At the recent Shinkiko member’s seminar, I received letters from our members about “Looking for the Good”. I read a letter saying, “I’m decluttering. I want to get rid of all unnecessary items and feel refreshed.” Everyone, it’s the year-end cleaning season, but are you making good progress? Speaking of our house, we are in a state where we can’t even do regular cleaning, let alone deep cleaning.
This morning, my son was scattering lots of disposable diapers everywhere. The toys in the big box are scattered all over the floor in no time. He likes ringing the bell on the Buddhist altar, and he has taken it somewhere and can’t find it anymore. I try to clean up my house, which is in a state of disrepair, to make it as clean as possible, but eventually I find myself wanting to say, “Oh, hey, do something!”
What I am reminded of is the Cleansing Gyho Pledge in text book given in the Shinkiko Retreat seminar: “By the grace of Nature, from now on I will perform “Cleaning discipline”. Through this “Cleaning discipline” I pledge to cleanse my Mind-Hear and Life-style. A cleansed mind is a mind without desire. A cleansed mind is a mind of giving yourself to others. A cleansed mind is a mind of infinite gratitude for all things. I will improve my mind and life. A pure mind is a mind that does not ask for anything. It is a mind that gives of itself to others. It is a mind that is grateful for everything.
The key point of this is that it vows to purify one’s heart and life, especially the one that purifies one’s heart, saying, “A pure mind is a mind that does not seek.” The secret is that through cleaning, we cultivate a spirit that doesn’t demand anything from others. In other words, cleaning is a time to face yourself, and while tidying up your room, you look inside your heart and make it a habit.
When cleaning, we tend to ask people around us, “Please don’t make a mess,” or “I need more help,” or “Why should I do it?” Moreover, there are many other things that we wish for on a daily basis, such as, “I want this to happen,” “It would be nice if it happened that way,” and “This happened because of that.”
From the perspective of Ki, it can be thought that various things appear before our eyes as phenomena due to the positive and negative Ki of ourselves and those around us. When negative energy is at work, complaints and dissatisfaction increase, and especially when you say it out loud, it increases even more. On the other hand, when positive energy is encouraged, things naturally move in a positive direction. If you think about it that way, it is important to increase your own Ki and make it easier for your positive Ki to work. If you can decrease your desires for others and increase your gratitude, you will have peace of mind and be happier. (I’m also studying hard)
Next Sunday, we will be broadcasting Shinkiko members seminar from Tokyo. If you have something good or have any questions, please feel free to contact us, we look forward to hearing from you.