God and Man ～Guideposts for Spiritual Peace and Awakening
ー Written by Masahisa Goi
End of the book Prayer for World Peace
At this point in time, are people on Earth happy or unhappy?
If asked this question, most might reply that the world is presently in an unhappy state.
Why are people on Earth unhappy? It is because their thoughts are filled with animosity and conflict and their world abounds with imperfect, unharmonious conditions.
The world we live in has become quite small. The political measures and policies taken by the large, powerful nations immediately produce effects on the smaller ones; likewise, the events taking place in smaller countries have direct repercussions in the larger ones.
Today the life led by an individual cannot possibly be confined to that individual alone. Each person is inevitably influenced by the circumstances and attitudes in their country and the world. Consequently, I think we can say that there is no such thing as an individual life today. Individuals cannot help but respond to the conditions that prevail throughout the nation and humanity.
Furthermore, no matter how capable a person is, or how much he or she has accomplished individually, that alone cannot cause the whole country or the human race to find happiness.
Until nations and humanity as a whole free themselves from antagonistic emotions, and rise above their imperfect, unharmonious living conditions, there can be no true happiness for individuals.
Nowadays, wherever we look, the international conditions hold an ominous atmosphere that forebodes a big war.
If war has not yet broken out it is simply because that volatile atmosphere has not yet been ignited.
One never knows when war might break out or when natural disasters might occur. Surrounded by this kind of uncertainty, it is extremely difficult for individuals to live with an affirmed sense of happiness.
In reflecting on this, it occurred to me that if there is no way for individual happiness to come about unless it is linked to the happiness of humanity, it will be important for us to change our perspective.
We ought to try thinking of the individual and humanity as being one single entity, and conduct all our actions from that standpoint.
This was the idea that gave birth to the prayer for world peace that I have been recommending to people.
World peace comes about when each individual lives in a peaceful setting.
Likewise, when each individual lives in a peaceful setting, it means that world peace has been realized.
Yet the present situation is quite the reverse.
True peace has not yet come forth either in the minds of individuals or throughout humanity.
I think this becomes immediately clear when we take a close look either at the world conditions or into our own hearts.
Individuals, and the world as a whole, are always restless and uneasy.
The short-lived happiness that most individuals experience today is only a fleeting moment amidst conditions that fluctuate from one instant to the next.
It is not the steady kind of happiness that flows from the infinite source of our life.
True happiness is something that we have to foster and develop from now on by cooperating with one another.
If people keep clinging to a false sense of happiness that is not rooted in the infiniteness of life, there will be no way for true peace to emerge in this world.
The principal cause of this world's unhappiness occurred when we human beings forgot that we are all brothers and sisters whose lives flow from the one, great, all-inclusive life known as God.
That was when we began to regard ourselves and others as separate entities, and embarked upon a lifestyle that disrupts the oneness of life and departs from the spirit of humanitarian love.
That sort of lifestyle has now become a habit.
The notion that we and others are separate existences has generated a mass of unharmonious thought waves.
Those waves have enveloped the whole of humanity and given rise to a variety of egocentric desires and emotions.
These are what cause people to think that any person or country which infringes on their own individual interests - or on the interests of their country - is an enemy.
As a result, even though there may be a handful of great people in today's society who try to conduct politics in keeping with principles of truth, the force of humanity's un harmonious thought waves is so violent that it prevents those people from putting those true principles into practice.
The world has become so populous that the actions of a few people are, in themselves, not sufficient to make the world change direction.
For that, the power of a large mass of people is needed.
There has to be a simple way for the power of the general population to be activated for the realization of world peace.
Although there is no human being who, deep down, does not wish to have world peace, in our confused world.
The general public has no idea how to bring world peace into reality.
What the world absolutely needs now is a simple method for world peace that anyone can practice without strain or hardship.
We need a method that will naturally bring people's hearts together without strenuous effort-a method that does not distinguish between our interests and the interests of others, but spontaneously fosters an awareness of our oneness with others.
To develop this sense of oneness, each person must be able to release their preoccupation with gains and losses. This is the role of the prayer for world peace.
Here I would like to acquaint you with my view on the fundamental nature and way of living of human beings:
In his or her true state, a human being is not karmic or sinful.
Human beings are lives that branch out from the one, great, divine life known as God. Each human being is continually protected by a Guardian Divinity and by Guardian Spirits who are the person's own awakened spiritual foremothers and forefathers.
All the sufferings of this world occur when human beings' mistaken thoughts, conceived during past lifetimes as well as the present one, take shape in this world in the process of fading away.
Any affliction, once it appears, is destined to vanish into nothingness.
When suffering occurs, it is very important to firmly believe that this is fading away, and to think that from now on things will definitely get better.
No matter how difficult the circumstances,forgive yourself and forgive others, love yourself and love others.
If you live in this way, constantly speaking and acting in the spirit of love, sincerity, and forgiveness, always thanking your Guardian Spirits and Divinity for their protection, and praying for the peace of the world, you as an individual-and humanity as a whole-will be able to reach true spiritual freedom.
This is what I think and put into practice.
May peace prevail on Earth.
May peace be in our homes and countries.
May our missions be accomplished.
We thank you, Guardian Divinities and Guardian Spirits.
If you continually hold these simple words in your heart, and let all your thoughts merge into them, a brighter way of life will naturally open up for you.
Before you know it, your selfish or cliquish feelings will diminish and you will find yourself wishing for the happiness of all people.
As this feeling of humanitarian love wells up within you, your individual character will gradually find wholeness and your lifestyle will strike a harmonious note.
This, in itself, is the greatest thing that an individual can do for world peace.I believe that prayer for world peace is the single most needed good action in today's world. It serves the dual aim of bringing peace to the individual life while at the same time playing a large role in the achievement of global peace.
Dios y el Ser Humano (Spanish Edition)
Deus e o Homem (Portuguese Edition)
