Great Construction
This Is Also an Example of Conceit
Matters and affairs should be left in the hands of God is guidance I constantly emphasize. That is, to completely trust God and not be anxious or fret. Indeed, such a teaching sounds as if it could be done without any trouble at all, but when pressed, affairs and matters do not go as expected. Even I, when I reach a state where matters do not proceed well, I try very hard to leave matters to God, but that old rascal named Worry continually raises his head. What is more, in the present age of evil, it is fair to say that putting this teaching into practice is almost impossible. For those who know and understand God, however, the situation is different. That is because, first of all, when something worrisome comes up, believers become aware of the problem more quickly, and because they are able to become more relaxed about the issue, matters can work out. Since this is an important point that most do not perceive, I write about it here.
To begin, when this issue is interpreted from the spiritual side, the thought called worry is one form of attachment, attachment to worry. Worry attachment is a villainous, tricky creature, and to all matters exerts a bad influence. Even to speak of attachment, there are the hopeful attachments such as a desire to get along in life, a wish for money, a hankering to go all out, a hope that things will go as one wants, but on the other side, there are vicious, malignant attachments like “That guy’s outrageous!” “I hate him!” “I’m going to see he gets what he deserves!” Here I am not referring to such obvious attachments. I am talking about attachments that are imperceptible to most individuals. I am talking about the attachments of unnecessary and excessive anxieties that abound in our society today. In the case of my followers, while God does grant blessings, the thought of over-anxiousness is a hindrance on the spiritual level, and the stronger the thought of over-anxiousness, the fewer the blessings, so matters and affairs do not go as smoothly. One example of such a situation that most everyone has experienced is the occasion when individuals have a strong desire for something and cannot obtain it, and just when they have given up hope, it suddenly and unexpectedly comes to them. Then again, there are times when people want to become something or else do something; the proposition seems possible but does not happen, but after they have completely forgotten about it, the situation they wished for comes to pass.
Such occasions also occur in the channeling of Johrei. The stronger the desire of the channel to heal the patient, the worse the outcome, but when the strong desire for healing is placed aside and channeling is conducted without a specific outcome in mind, that is, with an attitude such as “well, I don’t know whether healing will occur or not, but let’s try,” unexpectedly healing occurs easily.
Another similar instance occurs in the case of patients with serious diseases. There are often times when family and close acquaintances are completely absorbed in the patient’s improvement, but healing does not occur, and the patient approaches death. On the other hand, there are patients who are not concerned with life or death and those around them are not overly worrying and yet these patients unexpectedly heal quickly. But then, there occurs the following. The patients strongly want to be saved and those around them fervently want the patient to be saved, but the patients’ symptoms continually worsen. Just when all had given up, the patient is saved quickly and easily. Interestingly, those who say they will not die on account of this disease, or that they will save themselves with their willpower usually die. These results are caused mostly by an attachment to physical life.
All the preceding examples should show the terrifying extent of attachment. Therefore, in cases of those patients who do not have any hope of being healed, before channeling Johrei, explain so they truly understand that there is no hope but that instead they pray that they go to the spiritual world and are saved there. When family members have also been so informed and Johrei is channeled, the patient’s condition will proceed in a satisfactory condition.
On a different level, the same goes for male-female relations. One side may become too fervent and the other side gets tired of or disgusted with the fervent one, truly an ironic outcome, but this reaction results because the one-sided attachment cools the other person. Thus, many things in this world come to pass ironically, so it is very vexing but also interesting. As can be understood from the above, attachment occupies a great part of the reason that all affairs and matters do not proceed smoothly. Often I talk about aiming for reverse effects, and this is what I mean. Reverse effects are the irony of irony which is indeed truth.
Eikō, Issue 32, page A1, November 28, 1951
translated by cynndd
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“Omakase Suru,” originally published on the first page of Eikō, Issue 132, November 28, 1951, and later, while Meishu-sama still alive, reprinted in the essays anthology for ministers Goshinsho: Shūkyōhen (Divine Writings: Volume on Religion), page 31, March 25, 1954, and in the essay anthology for followers and members of the general public Tengoku no Fukuinsho (Gospels of Heaven), page 97, August 25, 1954, has previously appeared in translation. Citation is given below for reference.
“Trust in God,” The Glory, Number 034, July 10, 1961.
“Trust in God,” Teachings of Meishu and Kyoshu, no date (1965?), page 44.
“Man’s Mission,” Fragments from the Teachings of Meishu-sama, 1965, page 47.
“Trust in God Versus Bondage,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 332.
“Anxiety Hinders the Hand of God,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Four, 2007, page 24.
“Do Not Worry Too Much,” Reaching for Faith, 2010, page 60.
“Trust in God,” A Hundred Teachings of Meishusama, no date, page 147.