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The Basis for Prosperity

That humanity is given limitless prosperity, peace, and happiness is the truth.
If humanity is afflicted by poverty and anxiety, it is because it is bound so much by human knowledge and distortion of the truth.
Humanity should have a sunao (untrapped or open) mind and exist in accordance with the truth for the physical and spiritual betterment of society.

Seisei Hatten

Seisei hatten means each day starts anew. The old passes away and the new is born.
It is a natural law. That every living thing will eventually die is also a form of seisei hatten.
It is a universal cycle of transformation and the process of evolution.
Each day should start anew. If you have a strong will, use your ingenuity, and strive to walk the path toward seisei hatten, you will achieve limitless prosperity, peace, and happiness.

The Nature of Harmony

All things in this universe maintain harmony by following the natural order.
When humanity exists in accordance with that order, it can create harmony too.
Harmony is not about making compromises or having amicable relationships with others, but existing in accordance with the natural order and making the most of our potential.
We should strive not only to understand harmony, but also integrate it into our lives. Then we will surely have prosperity, peace, and happiness.

A Sunao Mind

Having a sunao (untrapped or open) mind means being tolerant without selfishness, being open to the teachings of others, and being able to find joy in any circumstances.
It also means being quiet yet dynamic, dynamic yet quiet. It is a state of mind that leads to the truth.
If you adopt a sunao mind and nurture it, your state of mind will blossom, the way things should be will become clear, and you will be able to see the real state of affairs. With such a mind, you can deal with any circumstances and attain an ideal personality with full competency, which in a sense is close to spiritual awakening.
In order to acquire a sunao mind, you first have to wish for it. If you openly listen to the teachings of others, and think and strive for it again and again, then eventually you will achieve this state of mind.

Good and Evil

If humanity defines good and evil too strictly based on one particular ideology or stance, it is fated to fruitless efforts and even suffering.
Good and evil must be defined from a broad perspective.
Ultimately, whatever helps promote prosperity, peace, and happiness is good, and whatever prevents them is evil.
To get at the true nature of good and evil and establish a life in accordance with that understanding will lead to prosperity, peace, and happiness.

The Good and Evil of Desire

Desire is a manifestation of vital force. It is neither good nor evil.
Strong desire represents a strong vital force.
Whether desire is good or evil depends on whether or not it promotes mutual prosperity, peace, and happiness.
The purpose of study, education, and religion is to guide the actualization of desire onto the proper path. As a result, vital force will have to be channeled actively and bring about lives filled with vigor.

The Meaning of Life

Life is a constant cycle of production and consumption.
Our lives will be much more fulfilling if we try, physically and spiritually, to achieve better production and consumption. For good production as well as good consumption, spiritual culture and material culture should be advanced and developed.
Politics and economics, science and art, religion and education are only meaningful for achieving development. If development does not result, then these things would not be worth one penny.
We should work together toward better production and better consumption to achieve prosperity, peace, and happiness, and enjoy the meaning of life.

Awareness of Our Inherent Potential

No two objects or persons are exactly the same in this world. Everything is different from one to the other.
Everyone is endowed with a different mission and a different path.
It would go against natural law if everyone were formatted in the same pattern or traveled the same path. Everyone is unique.
Nurturing our inherent potential for each other's benefit will lead to an individually fulfilling life and the achievement of a wholesome world.
In the long run, real freedom shall be born and real prosperity, peace, and happiness will result.

The Real Nature of Worry

In reality, humanity always has worries of one kind or another. Often before solving those worries, another worry comes along and deepens the anxiety even further.
However, humanity is not supposed to have worries, as it is endowed with limitless prosperity, peace, and happiness.
Worries will become a source of advancement if we awaken to this endowment and maintain faith in it with a sunao mind.
A path to happiness will unfold as a result.

Nation and World

The reason for a nation's existence is for one or a number of races to live together in a certain area to promote their mutual prosperity, peace, and happiness, and furthermore to improve the whole of human civilization.
To achieve this purpose, a nation must establish a proper national order and system by which both spiritual and material culture can be nurtured harmoniously.
National harmony is a part of world harmony, and world harmony must be in sync with universal harmony.
When nations cooperate and conciliate together to maintain world harmony, humanity's advancement and development will result.

Harmonious Thinking

The cause of disorder and poverty is that each of us is trapped by his or her individual thoughts and principles. Though our thoughts and principles may contain some degree of truth, it is a mistake to regard them as universal truth.
Only when every thought and principle is utilized in accordance with the universal order will complete harmony be born and the truth, or natural law, be in full effect.
When we are aware of the truth and strive for it, harmony across the whole of society will be built.
In that harmony, prosperity, peace, and happiness will be fostered as a matter of course.

The Purpose of Economics

The purpose of economics is to enhance productivity and increase distribution for everyone's better consumption.
Based on natural law, utilizing our expertise and experience to improve current knowledge will bring about an ideal economic system.
We should regard allowing poverty as a sin. Thus, we must do our utmost to eliminate poverty by improving our economic systems to enhance production and consumption for a prosperous society.

The Meaning of Study

The meaning of study exists in enlarging freedom, promoting harmony, and bringing about seisei hatten in society.
The underlying cause for lessened freedom, disturbance of harmony, or hindrance of seisei hatten is because we are trapped by individual theories and fail to study harmoniously.
To awaken to the true meaning of study and utilize it, each and every one of us should think and live with a sunao mind. Consequently, prosperous politics, economics, and culture will be born and humanity will surely prosper.

The Basis of Education

The meaning of education is to improve human nature by cultivating intellect, emotion, and volition, and bringing them into harmony.
In education, not only should academic knowledge and skill be taught, but also the proper way of living should be inculcated.
The prosperity of each nation, and world peace, hinges on the power of education.
We should focus on education to achieve a meaningful life for humanity.

The Essence of Politics

The purpose of political government is to encourage people to work with vigor and enjoy their individual lives.
We cannot conduct good politics if we rely only on academic knowledge and skill.
Statesmen and the public alike should look to natural law and act accordingly for the happiness of the people. That is the essence of politics.
Giving value to human nature can help politics run more smoothly, and improving our sense of human nature will create a better democracy.

Proper Taxation

Taxation is fundamental to the financial management of a nation. For this reason, citizens should execute their obligation to pay taxes in full.
However, even when faced with a multitude of national tasks, if heavy taxation is levied without consideration for the feelings of the citizens, they will feel less obligated to pay taxes and even general morals will deteriorate.
Statesmen must strive to rationalize national expenditure and think of ways to increase national revenue even under light taxation. That is one secret of national prosperity.

Advocating a New View of Humanity

All things in the universe undergo a process of constant birth and development.
For all things to start anew each day, which is seisei hatten, is a natural law.
Humanity is endowed with the inherent ability to be "master" of all things in accordance with the laws of the universe.
Humanity has the ability to create true material and spiritual prosperity by "ruling and reigning" over the universe, developing its tremendous hidden potential, discerning the essence of all things, and actualizing and utilizing that essence.
This essential character of humanity is a fate entrusted to us by natural law.
Humanity's essential character or fate allows us to stand at the top of creation and be master of all things.
In other words, humanity's judgment of right or wrong and the discovery of the existential reasons of all things should be based on this fate. Humanity's judgment based on fate cannot be denied. In that sense, humanity is sublime and noble.
However, humanity with this essential sublime character cannot be said to be always strong and impartial when looking at individual reality. Humans long for peace but spend their days in conflict. Humans seek to be happy but are overcome by misfortune and sorrow. Humans hope for material and spiritual prosperity but are frequently impoverished.
The very reason that humanity fails to live up to its mandate from the heavens is that too often we move through life based on our individual limited wisdom, or decide things based upon whether they work in our favor or not.
The full greatness of humanity cannot be maximized only by means of individual wisdom and ability.
When the wisdom of many, beginning with sages and saints throughout the world and down the ages, is honed and integrated freely and without hindrance, the sum total of that wisdom in each era can make our fate reality.
This collective wisdom is the greatest force for widely achieving an existence in accordance with natural law throughout our communities, and for realizing humanity's fate.
Humanity is indeed sublime and noble.
We must awaken to humanity's greatness, grasp its inherent fate, enhance collective wisdom, and engage in the great work of seisei hatten.
Grasping our fate and actualizing it is our perpetual human mission. To make the mission clear and accomplish it, we must hereby advocate a new view of humanity.

Concerning Master, Rule, and Reign

The purpose of advocating a new view of humanity is to recognize humanity, which is often viewed as weak, as master of all things. In this sense, humanity, as master, should act appropriately and conduct its duty of its own volition.
Being a real master means contributing to communities at large by exercising proper decisions and utilizing all things without being trapped in self-emotion, desire, or affection.
To rule and reign means to accommodate all things in accordance with natural law, that is, to bring humanity into harmony with all things in the universe, and to guide them to play their own proper role.
Shedding the surface meaning of "master, rule, and reign," please have a read of "Advocating a New View of Humanity."

Advocating Ningendo (Way of Humanity)

To humanity is entrusted a great fate as master of all things. Ningendo, or the "Way of Humanity," is a path for each of us to awaken to this fate, to rule and give vigor to all things for the betterment of our communities.

Ningendo begins with recognizing and accepting things as they are. That is to say, we must not deny or exclude anything in this universe because everything exists as a manifestation of natural law. That is the basis of ningendo.

The aim of ningendo is, on the basis of this acceptance, to discover the purpose and characteristics of all things and treat them appropriately in accordance with natural law so that they may fulfill their mission. To properly carry out this ningendo is the virtuous obligation of humanity as master of all things.
Once our abundant human collective wisdom and rei (courtesy, gratitude, reverence, and propriety when relating to others) are exercised, then ningendo will be properly and smoothly followed.
If we always act on the basis of rei and use collective wisdom to accept all things and treat them appropriately, then coexistence and co-prosperity will be born naturally in every community.
All human activities, including politics, economics, education, and culture, whether spiritual or material, should be conducted based firmly on ningendo. Hence, all things will play their own proper role and achieve mutual harmony for the prosperity of entire communities, from one day to the next.
Truly, ningendo is the great path to make the most of our human potential and so achieve our mandate from the heavens. That is why we advocate ningendo.

Shogu and Rei

The goal of advocating ningendo is the harmonious prosperity of all things, including human communities.
Shogu, in this sense, does not simply refer to how we deal with other people. It refers more broadly to a way of relating to and responding authentically to the essential character of everything in the universe.
The manifestations of shogu are, in human society, all endeavors that fall under politics, education, or religion. We should keep shogu in mind when thinking about our mutual lives, the attitudes we take, and the commitments we make.
In addition, rei is not solely the exercise of social manners and formalities, but includes such attitudes, often espoused by religions, as acts of mercy, love, modesty, and generosity.