The Shinbashira’s Sermon at the Autumn Grand Service 2022

I am delighted that we have just been able to duly perform the Autumn Grand Service. May I express my sincere appreciation to all of you for returning to Jiba from various places for today’s Service. I also wish to express my deepest gratitude for the efforts you are devoting to the work of single-hearted salvation despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I now would like to share some of my thoughts with you.

In my New Year’s Address, I expressed my intention to conduct the 140th Anniversary of Oyasama. Thereafter, I was asked to announce an Instruction, so I decided to announce it today.

I would now like to read Instruction Four to you. I may slur my words or run out of breath, so I would like to ask you to bear with me while I read it.

[The Shinbashira reads Instruction Four aloud.]

I have now read Instruction Four. The significance of observing an anniversary of Oyasama has always remained unchanged. The frame of mind of those of us who observe an anniversary of Oyasama has also remained the same in that we have always sought to return our thoughts to the intention of the Parent—who even withdrew from physical life by shortening Her term of life in order to hasten the spiritual growth of all humankind, Her children—and to respond to Her intention by showing Her the fruits of our decisive efforts to follow the path of spiritual growth with our sights set on the anniversary. Such is the fundamental spirit of observing an anniversary of Oyasama, the spirit that should never change.

The significance of observing an anniversary of Oyasama will not change. However, as time goes by and as one anniversary after another is observed, the faces may change. This inevitably means that there will be people who are unaware of the significance of an anniversary or the frame of mind with which they should observe it. It is my sincere hope that you will use this Instruction as a tool to unite the minds of all followers by allowing those who are unaware of the significance of an anniversary to become aware of it and thereby to cultivate a frame of mind that leads to proactively walking the path so as to bring themselves into accord with the Parent’s intention.

With this request, I now conclude my remarks. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

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