From a single grain to millions
Goal in start
We have been together in this meeting for about a week, some went deep while others stayed shallow, each of us may have different impressions, yet we haven’tgraduated, we have just made one step toward Kensan.
Here is not an ending, but a beginning of a Kensan life ever since.
You may feel pleased at first sight thatit seems good and you seem to have understood, however, after that one problem after another arises in different shapes.At this point quite manypeople feel gloomy, asking themselves what has happened though they thoughtit was so good and they understood at that time. This is natural and you should, under any circumstances or whatever you do, in everything do Kensan by standing in the zero position, do Kensan by asking yourself ‘how is it really?’ Especially when you think ‘this isgood’ or ‘that is wrong’ and so forth, do not rashly stereotype it as good or as bad. When you think it is bad, it is needless to say, but also when you think it is good, you should return to the zero position again and again and keep thinking without having a stereotype at all. You should try to do with a frame of mind that it is the present stage.
When others’ words and behavior seem improper or questionable to you, yourather become conscious of your own low level and your incapability to make a judgment of what is good or what is bad. You should not feel gloomy under any circumstances, but becomebright and cheerful and doKensan.
When you think on your own and cannot understand, you ask also peoplearound you. Or you put the problem temporarily aside to refresh yourself and to be releasedfrom the problem for some time. You should not keep holdingsuch feelings as gloom,anger, and so forth persistently for a long time, instead gain experiences to dissolve such emotions as quickly as possible.
When you think that others seem wrong, don’t put it into words hastily. You should think overthe immaturityof yourself who think so. Whatever it is, let’s stand in the zero position with ‘how is it really?’ and go continuously with Kensan for ever and ever!
Let’s build up a world reallygood to live in!
We have been called here in many ways, there may bemany points wecould notice: myreal happiness is not only me, if the surroundings, the society and all other people don’t become happy…..
Through our words, and our deeds, weshould translate it into action in everything, including daily little things, and we should make efforts to become bright,joyful, healthy and normal, and in the meanwhilewe should spread our influence on the surroundings and the society as rapidly and extensively as we can, which is the very thing, I think, that should never be forgotten.
After Tokkoh, we have stopped getting angry, we have become friendly with the people around us, we have become good at business, the disease that we used to have has become light, curable and so on,if we enumerate them, it is not too much to say that these are all things wecan notice and things we became so without noticing it, it is going to appear in the mental and in the phenomenal world. However, if wereserve such effects only to ourselves or to only one part of our surroundings without influencing others and without any efforts tobuild up a world really good to live in, itwill mean nothing but self-centeredness which is the sign of selfishness and egoism in terms of “only me”.
Let’s march on by always staying actively conscious of this movement without blaming each other, without blaming and stopping, so that everybody becomes like that and we become happy with each other as quickly as possible.
Let’s unite intelligence, strength and heart of everyone!
Here,what I want to paythe most attention tois that if werecommend in anunprocessed way in the world ofselfishness, egoism and self-centeredness, it will end up under many circumstances rather adverse, with the fact that people simply don’t come near,or it causes fear, dislike and a big hindrance. Thereforecoming to recommendation to people, we should also do Kensan sufficiently and carefully aboutthe choice of our words, attitudes and methods, and also listen sincerely to the ingenious methods of senior members and try to carry them out.
If we recommend to one person it’sthat much, if we recommend to two persons it’s that much, we are the ones who become deeper. Without standing still because we failed, without falling back, let’s change the method and attitude, let’s use all methods and ways to build up a world without enmity in which everyone can live joyfully holding hands with others friendly!
Blaming other people or blaming thingssuch as the management of the association is in most cases an evidence of our own low level and a destroying of the ground of the realization of ourpleasant world by ourselves. Even though we don’t go as far as blaming, only commenting or using worlds such as“I don’t quite understand it, and it’s doubtful” can be easily taken as almost blaming by the listener. Let’s try to think over againsilently the fact that this is the most unnoticeable huge revolt against the happiness of all.
Let’s unite intelligence, strength and heart of everyone and become happy altogether as quickly as possible!
Let’s build up the real world!
Let’s obliterate obstinate ideas and self-clinging of the whole world as quickly as possible!
If something seems contradictory or even if something seems wrong in my eyes, comment,criticism or blame must not be mentioned,when I think like that, I should examine at the very first, whether I am someone who is capable to makesuch comment, criticize, blame and so forth.
Human ideas are something obstinate.When we were born, it might not have been so, however ideas get in more and more, we utilize these ideas as our yardsticks, even if we make re-examination many times, tens of times, we get just the same answer.They are something we make themisjudgment: “it is sure, as the result is the same no matter how many times I re-examine it”. Shouldn’t we first stand in the zero position and make very careful re-examinationon our own ideas which are serving as thebase of examining things, before beginning something?
It is easy to see others’ obstinacy, you even see easily obstinacy where there does not exist such. While coming to your own obstinacy, you don’tnotice it, just as youdon’t notice your own odor. If you have even a small amount of obstinacy, you yourself will be the loserand its sequels will affect other people.
We should eliminate our own selfishness, egoism and obstinate ideas at the very firstand without stopping at that point, just by absolutely obliterating obstinate ideas, selfishness and self-clingingfromthe whole world,the truehappiness will be brought into being.
As long as you don’t eliminate obstinacy and self-clinging, in the end you will be the one who suffers.
Man and man can not live in the same world in bad relationships.
From there the seeds of unhappiness will grow and spread around.
Let’s make the elimination of our self-clinging of course and the self-clinging of the world to the beginning of everything!
How about extending this as rapidly as possible?
— 15. March 1961 — Dictated by Miyozo Yamagishi