Sunday School Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawai`I
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Origins No. 246 February 2012 Sunday School Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawai`i ORIGINS, February 2012 TENRIKYO NEWSLETTER – ORIGINS AND MAKOTO MISSION STATEMENT To provide information related to Tenrikyo Hawaii services, activities, and events for the Tenrikyo community of Hawaii and for the people in the State of Hawaii. To inspire and initiate interest in having faith in religion, namely Tenrikyo, by conveying the Truth of the Jiba in words, in the manner and heart of God the Parent and Oyasama. Inside: • pg. 3 Message from the Head of the Overseas Dept. • pg. 4 January Grand Service Prayer • pg. 5-12 January Grand Service Sermon Island Life: • pg. 13 Mochi Pounding in Ohana Festival, WA New Year's Party • pg. 14 The Reflection by Hironori Yamamoto for the Sunday School • pg. 15 BGA Leadership Camp & New Year Park Cleanup & BBQ • pg. 16-17 Tidbits, Obituary • pg. 18-19 Hungry Reporter, Activity Calendar 2 ORIGINS, February 2012 Message from the head of the Overseas Department January 26, Tenrikyo 175 The Home of the Parent, in its cold state from the beginning of this week, just got colder today. Many followers, bearing the cold, yearned for and returned to the Jiba. Along with those followers, recalling the hardships of Oyasama, we all prayed single-heartedly and spiritedly at the Spring Grand Service of the 175th year of Tenrikyo, with the Shinbashira as the core. The Shinbashira promised in his prayer to pursue the Truth of the origin, to realize the origin of the founding of the Teaching, and to strive to understand the meaning of the service at all times. In addition he promised to put the ever living Oyasama’s heart at ease by saving others with the service and sazuke, pressing forward on the path of single hearted salvation. The Shinbashira prayed for us to sweep away the wrong human thinking and to spread the Everlasting Truth to the suffering people in this unstable world and to lead us toward the Joyous World. Following the Service, the Shinbashira gave his sermon. The Shinbashira first recalled the days before Oyasama hid her physical presence in order for us to rethink and understand the intention of God the Parent. In addition, the Shinbashira would like for us, from the beginning of tomorrow, to put the intention of God into our lives. He further explained the process of how the Songs of the service were completed, while reciting parts of the Ofudesaki. In preparation for the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama, the Shinbashira talked about the 10th chapter of “The Life of Oyasama the Foundress of Tenrikyo” titled, “The Portals Opened.” In order for us to prepare for the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama, we should take hints of what the followers did before Oyasama hid her physical presence, which was realizing the importance in leaning on God and having a Single Heartedness with God while doing the service. Lastly the Shinbashira asks of us followers to think deeply about last year’s catastrophic disasters and to accept the will of God the Parent in regards to the deep regret and anger. And we should always focus our minds in saving others towards world salvation. (For the complete sermon, please refer to “TENRIKYO” published by Tenrikyo Overseas Department.) In addition, for today’s Spring Grand Service, there were 70 people returning from Korea, 30 people from Taiwan as well as the 150 total people returning from the U.S., Brazil Continued on Page 12 ORIGINS, February 2012 3 January Grand Service Prayer Before You, God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, who resides in this shrine, I, (Michihito Hamada, bishop of the Mission Headquarters of Hawaii) pray with reverence. God the Parent, You have nurtured and guided us over many long years since You created humankind out of Your desire to see human beings live the Joyous Life. Coinciding with the arrival of the Promised Time, You accepted Oyasama as Your living shrine and revealed the truth of the creation in detail, taught the service, showed us free and unlimited blessings, and guided us toward the path of the Joyous Life. Your affection and boundless blessings are truly more than we can expect. We are forever grateful for these blessings and we express our gratitude day and night as we spiritedly apply our effort toward the path of single-heartedness with God. Today is the day we are granted to conduct the January Grand Service at this mission headquarters. The 26th of this month signifies the original day when Oyasama, out of Her desire to save all people of the world even a day sooner, shortened Her 115 years of life by 25 years to step out and level the ground. We express our deep appreciation, as the service performers unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously in high spirits. Today, as you view the brothers and sisters of the path who have looked forward to this day, singing the songs of the service in unison, toward the realization of the Joyous World, we vow to strive evermore toward spiritual maturity and wish that by seeing this, You can be spirited as well. We Yoboku are striving to follow the path of the Divine Model and advance on the path of single-hearted salvation by diligently doing the Service and Sazuke. We humbly ask You, God the Parent, to accept our sincere request with Your unchanging parental heart to use us as instruments in world salvation. As we are all brothers and sisters who help one another, we will earnestly aim towards the realization of mutual help amongst everyone throughout the world. Please foster our minds and hearts with gratitude, modesty and the spirit for mutual help, and please guide us in eventually constructing a world of a harmonious union of God and humankind, the desire of God the Parent. Together with the congregation, I pray for these blessings. 4 ORIGINS, February 2012 Mission HQ January Grand Service Sermon Rev. Michihito Hamada Bishop of Mission Headquarters of Hawaii There will absolutely never be changes in words from God the Parent. However, coinciding with the advancement toward world salvation, changes occurred two times. One change was, that although it was stated that the natural term of life of Oyasama would be 115 years, She withdrew from physical life at the age of 90. And the other was, that a portion of the Songs for the Service, which, was previously taught, was Sweep Away Our Dust and changed. As human beings, even though Live the Joyous Life we voice our decisions as final, it is not At this time, I would like to acknowledge uncommon for us to implement changes your daily dedication toward single-hearted frequently. However, there surely must be salvation in your perspective roles. I am a tremendous significance in any change of sure both God the Parent and Oyasama are plans made by God the Parent. feeling much joy that we just completed the The shortening of Oyasama’s term of life January Spring grand service, which was by 25 years and the revision of the Songs for spiritedly performed. Thank you very much. the Service derived from the same incident. The grand service that was performed today Which were the circumstances surrounding is the result of God the Parent’s change in the confiscation of the Kanrodai. The plan for the advancement toward world Songs for the Service was completed prior salvation. As this will be the topic of my to that incident, and I would like to share talk today, I would like to ask for a moment the sequent of events that led up to the of your attention. confiscation. As it is written in the Ofudesaki, The Songs for the Service was taught Whatever Tsukihi has once said will from the time Oyasama was 69 years old. never become false through all time. The first part that was taught was, VIII: 70 ORIGINS, February 2012 5 Ashiki o harote tasuke tamae stonemason suddenly disappeared leaving Tenri-O-no-Mikoto the construction at a standstill. The situation that proceeded in the following year However, the original song was, was the confiscation of the stones by the authorities. God the Parent relayed the deep Ashiki harai tasuke tamae regret felt for this situation in following the Tenri-O-no-Mikoto Ofudesaki. This song is still used today when Despite this, it was taken away by My administering the Sazuke. children who knew nothing. Behold My regret! XVII: 38 The next to be composed was the twelve songs for the service dance. Following As a result, the Songs for the Service were that was the second part of the seated revised. The first part, service, ‘Choto Hanashi’, the 8 verses of ‘Yorozuyo’ and finally the third part of the Ashiki harai tasuke tamae seated service, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto Ashiki o harote tasuke sekikomu Was changed to, Ichiretsu sumashite Kanrodai Ashiki o harote tasuke tamae However, originally this song was written Tenri-O-no-Mikoto as, And the third part, Ashiki harai tasuke tamae Ichiretsu sumasu Kanrodai Ashiki harai tasuke tamae Ichiretsu sumasu Kanrodai When this part was written, it had been 10 years since the Songs for the Service Was changed to, was first taught. When the third part of the seated service was taught, the identification Ashiki o harote tasuke sekikomu of the Jiba was conducted and the place of Ichiretsu sumashite Kanrodai origin for the creation of humankind was revealed. Thereafter, the stone construction The sacred songs changed because God the that would mark the Jiba began, and Parent’s objective had changed.