Sermon at the Autumn Grand Service

October 26, 2005  (2)

Oyasama says that She will "return [everything] ten thousandfold." What does that mean? In material terms, I suppose one way to interpret it would be to say that you will no longer suffer any hardships or privations. Yet I believe we can also interpret it as saying that striving for single-hearted salvation while letting go of all self-serving thoughts and ideas about your needs and your family's needs will be rewarded with the joy of having many people be saved. Indeed, if you make a genuine effort to implement single-hearted salvation and are shown such a result, you will feel a joy that will surpass anything else.

Above all, falling to the depths of poverty means relying totally on God the Parent. It means to put an end to our common, worldly way of living that relies only on human knowledge and strength and, instead, to place our total trust in God the Parent and leave ourselves in the hands of God's providence. We will then be able to vividly feel God the Parent's workings.

Please recall how one of Oyasama's neighbors named Yuki Shimizu received the Grant of Safe Childbirth. The first time she received this Grant, Oyasama told her:

You must forget all human concern. Rely on God the Parent and have a delivery free from worry.

Nonetheless, Yuki ended up following the traditional customs such as the taboo on certain foods. Consequently, her post-natal recovery was not at all smooth. When consulted, Oyasama said: "It is because she harbored doubts." You must, of course, be quite familiar with this story. Even though, from Yuki's point of view, she was taking extra precautions that were meant to protect her, this did not accord with Oyasama's intention.

Later, when Yuki requested the Grant of Safe Childbirth for the second time, she vowed never to doubt God's workings again. This time, she followed Oyasama's instructions faithfully and was blessed with an unusually easy delivery. Her recovery was also smooth, as is recorded in The Life of Oyasama.

What this story teaches does not apply only to that lady or to the blessings associated with the Grant of Safe Childbirth. It applies to all of us now. That is to say, so long as we remain caught up in human knowledge, strength, or even common sense, we cannot perceive God's blessings as the blessings they are.

When Oyasama's family had no rice to cook, She gave Her children encouragement by saying:

[W]hen we drink water, it tastes of water. God the Parent has blessed us with exquisite gifts.

No matter how difficult their circumstances were, Oyasama taught Her children to be grateful for the boundless and unchanging providence of God the Parent.

Incidentally, those of us who live in this country are surrounded by modern conveniences so that just the flip of a switch is enough to turn on a light. We take it for granted that we can get water simply by turning the faucet on, and we are thoroughly accustomed to air conditioned rooms where we do not have to endure heat or cold. One wonders whether we can really appreciate how blessed we are by God the Parent's providence, which is sometimes typified by the workings of fire, water, and wind. It is true that the modern appliances are also the products of the training that God gave us in terms of wisdom and letters, and that they can help us on our journey to the Joyous Life. Yet we must remember that those things are nothing more than tools with which to work toward the Joyous Life. Also, the advances of our civilization have only been possible thanks to the providence of God the Parent in the first place.

Regardless of any changes that happen in our ways of life, God the Parent's workings remain unchanged. I believe, therefore, that we must make a personal effort to recognize God's blessings in the course of our everyday lives. First and foremost--and this applies even now--everyone who seeks to follow this path should make a point of inquiring into and savoring the true meaning of why Oyasama began Her path of the Divine Model by falling to the depths of poverty.

It was on this day three years ago that I announced Instruction Two. After that, we conducted Church Headquarters' official visits to directly supervised churches. We then organized District Lectures in an effort to ensure a thorough understanding of the message of Instruction Two on the part of all Yoboku and followers. The entire Tenrikyo community focused its attention on working to prepare for the 120th Anniversary of Oyasama, and we pledged to achieve implementation and spiritual growth that would bring joy to Oyasama.

Last year, which was the second year of the "three years, one thousand days" season, we called for acceleration of our pre-anniversary activities and concerted implementation. We conducted the Path Leaders Rallies intended for those who were to take the lead in each local community. The rallies were designed to urge participants to fulfill their roles as leaders at the forefront of the path and proactively help others around them get involved.

Immediately after last year's Autumn Grand Service, we convened a meeting at the Home of the Parent for the head ministers of all directly supervised churches, as well as their spouses and staff ministers. This year, which is the concluding year in which to complete our pre-anniversary activities, we have been making a concerted effort to accomplish the goals that we each set for this decisive "three years, one thousand days" season.

In addition to working with commitment to achieve implementation and spiritual growth appropriate for the current season, we undertook some construction projects in the Home of the Parent. In June the year before last, we commenced the construction for the westward expansion of the Sanctuary precincts and, in September that year, started work on South Right Wing 2 of the Oyasato-yakata building-complex.

The earth-carrying hinokishin for the westward expansion of the Sanctuary precincts drew many participants every day and, thanks to their sincere efforts, we were able to complete that construction considerably earlier than originally scheduled. As for South Right Wing 2, preparatory work is now underway for the 120th Anniversary commemorative exhibitions to be held in that wing.

Yesterday, we performed a service to express our gratitude for the completion of both of these undertakings including all the peripheral construction work. We then conducted a ceremony to open these facilities to followers and others. I would like to take this opportunity, once again, to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those followers who devoted their sincere efforts to these construction projects. Thank you very much indeed.

Although the construction projects are now completed, whether or not they will actually serve their purposes and attain the significance they are designed to have will depend on how we perform our tasks from now on.

It is for the convenience of people coming to worship that we expanded the Sanctuary precincts and constructed the West Approach to the precincts. We built South Right Wing 2 as a facility where people who return to Jiba can come into touch with the teachings or deepen their faith. Both these projects were undertaken in anticipation of the upcoming anniversary, yet neither is a commemorative project as might be imagined.

We undertook these construction projects because we considered them necessary to ensure that the path will continue to grow. Thus, the way to impart significance to these projects is to make sure that the Sanctuary precincts are always lively with people and that South Right Wing 2 is used by many people learning the teachings for the first time or seeking to deepen their understanding of the teachings.

From this perspective, too, I hope that you will perform your tasks earnestly throughout the remaining three months so as to lay a firm foundation for new progress. Every effort we make will certainly be rewarded with appropriate blessings shown to us. Also, the joy we feel at knowing that we have dedicated ourselves to the best of our ability will, I am sure, become our most precious treasure. This will also serve as a reliable springboard for our future journey and allow promising developments to occur in a variety of ways.

Oyasama, who is everliving, is working even now for the path of single-hearted salvation, with Her heart filled solely with parental love for Her children, all human beings. Wishing to bring joy to Oyasama, we conduct our pre-anniversary activities on our own initiative by setting apart a time period for a committed and concerted effort. It is out of a parental, loving desire to hasten the spiritual growth of humankind that Oyasama shortened Her term of life and withdrew from physical life, thus setting out to level the ground, saying, "I shall save the world from now." We carry out our pre-anniversary activities in order to respond to that parental love of Oyasama.

I sincerely hope that we will be able to observe the anniversary with joy and elation and a deep sense of fulfillment at having exerted our full measure of sincerity throughout the "three years, one thousand days" season. I also hope that the Home of the Parent will have a lively atmosphere throughout the year of the anniversary, with many people returning to Jiba as a result of all followers cultivating the mind of saving others and implementing salvation work. May I ask you, therefore, to continue performing your tasks spiritedly in the remainder of the pre-anniversary season. With this, I would like to conclude my remarks today. Thank you very much for listening.

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