“Kami-yo” in “nin-yo” By Reverend Shinkichi Kawai
“Now we are asked to live our lives with a “true and sincere faith” as our Founder taught. Amid in the society of the progressive worldwide secularization, we have to live “Kami’s Way” in our daily lives.
In Oboecho (Record of Revelations), the following revelation was written in 1880: Kami-Sama revealed,
“Right now the world is human-centered. All things are done by people’s own power, and many people are going against the teachings of the universe. Those who follow my teachings shall become connected to kami, and thus a living kami themselves. Long ago, it was a Kami-centered world. Now it is a human-centered world. Because of this, I shall teach people to return to a Kami-centered world. Difficulty and suffering are caused by people’s own hearts. Whether or not they can live a peaceful world also depends on their own hearts.” As stated, we are living in “nin-yo (human-centered world). And many people live confused, hurt, and suffer from various hardships. “The True Way of Faith” which is “the Way of Kami and people” was opened in this “ninyo,” and the world of inochi (life) to be helped will be born continuously. Therefore, “Kami-yo (Kami-centered world)” should be realized in “nin-yo” within Konkokyo, Konko hiromae, and believers’ home.
What kind of world is it that the inochi life can be helped? The inochi life does not mean an individual life nor biological life. This is the whole life that flows continuously from ancestors to descendants. It is the life that pass through the past, present and future.
Through a continuation of practicing “the True Way of Faith,” we are able to live our lives receiving the divine blessings in any situations. In any moment, we can walk such “the Way of Kami and people.” When our lives were tuned in by Kami-Sama, our ancestors and descendants who related to our lives are also saved at the same time. In this way, the way to receive blessings is open.
The world of secularization continuously cut deep into our lives. Now, it is the time bringing light of “Kami-yo” into right in the middle of “nin-yo” through our faith. Let us seek and practice true faith.
Seek, convey and support “true and sincere faith, and nurture, enrich, broaden and deepen the true and sincere faith
When we consider the Konkokyo as a practical “way” rather than an organized religion, we could describe our “way” as a “Way of Faith.” Our Founder taught, “Practice a sincere faith.” Therefore, the network of “care” should be brought out so that we could understand how to enrich, broaden and deepen the true and sincere faith.
Let us take “Toritsugi” as an example. “Toritsugi” consists of place for mediation, mediator, and the art of toritsugi. “Teachings” and faith stories are also important.Services and etiquettes are essential. There are all kinds of actors to nurture our faiths.
The Konkokyo faith has been enriched by a tradition that could nurture each individual faith. Therefore, our faith has been nurtured through tradition. For example, this tradition has been nurtured by a long history of Konko Church of Amagi, which is still alive in Hawaii. In the same way, varieties of faith from traditions exist in Konkokyo.
Our current mission is to create better conditions for each individual faith, so the faith will be nurtured and enriched.
For these reasons, we have to rediscover what could make our faith lively. Furthermore, we need to establish an environment and “care” network to learn and be guided to the “way” of “true and sincere faith.””
