Excerpts from Recent Lectures and Guidance

I believe that a condition is required of a religion in the 21st century – to connect the cycles of the spirit and phenomena.
In relation to the cycle of phenomena, I mentioned earlier the issues related to energy and medical care, and that these are part of the construction of the world. However, construction of the world, which includes development of energy and advancements in medical technologies, is not occurring only on a global scale. Construction of the world in the cycle of phenomena is something that should occur in our daily lives, everywhere around us. 

Problems naturally arise in our immediate environments, in our families, communities; and our contribution to world construction includes solving these problems by building realities that bring harmony, development, and joy; and transforming a world of troubles to a dimension of light. 

Given this, an important, conditional requirement of a religion in the 21st century is its ability to link a deepening of the spirit, rotating the cycle of the spirit, with construction of the world in the phenomenal world. Consider the example of an individual who severs ties with society, enters priesthood and confines oneself in the mountains for spiritual training. I believe this is an important facet that religion should maintain; however, in this case, the two cycles – cycle of phenomena and cycle of the spirit – are not linked together, unfortunately.

The path that religion must proceed upon in the 21st century is to unify the path of inner-exploration, of deepening the spirit, with outer-exploration, of construction of the world. The cycles of the spirit and phenomena must form an interrelation that appears as a figure eight, in which the cycles of deepening the human being and deepening phenomena connect and form a dynamic unit. I believe that this is an important condition for a religion in the 21st century to establish.

December 8, 2013 Excerpted from the lecture for 2013 Gathering in Gratitude, Yokohama Arena