August 2022 Voice of the Divine Parent

Vol. 22 # 8

What is the root cause of Hardship?

“People are unaware of Divine Blessings” = “People are unaware of the Way of the Universe”

Kami said “We are unaware of divine blessings.” So what are divine blessings? It is that human beings not only live between heaven and earth but are blessed to live between heaven and earth. Kami said the following to Konko Daijin:

People, while living between Heaven and earth, are unaware of Kami’s blessings. Shrines, temples, and houses all stand on Kami’s land. Without realizing this, people consult only the Days and Directions and are disrespectful to Kami. They suffer hardships due to these past offenses. [VU 70]

The idea that “people live between heaven and earth” is not human-centered; rather, it is from the perspective of the Universe looking upon people. From a human-centered perspective, although we may be rich with information, this can result in people being consumed with anxiety and worry. What is the blessing of living between heaven and earth? It is the life and workings of heaven and earth that allow the life and workings of humans. Being unaware of this, humans think that the life they have is due to their own power.

The truth that all things, including humans, are allowed to exist between heaven and earth, and that they are deeply connected with the Universe, is called "The way of the Universe."

What inevitably arises from not knowing "The way of the Universe" is the unconscious disconnection of the relationship between Kami and people. In other words, the idea that everything around me is “mine” and that everything that I accomplish is due to “my own power” is a result of our human-centered perspective.

What humans believe they own, such as land, raw materials, agricultural products, marine products, industrial products, and even money, are things that originated from the Universe. However, if we forget our connection to the Universe, we begin to believe that everything we have belongs to us. Even though this earth and other things all belong to the Universe, we think that they are our own. This results in the act of trying to own as much as we can

Everything is a part of Kami. People, while living between Heaven and Earth, are unaware of Kami's blessings. Because of this, people turn to Days and Directions (superstitions), which is disrespectful to Kami. The hardships they suffer are the result of not realizing Kami's blessings. [VU73]

This leads to the idea that everything we do is "because of my own strength.” Even though the ability to think and accomplish things are all gifts from Kami, we think that we are able to do all this by our own efforts. Such a thought process obscures our relationship with the Universe.

Right now the world is a human-centered world. All things are done by people’s own strength, and many people are going against my teachings. Those who do as Kami states will become a kami. Long ago, there was a kami-centered world. Now it is a human-centered world. Because of this, I will teach people how to return to a kami-centered world. Difficulties and sufferings are caused by people’s own heart. Whether or not they can live in a peaceful world also depends upon their own heart. [VU72]

People ignore the Way of the Universe; that is, they close their eyes to the Way of the Universe. Humans rely on their own power.

Many things that you own will disappear as soon as you are in a disaster. Even if we rely on our abilities, life itself is always in danger of disappearing. To cover that, people want a certain thing that guarantees them life. Because of this, people look for ways to provide security.

Here’s an example of how we commit irreverences to the Universe.

Year-round snow-capped Mt. Hood is about 50 miles east of Portland along the Columbia River. At the foot of the mountain is a town called Hood River, where orchards pioneered by the Japanese are thriving.

One day, when I was working at the Konko Church of Portland, a resident of Hood River asked the church to hold a memorial service for his wife, who died seven years earlier. I promised to hold her memorial service after hearing about her career. Later, his second wife, who accompanied him, told me that her husband was suffering from chronic high blood pressure and asked Kami to heal quickly.

She told me why he had high blood pressure. He went to Japan with the money he made from the orchard, invested it to make more money and was deceived. He lost a lot of money and every time he thought about this, he got angrier and angrier and his blood pressure rose. He suffered a stroke and was often rushed to the hospital. He told me, "I cut down trees, dig up the roots of trees, cultivate and clear fields, plant seedlings such as peaches, pears, and apples, water and fertilize them, and prune them to make them bigger. After all this hard work, the flowers bloom and bear fruit, which earned me a lot of money. I'm angry because I can't forgive them for deceiving me."

I thought that he must have put in a lot of effort and hard work. His story gave me a sudden thought. Despite the blessings of heaven and earth, I think it was not unusual for the land to be cleared in the sunshine of the summer but unusual in the harshness of winter. However, I felt strongly that it was a blessing from Kami and said, "You have received plenty of blessings from Kami to this day." He said, "Yes, I have lovingly raised the fruits." I said, "You have been fully blessed by Kami. Have you thanked Kami for the tangible work of the Universe? You said you grew it, but without the blessings of the Universe, trees will not grow, flowers will not bloom, and therefore, fruits will not grow. Do you understand the workings of the Universe?" He said, "But on my land, I have cultivated the seeds, planted tree seedlings, and carefully raised them." I replied, "That would be your work. But without the work of the Universe, neither your work nor your efforts can take shape. We people live amidst the blessings and workings of the Universe. Because you forgot this, someone will take away the wealth that you have earned. If you call someone who stole your money a thief, wouldn't you also be a thief who stole from Kami? He was convinced for the first time. "Reverend, you say something interesting. It is fun to talk with you. The angriness has subsided." At a later date, the couple often visited and brought pears and apples in boxes. "Reverend, you are right. To this day, I thought I had been living by my own power. I realized that I am here today due to Kami’s blessings.”

I hope this story helps you in your daily life.

Notice From the Konko Church of Gardena

Morning Service, Cleanup, and Shinto-kai Meeting

On August 7th, the morning service will be at 9 am. After praying, everyone will clean the inside and outside of the church. After lunch we will have a Shinto-kai Meeting. Anyone can attend the meeting. Let’s participate too.

August Sunday Service

Since the Konko Churches of North America Conference will be held on August 13th and 14th, the Konko Church of Gardena’s August Sunday Service will be postponed to August 21st, the third Sunday. Please do not make a mistake on the date. Service days are important days to remember your faith. I'm grateful if you don't forget this service day. Let us express our appreciation to the Divine Parent. Don't forget your grace in everything.

Chicken Teriyaki Sale

By Konko Church of Gardena Shintokai: Our Fresh & July Grilled Chicken

This Year our bento will only have dark meat (thigh)

FOR ONLY $ 12.00 OUR GRILLED BONELESS CHICKEN

Come join us on : August 28th 2022, Sunday. Pick up Time: from 11 am – 1 pm

Pick up location: Konko Church of Gardena 15722 S. Normandie Avenue, Gardena, CA 90247

Contact Info: (323) 847-0447 or (310) 327-3349 email: akiras2709@gmail.com