This Month’s Message: Returning to the Origin

Oyasama says:

“This Residence is the Residence where mankind was first created. This is the birthplace of man.”

Anecdotes of Oyasama, no. 161

Apparently, in the pioneering days of America, families did not own a large pot, and making ham entailed cutting a large leg of pork on both ends so that it would fit into their pots. Times have changed, and people’s circumstances have improved. Families now have large pots. Yet, when ham is made, a large, beautiful leg is still cut on both ends before being cured, because that is the way ham has always been made. The method that involves cutting the pork has been handed down, yet the original reason for cutting it seems to have been forgotten.

In our lives, we may do many things in a way that has little to do with their original purposes. We may be sacrificing something important while focusing on trivial details. Distracted by worrying about trifles, we may have lost sight of—and may be straying away from—the original meaning of what we are doing. This situation can lead to unwanted consequences.

When we forget our origin, we tend to choose the easy path and lose focus. Such is human nature. We lose clarity on who we are, what we are doing, and for what purpose. Everything becomes blurry.

Truth is to be found in the origin. If we know our starting point, it is not difficult to see where we are. When we detect any deviation, we can correct it. We can have a clear idea of the direction in which we should be moving.

Jiba is the place of origin from which all of us humans came. It is, therefore, wise to return to Jiba from time to time and ask ourselves where we are now and where we are going from now on. Perhaps we can think about questions such as: “To whom can I bring joy and happiness with the life I was given in this world?” This may increase clarity about what the focus of our life can be.

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