Dick Dusek's Dosage
Thursday, December 10, 1998 Rev. Mitsuaki Otsubo When your child is sick, do not become too emotional. Leave the child alone as you would a disobedient child. Practice faith, without a care to what might happen. Your child will be able to receive divine blessings. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #48] Between relief and conceit is a paper-thin difference. Even saying "leave the child alone" should not lead to impudence, and definitely not to self-conceit. As even the doctor who becomes able to operate on his own child is considered fully developed because his hand holding the surgeon's knife has gained confidence, also the practice of faith when faced with various troubles, not just a child's sicknes, attains blessings by being able to have faith with a feeling of let-it-alone. When you practice faith single-heartedly, you gain incredible courage and can receive the same quality of blessings. Really by reaching the point that you feel it is neither your child nor anyone else's is the ultimate. This is the world for those who have already received divine virtue. 7/30/70 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] Receiving the word for all 48 tricks in the art of sumo wrestling, Rev. Mitsuaki interpreted, off-hand (since he's just received it), that here is everything. For relief, we must receive divine blessings. With pride you are believing in one's own strength. The world of the proud live according to their own strength. In such circumstances every one of one-hundred people have failed. True ease, true happiness could not and cannot be reached with conceit or pride. True relief comes about only through the blessings received from divinity. It's hard to tell the difference between releif or conceit until after receiving blessings. When things go according to expectation, conceit and pride are utmost. Here one might feel good because praying for it to go right and it goes right, for left and it goes left seems powerfully strong. But when things reverse, plans to go right go left and left goes right, you should realize you absolutely need divine blessings. Relief and ease is born in the heart which takes up things without a care or worry. We really need to establish an Airaku-type faith. All the tricks or ways are in this 48th teaching concerned with the difference between relief and conceit. Faith practiced without a care leads to relief. Practicing faith in oneself, one's strength, ends in pride.
Wednesday, December 9, 1998 Rev. Mitsuaki Otsubo Should The Principal Parent of the universe enter a shrine, the world would turn dark. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #10] Just now Mrs. Akiyama sought mediation. When worshiping this morning she had mediated a matter concerning her child that had caused her to be dark and gloomy. She says that after having offered her prayer to The Principle Parent she had somehow become sort of joyous. And soon after that blessings unimaginable were received for the child. I then said, "More than the blessings you received for the child, the greatest blessing is that you became joyous, isn't it?" Such blessings are possible because The Principle Parent doesn't enter a shrine and fills this world with divine work. Instead of physical arrangements Pray for spiritual arrangements 7/27/69 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] Divinity isn't just found when worshiping the altar. Divine works are all around us. Unless we respect such divine work, we are missing more than half of divinity. There's two aspects: diety reach to us, and we seeking diety. Diety is trying to come out to us, but we close divinity up with our way of thinking. Our social standards and common sense closes divinity inside the altar shrine. Diety is trying to reach us, but we make it difficult. When sick we pray for a cure. This is seeking physical fulfillment. However, we should try to get closer to divinity. We should seek to fulfill our spirit. Our heart searches for greater contentment. To fulfill the spirit reach for divinity's fulfillment. There's a difference between one's posture prior to fitting in and once you get started. It's like the scholar who wears glasses to read. You put your life into it. In this way we want to pray for spiritual fulfillment, instead of just the physical.
Tuesday, December 8, 1998 Rev. Mitsuaki Otsubo Your lifetime is a training period of faith. It is like the scholar who growing old will wear glasses to pursue his studies. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #37] The life of a flower is short and full of hardship. Without faith, this world is full of suffering, it is a world filled with pain. Even with faith, if prayer is pursued only for selfish reasons, then the training will certainly be painful. In the pursuit of faith, when there are difficulties, if you realize it is possible to acquire strength and divine virtue from them, then the hardship has a benefit -- it is possible to find joy in it. This is genuine training. When you try to take the easy way, it's not easy, but when we pursue faith without easing up, there is paradise. Trying to live perfectly is difficult. However, Kami is there to meet you in the struggle, just as you are. In other words, this is the way of faith to join Kami as a living spirit, in this life, not the next. [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] 7/20/76 The way of spiritual training in Konko Daijin's faith is something I really want to do. Even to the point of wearing glasses to see better and learn more. Since we don't practice our faith, this world becomes difficult and troubling. We have stopped and are not practicing faith. As we grow older we lose the thrill and excitement of practicing faith. I want to keep a thrilling and exciting way of practicing faith. Even when practicing faith, if it is done only for making things easy, for reaching paradise quickly, then faith becomes difficult and the training rough. By getting into it, putting on glasses, things are seen more clearly and the work brings out amazing truth. The writing on a folding fan by The Reverend Setsutane Konko, "True Faith" was shown to our late master years ago at Mrs. Koga's house in Yoshii. Praying about it he received Reverend Setsutane's words: "True faith is to receive anxiety-free blessings." Recently the date has been discovered as July 29, 1950 (Showa 25). This means that it was one of the major events leading into the four-and-a-half-year training period in Kabame. Thought to be later, it is evident that it was a major event at the beginning of our late master's great training period.
Monday, December 7, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor You need not consult the Days and Directions. When you build a house, you should build it to suit your needs. That is a house of good construction. An auspicious day is considered to be a day that has no clouds in the sky, is warm, and suits your convenience. Even when you check the calendar and it indicates an auspicious day, people will say that it is not a good day if it rains or there are strong winds. Know that there are no good or bad days under the sun. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #65] For those who take up the Konko faith there is neither the Days nor the Directions. It is like having a license to drive a car. Since you are driving without a license, you are anxious everyday and must live in fear. Actually the human heart/mind is what made the Days and the Directions. Through receiving daily mediation your life becomes something thankful and enjoyable. For those who take up the faith every day is an auspicious day. 7/17/77 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] WAKU WAKU DOKI DOKI The excitement and the thrill of each day is how to follow the process. Each morning as I step into the worship hall for morning prayer I have this feeling. It's exciting and a thrill to wonder what it is that Kami will be teaching me that day. Thus we are fresh in the morning, busy at noon, and thankful at night. In a dream of cooking we can see the faith we have now. The master, our late pastor, passed around recipes for each of us to prepare. All of them resulted in strange and different tastes. None were prepared exactly as the recipe stated. We need to take up this faith properly and follow it through as taught. Then the delicious joy can be shared by everyone. It's how best to cook the happenings of the process in your life. Everyday is a joyful celebration, all 365 days of the year. This is the meaning in the Divine Reminder. Each day, each month has the meaning of a joyful ceremony being held at the shrine or temple of worship. This was the meaning the founder used in the Divine Reminder. Therefore, everyday is a joy is the life of faith.
Yesterday's Diary Sunday, December 6, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Your lifetime is a training period of faith. It is like the scholar who growing old will wear glasses to pursue his studies. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #37] This morning Mrs. Yukiko Akinaga of Fukuoka came to worship and gave this account. "The other day I had a dream. The elderly Mrs. Nakamura of Kitano was laying down at the mediation area. So I went closer and found that she was dead. Then Oyasensei quickly went up before Kami and when he prayed she was brought back fully alive." Just as in this dream of Mrs. Akinaga a situation concerning the faith of Mrs. Nakamura has arisen. Since her grandchild became sick her faith has recently improved more than before to where her daily worship is so much alive that it would be hard for young people to match. I think here particularly, since a lifetime is the training period of faith, that I want to fulfill my life by training which is not withering, but that is alive and leads to great virtue. The training that is alive is a training which brings joy. 7/19/70 This Mrs. Nakamura was one of the earliest church board members. She was the one taught by a reading of her name. If she wasn't joyful, then she'd be just an old grouchy lady. You build a boat, for example, to take you to the next phase of your life. Upon landing you don't pick up the boat and keep carrying it with you. Thus this faith which brought you to here is then cut away. We need to summarize our faith realizing what is still necessary and what is it we don't need anymore. It requires some courage, too.
Sunday, December 6, 1998 Notes made before morning services began. I am off to a faith gathering in Yukuhashi, driving a minicar alone. I've been trusted with this responsibility and, though unworthy and still not strong enough, feel honored to receive such nurturing blessings. I plan to leave right after the pastor's sermon for today's Wagakokoro Day Service. My return will be in the evening. So I'm not at all sure if I'll have time to include the teaching in today's internet package. Returning after dinnertime, I just had time to jump into the bath and get a warmed-up dinner, then attend evening prayers. It was an amazing day of blessings. First, as I was on my way out I was told that Mrs. Kanzaki would also be going. I met her outside and we decided to go together in her car. She could direct me to the house, which I could not find alone. Then as I drove we listened to a tape of the same sermon that was being viewed by video at the church that very moment. This sermon I so badly had wanted to hear. And here it was provided at the spur of the moment for me. The content of the faith gathering itself was the next blessing. Although I couldn't understand much, I realized it was really a deep sensational dialoq of great faith. Then the chicken leg/breast piece I was served for dinner happened to be the very last one. It was offered special to celebrate Mrs. Fukunaga's birthday. All day the unmistakable blessings one after the other, each on the spur of the moment, each in perfect timing. Unmistakable, amazing blessings!
Sunday, December 6, 1998 I am off to a faith gathering in Yukuhashi, driving a minicar alone. I've been trusted with this responsibility and, though unworthy and still not strong enough, feel honored to receive such nurturing blessings. I plan to leave right after the pastor's sermon for today's Wagakokoro Day Service. My return will be in the evening. So I'm not at all sure if I'll have time to include the teaching in today's internet package.
Saturday night, Dec. 5th, '98 Worried from evening prayers and on until after closing prayers, returning to my room I prayed and opened to this teaching: Without virtue, you will worry. With divine virtue, you will not worry. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #54] The situation when you are able to entrust yourself to Kami whether it's a loss or a gain, whether you live or die is when "you will not worry." The receiving of divine virtue is believing in Kami and having Kami believe in you. In our case we have so many worries. So we should seek after devote faith. Miraculously you can change your life from a world of darkness to a world of brilliance, from anxiety you open into a world of relief. It is already the world of divine virtue. 7/6/77 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] Amazing the miraculous work of such perfect timing. This teaching about worries opened at random just when worries were so very troublesome. You can't but feel the divine hand guiding and leading us to greater faith and truer living as human masters of the universe. Rev. Dick Dusek, Saturday night, the 5th
Saturaday, December 5, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Above all, you should enrich your faith. Practicing faith in everyday life is important. Rich soil will be productive without fertilization, and so it is with faith. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #50] By comprehending the benevolence of the universe you will naturally grow feelings to compensate for it. Even good deeds will be gallant. A large and fruitful heart will be developed naturally. There's great blessings for the large heart. There is enriching blessings for the fruitful heart. 1 To restore the approach to Heaven and Earth enrich heaven and earth. 2 To serve the ancestors sincerely enrich the family roots. 3 Everything you dislike or hate enriches the heart. [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] 7/2/77 Explained so firmly that you need to enrich the soil of your faith, why is it that true faith hasn't been established earlier?? If you get down to the basics, it's because we didn't know, and so very many still don't know, to fertilize and enrich the spirit. It is so very necessary. This is why, for example, the rate of suicide is high. People don't know how to enrich the human spirit. The curriculum for enriching faith, for developing the spirit for doing daily jobs, is right in the very process of live, the everyday troubles and problems encountered by anyone and everyone. Respecting the process of everyday life naturally brings about all the conditions for human happiness and true peace of heart. Following the process of life is how all things come together so very naturally. We need to check ourselves for what is needed and for what is standing in the way. There was an survey of what is essential to you. It was done both in the big city and out in the country. The city children answered; pocket phones, cars and TV; the country children: water, rice, and matches for lighting the cooking stove. The city life has so many conveniences. The children mistake conveniencies for necessities. "Though people say there is no such thing as a money tree, this way of faith provides not only a tree of money, but the way to virtue which fulfills every condition for human happiness." It's natural when following the process of life with respect. What can I do to join in the rhythm with the process of the universe? What is it I do that destroys what the process is doing? Here is the natural curriculum for true human living. The spirit develops with the natural work of the process.
Friday, December 4, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Parents have more concern for children who are disobedient. In the same way, Kami has more concern for those with less faith. Practice faith and receive divine blessings. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #8] It's the earnest concern of the Parental Kami for those who don't know the true blessings of faith, and those who do not have faith. Such blessings through faith open up a life of which we're unworthy; it is what perpetrates to such a life. It's because through faith you begin to see your limits and become aware of them. The more you see, the more you can do nothing but realize just how deficient you yourself are. [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] 7/21/75 The point: Look at yourself; self-examination and modesty. You'll see some of what you are lacking, and some of the blessings you have been given. Since I treat the process importantly, I keep a firm view on myself. Truly without this faith I would be lost. So many have failed because of pride; they forget to use their heart to develop sincerely. The founder taught you can follow the form of others, but the sincerity of the heart cannot be copied. Here it is. We all need to work on conscientious faith; it's something that Airaku needs to work on. Yesterday's sermon by the pastor at Mii Church was an example of respect. Rather poor or good it doesn't matter. A speech stands on feelings of respect. Our late master always had the feeling of such a precious and thankful spirit. No matter when or where you listen to him, this unmistakeable feeling of preciousness and thankfulness is always present. Look at yourself. What's in the way of reaching successful prosperous living? Realize we haven't yet begun to get started. The energetic spirit of our last believer's chairperson, Mr. Akinaga, is surprising. The strength he gives to aiming and reaching for greater modesty, greater personal attainment.
Thursday, December 3, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Should The Principal Parent of the universe enter a shrine, the world would turn dark. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #10] Vast and infinite divine virtue is overflowing throughout the universe. It's neither the inside nor the outside of the shrine. It's not that Kami cannot leave the shrine because of being enshrined. And also Kami cannot be closed up in a shrine. However, man has various feelings and concepts. With the sound of opening the shrine doors, we feel our hearts being opened. When the lamps for Kami are turned on bright, the worshiper feels his or her heart-soul swept clean. The point is to open and brighten one's own heart and soul. 7/24/75 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] To open the spirit bright is the major point. Konko Daijin taught that the shrine he worships is the universe. 130 or so years ago, the founder's wooden shrine was old and tiny, the worshiping room was worn with torn matted flooring. A sacred staff was many times the object on the worshiping altar. But the founder spoke of worshiping the universe, the universe was his shrine. It is totally amazing that in such circumstances that the Divine Reminder was received and passed out to believers. Konko Daijin taught that the nature of this divinity is the very nature of the universe. Konko Faith is huge -- omnipresent and eternal view of diety. Our late master's keyword was the process of life is divine work. The founder's keyword would be conscientious faith in Kami. The founder accepted all so very conscientiously and faithfully. We are taught to be quiet and accepting, but so much is just done like we should appear proper. The founder's faith is so much more exacting. I opened to this teaching before our pastor announced the day's teaching. Do not think lightly of others. Doing so will not bring divine blessings. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #72] It's speaking to me of manifesting the conscientious portion of the founder's faith. To see and feel more deeply into the process that other people present.
Wednesday, December 2, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Tenchi Kane No Kami sees everything in Heaven and Earth in a single glance. Kami bestows blessings equally. However, the blessings will be lost if the receiver is not ready. If you want to receive divine virtue fully, you must have a heart that accepts everything. In other words, you must have a heart that accepts even death. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #22] It's teaching to accept everything "you must have a heart that accepts even death," but this is quite difficult to do. However, each day by feeling the work of Kami which doesn't miss even a minute or a second, you'll be able to reach the heart that accepts everything. In other words, it's living in rhythm with the universe. Kami has indicated to me the kanji character for AKIRA. It's written with sun (hi) on the top and shine (hikari) underneath. One definition I found was a melody of sun and shining. The sun is Kami; shine is what our heart does through our practice of faith. [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] 7/13/81 Last night after the monthly service Mr. Takahashi came running and presented an audio tape of the last faith seminar in Chisui area. Two believers spoke of their faith-life experiences just like we do at Airaku. It was like they were speaking about the process of the divine and human worlds. The minister there used the words of facing and following Kami, which is similar, but somehow I felt a difference. Something wasn't quite right; it was lacking in some way. In our single-hearted faith we root our spirit in the natural process and the seeds of joys sprout. I would say that it wasn't rooted well. There should always be the feeling of living in the very midst of divine work. For example, I received two phone calls informing me that packages are on the way. Both were from believers in Kobe. One was sending something to snack on; the other a coffee cup. Taken together it's a perfect match. You can use them together. In this way I feel Kami working right throughout my whole life. But then we should realize the blessings we don't know of, the ones going unseen, are much more than those we realize; Those who have faith are totally different from anyone not practicing faith. It's the unseen roots we are talking about. Therefore, while we are aiming for true faith, we also need to practice and persevere in that pursuit. Rev. Keisuke Sada dreamed of me giving a seminar class on these two topics. We need to examine ourselves. Where is our faith lacking? What needs to be done? Are we producing the fruit of faith? Is it well rooted in rich soil? This is where we are able to feel the events and happenings in our lives as the very convenience and planning of Kami -- it's divine workings that miss neither a minute nor a second. Without a mistake we feel our lives going along the lines of the process for diety and humanity to reach harmonious joy. It's important for each person to practice and train to establish such faith. There are many ways of going about it. One of them is the basic practice of the five spiritual ways -- particularly, come to worship and listen to teachings. There's two years until entering the next century. This is the time span provided to us for actually establishing our faith.
Tuesday, December 1, 1998 Rev. Katsuhiko Otsubo, Pastor Konko Daijin did not have anyone he could ask for teachings. Many people come from afar to receive divine blessings. However, if you have divine virtue, you will be able to pray on your own. [Teachings of Konko Daijin #64] We seek mediation, receive mediation and return home. That is, our prayers are heard, they are also answered and we go home. To carry that out is to obtain divine virtue and become able to pray on your own. An older lady who had practiced faith for a long time just came to worship after three months of absence. She was troubled by a problem in human relations. It was then I told her, "It may look like a problem, but it is a gift to you from Kami." She expressed her gratitude and said, "I feel easier after what you said today." However, when accepting it with hands pressed together in grateful prayer as a gift from Kami and as a sacred event or happening, it becomes a divine virtue just as it is which enables you to pray on your own. 7/15/71 [Mini-teaching of Rev. Soichiro Otsubo] I've received a new view of faith from the Grand Ceremony held on the 29th of November. It's that faith is that which must save me myself. As the central point of today's teaching, practicing faith we first need to receive divine virtue and then live life in harmony with the universe. To be saved, in other words, is to develop the peaceful, joyful spirit of a wagakokoro. However, we are not getting it. In Rev. Eishiro's dream our late master is saying he has no memory of trying to spread anything. But if you think of it, all religious movements have spread their faith. Here is being taught that 80% should be work within oneself and the remaining 20% going outward. It's, of course, different when the blessings received overflow to the point of spreading the blessings. So you see it's quite appropriate these blessings. It is blessings from within the process itself. Such appropriateness is the faith of Airaku. Such faith leads you to see that if Airaku fails, then Kami would suffer. Our responsiblity can be felt here. Enlarge one's spirit, enrich the soul, otherwise our faith will not be able to recieve the divine virtue which Kami is offering. Practicing a faith for Kami's works to be fulfilled is where both the divine world and the human world unite in perfect harmony. It's not that we spread this faith; it's a joyous movement that knows no stopping. Give it a try. It's simple even for children. The joy it enkindles is contagious.(Back) < Back to the HomePage > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Rev. Richard Lee Dusek