Life Lessons Practiced while Playing Golf
I have always wanted to write an essay on this subject. I am hoping that this analysis will be of use to the reader but most of all I pray that this will help me understand the teachings of Meishu-sama and also apply it to my daily life, which, may or may not include golf. ^_^
Volume 1 is a good introduction to the teachings and philosophy of Meishu-sama.
Volume 2 includes deeper insights into his thoughts and principles.
Volume 3 focuses on the practical teachings that we can apply into our daily lives to become worthy citizens of Paradise on Earth.
Volume 4 is more theoretical, covering beauty, happiness, religion, and the spiritual world.
Volume 5 covers philosophies on the ways to improve one’s well being and eliminate suffering. . . such topics as health, nature farming, Johrei and purification.
Based on the above descriptions of the five volumes, I have chosen Volume 3 as the reference for this essay. I have been playing this game, off and on, for 43 years. I believe I can come up with a few stories which could have worked out differently if I had applied Meishu-sama’s teachings.
Universal love
Is a challenge for me and
Everyone else too.
The game of golf has taught me
To love every shot truly.
Let’s take the first teaching in that volume. (Makoto . . . Love and Integrity) This is a good place to start. I believe I love the game. In truth it is definitely a love hate relationship. This is where I learned the concept of universal love (unconditional love- daijo love) I did not realize till now that it is at the core of my love for the game. I have no reason to love the game. I am not a very good player and apparently I have little natural skill. And yet, I still find ways to appreciate its many lessons. If you just look at the outside of this relationship you would say that it was destined for failure. But what better way to demonstrate this love by being rejected in most situations but allowing me a brief instance of grace by giving me at least one perfect shot. Not one that is a perfect result. But one that feels like the perfect shot. Where the golf ball actually goes, God only knows. ^_^ But the feeling of the shot resonates with my soul. That is what the game gives me. In all things in life, marriage, raising children, working a profession, all relationships, etc. if we had this resonation with our soul we would have a fulfilling life. (8/21/22-God gave me a round of soul vibrating shots. Maybe it is time to officially come out of retirement. A 76 on a par 60 course with 6 lost golf balls is a miracle. Bruce, my long time golfing buddy was my witness. He actually complimented me on my short game. The best chipper of the ball, that I know, was calling me, the best chipper of the ball that he knew. That was the greatest compliment any one has ever given me. ^_^) Btw, this happened yesterday. Sorry for the commercial break. Back to the original blog. ^_^
By the way, you are probably wondering about why Meishu-sama included Integrity into the meaning of the word “Makoto”. Well, I believe that honesty with others and with yourself is the core of good relationships. (Being authenticate . . . I believe gives us the best chance of doing the mission God gave us before we came back to live this life.) And since golf is a self-regulated sport . . . you can practice the concept of honesty in every round. I have tried to deviate from the rules of golf to benefit my score but inevitably I have stopped doing it because it bothered me so much that my score actually got worse. I think people can relate to this. In the daylight age, the truth is always the best path. Telling a lie in the Age of Darkness may have met with temporary success. But now . . . the truth is the best practice.
The following is the teaching as written in Volume 3:
MAKOTO (50)
The key to the solution of all problems, whether they concern an individual, a nation or the world, is makoto – love.
The lack of administrative ability stems from a lack of love. The shortage of material blessings is caused by a shortage of love. The absence of morality is due to an absence of love. The deterioration of social order is the result of the deterioration of love. Indeed, the basic cause of all distressing problems is an insufficiency of love.
Religion, education and the arts are only skeletal forms without love at their core.
Ah, makoto, makoto! I say to all humanity that the only key to solving all problems is love and love alone.
The next teaching is entitled, “Gratitude” – It Will Be Done According to Your Thought (Ningen wa Sonen Shidai). I am going to write this teaching in its entirety. It is short and it is very important in life as well as in golf.
GRATITUDE (51)
“Gratitude gives birth to gratitude and ingratitude creates more ingratitude. This is because gratitude reaches God, while ingratitude reaches dark forces.
Therein lies the reason why those who are always grateful naturally enjoy happiness and good fortune, while those who are ungrateful and constantly complain are unhappy and become more and more unfortunate.
As one prominent spiritual leader in Japan wrote, “if you rejoice, joyous things will come to you.”
In my forty or so years of playing the game of golf I have had more terrible shots than amazing shots. It is easy to feel grateful for the amazing shots. But my challenge has been to truly feel gratitude for the bad shots. With help from my friend, Bruce, I now embrace my bad shots as opportunities to then execute an amazing recovery shot. I will share an example. I was playing a friendly game of golf with my Uncle in Seattle. Of course, we were playing in a nice drizzle. Most of my golf is played in perfect weather so I knew this day would be a challenge. During the round I topped my second shot on a par four. The ball went straight down into the mud and rolled 8 feet forward. That was one of the worse shots ever. Following that shot came the most amazing 8 iron. From 140 yards out, the ball flew into the hole for a birdie 3. From that day forward I have always verbally thanked God for good and bad shots. My fortune on golf courses has been improving ever since. My scores go up and down but my overall experience on the course has always beckoned my soul to return. Why?? I now believe that God sent me down to the Earth to help humanity achieve Paradise on Earth. Exactly how I will do this . . . thru golf . . . is still a mystery to me. ^_^ update (2/7/24) I am realizing that the feeling of gratitude after a good or bad shot is a feeling. Living our lives with the feeling of gratitude is not an intellectual endeavor. The feeling is quite common now. Perhaps this all began on the golf course as an intellectual daily practice but now . . . the feeling which I feel is almost a continuous feeling. Wow! Life is good.
The next teaching in Volume 3 is: The Practice of Humility. I have decided to include all of the teachings in its entirety in this blog because the power of the teachings should not be summarized or abbreviated.
THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY (52)
Since antiquity the practice of humility has been stressed in Japan, and it is more important in every aspect of one’s life than people generally realize. It is of particular importance to anyone who believes in God.
I notice at times that the virtue of humility seems to be lacking in the leaders of certain spiritual groups when they promote their teachings. There are two ancient Japanese proverbs that refer to this virtue: “A falcon that catches the most hides its talons,” and, “the riper the rice grows the lower the stalks bow.”
Arrogance, conceit, pretense of knowledge, and vanity all reflect back adversely on a person exhibiting such flaws, with the result being the opposite of that desired. It is a common human weakness to want to feel important once a person begins to attract the attention of others. When people working in ordinary jobs, leading rather ordinary lives or living on a low income, suddenly become successful or achieve some level of importance, they may feel quite flattered. While simply happy and grateful at first, in time most of them begin to dream of having even more.
Up to this point things may have been going well; but problems can begin to arise, since their conceit will surely cause bad feelings. Unfortunately, such people don’t usually realize what is happening until it is too late.
God greatly dislikes vanity or arrogance. The virtues of modesty and humility are priceless, especially among our modern, civilized societies. We often see people pushing through crowded, public places, or rushing for and haughtily taking the best seats on a bus or train. These are self-centered behaviors that should be earnestly avoided.
The real spirit of democracy, true for all ages, is helping to establish a peaceful and comfortable society for everyone.
This teaching is self evident but I could not relate it to myself. I believe you should be very good in something before you could fall into the trap of being arrogant. And since I was seldom in a situation to brag . . . I never did. And looking back on my life. If I ever deserved accolades I down played it. I chalked it up to good fortune. (being a lucky menehune) or being associated with a great team. I do believe Bruce struggled with this one. He is an amazing athlete and an amazing person. The list of accolades I would have describing him would go on and on. So humility was a challenge for him. He admitted to me many times on the golf course that he was working on it. I said I would help him on the golf course. I would quickly acknowledge his great golf shots before he congratulated himself. ^_^
REVERSE EFFECT (53)
Throughout the world we find that people often have not attained the good results they expected, even though they have worked in earnest and fully believed that what they have been attempting to accomplish was right.
In many cases this occurs simply because they are ignorant of a reverse effect, which causes things that aren’t logical to happen. This is worth explaining because I believe anyone who reads this article and grasps its meaning will receive an unanticipated benefit from it.
People at times try to make themselves seem greater than they really are in order to impress others. I have found this to occur in some of our members who have been given leading positions. Because of their pretense, these people frequently create the exact opposite impression, since others can easily see through it.
Conversely, those who are humble and reserved in their words and deeds, who are happy and content with simply being themselves, gain the respect and admiration of others.
Also, some people like to brag about what they do. But because they offend those who hear them, the created effect is the reverse of that which they desired. It is not good to be a showoff.
Being honest and pleasant always makes a good impression on others. Also, expressing a reserved opinion gives an indication of fine character.
When someone does favors for others, a patronizing attitude should never be assumed, for, doing so makes the recipients feel less grateful, diminishing the value of the good deeds.
Some time ago, the last person I would care to see asked for an interview through a friend of mine. I finally conceded to his repeated requests. He first asked me, “What kind of deity do you worship in your religion?” I said,
“Sorry, but I do not have an answer to that question.” His next remark was, “Meishu-sama, I understand you know everything that is going to happen in the future.” I said to him, “Since I am not God I cannot know anything about the future.” He seemed to be very disappointed, because he never came again to see me.
Another time, I found a piece of land that was for sale, one that I really wanted to purchase, and I asked how much it was. The owner, trying to take advantage of my strong desire to own it, set an unreasonably high price. So I let it go for a while, keeping the seller in suspense. Eventually he became anxious and came to ask my intentions. I said I did not need the land any more. He then named a very reasonable price, and the deal was completed.
Occasionally, I had visitors who intended to defraud me of some money. When one appeared, I would take the initiative and remark before he could say anything, “I need money; I am in a strained condition just now. Do you know of anyone who can lend me some money?” Upon hearing this, the visitor could not say what he had planned and would leave without bringing up the subject.
When I find among my followers someone who shows great promise for our work in the future, I sometimes take an indifferent approach on purpose. If that individual begins to serve still more earnestly and do still better work, he or she is indeed trustworthy and will be a valuable instrument for God’s Cause. A more important position can then be given.
These are just a few examples of reverse effects, but the truth they contain applies in any situation. I am sure that if you keep this in mind in whatever you do, you will find it very beneficial.
As you can see by this teaching we can clearly see the benefits of being modest and practicing humility. Enough said.
My Journey into the Daylight Age 