Just the way it is

Ise is the land of the rising sun where the sun appears from the ocean.

In Kumano, the sun is hidden in the morning looking from Ise. And the ancient Shintoist acknowledged the area as Yomi-no-kuni (the land of the dead).

Thus the god worshipped in Ise has been the sun goddess Amaterasu-Ohomikami. And the god worshipped in Kumano was the god of the land of the dead, Susanoo, in the ancient time. The original shrines worshipped one or the other. But nowadays, other gods are added from humanly thoughts and the distinction of shrines has become dim.

The essence of Japanese Shinto is the teachings of nature. The name of the gods expresses the different functions of nature.

Amaterasu = sunlight = activate lives.
Susanoo = moonlight = give rest to lives.

This morning, I received a message from a god that Susanoo = sunaosa (meaning honesty). Susanoo is also a god of harai purification. So this message means that one’s honesty will purify one’s impurity and problems.

In the mythology, Susanoo was unruly to his father, a rebel. But old tales are often told the other way around.

In this world, we have day and night, light and dark. Some spiritual gurus would say they are no light and dark, it's just in your imagination. But that is not true.

I would say, just look at your life the way it is with honesty. We humans have gone through many problems through out our lives from ancient times. That has been the same. We need those problems in order to grow. It’s meant to be the way it is.

How do we get through our problems? Look at it with your honest feelings. Don’t get sucked into the problem. Observe. If you look at your problems from the point of life and death, it’s really no big deal. Time will be the solution. Accept the way it is with honesty.

Ikashite-itadaite Arigato-gozaimasu

Thank you for letting us live