title tenen
The February sutra copying session was successfully completed.
The Shokoji Temple copying sutra meeting is not a calligraphy meeting, so the purpose is not to write characters well. The purpose is to reflect on oneself and reaffirm the essence of things necessary to make daily life peaceful and rich, and furthermore, to be welcomed to the Pure Land like our beloved ancestors by chanting the Nembutsu.
Last time, we all reaffirmed the importance of "single-mindedness." It is very difficult to remain calm without being disturbed. However, making an effort to calm our minds by taking deep breaths on a daily basis can help us to enrich and calm our daily lives.
In February, we reaffirmed the importance of "avoiding evil and practicing good." This means doing good and avoiding bad things, and it's easy to just write it down or say it, but it's very difficult to keep practicing it.
As imperfect people (ordinary people), when we try to do good things or avoid doing bad things, it is important to have the attitude of "I'll try my best!" and not be complacent and think, "I'm imperfect anyway, so there's no point in trying hard."
So what does it mean to "try your best" to do good deeds? It means to "continue to think and act single-mindedly about what you think is right, without forcing it on others, and without being forced by others to do it."
This is because "what you consider to be good is not necessarily the same as what others consider to be good."
In the past, I have participated in volunteer activities to clean up the local area. I think this is a very good thing. I think all Japanese people would agree with this.
However, once you go abroad, cleaning up the streets is not always supported. Some people say, "If you clean up the streets without permission, I won't have a job, so please stop." For these people, volunteering to clean up the streets is not "evil," but it is certainly not something they can support.
Who is right, me or that "certain person"? There is no right answer. The actions of imperfect human beings can never be perfect.
All we can do as people like us is to "continue to think and act single-mindedly on what we believe to be right and good, without forcing it on others, and without being forced by others to do so."
At this month's sutra copying session, we reaffirmed the importance of us, as imperfect people (ordinary people), living by "avoiding evil and cultivating good," and we were able to successfully complete the session, praying that all participants would be able to live peaceful lives until the next session.
Joining hands in prayer
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