add the Ten Year Law to such rhythms. Everyone has learned in the Study of the Soul¹ about this law, which is the rhythm of life over the cycle of a decade.

When we genuinely try to pursue things, it takes a decade for these pursuits to take a concrete shape. The same can be said for work since each result from work is produced in the rhythm of a decade.

I also mentioned that it is with the timing of a decade that the Great Chaos ² makes its appearance, which creates the turning points in our lives.

That is to say, our life inevitably has a rhythm of a decade.

The resonance of rhythms of one day, one year, ten years, and of transmigration that influences our entire life reaches us in our daily lives.

And, if we wish to live out our life, we must perceive such resonance or calling, and live by responding to them.

Live in the Present

What does it mean to live by responding to the resonance of the rhythm, or the calling?

I think living in this way in itself means "to live in the present."

It means to live by focusing on the present in a real sense.

Responding busily to the daily demands that confront us does not mean to live in the present. Even if we feel that we are living by doing our best, it merely means that we are living by responding to the stimuli that come to us one after another. This way of living cannot be called living in the present in a real sense.

If we repeat the same thoughts and interactions with others in the same way, it means that we are only rotating an automatic circuitry; thus, we cannot say that we are focusing on the present.

Or, when we live by worrying about tomorrow, and being fixated in the past, it becomes difficult for us to focus on the present.

In Chapter Four of my book, The Power to Know Oneself, I wrote about Mrs. Kimiko Matsuyama. She realized, "Oh, today had never existed for me. What had existed for me was yesterday and tomorrow." Her realization indicated that she had lived by applying a fear of the past to the future while living in increasing anxiety. By seeing right through herself in this way, Mrs. Matsuyama was able to liberate herself from the constraints of anxiety to live in the present.

To focus on the present means for us to think of all the possibilities that are entrusted to the present. To live now,

at this very moment, means to do the best we can at that moment.

Heeding and responding to the callings-the resonance of the ensemble of rhythms that reverberates there, is the best sign of us doing our best.

   Callings that are brought forth by the present
   Possibilities that are hidden in the present
   The blueprint ³ that is harbored in the present

When we try to perceive them firmly and respond to them, the present will resound by surpassing one day, one year, ten years, and through an entire life. The present does not end ephemerally but is linked to eternity.

To live in the present is to live in eternity.

Editor's Notes

1. Study of the Soul
The Study of the Soul is a system of theory and practice in which we seek a way of life by connecting the visible and invisible dimensions. In contrast to the study of phenomena, which science represents by dealing with the materialistic dimension, the Study of the Soul goes beyond that, dealing comprehensively with the materialistic dimension and the invisible dimension of the mind and soul. That is a principle that I have discovered from intensive studies of human beings and the individual life journeys of the many people whom I have met. By looking at the soul, mind, and reality as a whole, we observe human beings and aspire to respond to every

possible occasion. (Excerpted from How to Make Your Life the Best by Keiko Takahashi; available only in Japanese)

2. Great Chaos
Great Chaos is a Chaos that appears once in a decade at a turning point in our life. It is a gigantic Chaos that not only creates a major junction in our lives but also, at times, decides the contour of our entire life. (Excerpted and summarized from p.184 of How to Make Your Life the Best, available only in Japanese)

3. Blueprint
There is a blueprint for everything. When we wish to accomplish something, we must first remember the fact that a blueprint exists-an image of what should be there from the start. This means there are answers to be sought in all cases and ways to access them. In other words, there is always the best possible path to take in any situation. (Excerpted and summarized from pages 98-99 of The Soul Doctrine as a Way of Life)

Excerpt Translation of G. Monthly Journal March 2020 issue
Preliminary translation as of March 2020
GLA member-volunteers translated Takahashi Sensei’s words.
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