Airshio*e rshio+ SENSE

Transcription

1 KONKO MISSION OF HONOLULU February Volume 4, Issue 2 Edited by Rev. Koichi Konko Airshio*e rshio+ SENSE I opened the back door of the church to go outside at night. I recognized sweet smell that I know. "I have smelled this." I reflected. It makes me calm and feel at peace. Then I looked down on my right side. I found many white beautiful flowers in a concrete pot. There are usually no flowers but just green leaves which looks like a cactus. I think it is one of the Queen of the Night because flowers bloom only at night. When the flowers bloom, there is strong scent around the pot. I am glad that I have the sense to enjoy this beauty and nice smell. I have to admit I didn't care for those things before. I have seen and smelled the flowers many times since I moved to Hawaii 7 years ago. I just thought, "There are flowers." I even didn't recognized the good smell. I try to be sensitive nowadays because I believe it is very important for practicing faith. To understand Ikigami Konko Daijin's Faith, Tenchi Kane No Kami-sama wants us to have. Especially after my wife told me what she sensed from a picture. I visited the Konko Church of Amagi, the parent church of the Konko Mission of Honolulu in Japan last week. I attended the 60 years memorial service of the founding minister of the Amagi church, Reverend Matsutaro Yasutake. I was also able to spend some time with my wife. She is one of the trainees there now until she receives a permanent visa to move to Honolulu. In her routine she cleans a certain room. She said there are pictures of the founding and the second head ministers of the Amagi church in the room. She wipes those pictures. As she wiped one of the pictures of the founding minister, she felt that he said, " I am happy to see Koichi here." She sensed it and shared with me. Making people happy make me happy as they expressed their happiness. INSIDE THIS ISSUE February & March Schedule... 2 KMH Community Service Day... 3 Faith Enrichment Study Tour... 3 Teaching from Konkokyo Kyoten 4 I Think... 4 Teaching of Rev. Kodama... 5

2 I think most people like to make people happy. We like to see happy face. I believe Mitama spirits, our ancestors and Tenchi Kane No Kamisama are the same. They like to see our happy face. When she told me I am making the Mitama spirit of the Reverend Matsutaro Yasutake happy, I felt happiness. I could attend the 55 years memorial service for the Rev. Matsutaro Yasutake 5 years ago, so I wanted to attend the 60 years memorial service. Of course I wanted to see my wife, too. This time I was able to visit Japan because of Reverends Masahiko and Sugako Yoshino and Reverends David and Megumi Yano worked together for the church while I was absent. Our effort makes the Reverend Matsutaro Yasutake happy, who was the mentor of the Reverend Masayuki Kodama, the founding minister of the Konko Mission of Honolulu. It seems I was the representative of the Konko Mission of Honolulu. My wife sensed Rev. Yasutake's feeling and believed it, so she told me her feelings. I was happy to hear that. I need to try to sense the wish of my ancestors and Tenchi Kane No Kami, the root of me. Now I need to train my sense to feel Kami-sama's wish. I know the Konko Faith is deeper than I think. The more I understand this Faith, The more wonderful I feel. I am glad I am a believer of the Konko Faith in Hawaii and want to spread this faith here. I hope it makes Tenchi Kane No Kami-sama happy. I try to be sensitive nowadays because I believe it is very important for practicing faith. Short Teachings from Various Material -Practicing faith, we are able to realize, It was a divine arrangement, that was a divine blessing. later. -Let us understand the work of Kami-sama. -Keeping in appreciative heart; wonderful discovery, joyous revelation with Faith. 2 FEBRUARY SCHEDULE Note: All church services will be held on Sunday, unless specified. 6 th 9:00a.m. Sunday Service 13 th 10:00a.m. Monthly Service for the Founder and Successive Spiritual Leaders & New Year s Pot Luck Party 20 th 9:00a.m. Sunday Service & Family Sunday 27 th 9:00a.m. Monthly Service for our Parent Kami and our Ancestors MARCH SCHEDULE 6 th 9:00a.m. Sunday Service & Board of Directors Meeting 13 th 9:00a.m. Monthly Service for the Founder and Successive Spiritual Leaders and Shintokai Meeting, Birthday Sunday 20 th 10:00a.m. Monthly Service for our Parent Kami & Spring Memorial Service for our Ancestors 27 th 9:00a.m. KMH Community Service Day

3 KMH COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY AT KUAKINI PLACE: Date: Kuakini Geriatric Care Center Hale Pulama Mau Auditorium March 27 (Sun.), 2011, 9:30 a.m. The Konko Missions on Oahu visits the Kuakini Geriatric Care Center once a year for their community service day. The 1 hour program includes singing, Konko Bon Dance, and balloon toss exercise. We have also had skits, hula dance, and kendo performance. I heard that Kuakini Geriatric Care Center asked if we can visit twice a year. I think they enjoy our program. We are not professional but we enjoyed spending time with them too. After visiting the care center, we will have lunch at the social hall of the Konko Mission of Honolulu. It is a good time to get together, so please join us for our community service. FAITH ENRICHMENT STUDY TOUR PLACE: KONKOKYO HEADQUARTERS, OKAYAMA, JAPAN DATE: JUNE 9 JUNE 17, 2011 Toritusgi medation of Konko-sama (the principal mediatior), the KMH young ministers presentation, Young believers gathering in Japan, Music festival, Konkokyo Independence Service, Lecture by Rev. Hiroshi Takebe (director of Konkokyo research institution) with English interpretation, Visitation of Konkokyo facilities. For more information please call Konkokyo Hawaii Center at or kmhcenter@hawaiiantel.net. Please apply by March 31, Konko-sama Short Teachings from Various Material -Teachings are very deep more than we think at first. -Kami-sama dears all people. -We have a tendency to write story of our life, rather than let Kami-sama create better story for us. Don t limit Kami-sama s divine blessings. -Move forward with Kami-sama instead of going by yourself. -If you depended on your ability since you are so smart, it would prevent from having Kami-sama s help. Even Kami-sama might take blessings out from you. -We think to understand things well. However do we understand deep enough? Worship Hall The Founder s Mediation Hall Administrative Office -Let us pursue true faith that creates joyful heart. Research Institute Music Festival The Founder s Tomb 3

4 Short Teachings from Various Material -Practicing faith, I will be saved and become happy by helping others. -Don t force others to follow your common sense. Theirs and yours could be different. -We can judge things based on only our experience. But our experience is not everything. -Encounter the true Konko faith. -Recognize Kami s blessings and love and return Kami for them. -Sincerity of good thoughts, thoughtful heart, doing a good deed with a conscientious and kind heart can polish our heart. TEACHING FROM KONKOKYO KYOTEN Konko Sama imparted, "All living things are given divine blessings. Never forget this grace. Among humans, there isn't even one in a thousand that receives true divine blessings." "Telling others, 'Receive the virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami yourselves,' is surely not misguided advice." [Konkokyo Kyoten Gorikai I Teachings of Konko Daijin, Ichimura, Mitsugoro # 27 page 26, Konkokyo Honbu 1987] I THINK... I was told the faith is balancing of the past. What we received and what we return should be balanced. It means we have to think about how much blessings we have received until now and what we should do for that in return. Everyday and every moment we receive daily blessings such as food, air, water, body function like Heart beating, blood circulation, and bowel movement. Actually we cannot name all daily blessings in our life. Just too many. So we need to appreciate we are here today at least, even though we are in good times or tough times, having illness or other problems. What is the true divine blessings? If I think about the life of the Founder, the true divine blessings is to understand the Divine Parent of the Universe, Tenchi Kane No Kami and having the ability to realize Kami's wish and try to actualize it through practicing faith. So first we as a human being and children of Tenchi Kane No Kami are the one to start to do something not to wait to fulfill the request to Kami We reform ourselves to become close to Tenchi Kane No Kami's wish. We can receive the virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami ourselves. We are the ones who have the responsibility for having true blessings and virtue. 4

5 TEACHING OF REV. MASAYUKI KODAMA There are natural calamities and disasters. There are wars. There are racial problems. There are problems between parents and children, between husband and wife, between brothers, between sisters. There are problems between men. These problems are not simple ones but complicated and difficult problems. However, if we have the character which Kami-sama has given us---the character that we can attain the same feeling and thinking as Kami-sama---then regardless of what calamity or disaster we face, we will not complain; regardless of what illness we have, we will not complain; regardless of what kind of person we may have to face, we do not think ill of him. The character that Kami-sama has given us is not merely to have no complaints, or not to be dissatisfied, or not to think ill, but to exert every effort Reverend Masayuki Kodama ( ) Founding minister of Konko Mission of Honolulu. Thus we can attain the qualities or Kokoro of Kami-sama, good health, prosperity, and peace. to create health, to create funds to sustain life and to work for peace, and also to pray so that all these things can be attained. Kami-sama has bestowed upon us mankind, the same Kamisama s Kokoro (Kami s Heart), namely: Kami Gokoro, sincerity, kindness, and Mitama. We pray for Toritsugi mediation so that these qualities within us can be drawn out. When these same qualities as Kami-sama s Kokoro are drawn out of ourselves, they bring forth many, many good actions: It brings good health; It brings prosperity; It brings peace. Thus we can attain the qualities or Kokoro of Kami-sama, good health, prosperity, and peace. This is the position or attainment of one who is saved (Tasukatta katachi). Translated by Mr. Norman Kobayashi Born in Fukuoka, Japan in Ordained Konkokyo minister in 1926, and moved to Honolulu for missionary work in Established Konko Mission of Honolulu in Interned for 2 years and sent back to Japan. Served at the Headquarters of Konkokyo while staying in Japan. Returned to Honolulu in 1950 and devoted himself to missionary work until passing away in He fostered disciples such as Rev. Haruko Takahashi (Established Konko Mission of Wahiawa), Rev. Santaro Sonoda (Established Konko Mission of Waipahu), Rev. Kiku Horibe (Established Lihue Propagation Hall), and Rev. Takiyo Nakai (Established Konko Mission of Wailuku). [In Memory of The Late Reverend Masayuki Kodama Konko Mission of Honolulu 1988]

6 KONKO MISSION OF HONO- LULU Daily Prayers: Weekdays 5:30 a.m. Sunday 7:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 7:30 p.m. 5:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. (Subject to Change) 7:30 p.m. From Shintokai: The Voluntary Membership dues is $20 per family and $10 for individuals. The dues are used for Shintokai related programs and activities such as New Year's Potluck Party, Family Sunday Activities, and purchasing flowers of condolence for members who have passed away. The Shintokai membership dues is voluntary. If you would like to pay your dues, please submit it to the Konko Mission of Honolulu. Thank you to those members who have already paid their dues for KONKO MISSION OF HONOLULU 1728 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii Phone: Fax: Konko Missions in Hawaii Church Directory Konkokyo Hawaii Center Konko Mission of Wahiawa Administrative Office 207 Muliwai Avenue 1744 Liliha Street Suite 304 Wahiawa, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii (808) (808) Konko Mission of Hanapepe Konko Mission of Hilo c/o Rev. Setsuko Okuno 58 Huapala Lane 1544 Molehu Drive Hilo, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii (808) (808) Courtesy of AKI KONKOKYO Konko Mission of Waipahu Mokukaua Street Waipahu, Hawaii (808) Konko Mission of Wailuku 2267 Mokuhau Road Wailuku, Hawaii (808) (808) yasutake-maui@hotmail.com