Forgiveness is essential to develop faith . . . some wisdom from the Konkokyo faith

Spring daffodils in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden

At a conference I attended last week, one of my cameras and lenses was stolen. There’s CCTV footage of it happening but, realistically, it’s clearly gone for good. My primary feeling about this was sadness, not so much about the loss of the camera (though that was, of course, present), but rather about the general state of the world in which I, and the thief, live, move and have our being, a world that far too often puts people in situations where they have no choice to steal simply to pay for the next meal. Yes, the person who took my camera, may have been doing it for reasons other than that, but the fact remains the need to steal in order simply to pay for the next meal is very real and day by day it’s getting even more real for more and more people everywhere, including here in the UK. It was thoughts like these that, after another 24 hours had passed, helped me finally let the camera go, give thanks for the pleasure it has given me (and I hope others through the pictures taken with it; such as the one here), and to hope that whoever took it found a way to transform it into something that brought some small measure of the good, the true and the beautiful into their own lives. I mean, what else can, should, one do—apart, of course, from continuing to try one’s hardest to manifest in our world something of the Kingdom of God, or Pure Land of Buddha, 
that is nothing but the Ideal Community?

Then, this morning, I was reading through the opening chapter in Konkokyo’s “Gorekai” called, “A Guide to the Faith” (Omichi Annai) by Shirakami Shin’ichirō. Here’s section 8:1-5 which, in the light of last week, I found helpful to read, and I reproduce it here in the hope that some of you will find it helpful as well . . .

1 Konko Daijin said, “When a person who is jealous and perverse towards you does something bad behind your back, you should not get upset or bear a grudge against them. You should forgive them for their wrong doings. Forgiveness is essential to develop faith.

2 Do not get upset when a thief steals something from you. Believe that you escaped a larger misfortune by having a small one. Think that if the thief had stolen from other people’s houses instead of yours, the other people might have suffered much more. You should be concerned about the thief’s future and pray wholeheartedly for them to mend their ways. Everything you do should be virtuous without calling attention to yourself.”

3 Kami will not receive your prayers if you pray in anger to make the thief unable to escape or pray to make them suffer for their crime.

4 All people are Kami’s children, no matter how bad they may be. Because of this, Kami mourns for and hates their wrong doings, but never hates the people themselves.

5 You should not ask Kami about where to find the things that you have lost. If they are absolute necessities, pray to Kami with a heart of love as mentioned before. You will then receive Kami’s assistance. Whether everything is returned or partially returned depends on your faith.