(HO from Oita Prefecture/60s/Male/Part time)
I have a short temper. Even when I try to mediate a fight, I end up starting one myself. I have a strong sense of justice, and when I’m bothered by someone’s words or actions, I get angry. However, even when I think I’m right, I always end up with an unpleasant aftertaste lingering in my mind. I would go back and forth thinking, “Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten so angry,” or “Maybe I could have said it differently…” I couldn’t do anything about my short-tempered nature. But as I offered kigan every time I got annoyed, I started to get annoyed less and less. The fights stopped, and people around me started saying things like, “You’re so calm,” and “You never get angry.” My personality is unlikely to change, but I realized that Kami was protecting the movement of my kokoro. And that was a relief for me.
Even with a Serious Illness, I Remain Incredibly Calm…
Around the time I started to feel grateful for my changing kokoro, I went to the clinic to get a vaccination where I usually get my diabetes checked out. They couldn’t give me a shot due to a fever I had. Then, suddenly, the doctor said, “Let me do a blood test on you.” The next morning, I got a call from the doctor saying that my platelet count was only 1/60th of the normal level. And insisted I go to a bigger hospital. Soon after, I got a call from the hospital to come prepared to be admitted.
It all happened so quickly. After detailed examinations, I was diagnosed with an incurable disease called Thrombocytopenia. Because I cannot stop bleeding, even a scrape can be life-threatening for me. To avoid injury, my movements were so restricted that I couldn’t even go to the convenience store. I am naturally an extremely anxious person. I was worried about what would happen, and it was inevitable that I would be scared. But even at this time, Kami protected my kokoro. I remained surprisingly calm and was positive, thinking that if I was ill, the only thing I could do was to cure myself. I was determined to get the treatment I needed.
Gratitude Wells Up One After Another
I continued to read the church book every day on the hospital bed. I began to see my true self with a weak physical body. I had always been prone to illness, but after meeting Kami and trying to put the teachings into practice, I gradually became healthier. I forgot about my past when I was weak and always sick.
In my 60s, I was diagnosed with a series of illnesses, including depression, diabetes, and arthritis. And now I have an incurable disease… I was short-tempered, fought with people, and hurt many people. My way of life had brought me illness. When I realized this, I decided that the only thing I could do was to improve my kokoro. Then, gratitude welled up inside me. If I had been injured before the disease was discovered… I shouldn’t take it for granted that I can receive treatments now. I am alive. In the past, I would get angry when people didn’t respond to my hello. But I have become a person who can just let brush that off my shoulder; instead, I feel grateful just for being able to say hello.
I want to Live Every Day to the Fullest
Just as I learned that the mind and body are linked, my condition improved rapidly, and I was discharged from the hospital one month ahead of schedule. During subsequent visits to the hospital, I was so healthy that the doctor said, “You’re in super condition!”
The other day, I saw on the news that the cherry blossoms had bloomed. In the past, I would have just said, “Oh,” and left it at that. But now, I feel grateful and moved, thinking, “I have been able to live to enjoy another spring.” If I had continued to be impatient and anxious, I would never have been able to overcome this illness. Kami has given me life. From now on, I hope to keep illness at bay and live with a generous kokoro… I will never forget the gratitude I have for being alive, and I will cherish each day of my life.
Shinji
Human beings that live with unmei-jittai, it is necessary to gain awareness about the principles to make the effort to correct the jittai. Unmei (your unmei and the unmei of people and things) will mutually harmonize when you accept the encounters of people and things with a sense of gratitude. There, the confidence and courage to live will develop; the kokoro that merges with your unmei will make your body healthy. Illness can be naturally avoided if you maintain your kokoro to be positive and bright.
Shinji that Kami reveals are the teachings that teach us how to live a happy life. Because they are universal truths that apply to everyone, if you live under these teachings, your life will improve.