Excerpts from Recent Lectures and Guidance

January 14, 6:56 a.m. At dawn, Takahashi Sensei departed from Tokyo Station to Morioka, and from there on to Fukushima and Sendai to meet with the governors of the three prefectures that had suffered from the Great East Japan Earthquake. She conveyed to these extremely busy governors the steps that GLA had taken immediately after the earthquake disaster three years ago.

The first thing was to deliver relief supplies to protect people’s lives and many GLA members volunteered their services. The more Sensei visited the disaster stricken areas, the more she wanted to walk along with the people living there. This led her to write, Beyond the Vast Wasteland, To the Land Beyond and Realm of Hope, as well as to her wish to donate the royalties from them. In fact, she received many letters from the people who had lost their homes and/or families, in which they said, “Reading this book has finally brought tears to my eyes,” or “I could feel hope welling up from inside.” Thus, together with a monetary contribution to each of the governors, Sensei wanted to deliver to them these urgent and direct messages from their citizens, to let them know what thoughts are now in most people's minds at the disaster areas and how they are trying to live there.

Governor Takuya Tasso of Iwate prefecture said, “I am extremely thankful that these books are encouraging many people because it certainly is hard for the government to reach deep into their hearts.” Governor Yuhei Sato of Fukushima prefecture appealed with emotion, the burden of hardship that Fukushima is bearing. When Sensei asked Governor Yoshihiro Murai of Miyagi prefecture, “What does it mean to be the governor in the midst of the Great East Japan Earthquake?”, his immediate response was “I believe it is my destiny.”

After hearing each of the governors’ feelings, Sensei concluded by saying, “If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to ask us. GLA, being a problem solving group, we would like to be of as much help as we can. In spite of the governors’ congested schedules from minute to minute, there were even times when an originally scheduled 10 minute meeting lasted for 30 minutes. Hope for reconstruction was entrusted there, and such a profound period of time went by making time forgotten.