Kokuyu 告諭 (Special Sermon) Feb. 2001

 Kokuyu 告諭 (Special Sermon)

February 2001

Within any religious community, the commemorations marking the birth and passing of its founder, as well as the anniversaries of its establishment, are regarded with the utmost importance and are conducted on a grand scale.

In our Kurozumikyō as well, the  Grand Festival for the 100th Anniversary of the Divine Founder’s Ascension in 1950, the Grand Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Kurozumikyō’s Establishment in 1964, the Grand Celebration for the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of the Divine Founder in 1980, and most recently, 150th Anniversary Grand Festival of the Divine Founder’s Ascension in 2000, have each stood as  “the grand festival among grand festivals.” Moreover, each of these occasions has served as a solemn departure point into a new era.

At the very moment when we have entered a new century, with both the world and our nation undergoing profound transformation, I wish to use this Kokuyu 告諭 (Special Sermon) to share my heartfelt aspirations with all teachers and omichizure お道連れ(our fellow companions) of our faith. Together, I hope we may further develop religious activities that truly serve people, our country, and the world.

This is not something novel or unprecedented. Rather, it is the faithful practice of the fundamental principle expressed so often by the late Fifth Chief Patriarch in the simple yet profound words: “Return to the Founder.” By living out this teaching, we proclaim and embody the ancient spirit of Great Harmony that has long been cherished in our nation from the ancient times.

In 1974, after one hundred and sixty years at the sacred site of Ōmoto, which had served as the headquarters of our community, we moved to Shintōzan in search of the magnificent rising sun.

This was solely because the Divine Founder, in the midst of grave illness, received divine healing and full recovery through worship of the rising sun. Moreover, by venerating the sunrise, the Divine Founder became one with Amaterasu Ōmikami, directly received the heaven’s mandate, and thus established the faith. It was this profound and awe‑inspiring experience of Nippai or sunrise worship that we sought to embrace anew.

The practice of Nippai 日拝(sunrise worship), the recitation of Oharai お祓い(Ōharai no Kotoba 大祓詞 or the Great Purification Prayer), and the receiving of Goyōki 御陽気(the sun’s divine energy)—these are the very foundation of our faith. From ancient times, these three spiritual trainings of Nippai, Oharai, and Goyōki have been revered as the “Three Great Trainings,” precisely because they are considered the most essential.

Diligent devotion to these Three Great Trainings is the core of our path of faith. They nurture and elevate the self, and they open the way to good fortune for both oneself and others. For this reason, they must never be neglected.

From ancient times, in our nation the faith of ancestral reverence—what might be called “ancestor religion”—has been cherished. The Divine Founder demonstrated the true model of human life by devoting himself wholeheartedly to filial piety, fulfilling his duty of sincerity toward his parents. This filial devotion was then deepened and elevated into faith: the offering of sincerity to Amaterasu Ōmikami, the Divine Parent revealed in the rising sun, and the uniting of one’s heart with the Divine Parent of Heaven and Earth. In this way, the Divine Founder established the path of faith.

If we liken Japan’s spirituality to a human body, the traditional faith of ancestor reverence is the torso, then filial piety is the lower body, and true faith in Amaterasu Ōmikami is the head. United together, these form Kurozumikyō. This single, direct path of devotion—connecting parents, ancestors, and the Great Deity—was beautifully expressed by the High Disciple Akagi Tadaharu in the following verse:

Tracing back the parents of our parents, and their parents before them,

we arrive at Amaterasu, the Great Goddess of the Sun.

What I realized again as we entered the new century is that the latter half of the previous century may have been fifty years in which the vertical axis of human life was lost.

The vertical threads that form the framework of Japanese society—between parent and child, ancestor and descendant, teacher and student, senior and junior, and even between the Emperor and the people—were cut. This also weakened the spiritual support provided by our own history and traditions. At the same time, the horizontal threads of human connection did not become stronger in compensation. As a result, our country became a truly unstable human society.

This way of life, lacking harmony, combined with the rapid progress of science and technology, further accelerated a world that placed excessive emphasis on material things and believed too strongly in the omnipotence of science.

Of course, as people living in the present age, we cannot deny the benefits of abundant material goods and advanced scientific technology. Yet these are only instruments and means for living; they are neither the ultimate purpose nor the true subject of human life.

The reason why many thinkers declare that the twenty-first century must be an age of the heart is precisely because of reflection on this unbalanced era.

The age of the heart must mean respect for the spirituality of both oneself and others, together with the presence of an inner brake of self‑restraint and an inner accelerator of consideration for others.

It is well known that the harmful effects produced by materialism and blind faith in science and technology have now become major global problems, such as environmental issues that threaten the very survival of humanity. For the sake of the next generation and even the generations beyond, those of us living today are being strictly questioned about how we ought to live.

To affirm the sincerity of a single way—filial devotion, reverence for ancestors, and faith in the Divine Founder who is one with Amaterasu Ōmikami —and to take this as the vertical axis, while living in harmony with people, with all things, and with all science and technology as the horizontal axis, is the mission entrusted to this faith, which I firmly believe.

Indeed, the “Arigatō Gozaimasu (Thank You) Movement,” begun at the time of the transfer of the sacred seat to Shintōzan in 1974, is the very core of this mission. Through the daily offering of sincere gratitude, it cultivates within each person a heart that truly feels “thankful,” and thereby unites us in one spirit to devote ourselves to service in the world. This is the source of energy for the social activities of our faith.

In the year 2000, Kurozumikyō gratefully and successfully held 150th Anniversary Grand Festival of the Divine Founder’s Ascension. The next great milestone will be in 2014, when we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Kurozumikyō.

As we move toward that day, I earnestly hope that together with all of you we can devote ourselves even more to the growth and enrichment of sound and conscientious religious activities.

Centering one’s life on cultivating sincerity of heart, devoting sincerity fully to gods, to people, and to all things — this was the life of Divine Founder Munetada, who truly lived through and became in both name and reality the Divine Founder. Based on his life, I now call anew for the practice of the “Five Sincerities,” praying that ever more people may join hands as true companions on the Way, fulfilling sincerity together.

Kurozumikyō’s Companions on the Way, Celebrating 200 Years in 2014

The “Five Sincerities” for Living Better

1. The sincerity of prayer

2. The sincerity of filial devotion

3. The sincerity of service

4. The sincerity of gratitude

5. The sincerity of reflection