Origins No. 259 March 2013 Lecture by a Church Headquarters Official Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawai`i ORIGINS, March 2013 TENRIKYO NEWSLETTER – MISSION STATEMENT To provide information related to Tenrikyo services, activities, and events in Hawaii for the congregation and the people of 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. Table of Contents • pg. 3 Message from the Head of the Overseas Department • pg. 4 February Monthly Service Prayer • pg. 5-9 February Monthly Service Sermon Island Life: • pg. 9-11 Kyoko Gakuen Highschool Study Abroad Program • pg. 12 Lecture by a Church Headquarters Official • pg. 13 Lead Singer and Flute Workshop • pg. 14 Follow Miss Kokan Seminar, In Memory of Rev. Suga • pg. 15 MHQ Announcements • pg. 16-17 Tidbits • pg. 18-19 Hungry Reporter, Activity Calendar MARCH MONTHLY SERVICE Sunday, March 17th at 9:00 a.m. Sermon by Mrs. Shigemi Nakao English Translation by Rumi Miyauchi 2 ORIGINS, March 2013 Message from the Head of the Overseas Department TENRIKYO NEWSLETTER – MISSION STATEMENT February 26, Tenrikyo 176 The weather here in Oyasato continues to be severely cold every day. However, today To provide information related to Tenrikyo services, activities, we are blessed with clear winter skies and fine weather. Many followers of the path have and events in Hawaii for the congregation and the people returned to Jiba and the February Monthly Service was performed joyously in unity with of the State of Hawaii. the Shinbashira as the core. In the service prayer, the Shinbashira stated, “As we are in the seasonable year for To inspire and initiate interest in having faith in religion, anniversary activities responding to Oyasama’s parental heart with decisiveness, we must namely Tenrikyo, by conveying the Truth of the Jiba in words, in the maintain a full awareness of our mission and strive to sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings manner and heart of God the Parent and Oyasama. and do salvation work. We must resolve to press forward the single-heartedness to God to follow the path of single-hearted salvation no matter what kind of situation we are in.” He also prayed to God for the spiritual growth of everyone, and for new beginnings and growth of this path, and resolved that as sanctioned branch churches of Jiba, each Tenrikyo church shall be the place to fulfill their mission of constructing the Joyous Life World. Following the service, Honbu-in, Rev. Mantaro Yoshikawa gave his sermon. Rev. Yoshikawa spoke about the service, sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings, and salvation work as he referred to the words of the Shinbashira from the Spring Grand Service. He mentioned that we should hold the mind of saving others when doing the service and that there is nothing more valuable than to pray for others which is the way to accord with God’s heart at the same time. He mentioned that the service of the monthly service in each church is performed by receiving truth of the Jiba, so we must do the service in a unity of mind in order to see a joyousness that people respect and help one another. This is how we perform the Joyous Service which makes us spirited. Rev. Yoshikawa quoted the words of the Shibashira, “Not only is the service important, but missionary work is also essential for the world salvation.” He spoke about the significance of saving others daily in our local communities as he shared his experiences. He encouraged us to follow the Shinbashira who leads us to the path of single-hearted salvation and to carry out our work during the “three years, one thousand days” in order to accomplish our resolution. TLI will conduct their graduation ceremony on March 8th (Japanese Language Course 34 students, Oyasato Fusekomi Course 21 students will be graduating). Before welcoming the new staff, everyone else will move to their new positions and offices of the Overseas Department on March 15th. Lastly, the Shinbashira will be visiting South Korea from the 11th of the next month. He will be attending the Installation Service of Tokuo Hamada as the 15th Bishop of the Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Korea on March 12th. Yoichiro Miyamori Head of Tenrikyo Overseas Department ORIGINS, March 2013 3 February Monthly 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. As we live in this world taught to us as the bosom of God the Parent, we constantly receive Your over-flowing grace and blessings, which grants us the free use of our bodies as we advance toward the realization of the Joyous Life world. These boundless blessings are truly more than we can expect. We deeply express our gratitude for Your grace, as we proceed in high spirits toward the path of sincerity, which we are shown through the Divine Model of Oyasama. Today is the day we are granted to conduct the February monthly service at this mission headquarters. The service performers will unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously in high spirits. On this day we are blessed with the presence of Reverend Yoshiyuki Nakano from Church Headquarters. As You view the brothers and sisters of the path who have looked forward to this day, singing the songs of the service in union, with hearts filled with gratitude for Your parental love, we hope that You can be spirited as well. From February 3rd till February 14th, 26 students and 3 instructors from Tenri Kyoko Gakuen High School came to Hawaii to study and experience the English language and culture while under the care of various churches, mission stations and homes. The sincere care received by the home stay families enabled them to advance in spiritual maturity and return to Jiba. Yesterday, we received a lecture by Church Headquarters official, Reverend Nakano on the desire of Oyasama, the purpose of the Instruction Three, as well as the significance of the anniversary activities leading up to the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama. Following the lecture, Reverend Nakano conducted a workshop for lead singers and flute players. As the Service is the foundation for world salvation, we learned the importance of uniting our hearts when performing the Service. We vow to exert our efforts to sow seeds of true sincerity for generations to come and to imbed joy in our hearts, as we unwaveringly follow the path. Moreover, as we approach the 60th Anniversary of Dendocho and the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama, we resolve to devote ourselves in the effort for single-hearted salvation by sowing seeds of true sincerity that will one day enable the realization of the Joyous Life. May You, God the Parent, accept our sincerity, and we humbly ask to guide us toward reconstruction of the world where we can spend our days living in harmony by helping one another. Together with everyone present, I pray for these blessing. 4 ORIGINS, March 2013 Mission HQ February Monthly Service Sermon Rev. Clyde Mikuni Head Minister of Taiheiyo Church I will not elaborate on them today other than say that the messages in the instruction gave me invaluable insight to why I was having those experiences. I have long been a firm believer of “timely blessings”, and the words of the Shinbashira was another precious example of that belief. A renewed effort to realizing a self-awareness of my causality was initiated. Four months later, in February 1999, we “Listening for Oyasama’s Voice in Arising Occurrences” were blessed with our 6th grand-daughter, Jenna was born with several disabilities, Instruction One was received the day presenting our family with a deeper before the Autumn Grand Service in 1998, awareness of the teachings, and bringing the significant year of Oyasama’s 200th me another step closer to Oyasama, close birthday and the Inauguration Service for enough to hear Her voice in all arising the Shinbashira, and all followers were occurrences. Once again from Instruction asked to renew our pledge as we set out One, the “mind to save others” is true anew. sincerity, that which most accords with Six verses were selected from the God the Parent’s intention. When those Ofudesaki to remind us that the “mind to words are truly settled in our hearts, all that save others” is true sincerity, that which remains is, love and compassion. most accords with God the Parent’s Instruction Two, received in anticipation intention. of the 120th Anniversary of Oyasama, the I remember the theme of Instruction One Shinbashira shared with us some of his quite vividly because it was a time when I reflections by way of urging all followers was faced with overwhelming challenges. to make a decisive resolve and a determined ORIGINS, March 2013 5 effort to grow spiritually, reminding us that reflections. spiritual growth is the process of nearing It begins with an episode that took place the intention of the Parent. one year ago at home. Last year’s Autumn Two verses were selected from the Grand Service conflicted with another Ofudesaki, to remind us that Oyasama event that involved relatives, and I made continues to guide us by virtue of Her the choice of not returning to Ojiba for the eternal life, and because the concern of the first time since becoming a head minister Parent is only about the means to save us, it thirty plus years ago.