Rev. Suenaga’s 2011 IKDGC Speech
10/2/2011
Good Morning, I am Tateo Suenaga. I serve Kami & people in Birigui, Brazil. I am delighted to be able to give a sermon for your church’s Grand Ceremony as I did last year. In greeting you, I would like to offer my deep appreciation at the opportunity to join the Konko Church of Chicago’s 2011 Ikigami Konko Daijin Grand Ceremony.
Our founder sat at the Mediation Place with the spirit of, “As long as people are fulfilled,” in his heart; He earnestly prayed for people’s lives to be fulfilled. As a result his life became an invaluable example of what life human life can be. Through this process Konko Daijin also brought Divine Mediation to this new faith.
Thus Divine Mediation, in this spirit, has been passed down unbroken through five generations to this very day. During this ceremony I have felt that this Sacred Mediation is wonderfully manifest deeply here in Chicago too.
Today, I would like to talk about our mentor, the late Rev. Soichiro Otsubo’s faith through some happenings that I experienced while I was one of the trainees under the guidance of him at the Airaku church.
Rev. Soichiro Otsubo, the founder of Airaku Church was born just one hundred years later after our Founder. He faithfully pursued our founder’s faith throughout his life & he too exemplified our founder’s teachings. Through the years he perfected the fruits of faith by example & delivered them to his followers as the Airaku Ideology. He became the silver lining for posterity in living out his invaluable life. (One hundred years after the birth of our founder, Rev. Soichiro Otsubo was born in Airaku and went on to live a truly venerable existence. Through the tumultuous (war and postwar) years, he remained committed to the pursuit of the founder’s faith, clarifying his teachings to the point of perfection, bringing these concepts together in what he denominated (called) the Airaku Ideology. He has become a guiding light for future generations.)
I had the privilege of becoming Rev. Otsubo’s trainee 44 years ago when the Konko Church of Airaku was established in Kurume, Japan. Looking back on my training at the Airaku church, it was continuation of failures, ship-ups, mistakes & misunderstandings. To be honest, there was nothing in the slightest to be praiseworthy at all!
One day my father came to visit me at the Airaku church to see how I was doing. Rev. Soichiro Otsubo told my father, “If my receptacle is shaped like this,” he said, making a round, circular shape with his hands, the hand & foot of a person of your son frequently juts outside of this circle. But when I have seen that happening I never said to him, ‘It is not good to do so. You should do like this,’ & never tried to force him to pull in this circle.” As my father watched, Rev. Otsubo enlarged his circle and continued, “Instead I have tried to make my receptacle wider & wider until it includes him.”
I wonder now, “Just what kind of faith made it possible to transfer the spirit of faith in his heart to broaden the lives of others?”
When I became a trainee, Airaku church had a very nice pond full of carp in the garden. The pond didn't have just plain, ordinary carp. There were rare & unusual ones as well. There were red carp, multi-colored carp & even some very expensive platinum carp. When Rev. Otsubo left the mediation place at noon each day he usually ate lunch with his wife near the pond. Then he’d enjoy himself by meditating beside the pond after lunch.
One day a few years after I arrived, I heard the carp in the pond had come down with parasitic worms. I rushed to the drugstore to buy some medicine for them as soon as I heard the bad news. Without hesitation I put that medicine into the pond. Soon Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Soichiro Otsubo’s son who is now head-minister of the Airaku church, called me in the church office & said, “The carp seem to be acting very strangely.”
I rushed to the pond in alarm & found the carp swimming convulsively in the circles obviously in great distress. Flustered, I looked carefully at the label on the bag of medicine. It said, “CAUTION! This drug is very powerful.”
All the family members rushed out of the house carrying the biggest washtubs the church had. They filled them with fresh water & put the suffering fish in them. But it was too late. All of the platinum, red & colored carp died. The only fish to survive were the ordinary black ones.
After everything was cleaned up I had to go & see Rev. Otsubo & offer an apology. But even as I thought about apologizing I realized I was in a sulky, defiant mood. Thinking I would leave Airaku the next day I neared the mediation place to see Rev. Otsubo. I bowed my head & made my apology to him superficially. The way I bowed was impudent. However Rev. Otsubo prayed for a while after listening to my apology. A few seconds later he answered me with a single word, “Yes!” That simple reply brought me forward in a deep & humble bow & I rubbed my head on the Tatami mat, offering a sincere apology to him for what I had done.
From what faith could Rev. Otsubo say, “Yes!” at that time? This happened around one year later after I became a trainee. Rev. Otsubo went to a believer’s home to conduct a family service. In that case Rev. Katsuhiko his oldest son usually led the evening prayers. But he also went outside. His substitute, Rev. Hisadomi also went to help Rev. Otsubo for the family service. Finally I led the evening prayers. It was the first time I’d led them.
I led the prayers in front of the Kami altar with great seriousness & then Mitama altar. When I clapped my hands at the end of the prayers the tension I was under all day vanished & fell sound asleep in front of the Mitama altar without noticing. All those who were in the worship hall at the prayer service with me tried to wake me up. But I was asleep so soundly that I couldn’t be waked up.
Soon all the fire alarms all over the church went off. Even then I didn’t wake up. At last Rev. Otsubo returned to the worship hall. Almost simultaneously (instantly) I woke up. I didn’t remember being asleep in front of the Mitama altar. Rev. Otsubo usually prayed to Kami in the worship hall when he returned & went directly back to his room. This time however he sat at the mediation place instead. I felt awkward & secretly went to the church office. But my conscience told me that I really should apologize to him.
So I went to the mediation place to make my apology. It seemed as though it was not from the bottom of my heart but was limited to defending myself by saying I felt like falling asleep. Without saying anything Rev. Otsubo wrote, “Nature of the Universe,” on the front of the covering paper of Goshinmai, a Sacred Rice packet & on the back of it he wrote: “The Nature of Heaven is inexhaustible generosity. The Nature of Earth is total acceptance. Therefore Heaven is to trust & Earth is to depend. From these we are blessed fully with heavenly blessings & earthly profit.” Handing me the packet he silently went back to his room.
I now realize that Rev. Otsubo’s great gift was his ability to accept each & every happening as Kami’s doing no matter what happened. Throughout the history of Kabame & Airaku various problems occurred, including those ocaisioned by trainees like me, but also with family and with believers. Rev. Otsubo learned to accept those problems as the process of life. He accepted everything, reflecting the heavenly, earthly & orderly nature of the universe through his earthly life — day-by-day.
Above all he did his best to pursue the heavenly nature as limitless giving, the earthly nature as total acceptance & the orderly nature as sincere, conscientious faith in Kami.
Comparing this process to mountain climbing, he often taught us: “You should learn all about faith by emulating the earthly nature until the eighth stage of it & the rest by having the heavenly nature. During its journey let us carry out by sincere & conscientious faith in Kami.” It was his most cherished conviction. He particularly expressed the earthly nature as settling everything without saying anything & he himself did his best to acquire the earthly nature of the universe.
I failed many times during my training at the Airaku church. I did too many wrong things to which deviated from the things the church had to offer. Those mistakes are too frequent to mention. But the wonder is that each time Rev. Otsubo wholeheartedly accepted my failures calmly. Thanks to his lesson-by-example of Earthly Nature I am what I am today & serving Kami & people in the South America.
In order to repay Rev. Ostubo’s miraculous benevolence, the only thing I can do is to do my best to respect each & every happening at this moment in my life with the divine nature of the universe that Rev. Otsubo made so abundantly clear. By the way — it is no accident that they are the core contents of our founder’s faith as well.
Please join me in doing our best to emulate the nature of the universe in our daily lives. Thank you very much!
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本日はシカゴ教会、生神金光大神大祭を共々に頂かせて頂き厚く御礼申し上げます。金光教の教祖、生神金光大神様は、人が助かればそれで結構です、と言われて、ひたすら人の助かりを願われる中から、神様からの願いのまにまに金光教を創立され、その尊いご生涯を過ごされました。
教祖様が生まれられて100年後、合楽の地に大坪総一郎という方が現れられ、激動する時代社会の中で、教祖様の御信心を求め続けられ、その教えの御内容を完璧なまでに明らかにされ、その集大成されたものを、合楽理念と唱えられて、後々の世の光明ともなられ、その尊いご生涯を過ごされました。
教祖様に始まる生神金光大神取次の働きが連綿と続けられ、このシカゴの地に表わされておりますことに深い感動を覚えつつ、只今は御祭事を頂かせて頂きました。
さて、私は、南米ブラジル国ビリグイの地で御用させて頂いております、末永建郎と申します。
昨年に引き続き今日の御大祭の御教話を奉仕させて頂く事になりましたが、今日は私の合楽教会での修行中の事を通して、大坪総一郎というお方の御信心に触れて参りたいと思います。
私は今から44年前、合楽教会創立の年に、教会修業のお許しを頂き教会に上がらせて頂きました。
合楽教会での修行中の事を振り返らせて頂きますと、失敗の連続、遣り損ない、手違い、間違い、信心の頂き違い、そのような事の連続でした。
正直に申しまして、褒められるような事は何一つなかったと言っていいと思います。
ある時、私の父が教会修業中の私を訪ねてきました。その時初代親先生は父に、末永さんという人は、私がこのくらいの器であったら、そう言われながら手で丸い輪を作られながら、私のこの器から手をはみ出します、足をはみ出します。
私はそのような時、そんな事じゃいかんじゃないか、そんな時はこうせないかんじゃないかと言って、この器の中に入れようとはしません、そんな時は、私がこの器を一回り、又一回りと大きくしていきます。
そのようなお話をされた事があります。
一回り、又一回りという御信心はどのような御信心であったのだろうかと、今にして思います。
修行生に入らせて頂いて2・3年した頃であったでしょうか、合楽教会の庭には、当時立派な鯉の池がありました。
池の中にはたくさんな緋鯉、まごい、錦鯉、超高価なプラチナ鯉もいました。
初代親先生も12時にご結界を下がられ、昼食を取られた後、しばし鯉の池のそばで瞑想にふけられるのを楽しみとしておられました。
そんなある日、池の鯉に虫が入っていると聞かせて頂き、それを聞くなり私はツーッと薬屋に薬を買いに行きました、そして私は迷わず、その薬を池の中に入れてしまったわけです。
しばらくして、今の親先生、当時は若先生でした、事務室にいる私に電話が入ってきました。「鯉の様子がおかしい」というわけです。
急いで池に行きましたら、鯉が縦にくるくると水の中を回って,明らかに苦しんでいる様子です。
あわてて今入れた薬の袋を見ましたら、「劇薬につき注意」と書かれていました。
それから、若先生はじめ家族の方々も総出で、大きなタライををすべて持って来て、新しい水を入れその中に鯉を移しましたが、「時すでに遅し」でした。プラチナ鯉、錦鯉、緋鯉、全て死んでしまいました。残ったのは黒い真鯉だけでした。
すべての片付けが終わった後、初代の所にお詫びに行かねばなりません、お詫びに行くと言っても、ふてくされというのでしょうか、開き直りというのでしょうか、明日は荷物をまとめて帰ろう、そう思いながら、初代の前に出ました。
頭を下げて形ばかりのお詫びを申し上げました。頭の下げ方も実に横着な下げ方でした。ところが初代はお詫びを聞かれた後、しばらくご祈念され、それは時間にして2秒か3秒くらいでした。そして「はい」と只一言ご返事下さいました。
その瞬間、私は頭を地面にこすり付けるようにしてお詫び申し上げた次第でした。
初代のあの時の「はい」の一言はどのような信心から生まれてきたのでしょうか。
これは私が修行に入らせて頂いて1年くらいの時でした。
初代親先生は宅祭りに行かれてお留守、夜のご祈念を仕えられる若先生もお留守、若先生お留守の時、代理を務められる久富先生も宅祭の御用でお留守、結局私が初めてご祈念を仕えさせて頂く事になりました。
緊張して御神前でのご祈念を仕えさせて頂き、御霊前でのご祈念を仕えさせて頂き、最後の柏手を打たせて頂いた瞬間、緊張が取れて、御神殿にて不覚にもそのまま眠ってしまいました。
お広前でご祈念を頂いておられる方達が声をかけて下さるけれども、ぐっすり眠ってしまい起きない、そのうちに火災警報器が全館になりだす、それでも起きない、とうとう初代親先生がお帰りになられて、お広間に入られたのと目を覚ましたのがほぼ同時。
ところがこちらは、ご神前で眠っていたこともよく分からない、宅祭から帰られた初代親先生は、いつもは御神前に向かわれてご挨拶されたらそのまま裏に下がられるのですが、その日はご結界におつきになられる。
私は体裁が悪いので、こそーっと事務室に下がらせて頂く。
それでも、お詫びに行かなけれないけないと思い、ご結界にお詫びに出らせて頂く、
それも芯からのお詫びというより、どうも寝とったような気がします、という程度のお詫びの仕方。
その時、初代は何も言われず、そこに有ったご神米の裏紙に、表に「天地日月の心」裏に「天は与えてやまないもの、地は受けぬくもの、故に天には任せるもの、地にはすがるもの、そこから天恵地利のおかげが受けられる」
そのようなお書き下げを下さり、黙って下がられました。
今にして思われる事は、初代親先生は、私をはじめ修行生に対しても、ご家族に対しても、あるいは御信者に対しても、更には、椛目合楽を通して様々な問題が起きて参りましたが、それら一つ一つを、神様からの差し向け、即ち、成り行きとして、天地日月の心を心として頂き現してこられたと思われます。
とりわけ、天は与えるもの、地は受けぬくもの、日月の実意丁寧神信心、そのような御内容をひたすら求め続けられたように思われます。
特に信心を山登りに例えられ、山の8合目までは大地の心で、後の2割が天の心で、極めよと常に言われたものです。その道中を実意丁寧神信心で貫けというのが持論でありました。
とりわけ大地の信心を黙って治めると表現され、それに徹してこられました。
私自身、教会修業中、失敗、遣り損ない、もうこれでおしまいという事は枚挙にいとまがありません。
その折々の初代はひたすら黙ってこれを治めてこられ、そのおかげで今日かつがつながらも南米の地で御用させて頂いている次第です。
その初代の大恩にお応えさせて頂くためには、愈々、私自身がその御内容である天地日月の心を心として、今月今日の成り行きに取り組ませて頂く他はありません。
ここに教祖金光大神様の御信心の御内容があると思われます。共々におかげを蒙って参りたいと思います、本日は誠に有難うございました。
2011 IKDGC Greeting
Hello, Everyone!
Thank you very much for attending our Chicago, Ikigami Konko Daijin Grand Ceremony. It’s a great pleasure to see so many friendly faces. I trust that you are all enjoying the best of health and good spirits on this beautiful autumn day.
How wonderful Kami’s workings are! My heart is filled with gratitude in welcoming all of you to today’s ceremony. I would like to offer Kami special thanks for bringing Rev. Tateo Suenaga as our guest speaker all the way from Brazil, just like last year. As I told you then, I’ve known him for many years & in hearing him many, many times, know you enjoyed listening to the sermon he’d brought us because he’s an inspiring speaker.
Rev. Tateo Suenaga went to Brazil to do missionary in 1977. He has succeeded the Konko Church of Birigui into a great ministry from almost nothing. He’s done wonders in being of great service to Kami and people in Brazil. Through his enormous efforts the Konko Faith has spread all over Brazil. He was instrumental in establishing the Konko Churches of Ron-Donia, Mogi Das Cruzes, Butanta, Curitiba, the Konko Propagation Halls of Rio De Janeiro & Juquitiba. He also helped to rebuild the Konko Church of Sao Paulo.
In 2008 the Japanese-Brazilian community celebrated the centennial Anniversary of their immigration. Rev. Suenaga was awarded the 100th anniversary Kasado Prize. I’m told the prize is named for the Kasado-maru which was the ship that brought the first Japanese immigrants to Brazil. This prize is the highest honor given to those who have made the greatest contribution to the Japanese-Brazilian communities during these 100 years.
As you heard in Rev. Suenaga's sermon today, Rev. Soichiro Otusbo taught that Kami’s heart is synonomous with the nature of the universe. By that he meant, as we said in a sermon series earlier this year, “there is a heavenly, earthly, orderly foundation of the universe. He explained it this way, “The heavenly nature of the universe is characterized by inexhaustible generosity. It is a natural, limitless giving.
Second, the earthly nature of the universe accepts everything calmly, like keeping surface of the earth silent & placid.” Through Kami’s revelation Rev. Otsubo explained this earthly nature as ‘Settling everything with calmness （黙って治める）’ by showing one Chinese character “治”. The left part is said ‘sanzui’ and means ‘the flow of the river’ like each and every happening. ‘ム’ ‘口’ means ‘without saying anything’ or ‘with calmness’. “治” means ‘Settlement.’ When we accept everything with calmness, without saying anything to deepen our hearts, Kami will settle everything more than we expect. That is the real settlement.
“Orderliness is the third nature of the universe. There is nothing more faithful and trustworthy than the way Heaven & Earth work together. For example, we’d be in real trouble if the sun had an attitude, ‘I’m too tired… I’m going to take the day off.’ The sun works constantly day & night!”
Konko Daijin said, “Everything that happens is Kami’s doing.”
And because it’s easy to see that this is true; we need to learn to cooperate with the nature of the universe we live in, otherwise we will face constant frustration by living in conflict. We must learn to accept things that happen as opportunities to perfect our understanding of the heavenly, earthly, orderly nature of the universe. Practicing faith this way we grow to respect everything that happens as Kami’s doing. This is the way to gain divine virtue… and when we succeed, Kami’s glory appears in our lives beyond all measure!
Rev. Suenaga’s success in propagating the Konko Faith in Brazil proves this fact. Like him, I would like to become of great service to Kami and people here in Chicago by emulating the nature of the universe to develop peace and joy in my heart.
Now we, human beings are facing many difficult problems such as huge natural disasters, economic turmoil and wars etc. Please join us as we strive toward this precious world, filled with the spirit of peace and joy in every human heart. Thank you!