ANCESTORS BEHIND PURIFICATION
Message by Rev. Tetsuo Watanabe, President of SKK
Paradise on Earth Service, July 1 & 2, 2007,
Hall of Worship, Atami, Japan
Good morning and welcome to the Annual Ancestral Service. We have just
completed our July’s monthly service and the Annual Ancestral Service
expressing our gratitude that we are receiving wonderful blessings through
the practice of Sonen Jissen—practice of one’s faith through daily prayer
and meditation. I also offered my promise that we are committed to the
Great Work of the Divine Light Program with our ancestors supporting us.
Now that summer vacation is around the corner and many beaches are open
from today, I hope everyone will have a great break and enjoy the summer.
[July 1] We have just heard the wonderful faith experience from Mrs.
Sachiko Matsuda from Ikoma Johrei Center in Hokuriku Kansai District
(near Osaka and Nara). Thank you for sharing your experience, Mrs.
Matsuda.
[July 2] We have just heard the inspiring testimonial of faith from Mrs.
Yoko Tanaka, Taisho Johrei Center in Hokuriku Kansai District. Thank you
for sharing your experience, Mrs. Tanaka.
I would also like to introduce to you those members from overseas who are
attending the Service.
[July 1] There are seven from the United States, and ninety-one from Brazil
for a total of ninety-eight from two countries.
[July 2] Yesterday, we received 98 people, but today, three from the US,
and one from Portugal.
Please welcome them with a big applause. Thank you.
[July 1] I would now like to introduce to you a member of the House of
Counselors (Sangi-in) Mr.Tsurunen Marti, a member of Johrei, who is
spreading Meishu-sama’s Teachings in the political arena, and Mrs. Hisako
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Oishi, a former member of the House of Representatives. Please welcome
these two distinguished guests.
About the US visit
The people who came from the United States might know already, but I
visited the US from April 20th to May 3rd. It was an official visit that took
me many years to return after my previous visit to the US. I visited Los
Angeles, New York, and Miami, and attended the seminars for members and
lay leaders. I also attended the Annual Memorial Service at the
Headquarters.
After my talk today, there will be a video clip shown to introduce the
activities of North America. There will be testimonials of Sonen Jissen
practice and the seminars held in the above three cities in the U.S. You
might enjoy it as you can sense a new direction of Johrei Expansion in North
America.
I would like to acknowledge the Japanese members here on behalf of
ministers and dedicated members in North America for your earnest effort
and commitment in assisting in the improvement and beautification of the
Kyoto Sacred Grounds. I say this because I strongly believe that you helped
create the positive expansion in America by helping in the beautification in
Kyoto.
A song, “Do Not Stand at My Grave”
By the way, we are still in the rainy season, but look at this heat! We need a
nice breeze in this Hall! But the word “breeze” reminds me of a song
entitled, “A Thousand Winds.” Have you heard of it? The original English
title is “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep”.
Kyoshu-sama asked me if I knew this song, so I said, “Yes, I’ve heard of it
on TV at the end of last year, but I do not know exactly how it goes.” He
said, “I like the lyrics.” Kyoshu-sama lent me the CD, and I listened to it
repeatedly. I was really touched by the words. It is beautiful, isn’t it?
Let me share with you an early version, printed on a postcard:
Do not stand on my grave and weep;
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I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
Sandai-sama, the third spiritual leader, also likes this song.
We recently had the one year memorial service for the late Rev. Yoshioka,
the former president of MOA Museum of Art. Sandai-sama wrote a Haiku
poem specifically for his service:
In this cockcrow,
A thousand winds blow,
And gentle rain flow.
That morning, it rained slightly with a bit of wind. I felt the presence of Rev.
Yoshioka being there to show his gratitude for the service.
That song, “Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep”, became famous last
year in Japan after it was broadcast at the famous New Year’s Eve TV music
show. I have been told it has sold over a million copies.
There is some ambiguity as to the author of the poem. It was considered to
be written by Mary Frye, an American woman. According to the most
generally accepted theory, it was originally written for a German Jewish girl,
a friend of the author. The girl escaped from the Nazi’s, but her mother had
died back in her homeland. She was not able to pay her respects to her
mother in front of her grave, so Mary wrote the poem as part of her
condolences for her friend’s mother.
You might better understand after you have heard the background story of
this song, specifically what is meant by “Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.”
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You might wonder, then where the spirit is if it is not there at the grave, but
her later version quotes:
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
If you hear the verse saying, “I am in each lovely thing,” it could mean “I
am in you.” This part of the song heals the listeners’ pain and sorrow over
the person’s death as it reminds them of the spirit which exists in their heart
and memories forever.
I think the fact that this song became a hit is a good sign that Meishu-sama’s
Divine Work will be manifested in the near future. I can say this because
many people listening to this song can easily accept the concept of ancestors
existing within us. All we have to do is to practice Sonen Jissen as a
responsible act of kindness for our ancestor’s happiness, and show others the
blessings and miracles that will manifest. We will see the wondrous result
of helping others.
How can we perceive our ancestors’ wish?
Kyoshu-sama often teaches us that we should have a firm belief that our
ancestors exist within us. He also talks about the importance of having a
constant prayer that Meishu-sama’s wish will be manifested, and for us to be
used as an instrument of God and Meishu-sama together with our ancestors,
parents and others.
At this time, let’s renew our minds and hearts today, and study his guidance
carefully. I would like to mention one testimonial as part of the study.
The person in the testimonial lived together with her mother at her home in
the beginning of her marriage. Later, however, because of her husband’s
work, she and her husband had to live separately from her mother. Her
husband, by the way, changed his surname to hers because no male
successors were in the family line. As the years passed, and her mother had
to face some age-related difficulties, she started to feel that she would like to
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reside with her mother again. Coincidently, her husband offered to have her
move in as well to help with her care. They soon moved her in and started
to live together.
In the beginning, everything went smoothly, but later, problems began to
occur. Her husband became continuously upset with her, and he often
isolated himself in his room. She, in turn, also became upset at her
husband’s attitude especially when she was exhausted from the care of her
mother. She finally reached a point where she was not able to control her
emotions—her complaints and unsettling internal upset feelings.
It was during this turmoil that she attended a monthly service at her Johrei
Center. Her minister told her about the practice of Sonen of Gratitude. He
also reminded her that she try to express her daily gratitude by doing
something concrete and positive.
She told the minister that she once made a donation for her mother, and the
minister asked her, “Under whose name did you make it?” “Under my
name”, she replied. “Why did you not do it under your husband’s name?”
he asked.
Not understanding what he meant, she said, “She is my mother, and it was
my money that I spent freely.” The minister said, “Your mother is not just
your mother. She is your husband’s mother as well, and you are married to
him. Your income is basically dependent on your husband’s work; your
attitude regarding money is different from what it is supposed to be. I
suggest that you give an apology to your husband after going home today.”
Listening to the minister’s guidance, she realized an important point.
Although she was practicing Sonen Jissen, her attitude through her Sonen
was that of wanting to change her husband. This was not in accord with her
ancestor’s desires. Instead, her ancestors wanted her to know that she had
been lacking in respect and gratitude toward her husband.
Spiritually speaking, her husband became an important part of her family
line after marriage. If she made light of him, it meant that she also made
light of her ancestors as well. Her ancestors were giving her a message to
correct this mistake. After this occurred, she was deeply aware from her
heart that she owes her life to her husband, parents and ancestors.
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As soon as her attitude changed, her husband also unexpectedly changed.
He e-mailed her during his business trip saying that he had bought her
mother a gift. He also shared his experience with people in the Johrei group
saying that living with his mother in-law made him see and feel things he
was not aware of before. The wife reflected upon herself as well, and
realized that their relationship did not have good communication. She took
responsibility for her part in trying to improve their relationship.
In the morning, she told her husband what she felt, and she said, “I would
like to make a reasonable donation as a token of gratitude for what I had
experienced, but how much do you think I should give? Please decide on
the amount.” He quickly replied in agreement, and surprisingly, the amount
he wanted to offer was the same as what she was thinking.
Her final comment was, “I am so pleased that we are finally allowed to feel
oneness as a couple. My mother used to crawl on the floor because of her
physical condition, but now she can walk with his assistance. When I see
this, this is definitely a reflection of our ancestors being happy. I am so
grateful, and I owe everything to Meishu-sama.”
What do you think about this story, everyone?
The important part of this testimonial is that Meishu-sama’s work and her
ancestor’s strong support were vital in this success. She started to practice
Sonen Jissen, but her attitude initially was that of trying to change her
husband. She realized her mistake that she was not interpreting the message
of her ancestors correctly. This change occurred not because she made this
realization, but that her ancestors made her realize it through circumstances.
As Kyoshu-sama indicated, I also can clearly see, behind this story, the Love
of God who embraces each one of us as human beings as well as our
ancestors with His Grace and Care.
Let me point out another important point here. For those who change their
last name to their wife’s or husband’s name, or who have both names, it is
important to know that it did not just happen by coincidence, nor did it occur
because you decided it on your own. It happened because of the connection
we have from previous lives, and those ancestors we have had a previous
affinity to.
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You tend to think that the ancestors who are related to your immediate
family you are born into are the only ancestors you are connected to, and
you may hardly consider that your spouse’s family lines are also your own
ancestors. But this is a mistake as you might be ignoring your important
ancestors who exist without you knowing it.
You will understand this more clearly by thinking about our children. For
example, your children have both your ancestors and your spouse’s
ancestors in direct lineage as one family. You are also present in your child;
therefore, your spouse’s ancestors are connected to you through your child.
And, they also become yours as well.
For those who do not have any children, you can think of this process like
this. We are all connected to any people who may come in contact with you,
and they are your ancestors and offspring as well.
If you can accept this truth, the spiritual vibration of your family will
dramatically change. You can easily find a solution for relationship
difficulties by understanding your spiritual ties you have with spouses,
relatives, friends, etc. or any other relationships/people you may encounter
in your life.
Be grateful for problems
At this time, I would like to ask you a question. What is happiness?
Maybe you think that happiness means being perfect and having no life
struggles—no worries and no problems. If you think this way, you are
mistaken as I believe there is no one person in the world who does not
struggle with some issue, problem or worry.
Even if a person looks happy on the outside, everyone has at least one or two
concerns, worries or difficulties. This is a reality. Even amongst you in the
congregation, there must be some of you who are facing very serious
purifications that you cannot possibly solve in this lifetime, and who are
desperately trying to cope.
Maybe you wonder why God, who is the source of limitless love, gives such
sufferings to humanity. When I was young, I pondered upon this issue and
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questioned God many times. I eventually came to the conclusion that there
must be some deep, profound reason for this.
One reason, I concluded, is that God wants us to grow spiritually and nurture
within our souls a strong feeling of gratitude. Of course, it is a natural
tendency to seek our individual happiness, but when we seek our own
happiness, we tend to forget to be grateful for what we have, and we only
focus on the imperfections in our life. We eventually end our lives full of
dissatisfaction and disharmony.
Recently, I met an elderly woman. She was over 80 years old, and she does
gardening and farming to keep herself healthy and vigorous. She is grateful
for everything in her life, and she practices “Gratitude Sonen,” expressing
her gratitude for all things through her words such as “Thank you, God. I
was able to enjoy my breakfast this morning,” or “Thank you, God. I was
able to work on my farm today, picking weeds.
This elderly woman, however, cannot express her gratitude toward her
husband with whom she has had a long relationship with. She thinks, “Why
does he quit working on the farm so soon. He spends more time resting than
working on the farm.” Whatever her husband says or does upsets her. She
insists, “No matter how much my ministers tell me to be grateful, I can
NEVER, ABSOLUTELY NEVER, express my gratitude toward my
husband.”
I posed this question to her, “You have grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, don’t you?” She suddenly shared a big smile, and said, “Yes,
yes, I have many. My grandchildren are very lovely, but my greatgrandchildren are REALLY, REALLY cute and lovely.” I said, “So you
are really lucky and fortunate, aren’t you?” and she said, “Yes, I have a
happy, fortunate life. My daughter-in-law is very nice to me too. I am
grateful for everything in my life. This all due to the Grace of God and
Meishu-sama.” Her conclusion, however, is always the same, “...but my
husband is the exception.”
I jokingly suggested to this elderly woman, “Why don’t you attach pictures
of your lovely great-grandchildren to your husband’s forehead?” She
laughed at my suggestion, but understood my point.
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She began to see that without her husband, she would have neither her
lovely grandchildren nor her great-grandchildren. We are a conglomeration
of all our ancestors, therefore, in her situation, her husband exists within her
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If she really loves her grandchildren,
and is grateful for these cute great-grandchildren, then naturally she should
be able to be grateful for husband as well. If you think in this way, you can
be grateful for everything, even when something unpleasant happens to you.
God’s Love
There is another important reason why God sometimes gives us difficulties
or problems. It is to understand the process of purification as an expression
of God’s great Love to forgive, purify and save us.
When we face difficulties, let us seek God’s Will and deeply reflect upon
where we need to improve ourselves whether it be how we can better our
relationships with others, how we can better understand what our ancestors
want for us, or how we can better implement those ancestral messages in our
daily lives. Through our continual efforts, and through these trials and
errors, we are given permission for spiritual growth and spiritual elevation.
If we have any purifications that are not resolved yet, it is an expression of
God’s Love for us in order to train and nurture us to become a true child of
the Creator. If you truly understand God’s Love, you will believe that the
greater the purification, the greater Love and Blessings God is sending to us.
You will then try your best to face these purifications with a positive attitude.
I believe this is the step by step way for us to become closer to God.
In our prayer book, there is a Gosanka poem that says:
Those who love humanity and help people in need,
Are always loved and protected by God,
Wherever they may go.
No matter how much a person is loved and cared for by people around him,
by that fact alone he cannot create his own true happiness. You cannot feel
the Love of God just by wishing and waiting for it, but when you begin to
love people, serve others and help others who are in need, God will nurture
genuine love within you. God will then bless you with true happiness and
fulfillment.
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An important point is how you live your life, not how many years you live.
In Meishu-sama’s poem, he writes:
The human soul is priceless,
Repeating birth and death over and over again,
Growing and expanding throughout eternity.
We are born and reborn countless times, and through these reincarnations,
we learn to love others and love our ancestors. Through this process, we
ultimately learn about the depth of God’s Love, and we are guided to eternal
happiness.
At this Annual Ancestor Service, let this be a starting point to continue the
practice of Sonen Jissen. Let us develop a strong connection to Meishusama, as our Savior, and knowingly work together with our ancestors to
serve God as His Instruments of Love. We pledge this to God and Meishusama on this auspicious occasion.
Thank you very much.
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