|
It was to urge our "spiritual growth" that Oyasama withdrew from physical life. The anniversaries of Oyasama--which come once every ten years--are, therefore, special seasons set aside for our decisiveness in trying to make spiritual growth. God the Parent is waiting for us to grow spiritually so that our mind can savor the true Joyous Life, which was precisely God's original intention in creating humankind and the world. In the Ofudesaki, we read:
There are a great number of people living throughout the world, but their minds are all as if in a haze.
Ofudesaki VI:14-15 These verses can be paraphrased as follows: "In this world, billions of people depend only on their minds, which are shrouded in a haze of unknowing so that they are completely at a loss. As they take steps along the path, however, their minds are gradually purified and grow toward maturity, thereby enabling them to perceive the intention of God the Parent." It, therefore, seems safe to say that spiritual growth refers to the gradual progress of nearing and perceiving the intention of the Parent. Those of us who were guided to the path of faith have come to know and understand various things of which we were unaware. Yet, a Divine Direction delivered on April 1, 1890, cautions us, in effect: "No matter how adamantly you claim that you know and understand the teachings, without translating them into action it cannot be said that you have truly understood the teachings." There are, indeed, quite a lot of teachings whose true meaning can only be savored through actual practice. Take, for example, earth-carrying hinokishin and working for the salvation of others. We can only experience the indescribable joy inherent in these practices through actual implementation. There may be times when we encounter unexpected adversities in trying to implement the teachings. Yet, only when we try our utmost to find a way to implement them in the face of difficulty, can we polish our minds and, therefore, achieve "spiritual growth." When we sincerely try to fulfill our respective tasks of the path in anticipation of the anniversaries of Oyasama, we can make spiritual growth. This is what the Shinbashira means when he says in Instruction Two*: "Spiritual growth is attained only through performing the actual work of the path." *Referring to the third Shinbashira's Instruction Two, which was announced in January 1973. The original of this article was published in 1977. |
|
|