Vol. 24# 8
Let us pay tribute to Rev. Heiki Konko
Rev. Heiki Konko, the 5th Konko-sama, passed away on July 21. He was appointed as the 5th Konko-sama following the passing of his father, Kagamitaro on March 27, 1991. Rev. Heiki Konko served 6 terms for 30 years until his retirement on March 26, 2021. He provided guidance to ministers and believers of North America in cordial, proficient English.
I would like to share the speech he gave at the 2000 KMH-KCNA joint conference in Hawaii to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Konkokyo’s independence. Rev. Heiki Konko expressed his gratitude for the efforts of those who have worked hard to spread the faith of this path. He imparted, “I would like to walk on a path with everyone where our prosperity will materialize for Kami and people, people and people, and people and nature. As Kami’s children, let us surpass differences in our nationality, race, language, and culture and always understand and help one another, especially when we have to face much sorrow and suffering in our daily lives. The Konko faith is steadily growing throughout the United States, Canada, and Hawaii. I wish you all happiness and prosperity.”
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Rev. Heiki Konko for his prayers and mediation. He always prayed for the development of our faith and for our blessings. He sincerely wants us to communicate and work together with Kami.
Let us pray for his mitama and the protection of his remaining family. Let us offer our prayers to his mitama for his continued guidance of KCNA and the believers.
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, August 29 at 1:30 p.m. at the Headquarters
in Japan.
Rev. Kametaro Nakayama - Love your destiny and make the most of it Love and live your destiny - continued from July
When I was around 18 or 19, I was very vulnerable, and for a time I became skeptical and felt especially lonely in life. I began to lose both confidence and hope for the future. I resented my mother's carelessness and envied my friends who were enjoying their youth to the fullest. Finally, after cursing and hating my fate and suffering in agony, in an attempt to escape from this reality, I stabbed myself in the throat with a large pair of scissors that I had lying around.
The moment it pierced my throat, I was stunned.
My mother's face... her face when she worked in the mines, her daily visit to church, her face with beads of sweat streaming down her face as she carried me and my luggage on her back while we crossed mountain passes, and her content face as she expressed her gratitude during mediation with Konko-sama - all these images flashed before my eyes like a movie flashback. I was so shocked that I pulled the scissors out of my throat.
I realized it was not that I was living, but that I was being kept alive.
I felt regret for having resented my mother, even if only for a moment, and I cried and apologized. I then prayed earnestly for some way to be saved from this hardship
From then on, the teachings that I had only vaguely read or heard about began to have an impact on my life and I was able to understand them through my life experiences.
I believe it was Romain Rolland who said, "There is only one kind of courage in the world: to see life as it is and to love it."
I realized that I experienced this suffering and anxiety because I cursed and hated my fate, and that if I could change my mindset to the opposite of cursing and hating, I would feel more at ease.
The opposite of hating or cursing is loving. I had to see my fate as it was and love it. To love is to give life to what you love.
Just as the love between a married couple, parent and child, and teacher and student are all about dedicating oneself to the other person, loving one's destiny means accepting that fate, no matter how tragic, and making the most of it.
As Kami taught us, “There are many people like yourself, who have sincere faith in kamis, but still have many problems. Help these people by performing Meditation.” “This will help Kami and save people; Kami exists because of people. People exist because of Kami. Thus, Kami supports people as Kami’s children, and people support Kami as their parents. There will be eternal prosperity through Aiyo kakeyo, mutual interdependence.” I believe this is Kami’s will.
We are alive because of Kami’s love, and I believe that if we receive Ikigami Konko Daijin’s Mediation to lead a life of faith that is in line with Kami's will, we will receive true blessings for any difficulties we may encounter.
With this belief and condition, I began to feel grateful even for having one leg.
Through my mother's continued prayers and Mediation with Konko Daijin, the virtue of her faith fostered the seeds of faith in me, and at a moment when I found myself at the crossroads of life and death, she enabled me to realize the great path of Ikigami Konko Daijin.
To be continued in next issue
Exercises for the Mind/Heart/Spirit |
004 Brush your teeth carefully one by one |
Teeth have a surprising number of roles, including not only cutting food into small pieces to aid in digestion, but also creating facial expressions and assisting with pronunciation. Let's carefully polish each piece one by one, expressing our gratitude for your continued support and expressing our gratitude for your continued support. The same goes for caring for your own teeth and dentures. |
Konko Church of Gardena and Los Angeles Announcements
Morning Service and Gardena Church Shinto-kai meeting
On Sunday, August 4, we will be holding a morning prayer at 9 a.m. After praying, let’s clean the inside and outside of the church. The Shinto-Kai meeting will follow the cleanup. If you are interested, please join us.
July Monthly Service
On Sunday, August 11, from 10:00 a.m., we will be holding the Monthly Service at the Gardena Church Mediation Hall. After the service and lunch, a study session on the From Farmer to Founder- biography of Konko Daijin will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. All participants are asked to bring their book.
Gardena Church Work Committee Study Group
The GCWC will meet on Sunday, August 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to work on Farmer to Founder discussion questions. Please contact Rev. Uzunoe if you are interested in joining this group.
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