Values Beyond Profit and Loss - Guidelines for the Heart by Ryuho Okawa - 205

Dec. 21, 2021（Last Update: June 13, 2026）

Ryuho Okawa open_in_new's original work "Guidelines for the Heart" is serialized in the Happy Science's publication Monthly 'Happy Science' open_in_new. Posters are displayed at branches nationwide, and it is widely known as the face of Happy Science each month.

For those who want to read the guidelines in the monthly magazine, you can also find it in Monthly 'Happy Science' January 2022 issue open_in_new.

In this month's "Guidelines for the Heart," the characteristics of a person with a virtuous "religious personality" were shown in contrast to a way of life that prioritizes one's own interests. I asked Mr. Makoto Yoshino from the Happy Science Finance Bureau for hints on how to transform oneself into such a person.

Makoto Yoshino - Director of Happy Science and Finance Bureau Chief and HSU Lecturer
Born in Toyama Prefecture in 1975. Graduated from Texas Christian University with a major in Economics and a minor in Business. Became a monk in Happy Science in 1998. After working in the Human Resources Bureau, Publishing Bureau, and Promotion Bureau, he has held his current position since 2018.

I was someone who only calculated profit and loss

At the beginning of this month's "Guidelines for the Heart," the idea of viewing things based on whether they are beneficial to oneself and being completely focused on avoiding responsibility is a typical "self-centered" way of thinking. Ryuho Okawa taught me, "Choosing the opposite is the way of those with faith."

Looking back at myself, I often feel embarrassed that I was truly living only by calculating profit and loss.

In my first year as a working adult (monk), I worked from early morning to late at night in the department I was assigned to, thinking I was doing my best. But for some reason, the more I did, the more I felt my evaluation was decreasing. As a result of pushing myself further, I ended up hospitalized with a pneumothorax...

At that moment, when I finally calmed down and reflected on myself, I could see that I was maneuvering to gain evaluation and secretly blaming my boss who did not recognize me. I was living in the opposite of the "love that gives" that President Okawa teaches, which led to my own suffering and not bringing joy to others. I realized how fruitless "efforts without love" can be.

"Let's discard the 'heart that seeks evaluation'"

Determined to do so, I took an hour every morning for reflection, correcting my desires for honor and promotion, and my tendency to blame others one by one. After about three years of continuing this, the light of the divine entered my heart, my body became warm, and I experienced a feeling of happiness. Since then, I feel that my heart has shifted towards thinking about "what I can do for others" rather than my own benefit.

"The love that gives creates virtue"

President Okawa refers to the "Three Blessings" (Cherishing Blessings, Sharing Blessings, Planting Blessings) as a "religious personality" that "cherishes blessings, shares them with others, and plants for the future." Those who thoroughly practice these three blessings continue to give love, which inevitably becomes "virtue." By continuing the efforts of such "love that gives," one can be filled with faith and lead a truly rich life.

Love can be expressed without having anything. A single smile, a kind word, anything is fine, so let's put it into practice.

This content is a reprint from Monthly 'Happy Science' No. 419 open_in_new with edits.

The very popular "Guidelines for the Heart" is featured in Monthly 'Happy Science', and subscriptions open_in_new are also available, so please take advantage of it!

You can learn what the "love that gives" beyond "profit and loss" is.

"I believe that at the ultimate of 'values beyond profit and loss' is 'God's love', and in President Okawa's legal series 'The Law of the Messiah' open_in_new, the infinite love of the divine is indeed taught. Additionally, learning about the origin of the heart of love in 'Original Theory: The Stages of Love' deepens the understanding of 'love'" (Mr. Yoshino)

Training on 'Guidelines for the Heart' is currently being held at temples nationwide! open_in_new