One day Tom had a minor problem with his ear. He felt that this was a Mishirase, Divine Warning, so he requested Mioshie, Divine Instruction. Several days later he received his Mioshie which stated that he has a negative mental habit of not listening sincerely to others, feeling they are a nuisance.
While Tom was praying his Mioshie he recalled the faces of two of his subordinates at work. One of them, Mike, is a very sincere person but tends to stammer when speaking. Tom then realized that he listens impatiently to Mike, always wishing that Mike would speak more quickly. The other, Joe, is the type of person who questions everything due to a lack of confidence in himself and his work. Tom realized that when he deals with Joe he feels bothered and doesn't really listen to what he is saying.
In his position Tom has to meet with many people each day. Tom had always thought that he listened wholeheartedly to people but now he realized for the first time that he was ignoring his subordinates. This was a blind spot for him. He reflected deeply on himself and recognized that his mental habit had caused his subordinates to feel oppressed. Upon becoming aware of this, the physical problem disappeared. Now Tom listens willingly to his workers' reports and as a result, the communication, as well as the work efficiency has improved.
When a Mishirase (illness, injury or misfortune) occurs to us PL members, we can request Mioshie. If we sincerely and eagerly practices the Mioshie's contents, the Mishirase is cured or disappears because Mioshie teaches us the causes of our Mishirase, our negative or unnatural mental habits. Sometimes we are apt to misunderstand the fundamental value of Mioshie, thinking it is to cure illness or solve problems. But it is not so. Mioshie's true importance is to reveal to us how we must change our state of mind from negative to positive, distorted to straight or natural, thus changing misfortunes into blessings and happiness.
Our negative mental habits are our blind spots. Accepting purely the words of Mioshie as they are, praying to God to understand them is vital. Also we should receive consultation from a PL minister about each Mioshie that we receive. This consultation is Oshieoyasama's blessing to enable us to understand our blind spot and to perform our Mioshie. Mioshie is the heart of PL. To practice Mioshie is to practice the PL teaching, "Life is Art." By correcting our negative mental habits through practicing Mioshie, our self-expression will become more and more sincere and joyful and we will be leading an artistic life.