What is the "spiritual worldview" necessary to find life's purpose and meaning?

There are many people who have lost motivation in life. And there are those who are in such despair that they don't know what to do. There are also those who are physically exhausted and can't even think. Or perhaps there are those who are sunk in the depths of despair. What should these people do to rise from the depths of despair and enter a more wonderful world?

To such people, I would first like to say, "Set a goal."

This is just like the method for someone who has fallen into a hole to get out. Setting a goal is like "wrapping a rope around a stone or something else and throwing it outside." If possible, I would like to tie the rope to an ice axe and throw it outside. Then it might get caught on a tree root or something, the rope will be taut, and eventually, you will be able to get out of the hole.

Similarly, if you are currently at the bottom of despair and want to get out, the first step is to set a goal of "how to get out."

For that, I want to tell you something. That is, "When you are feeling unmotivated, in the midst of failure, or in sadness, let's try to create a new life plan."

Let's try setting life goals on a blank sheet of paper. Let's write down big goals, medium goals, and small goals there. Also, on another planning sheet, let's set goals for things we can do right now, things we can do in the near future, and things we should aim for in the distant future.

I believe these two types of goal setting are important. To crawl out of the hole, setting goals is absolutely necessary. Write down big goals, medium goals, and small goals. Also, create nearby goals, slightly future goals, and goals for a considerable time ahead.

And the first thing to do is to practice small goals. Also, from a temporal perspective, start with things that can be done easily. Think concretely about how to climb the rope.

In this case, I think there are two paths. One is to "pioneer a completely new path." There is a method of "trying to walk a new path that you never thought of before." The other method is to "start over from zero."

From Ryuho Okawa's book 'The Law of Success' open_in_new

What I want to say here is that "if the pain and sense of failure in your heart are caused by human relationships, then they can definitely be changed and improved."

Humans do not have the power to cause natural disasters, but it is entirely possible for "people suffering from human relationships to improve those relationships over the flow of time."

Time works in favor of those who strive. It opens good paths for those who strive. If you endure over the flow of time, it is also important to set a period of patience.

For those who are truly at the bottom of unhappiness, "just living through today" can be one goal setting. For those who are not as bad, "first, let's try hard for this week" can also be a goal. "Furthermore, let's try hard for a month, three months, six months, and a year" can eventually become a method to break through the deadlock of life.

From my own experience, I can say that such difficult times do not last more than a year. And the most painful times do not last more than six months. Eventually, the suffering will fade, and new light will shine. You may have thought, "Only things that harm me appear before me," but the fact is that "things that save me and cast gentle light on me will also appear." It is important to believe in this and keep striving.

From Ryuho Okawa's book 'The Law of Success' open_in_new

I have repeatedly stated to you that "the world of the afterlife certainly exists, and it is the true world of humans." I have also repeatedly stated that "the few decades of life lived in this world is merely a fleeting dream or a temporary journey."

Humans possess eternal life, immortal life. And for thousands or tens of thousands of years, or even longer, they live as souls.

During this time, on this earth, the soul resides in a physical "vehicle" due to the bond with parents, descendants prosper, and the soul can undergo training repeatedly.

Some may wonder, "Why do such complex and bizarre things?"

Some may think, "Isn't it better to live as a spirit in the spirit world? Why must I be born in a physical body and go through the 'downstream' of life? Eventually, I have to die and return to the afterlife..."

However, as someone who has experienced the truth, if I were to explain the secret of reincarnation in an understandable way, I would think, "This might actually be the greatest theory of happiness invented by Buddha."

While living a few decades of life in a physical body, humans have a specific name and think, "I am a unique existence with the name of ○○," and live life earnestly, but from the long memory of reincarnation, it becomes clear that "that is merely the name of a role played in a certain play at a certain time."

It becomes clear that "humans appear as actors with different names in various plays of different eras and hone their acting skills."

You may be living as a Japanese person now. However, you may have been Chinese a generation ago. Or you may have been British, American, or French. You may have lived in India or Egypt in the past.

Try to envision such things in your heart. Isn't it a wonderful experience? Isn't it a wonderful world?

Being born, growing up, working, falling in love, getting married, raising children, and then aging and dying while various civilizations and cultures bloom...

Aging and dying is indeed a very sad thing, but by going through that, further opportunities are given.

From Ryuho Okawa's book 'The True Story of the Spiritual World.' open_in_new

I think we are now in a world where every year, more and more people with depression or those on the verge of it are being produced.

In this regard, religion also acts as a neutralizer. In religion, there is the idea that "there is another world separate from the standards and competition of this world." For those who think, "This world is everything," it may be a living hell or an ant hell.

However, for those who believe that "this world is not everything," it becomes clear that "the win or loss in this world is merely like the win or loss on a sumo ring, and there are various things outside the ring."

Religion creates such places. "There is something outside the ring, and when you go out there, there are things different from those on the ring. Each person has different feelings of happiness, different greatness, and different purposes in life," is what religion teaches.

From Ryuho Okawa's book 'The Law of Hope' open_in_new

Having a sense of purpose in work is very important. The term "purpose" is a modern expression, but in a more traditional sense, it means "to live according to one's destiny."

A profession is something that lasts a lifetime. The years spent learning in school are about three, four, or six years, but work continues for decades. In modern times, job changes have become more common, and some people experience several jobs, but those who change jobs dozens of times are likely to have a very fickle personality, while ordinary people usually have one job or at most two or three jobs in their lifetime.

In that sense, the work that supports one's livelihood is something that one is involved with for a very long time, so if that work is outside of one's destiny, the life plan made before being born, it is very unfortunate. In that case, there is little meaning in being born in this life.

However, there are people who are doing jobs that are outside their original life plan. If you quietly look within your heart and feel a sense of purpose or destiny, and if the thought arises that "I was born to do this kind of work," then that job is right for you. Such people have a very high chance of success.

On the other hand, those who "want to quit their current job at all costs" will not succeed even if forced to continue. There are also those who feel that "my current job does not suit me, but there is another job I want to do that would suit me perfectly." In that case, since the place you are in is wrong, you should change jobs.

From Ryuho Okawa's book 'The Law of Happiness' open_in_new

I think there are people who feel unmotivated, essentially thinking, "I don't feel motivated because work is boring, and I don't feel motivated because studying is also boring, and I don't feel motivated because no one praises me," but others have similar conditions.

It's not the case that interesting and exciting jobs come from the start, nor that only exciting studies come.

It's similar to dried squid that gradually releases flavor the longer you chew it; studying becomes interesting as you do it, and work also becomes interesting as you engage in it.

By Takashi Okawa, 'For Those Who Can't Get Motivated' open_in_new

While having the spirit of "I will protect my own old age," it is important to become someone who is needed by society as much as possible.

To achieve this, it is essential to live with a sense of purpose. Alternatively, always seek out things that are rewarding. It can be a hobby or something else.

However, I believe that religious activities are the most important. Engaging in religious activities makes it easier to maintain human relationships as you age, and it helps build networks and expand your social interactions.

Having someone to talk to is indeed a very good thing. It would be best if those companions are not just friends for unproductive conversations, but rather those who engage in proactive evangelistic activities together. The feeling of 'being of service to the world' is important. I repeat, let's become people who are needed by society rather than depending on others.

If possible, I hope you aim to be an elder who serves as a library of life experiences. You should strive to be the kind of elder who is relied upon, with people saying, 'That person has lived for decades and has experienced various things. They are a treasure trove of wisdom and experience. If you consult them, they will teach you many things.'

If you can become an elder like a library of life experiences and wisdom, you will always be someone who is needed. It is important to aim to be a person who is needed by others while practicing self-defense measures like 'training the body' and 'training the mind,' rather than complaining about yourself, and to always keep striving.

By Takashi Okawa, 'Lifelong Active Life' open_in_new

The Dharma talk introduced in the above video is included in the following book.

From the past broadcasts of the popular Happiness Science radio program 'Angel's Morning Call' open_in_new (national network + Hawaii KZOO), we introduce programs that we want you to listen to now. (You can listen to it in audio)

(1) 'Do You Feel the Joy of Working?' open_in_new [Episode 1468]
(2) 'The Reason You Were Born in This World' open_in_new [Episode 1465]