September 22, 2024 (Tenrikyo 187)
Head Ministers’ Meeting
Uphold the Truth of God, Not the Human Righteousness
Rev. Kanta Katayama
Honjima Grand Church Head Minister
(Summary)
Next month, on October 22, our church counselor, Rev. Yoichiro Miyamori, will be visiting Honjima.
On this occasion, I would like to read a part of his sermon given during last year’s autumn grand service here at Honjima. Please listen carefully as it contains an important lesson.
“This was when I was still in my early 30s. I was a vice chairman of the Young Men’s Association Headquarters back then, and because of my duty, I visited Rev. Toshitsugu at Honjima followers dormitory to ask him a favor.
Rev. Yoshie was already serving as the head minister at that time.
The reason for the visit was that I wanted to ask him if he could assign someone from Honjima to serve as a dorm counselor for Tenri high school boys’ dormitory.
Normally, you would need to ask the grand church head minister first to obtain an approval, but since it was rather an urgent matter, and I had to find a counselor and report to the president of the Young Men’s Association as soon as possible
Rev. Yoshie was at the grand church at that time. I thought, “What should I do?” and decided to go see Rev. Toshitsugu to ask him for his help.
While I was making the request regarding this matter, Rev. Toshitsugu listened to me in silence for a while, and then said, ‘Understood. I will ask Rev. Yoshie and make sure that this will be taken care of.’
Then, he said just one thing. Those words have stayed with me to this day. What he said was, ‘Don’t be an office clerk.’
At that time, Rev. Toshitsugu was already a Honbu-in. I was still a young seinen. Making a request to a Honbu-in from my position as a young seinen was something that one would normally not able to do easily, but he readily agreed and said, ‘Don't become a clerical worker.’ I still remember this now after all this time, but what did he mean? I didn’t understand at the time. Now that I think about it, these words of the Divine Direction come to mind:
There is no need for human righteousness. If you think in terms of human righteousness, you will be lacking in truth of God’s path.
(Osashizu, October 5, 1888 / Trial translation for this script)
There is another Divine Direction that says:
Without upholding God’s path at all and looking at the face of that one and the face of this one, upholding human righteousness. This cannot be called God’s path.”
(Osashizu, April 3, 1894 / Trial translation for this script)
Since I was only in my 30s at that time, I would make a plan thinking, “If I do this, it will turn out in like this.” I thought it would work out just fine as planned if I asked Honbu-in Rev. Toshitsugu. Also, I contemplated and came up with a strategy so that things would go smoothly. I think I was doing something from a sense of human reasoning, which is also called human thoughts.
However, the important thing is the spirit of single-heartedness with God. Did I put God’s intention first above anything else? Rev. Toshitsugu taught me in a few words by saying, ‘Don’t be an office clerk.’
There is a story about Oyasama handed over four cups of rice that She obtained, after working hard for it, without any hesitation to a visitor who just happened to stop by even though Oyasama was at the depths of poverty
Oyasama did not have calculations as to ‘What will happen in the future?’ or ‘What would happen if we had this rice?’ When humans use their strength of wisdom to think, “’f I do this, this will happen,’ or ‘If I do that, that will happen,’ or ‘If I save this, it will lead to such and such in the future,’ these are considered human thoughts.
Yesterday, while listening to an audio of Rev. Toshitsugu, I saw for the first time how this sanctuary was built. It was truly wonderful to learn about the splendid faith of the predecessors of Honjima, who followed the path with no human reasoning, and complete single-heartedness with God. I am really glad that I was able to understand this for the first time yesterday. I also felt a bit relieved yesterday, thinking that the people of Honjima, who follow in their footsteps, are surely walking the same single-heartedness with God, in a way that is no less than that of the predecessors.”
Again, the second year of the “three years, one thousand days” of the pre-anniversary activity period will be coming to an end in about three months.
I have heard various voices from Jiba, and I am sure that each of you are diligently carrying out your own resolution.
I would like us to keep in mind that it is only through the work of God the Parent and let God take care of our worries. I would also like us to do our best to help others be saved with a cheerful heart.
In the Ofudesaki, we read:
However difficult you think matters to be, you need not worry.
Tsukihi takes charge.
Ofudesaki XII: 71
God the Parent says, “Tsukihi takes charge.” I strongly believe that we should move forward toward the realization of the Joyous Life world while doing missionary and salvation work.
Thank you very much.
(Edited by Honjima Tsushin Editorial Staff)