for this subject area, as the better I understand this, the better I teach music and dance. There were so many discoveries of connections to Tenrikyo that I made, but one simple phrase in the textbook stands out in my head, and that was: the skin is an organ that has the function of joining. Of course there is more, but how surprised I was that the text in a non-religious science book was so close to what Oyasama has taught us.
Speaking of school, we had a presentation by neurologist come to our school, and they showed us examples of CAT scans of the human brain during certain emotions. The frontal lobe of the brain is where we reason, think logically. Near the cortex is our defensive reaction. When a person feels threatened, the brain activity is non-existent in the frontal lobe, which makes sense. If you have an encounter with a tiger that is ready to pounce on you, you don't want to spend time reasoning with it, survival is critical. That being said, if you scold a child, and they start to fear you, they will not be thinking logically, or communicate with you properly because there will be no activity in the frontal lobe. This is the same, not only for fear, but for anger, depression, and so on. A joyous state of the mind is important for logical thinking, and survival, as the activity of the brain is more evenly distributed. This is not to say to keep children in a happy state or never scold a child. They need to have challenges and sometimes losses. When they encounter these, they need to learn to calm their minds and think of solutions, and parent should not stay in the state of scolding if it seems like the child is not responsive. Through the service, we can calm our minds and think more logically.
But going back to the musical instruments today. There are so much research that individuals are doing looking at the songs of service. For example, it was told to me that the tempo was key to making the service joyous. Too fast, and people will get anxious and tense, too slow and it will sound depressing and sad, the right tempo will make the service sound wonderfully joyous. What is the proper tempo? I heard that the key lies in time that was recorded when Oyasama hid her physical form. It is recorded the time they began the service, and the time it ended. This was told to me.
Many ministers have told me that the musical instruments of the service represented different parts of the body. Taking this thought in mind, when we are sick, or hurt, there are parts of the body that doesn't function properly, or at all. For example when we have a cold, sometimes we lose the function of taste. When we lose these parts, we often get discouraged, and feel sad. When we are able to use them again, we become overjoyed. When we are healthy, we are joyous. So as we increase the amounts of instruments played, we become more joyous. It is very fascinating to me.
We should take the time to explore and not be afraid of what we'll find. Look to the Truth of Origin. There are many clues that will help us move toward the Joyous life. I believe that we'll deepen our faith and our understanding of our faith through what we will discover.
We have an increase in the musical instruments being performed today, making the service music seem fuller. It is interesting. I was driving on the freeway, and I saw a sign that said, "too stupid for science? Try religion." After seeing that sign, I wondered why those two things were separated. God the Parent has said that he created doctors and medicine. In the Osashizu, the Divine Directions, there is a passage that basically scolds the followers by stating that at no time has God told them never to go to a doctor. We use doctors to find the root cause of our illness. We have symptoms, but underneath the symptoms lies the cause. We often have coughs. We drink medicine to stop the coughs. Instead we should drink the medicine that will cure what is causing the cough. Doctors, though they do give the medicine for stopping coughs so we can be more at ease, do not stop there, instead they find the root cause. Once we find the root cause, we can begin the healing, not just physically, but spiritually as well.
Science and religion. We in Tenrikyo shouldn't be afraid of what would be discovered in science. There are a research going on by doctors who are Tenrikyo, scientist who are familiar with Tenrikyo, and they often are amazed at how the teachings are explaining in simple terms what is happening to our bodies that science can explain in more complex terms.
This past summer I had taught biology. I always have a fascination for this subject area, as the better I understand this, the better I teach music and dance. There were so many discoveries of connections to Tenrikyo that I made, but one simple phrase in the textbook stands out in my head, and that was: the skin is an organ that has the function of joining. Of course there is more, but how surprised I was that the text in a non-religious science book was so close to what Oyasama has taught us.
Speaking of school, we had a presentation by neurologist come to our school, and they showed us examples of CAT scans of the human brain during certain emotions. The frontal lobe of the brain is where we reason, think logically. Near the cortex is our defensive reaction. When a person feels threatened, the brain activity is non-existent in the frontal lobe, which makes sense. If you have an encounter with a tiger that is ready to pounce on you, you don't want to spend time reasoning with it, survival is critical. That being said, if you scold a child, and they start to fear you, they will not be thinking logically, or communicate with you properly because there will be no activity in the frontal lobe. This is the same, not only for fear, but for anger, depression, and so on. A joyous state of the mind is important for logical thinking, and survival, as the activity of the brain is more evenly distributed. This is not to say to keep children in a happy state or never scold a child. They need to have challenges and sometimes losses. When they encounter these, they need to learn to calm their minds and think of solutions, and parent should not stay in the state of scolding if it seems like the child is not responsive. Through the service, we can calm our minds and think more logically.
But going back to the musical instruments today. There are so much research that individuals are doing looking at the songs of service. For example, it was told to me that the tempo was key to making the service joyous. Too fast, and people will get anxious and tense, too slow and it will sound depressing and sad, the right tempo will make the service sound wonderfully joyous. What is the proper tempo? I heard that the key lies in time that was recorded when Oyasama hid her physical form. It is recorded the time they began the service, and the time it ended. This was told to me.
Many ministers have told me that the musical instruments of the service represented different parts of the body. Taking this thought in mind, when we are sick, or hurt, there are parts of the body that doesn't function properly, or at all. For example when we have a cold, sometimes we lose the function of taste. When we lose these parts, we often get discouraged, and feel sad. When we are able to use them again, we become overjoyed. When we are healthy, we are joyous. So as we increase the amounts of instruments played, we become more joyous. It is very fascinating to me.
We should take the time to explore and not be afraid of what we'll find. Look to the Truth of Origin. There are many clues that will help us move toward the Joyous life. I believe that we'll deepen our faith and our understanding of our faith through what we will discover.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
February Message
Thank you for your participation in this month's monthly service.
Last month in January, I was able to return to Jiba for the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama.
About one week before leaving, I received a call from someone affiliated with Shuto Grand Church, and this person notified me that there was no more rooms available at the Dormitory, where I normally will stay. At first I was in denial, as I had made reservations ahead of time, but as I listened to the person explain how I was supposed to be notified by another person a couple of months ago of this situation, I realized that I needed to make alternate plans. But, as I told the person on the other end, please don't worry, I am used to being placed in this type of situation.
Luckily, one of my good friends who lives in Tenri offered me a place to stay at his house. I was very grateful. Now, my friend is a very happy-go-lucky type of person, and because of this, there are those that judge him unfairly. They sometimes would treat him as if he was a lower-class citizen, or as if he did not possess a fair amount of intelligence.
Based upon my conversations with him, I have found him to be quite intelligent. He is a little child-like, but that is what makes him great. This innocence that he has, allows him to forgive others. He doesn't seem bothered by the reactions he receives from others that do not know him very well. And after living with him for a couple of days and nights, and talking with him, his generosity and kindness overwhelms his very being, and it makes me feel more energetic and less tense.
I often wished to have this type of effect on others, but with the stress of work, sometimes this is difficult for me to do. But my friend's willingness to forgive others, is the key to what makes him what he is. By forgiving others, he doesn't carry their burden or stress, and instead give to them, without expecting anything in return. This feeling overwhelmed me to the point that I felt so good, each time I went out into the town whether to sanpai, or meet with other friends.
One particular situation that I remember was meeting a person whom I had a falling-out with. For some reason, we didn't see eye to eye on an issue, and I was too stubborn to let go of my point of view. Before I left Japan to return to Hawai`i, this person was relocated to Peru, to the overseas headquarters there. He came back to Japan a few times to give reports, and I would see him, but he looked very stressed and we didn't exchange any more words than grunts to each other.
After returning to Hawai`i, I felt a sense of regret for not letting go of my point of view, because on hindsight, it wasn't that important. In fact, there was a middle ground that would have satisfied both of us.
So, fast-forward to 2016, I prayed that I could see him once more, just to let go of the negativity. Because of my friend, I learned forgiveness, and was overwhelmed with forgiveness, that I just let go. I was at the entrance of the workplace I was at where we had the falling-out, and I forgave him, and hoped that he forgave me as well. This thought was so strong, that I truly felt weight being lifted off of my shoulders. As I turned to leave, that person was coming up the stairs. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. We hugged and greeted each other as if the falling-out never happened. My eyes literally filled with tears of joy, and I realized the importance of forgiveness.
I know that it is difficult sometimes to forgive. Depending on the situation, it may even seem impossible. But I ask you all too to try to embrace this feeling of forgiveness. Perhaps not for major issues, but start with the small ones. Grudge-bearing is a dust that we all carry. And in the same way dust settles in you house, we want to sweep them away. Forgiveness is a great way to sweep them all away. It leads to generosity and kindness. In my case it even led to JOY! For me, it was a lesson, of how you and I may take a step closer to the Joyous Life.
Thank you all for you kindness in listening to my message.
Last month in January, I was able to return to Jiba for the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama.
About one week before leaving, I received a call from someone affiliated with Shuto Grand Church, and this person notified me that there was no more rooms available at the Dormitory, where I normally will stay. At first I was in denial, as I had made reservations ahead of time, but as I listened to the person explain how I was supposed to be notified by another person a couple of months ago of this situation, I realized that I needed to make alternate plans. But, as I told the person on the other end, please don't worry, I am used to being placed in this type of situation.
Luckily, one of my good friends who lives in Tenri offered me a place to stay at his house. I was very grateful. Now, my friend is a very happy-go-lucky type of person, and because of this, there are those that judge him unfairly. They sometimes would treat him as if he was a lower-class citizen, or as if he did not possess a fair amount of intelligence.
Based upon my conversations with him, I have found him to be quite intelligent. He is a little child-like, but that is what makes him great. This innocence that he has, allows him to forgive others. He doesn't seem bothered by the reactions he receives from others that do not know him very well. And after living with him for a couple of days and nights, and talking with him, his generosity and kindness overwhelms his very being, and it makes me feel more energetic and less tense.
I often wished to have this type of effect on others, but with the stress of work, sometimes this is difficult for me to do. But my friend's willingness to forgive others, is the key to what makes him what he is. By forgiving others, he doesn't carry their burden or stress, and instead give to them, without expecting anything in return. This feeling overwhelmed me to the point that I felt so good, each time I went out into the town whether to sanpai, or meet with other friends.
One particular situation that I remember was meeting a person whom I had a falling-out with. For some reason, we didn't see eye to eye on an issue, and I was too stubborn to let go of my point of view. Before I left Japan to return to Hawai`i, this person was relocated to Peru, to the overseas headquarters there. He came back to Japan a few times to give reports, and I would see him, but he looked very stressed and we didn't exchange any more words than grunts to each other.
After returning to Hawai`i, I felt a sense of regret for not letting go of my point of view, because on hindsight, it wasn't that important. In fact, there was a middle ground that would have satisfied both of us.
So, fast-forward to 2016, I prayed that I could see him once more, just to let go of the negativity. Because of my friend, I learned forgiveness, and was overwhelmed with forgiveness, that I just let go. I was at the entrance of the workplace I was at where we had the falling-out, and I forgave him, and hoped that he forgave me as well. This thought was so strong, that I truly felt weight being lifted off of my shoulders. As I turned to leave, that person was coming up the stairs. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. We hugged and greeted each other as if the falling-out never happened. My eyes literally filled with tears of joy, and I realized the importance of forgiveness.
I know that it is difficult sometimes to forgive. Depending on the situation, it may even seem impossible. But I ask you all too to try to embrace this feeling of forgiveness. Perhaps not for major issues, but start with the small ones. Grudge-bearing is a dust that we all carry. And in the same way dust settles in you house, we want to sweep them away. Forgiveness is a great way to sweep them all away. It leads to generosity and kindness. In my case it even led to JOY! For me, it was a lesson, of how you and I may take a step closer to the Joyous Life.
Thank you all for you kindness in listening to my message.
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