Looking into Ourselves
By Rev. TatsunoriKamiya
May 4, 2014
Aloha.
Every month, my wife has been drawing a four-frame comic strip for the Gedatsumagazine for Japanese youth members. Her comic strip appears in connection with articles containing quotes from our Founder, GedatsuKongo, and Rev. Taki’s explanation of the quotes. Last Thursday, she received a fax from HQ of Rev. Taki’s manuscript of the article. Written for the June issue, the article contained three quotes of our founder. I thought one of them was particularly good to share, so let me read GedatsuKongo’s words:
“People who blame others do not try to correct their bad attitude.”
Rev. Takiexplained the quote like this:
“Our eyes are in the front of our head. Therefore, we can see things in front of us, but we cannot see things behind us, let alone ourselves. That might be one of the reasons why we tend to be self-centered. It appears that ancient people were aware of this fact. For example, in the Bible, Matthew, Chapter 7, it states: ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’
“So, before you blame others, self-reflect first.
“We are good at finding faults with others, but we are not good at finding faults within ourselves. If we keep blaming each other, the fight will get worse. Before we blame others, let’s self-reflect first. Even though our eyes are at the front of our head, try to look into your own mind. If you can self-reflect, you can be compassionate and empathetic to others. Your family, your work place, your school life and the world will be in peace and harmony.”
That is Rev. Taki’s explanation about the Founder’s quote.
I remember one of my Gedatsu teachers in Japan used to warn us, “Don’t be a judge.” As we study the Gedatsu teaching, we tend to see the gap between ideal and reality. We tend to judge and blame others if they don’t meet our expectations. That is wrong. Gedatsu teaching is to live a life with empathy – not to become a judge. There is a similar quote by Mother Teresa: “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
Our Founder said, “Humans are near-sighted, color blind and have distorted vision.” Which means we tend to think that we are right and others are wrong – but we might be wrong if our vision is distorted.
My Gedatsu teacher always said, “Accept everything with unconditional gratitude.”
One day, a woman visited GedatsuKongo and said,“May I ask you a question? I live with my husband, mother-in-law and two children. My husband works for a company. The atmosphere in my family, however, has been gloomy. I feel unhappy at home every day. How should I mend my mind to make my home brighter and to live a happy life?”
GedatsuKongo said, “You have forgotten about the blessings you’ve been receiving from your family. You have never been thankful for each other, but only blaming oneanother. You don’t know your faults. You need more practice being humble. Come and visit me more often and study the Gedatsu teaching sincerely.”
GedatsuKongo also said this strictly: “Never forget that your home is a training center for cultivating your mind.”
I would like you to keep this in mind and practice what you have learned today at your home, your workplace or your school.
Mahalo.