Compass of the Times by Keiko Takahashi

November 2016

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To Dig Deep Down

Keiko Takahashi


As a Season of Rumination


November is traditionally called shimotsuki (month of frost) in Japan.

shimotsuki in the lunar calendar is equivalent to January in our current calendar, which is why it is referred to as “the month of frost.” For many people, November in the current calendar is considered “late autumn.”

At this time of deepening autumn, I suggest “digging deep down” as a suitable theme to consider.

For those who seek a lifestyle that follows the study of the soul*1, “to live deeply” is one of the most important concepts. “To live deeply” means to go beyond the repetition of the same way of living to seek even one or

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two discoveries or to take even one or two steps into an unreached field.

This becomes possible by rumination (hansu in Japanese), for example.

Rumination literally means to taste many times.

Living in our rushed modern society, we have little time to do anything twice. If you look at something once and think, “I understand,” you do not bother to review it any more. If you come in touch with something a single time and do not understand it, you end up thinking “it is too difficult.” When you taste something once and “dislike it,” you will dislike it forever.

Rumination is the opposite extreme to such a way of living. Even though you felt that you “understood” it at first glance, you review it again. Even if you come in touch with some concept and feel it is “difficult,” you try facing it again without giving up. Even if you try something and feel that you are “not good at it,” you try

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to deal with it a little longer.

By re-tasting many times, we find the hidden side of things, and we will be able to appreciate its true value. You might find a new feature of a thing which was totally different from your first impressions of it. It could even change the way you perceive the world.

If our first impression is all that is and never changes, nothing is more tiresome. Think about it. Our life itself is the path on which we re-experience countless similar days of night and day and yet we still live a new dimension and approach an unreached destination. However, through such re-experiences we can still live our lives with new dimensions and approach the destination that we have yet to attain.

Search for the True Heart*2


When we think of “digging deep down,” I propose “to search for the true heart” is another topic I would like to take up for the theme.

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Every one of us thinks that “I know the best about myself.” Many never have doubts about this. However, on the other hand, all people do not necessarily know their true heart.

It is necessary to inquire into your heart anew; what is it that “you want to cherish” in your daily life.

There might be those who say “I have too many important things to hold on to.” It often happens that even though we are sensitive to our wishes and desires, we are not aware of what we really want at the bottom of our heart.

For those who know the crucial relationship between our mind and reality, it is decisively important to grasp our true heart. Because of this reason, I would like you not to forget to face your mind and to keep asking “Is this my true heart?”

To Approach the Blueprint


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If you want to actualize something in the real world, the theme “digging deep down” means for you “to approach the blueprint.”

Even if you know the blueprint and you are close to its realization, you should not lose your motive to steadily come closer to it.

Blueprint is one form of ideals. It encompasses difficulties that actually exist in this world that has various restrictive conditions.

There is an avoidable dissociation between the ideal and the reality. To unify them is not easy. But because of such difficulties, we need to keep approaching the ideal steadily, little by little.

By continually accessing the blueprint , we can avoid losing sight of our final goal that we should aim for, and we can always re-discover “the true form of the ideal” anew. I would like you to pour energy and challenge this issue with determination.

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Editor’s and translator’s note
1 The Study of the Soul
It is the perspective that grasps our lives from the level of the soul, and refers to the system of the truth, the Divine Truth, that permeates every aspect of the human soul and the world. As opposed to the study of phenomena that is directed at the tangible world, the study of the soul is an investigation of all things, including the formless and intangible world. (Excerpted and summarized from page 3 of The Reason Why You Were Born as You)

2 the true heart
It is the deep layer of our heart which is connected to our soul’s aspiration.

Preliminary translation as of November 12, 2016

GLA member-volunteers translated Takahashi Sensei’s words.
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