Keishu Okada

"Our first duty as children of God is to realise that our life, food, clothing, and the building we live in, from the nails to the beams, are all blessings granted to us by Su God, and to offer gratitude to Him for all these things."

"Expressing gratitude for all things should be the fundamental attitude of all children of God. For instance, God has given us our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and brain. Our eyes enable us to see, our ears enable us to hear, our mouths enable us to speak, and our bodies enable us to move about. We need to realise that our being able to do all these things shows that we have already received superabundant protection and help from God. Without the earth it would not be possible for humankind to exist. Without the trees, grasses, rivers, and mountains of our planet, human beings would not be able to live. Unless we learn to be grateful for all these things that bring delight to our senses of sight and touch, our future will be bleak."

"Although the words people in each country use to express their gratitude differ, gratitude itself is the same all over the world. The phrase “Thank you” is important in daily life and helps to add grace to human relationships. When we train ourselves to be grateful for everything, feelings of joy naturally well up from within, and these vibrations in turn generate deeper feelings of gratitude. The vibrations of gratitude we send out reach the spiritual realm and in turn influence the physical realm."

"Some people think that to be accepting of the will of God means to be rather passive. However, to readily accept the will of God really means to actively strive to accomplish God’s will. All life form—grasses, trees, human beings and so on—prosper by harmoniously following the will of God. This enables a tree to grow tall and strong and a human being to become virtuous and to achieve great things. We need to firmly understand this divine arrangement. It is essential that we do not limit our potential with shallow human logic and that we become a vessel into which the will of God and the Light of God can smoothly enter."

"All life forms flourish by following the arrangements of God. In spring, crops grow thanks to sunlight, water, and the blessings of the earth. In autumn, they bear fruit, which is then harvested. For example, persimmon trees bloom in the spring, grow luxuriant in the summer, and bear fruit in the autumn, thus fulfilling their mission. When winter comes, they patiently endure the cold in preparation for the coming spring. Accordingly, when everything in the universe follows in a truly accepting manner the providence of Heaven and Earth and the cycle of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—eternal prosperity will come to all."

"Being cheerful and humble, regardless of what people say or think about us, will help to establish families, and indeed a society, of love and harmony."

"We have clouded over our pure, God-given souls with negative thoughts. We have generated negative vibrations such as grudges, envy and hatred, and have thus polluted the souls of others as well as our own. This is explained by the fact that vibrations generated by negative thoughts reverberate like echoes and return to us. In the teachings, this phenomenon is referred to as “the principle of echo”. In accordance with this principle, people today are causing harm to their souls with their own negative vibrations."

"Love that is truly altruistic seeks no reward and is based on true faith directed towards God. The true practice of altruistic love lies in not seeking anything in return. Yokoshi kamikumite have been given the art of True Light, through which we are able to give the Light of God. This is truly a wonderful gift from God. The foundation of altruistic love lies in giving Light."

"Parents and children are closely connected to one another by invisible spiritual cords. No matter where their children may be, parents always think and worry about their children’s welfare. Such is parental love. What does it mean to love and respect our parents? It means to have an innermost attitude of hoping and praying that our parents will continue to enjoy good health and a life without worry, even if they live to be ninety or one hundred years old. The Parent God is pleased when He sees children manifesting their love for their parents. Even if we live far away from our parents, if we truly love them, they will always be in our thoughts, and we will call them from time to time to express our gratitude and to give them encouragement. Thus, wherever we may be, we should do our best to fulfil our responsibilities to our parents."

"The origin of good manners can be traced to the laws that God established when He created Heaven and Earth. As such, they show that order is the foundation for all things in the universe. Manners help us to elevate our spirituality and to cultivate our innermost attitude. True manners and etiquette are born out of a love for and humility towards others. This means that we should show a gentle consideration for the feelings of others in all that we do. This gentle consideration can also be called benevolence. In short, good manners are a manifestation of love and kindness."

"The salvation work that started with just the two of us was not at all easy. The hardship that we experienced some days beggared description. It was as if we were walking down a path of thorns. Yet, in our hearts, we were filled with the warm Light of a loving God. Regardless of rain, cold wind, or storms, my father would go out on an old bicycle to help people in trouble. Day and night, he would go as far away as Tachikawa or Hachioji to give Light and teachings, always showing gentle affection for others."