Excerpts from Recent Lectures and Guidance

I am sure that any one of us would want to know the truth of why we were born, what it is that we wanted to achieve, and where we are supposed to go.

When we are able to overcome the oscillation between pain and pleasure and find the channel that connects the mind-heart with the soul, what do you think will happen to us?

Above all else, we will be able to become strong. Previously, whenever we faced hardship, we would sway between pain and pleasure, and at times, abandon ourselves to desperation or become depressed. In contrast to this, however, we will be able to bring out our own energy and will from within ourselves which enables us to stand up to hardship.

Furthermore, the way we live our lives will deepen. For the heart to not sway between pain and pleasure does not mean in any way that our heart is unresponsive. To deepen is to develop feelings based on pain and pleasure, such as like or dislike, profit or loss, to ones of nurturing the richness of our heart – to feel joy that wells from the bottom of our hearts, and empathy and true compassion toward others.

Finally, we will be able to live serene. There is an expression, to be generous and free; to live serene encompasses the traits of being generous and free enough to being able to accept all things as conditions, as nutrients for our hearts and for our lives – it is to walk the very path of fulfilling our purpose in life.

What do you think about living strong, deep, and serene? It is the title of today’s lecture and only those people who achieve self-revolution will be able to radiate the light of living strong, deep, and serene.

The state of flux that marks our era is far-reaching, I feel that many of you here today carry various kinds of anxiety about the future. Some of you may be very concerned about whether you can keep your company running in this era of enormous change, just like Mr. Nonouchi, whose story was introduced in the first half of today’s program. Some of you may be worried if you can keep providing food for your families. In this way, I believe that many of you carry a variety of anxieties at present.

However, you have learned today about a new stage in life that you had previously not known: the relationship between the soul, heart and reality. Through this, we can learn the patterns of our hearts and advance further to living a new stage of life. I hope that you will believe in your heart, believe in your soul, and advance to the next stage.

November 9, 2014: 2014 Lecture by Keiko Takahashi at
the National Convention Hall of Yokohama