Mom, be happier! 【Personal Experience】

A sudden phone call from my mother

In March 2016, I received a sudden call from my estranged mother in my hometown while I was at work. She was sobbing quietly.
"You know, I've been diagnosed with a disease called collagen disease..."

"Collagen disease? ... I'm at work right now."

My mother's explanation was unclear, and since I was busy at work, I hung up the phone immediately. Later, when I called my sister who lives near our family home in Yamaguchi, she, a nurse, explained that collagen disease is a condition where one's own immune system attacks itself, and there is almost no hope for recovery.

"This is going to be a long battle. You might need to prepare yourself for that."

My mother was told by the doctor that "this disease cannot be cured," and she was enduring joint pain in despair.

(Surely, it won't be cured by medicine...)

Since I had learned at Happy Science that "the cause of illness lies in the heart", I thought that in order to fundamentally cure her illness, my mother needed to learn this teaching and change her mindset.

However, it was a heavy burden to convey the teachings to my mother. This was because she was vehemently opposed to my faith.

I became a believer after reading books by Ryuho Okawa during my university days and was deeply moved. As I learned the teachings, I became humble and stopped being angry, and I found the way of life I had been searching for, grasping true happiness.

So when I talked to my parents about Happy Science...

"There's no point in believing in that!"
"You're brainwashed!"

Both my father and mother vehemently insulted me and refused to listen. They also opposed my decision to marry M, who shares the same faith.

(Fine, whatever. They probably won't understand anyway.)

I became tired of my relationship with my parents and started to distance myself from my family home.

"Even though I'm learning about 'love'..."

However, upon hearing about her illness, I thought I would try to convey it once more and made a phone call.

"Mom, you can recover from your illness. With the power of your heart..."
"That's not possible. It's impossible."

My mother still wouldn't listen and was crying, expressing the pain of her illness.

(If only she would listen...)

My wife wrote a letter of encouragement to my mother and sent her books by Okawa and tickets to Happy Science movies.

"It might be the trigger for your mother’s recovery."

Despite being denied so much, seeing my wife think of my mother made me feel somewhat ashamed.
Even though I was learning the importance of 'love' at Happy Science, I had been lacking in 'love', interest, and concern for my own parents.

(Come to think of it, I've been avoiding involvement with my parents since I was young and was indifferent to my family home. Our relationship had become completely cold...)

For me, memories of my family home were not happy ones. Since I was a child, my father would verbally abuse my mother when he was drunk and throw ashtrays and teacups at her.
My mother would rebel against my father, and they would have huge fights almost every week. Furthermore, the family finances were tight, and my parents often said, "We have no money."

I felt angry, thinking, "Why do I have to be in such a rotten house?"

(But since M is trying hard, I can't give up and must keep trying to convey my feelings.)

Together with my wife, I received prayers for my mother's recovery at a Happy Science branch. The friends at the branch also prayed for my mother.

Then, one day unexpectedly, my mother called to say she had watched the Happy Science movie 'I'm Fine, Angel' open_in_new.

"There was a scene in the movie where a woman was lashing out, and I realized I was doing the same at work. I wasn't grateful to those around me either..."

These were words I never expected from my mother. It seemed she had opened her heart a little, and I felt hopeful.

However, my mother's condition continued to be poor, and there were days when she had difficulty walking due to joint pain, and her hair began to fall out due to the side effects of the medication.

※1: Refers to friends who study the same teachings and can discuss their learning.

From the movie 'I'm Fine, Angel'

Two women who overcame collagen disease

It was the summer of 2016, six months after my mother was diagnosed with collagen disease. I contacted two women who had the experience of "being cured of collagen disease through the power of faith" published in a Happy Science magazine and went to meet them. One was in her 20s and the other in her 50s. I asked them about their recovery process.

The woman in her 20s had hated her violent father, but as she deepened her gratitude towards him through learning the teachings, her symptoms improved.

The woman in her 50s felt suffocated by her overprotective mother, but she told me that once her conflicts with her mother were resolved through training, her illness was cured.

The common point between the two was that the cause of their illness was "conflict with family" and that they recovered after overcoming that conflict.
Hearing this made me reflect.
(If family conflict is the cause, then I have a responsibility. My indifference towards my parents might be contributing to the family's distortion—)
Until now, I had been trying to "change my mother", but I realized that I first needed to change myself and began to reflect on my heart during training at the temple (※2).

※2: A worship facility of Happy Science where various training and prayers are held. Here is the site to go to the temple. open_in_new

Remembering 'Mother's Love' during training

One day, as the season changed to autumn,
while participating in the 'Guidance of the Heart' training (※3) at the temple and meditating, suddenly, memories from my childhood resurfaced.

During my preschool days. My mother would ride me on her bicycle every morning, climbing the steep hill to take me to school. Whenever I requested a dish, she would always make it for me, and it was always delicious.

On summer nights, when I said, "I want to do fireworks," she would say, "We have no money," but still bought me sparklers.

When I was in middle and high school, my mother would wake up every day at 5 AM to make my lunch.

Also, I remembered that after I entered university and started living alone, my mother sent me rice and letters every three months.

"Are you doing well? Make sure to eat your vegetables. If you're ever in need of money, just let me know."

At that time, my mother's letters, which were written like that, felt bothersome, and instead of feeling grateful, I discarded them without reading.

(Sorry, Mom...)

I only saw my parents' discord and the financial struggles, feeling dissatisfied, and overlooked the love my mother poured into me as if it were a given.

(From now on, I will repay my gratitude...)

With a changed heart, I made an effort to frequently contact my mother via phone and email, asking about her health and expressing my gratitude.

As a result, my mother gradually began to listen to discussions about faith and started reading the books I sent her instead of throwing them away.

"I read the book you sent. It had advice about illness, and I felt grateful."

She expressed her thoughts like that.

In our email exchanges, she would share realizations like, "I also thought I should practice giving love (Note 4)."

Within a few months, my mother became bright, as if it were a lie that she had been crying all the time. Despite being on leave due to illness, she started studying to obtain a care manager qualification, saying, "I want to do something for others."
(Mom really is a 'person of love'—)

膠原病が快方に！

Collagen disease is improving!

In mid-March of this year, my mother called me excitedly.

"A miracle really happened!"

When my mother went to the hospital for tests, her doctor, who had previously said, 'You will never recover,' looked at the blood test results and said, "You are recovering. You no longer need to rely on medication."

My mother was overjoyed, saying, "Miracles really do exist." She quickly returned to society and started working.
But that's not all; my father, who had been strict with my mother, also became kinder due to her illness. My father read the books of the Science of Happiness and even recommended them to my mother, saying, "This is very helpful." Furthermore, my sister also became a three-return believer (Note 5) and is supporting my parents closely.

I am truly grateful to Lord El Cantare who has guided our family. I am also filled with gratitude for my fellow practitioners who have supported me and my wife who has continued to stand by me.
Through the teachings of the Lord, I became aware of my parents' love and received the miracle of my mother's illness dramatically improving. From now on, I will repay my parents' kindness and share this teaching of 'love' with people around the world.

Note 5: A believer who has vowed to take refuge in the three treasures of 'Buddha, Law, and Sangha' in the Science of Happiness.

'Seven Tips to Become 'I'm Fine!' P.92 open_in_new (Written by Ryuho Okawa / Published by the Science of Happiness)

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