Sowing Seeds of Joy

教　話

By the Rev. Shinko Takebe
Konko Church of Ko’oroen

(From the July 2017 issue)

In Order to Reap Joy

Have you ever grown vegetables?  Some of you are growing vegetables professionally, and some of you are growing them in your home gardens, I suppose.  Take tomatoes, for example.  If you sow a tomato seed, you will soon see tomato buds.  After the buds grow, you will see tomato flowers, and finally you will see the fruit, a tomato.  If you sow a cucumber seed, you will soon see cucumber plant buds.  After the buds grow, you will see cucumber flowers, and finally you will get its fruit, a cucumber.  These things may sound a bit too natural to you, but this is the Principle/Law of the Universe.  続きを読む →

The Konko Faith is our Treasure

教　話

By the Rev. Yumiko Tanaka
Konko Church of Iyoshi

(From the May 2017 issue)

Our Encounter with the Konko Faith

I was introduced to the Konko Faith about 55 years ago.  My father passed away when I was still little.  My mother and four of us, all daughters, lost our only male family member.  Our family ties with relatives grew weaker as years went by, and before we knew it, we grew distant from one another.  My mother fell ill due to anxiety over this, and one day we rushed her to a hospital, where she was admitted.  The doctor who examined her told us, “Your mother is suffering from heart failure, and there’s nothing we can do for her.”  I still remember those words very well.  We were stunned. 続きを読む →

Great Kami/God-Like Heart

教　話

By the Rev. Mikiko Okuhara
Konko Church of Kesen’numa

(From the June 2017 issue)

Through Great East Japan Earthquake

On behalf of the people of the Tohoku (northeast) Region of Japan, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for the earnest prayers and great support we received from the Spiritual Leader/Principal Mediator of the Konko Faith (Konkokyo) and every one of you in the Konkokyo community since Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.  Thank you very much once again, ladies and gentlemen, for your earnest prayers and generous support for us.  Six years have passed since that enormous quake, and our recovery efforts have gradually progressed.  At first, we were totally at a loss, not knowing what to do to start our reconstruction efforts.  Nevertheless, we began to work hard in order to rebuild our towns, and our efforts can be visibly confirmed today.  How far we have really come!

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Directing My Heart to Kami

By Rev. Shunsuke Ishi’i
Konko Church of O’okuma

Reprinted from Konkokyo-ho: Ametsuchi, March 2017

  I am a child of a Konko minister, born in O’okuma, a once prosperous coal mining area and now a peaceful town, surrounded by mountains, and located in the central Fukuoka Prefecture area.  At the age of twenty-eight, I entered the Konko Seminary and was ordained a year later and am currently working at the Konko Seminary.  続きを読む →

We Can Continue to Serve Kami Even After Death

教　話

By the Rev. Michio Ono
Konko Church of Nomura

Receiving a Blessing of Self-Reform

Konko Church of Nomura is located in a small town in the Nanyo or south Iyo area of the Ehime Prefecture, Japan.  I grew up in a family that resided in Matsuyama, the biggest city of the prefecture.  I learned the Konko Faith at Konko Church of Matsuyama-Minami, and I was ordained as a Konko minister.  24 years ago, in 1993, I was posted to the Konko Church of Nomura, and I have been serving at the Nomura Church ever since.
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Everything Needs Practice

教　話

By the Rev. Makoto O’obayashi
Konko Church of Izushi

 (From the February 2017 issue)

The Words of the Fourth Konko-sama

     What I never forget about the Fourth Konko-sama, the former Spiritual Leader of the Konko Faith (Konkokyo), is an episode I had when I was an eighth grader.  One day, I went to the Konkokyo Headquarters and asked the Fourth Konko-sama to conduct Sacred Mediation for me for the first time in my life.  続きを読む →

Like Heaven and Earth,
Practice the Mutual Reliance of Aiyo Kakeyo

By Rev. Shizuyo Bando’o,
Konko Church of O’otani

(From the December 2016 issue of Konkokyo-ho Ametsuchi)

“You Will Be Blessed If You Go to O’otani.”

In 1954, four years prior to the start of our propagation in O’otani, Tokushima Prefecture in Japan, my father seriously hurt his spinal cord, after a hard fall to the ground.  This accident also temporarily deprived him of his memory.  This situation was compounded when my eldest brother, whom my mother had depended upon during my father’s hospitalization, suddenly passed away.  These circumstances led my mother to Rev. Hikoshiro Takeda at the Konko Church of Ni’ihama, in desperation for some kind of relief and guidance. 続きを読む →