Vol. 23 # 4
People are the Beloved Children of Kami
Kami is always smiling upon us, wishing us peace and happiness. Kami cherishes human beings as Kami’s beloved children and tries to extend a helping hand in times of trouble. Konko Daijin describes this relationship as follows.
VU5 - “Since Kami is the parent of all people, Kami would not allow precious children to suffer. When you have your own children, you will understand.”
VU31 – “If people receive divine blessings, then Kami and Konko Daijin will be happy. If people prosper and receive divine blessings, Kami is fulfilled. When people do well, Kami and Konko Daijin do well.”
However, many people do not rely on Kami. Instead, they try to do everything by themselves. It's fine when things are going well, but when things go wrong, people rely on other people and/or things. Even so, it doesn't always go well, and then for the first time, people turn to Kami. It is often said that "we rely on Kami only in desperate times", but Kami is always there to extend a helping hand. Kami treats the hardships and sufferings of people as Kami’s own sufferings.
Konko Daijin reveals the heart of Kami with the following teachings.
VU33- “The more trouble and worry a child causes, the more compassion the parent has. Similarly, the more people do not understand Kami’s heart, the more compassion Kami will have. A child who asks his parents for something sweet may be given it. But a child beckoned by his parent may rebel and run away. The parent will then become compassionate and wonder how the child is doing. Kami’s compassion for people is the same as parents’ compassion for their children.”
Kami wants us to "have faith and receive divine blessings." "Have faith" refers to turning one's heart toward Kami, consulting with Kami about anything, and working with Kami. Kami said,
VU38 – “Ask Kami for anything. Kami receives all requests.” Kami wants to be relied upon. Kami is always waiting for us to make requests. So don't be shy - ask Kami for anything.
vu213 - “Relying on Kami regularly is the same as being friends with Kami. Kami will even listen to your impossible requests. Kami will turn major misfortunes into minor ones and make minor ones disappear.”
VU216 - “When you need help during times of crisis, it’s too late to reach out to people you’re not on good terms with. Likewise, it will be too late to reach out to Kami during times of emergency if you don’t practice faith every day.”
Konko Daijin teaches us that it is important to ask Kami for anything in our lives, anytime, anywhere. This will make it easier for us to communicate with Kami freely and openly.
Towards the end of the Divine Call, there is a passage in which Kami asks Konko Daijin to save people through Mediation.
“There are many people like yourself, who have sincere faith in kamis but still have many problems. Help these people by performing Mediation. This will help Kami and save people. Kami is Kami due to people and people is people due to Kami. Thus, Kami supports people as Kami’s child, and people support Kami as their parent. There will be eternal prosperity through mutual inter-dependency.”
This Divine Call compares the relationship between "Kami and People" to that of "Parent and Child", representing the wish of Kami, and expresses the relationship between Kami and people to help each other.
Those who believe in Konko Daijin’s faith should rely on Kami at all times and in all things. Let us live together with Kami.
NU
Announcements from the Konko Church of Gardena
Morning service, Cleanup, and Shinto-kai meeting
The morning service will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 2. After praying, let us clean the inside and outside of the church together. After lunch, the Shinto-kai meeting will be held. Everyone is welcome to attend.
April Monthly Service
The monthly service will be held on Sunday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. This service will be held in the Mediation Hall.
Gardena Church Shinto-kai Chicken Curry Sale
There will be a Chicken Curry Sale hosted by the Gardena Church Shinto-kai on April 30. The curry will be served with potatoes and carrots with options of Mild or Medium Hot for $7.00. Order forms are available below. The deadline to order is April 23. Thank you!
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