A Guide to the - Rissho Kosei-kai

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ATTITUDE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCEJoy and DiscontentEveryone on earth wishes to be happy, but many people never do become truly content. Frommy own perspective, it seems that the reason they are not happy is that they do not try to feelthe joy that exists in their immediate circumstances. There is actually no condition that can becalled "happiness"; rather, there is only a sense of being happy.For example, one person may think that a rainy day is gloomy while another may welcome therain. The reality of the rain is one and the same, but the ways the two feel about it are exactlythe opposite. The one who can rejoice in the rain is the one who is happier. The same is true ofwork. When trouble arises at work, there are some who want to give up in despair, and thenthere are others who see difficulties as a challenge and rouse themselves to action. It seemsthat happiness depends on how one looks at things, how one appraises things, and how oneresponds to things.The root of the Japanese word for happiness, shiawase, matches this way of thinking perfectly.According to a major Japanese dictionary, shiawase is the noun form of a verb meaning "to actflexibly according to circumstances." The peace of mind one gains from such action is what wecall happiness.One of the teachings of Buddhism is that the whole universe is contained in a single thought ofone individual (ichinen sanzen, or "three thousand realms in one mind"). It means that theworld around us changes when we change our attitude.To those who are discontented and irritable, all they see and hear is depressing. The worldaround them is like the unpleasant odor that surrounds a drainage ditch. In contrast, when wehave a single thought that is bright and pure, everything around us is proportionately brighterand purer. When the weather improves, just look at how the blue sky spreads wider and widerand the banks of clouds dissipate as they are blown before the rising air currents. One must callforth this sort of updraft from within one's own heart.Along with many people in the world who seem unable to feel happy, there are some whoseem to be masters of the art of enjoying life. One was Tachibana Akemi (1812‐‐68), a poet andscholar of Japanese classical literature. In Dokurakugin (Reciting Poetry for My Own Pleasure), acollection of fifty‐two poems, he writes:Pleasure is getting up in the morningAnd seeing a blossom that had not been thereThe day before.Pleasure is awakening after a nap to findRain sprinkling the garden.He expresses pleasure at such small things as the blossoming of a plant and a midday shower.One who has this eye for the joys of life can be said to be happy.Tachibana lauds other pleasures:6
Pleasure is filling the empty rice binKnowing there is enough for another month.Pleasure is when a rare fish delicacy is servedAnd all the children relish it, exclaiming,"That's good!"Tachibana was a man who aimed at honest poverty. In his poems he straightforwardlyexpresses the joy of being able, because he has even a small income, to fill the rice bin whenthe bottom had been exposed, and of being able to have something good to eat for the firsttime in a long while. Herein lies the wisdom of being satisfied with little and experiencing greatjoy.As happiness is not just an abstract notion, neither is misery. However, if one gets into the habitof being discontented and dissatisfied, then a feeling of displeasure will fasten on whatevertakes place around one.It appears that there are many people who feel happiness only when they experience somegreat joy once or twice a year. But if instead of hoping for rare moments of great elation, theymanaged to find pleasure in small, everyday things, their lives would be much happier.Even in our daily work, it is possible to see things through eyes of joy as Tachibana did:Pleasure is talking with a co‐worker at the next deskAbout one's good work.Pleasure is the animation that takes overWhen urgent business suddenly comes in.Pleasure is being thanked by a regular customerAnd saying, "Thank you," exchanging smiles.At work, though tough problems may come one right after another, we should not think ofthem as hardships, but as pleasures. We can encourage ourselves by believing that dealing withdifficult tasks makes us stronger. With this attitude, work becomes fun.In the late eighteenth century there lived in the village of Bizen, in what is now OkayamaPrefecture, a man named Aburaya Yoichibe, who was in the habit of saying "Thank goodness"quite often. When he awoke in the morning and saw his mother's face, he would say, "Thankgoodness," and when he saw his wife he would say the same thing. Villagers nicknamed himGrateful Yoichibe. Once he stumbled on a stone and injured his knee, and although bloodpoured from the wound, he said as always, "Thank goodness!" A villager who was with himasked him why he was so grateful even though he had been injured. He replied, "I'm thankful Igot off with only a small scratch." Like Tachibana, Yoichibe knew the key to happiness.There are many ups and downs in life. Some things seem fortunate and others not. If one isrebuked for a mistake at work, one can take comfort in accepting the rebuke as good medicineand vow to be more careful. Just as it used to be said in Japan that the world is as kind as it iscruel, if there is someone who reprimands, there is also someone who consoles. What isimportant is to see that the one who scolds is also a benefactor. Many executives of leadingcorporations say, "Now that I look back on it, the chagrin I felt at being reprimanded on acertain occasion became a great asset."7
Page 1 and 2: Invisible EyelashesSeeing What is C
Page 3 and 4: THE TWO FUNCTIONS OF A CELL 55The P
Page 5: For this to take place, it is vital
Page 9 and 10: Rose or Thorns?The rose is beautifu
Page 11 and 12: The Contents of Hotei's SackThe mor
Page 13 and 14: GratitudeFor the past two decades I
Page 15 and 16: Looking Into the DepthsEach of us m
Page 17 and 18: Self‐AwarenessSometimes we allow
Page 20 and 21: the mountains, Po Chu‐i went to m
Page 22 and 23: and hesitating to take a first step
Page 24 and 25: "Nothing has an ego" means that all
Page 26 and 27: self‐love, endeavoring to develop
Page 28 and 29: ampant, Dr. Schweitzer devoted his
Page 30 and 31: Everyone has some ability that is b
Page 32 and 33: een pondering Kepler's theories of
Page 34 and 35: improved, I would return home only
Page 36 and 37: work.In another section, "The Daily
Page 38 and 39: Hakone, I finished in fifty‐five
Page 40 and 41: Many people want to work in their o
Page 42 and 43: eplied, "One hundred divided by two
Page 44 and 45: at the gate, the Buddha appeared an
Page 46 and 47: once again sinks into despair, it t
Page 48 and 49: individuality grows beyond the boun
Page 50 and 51: this truth, one becomes keenly awar
Page 52 and 53: suddenly turned irritable and said,
Page 54 and 55: well in a sport, one obeys the rule
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There is, however, one infallible r
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The offering of kind words means sp
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We must never think of ourselves an
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The Wind Blowing from the FutureThe
Page 64 and 65:
Courage That Opens DoorsI have many
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"Even Insects Work and Eat"My paren
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Home Is More Than a HavenIn recent
Page 70 and 71:
Where Affection and Gratitude Begin
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Forever Young at HeartAlmost every
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