A Short Instruction:
The purpose of this article is to apply the Ki principle (mind moves the body) which is the fundamental of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido to our daily life.
It is not enough just to read, but it is important to positively practice the subject given each month. Learning through practice will be your lifelong asset.
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The Value of Our Existence
Koichi Tohei Sensei edited his small booklet entitled “Ki Sayings (Shokushu)” that contains his teachings. There is one saying called “The Value of our Existence”.
“The Value of our Existence”
Our lives are born of the Ki of the Universe. Let us give thanks for being born not as plants and animals, but as human beings blessed with a Universal Mind. Let us pledge to fulfill our missions by helping to guide the development and creation of the Universe.
It is not easy at all to find out what you should do and what your mission might be in this world.
The thing that many people in their 20’s ask me is, “Which way should we go?”. They do not know what they want to do. In the old days, when people struggled to survive, and could not even select their jobs freely, there may not have been such a worry. Probably this is only the problem of people who do not worry about living day to day, and can select their job freely. However, this is a big trouble in these people.
Some time ago, I met one young person in Los Angeles. He did not know what to do in Japan and so came to the USA to find out the answer. He had been in the USA for many years. When I asked him “Did you find the answer?”, he told me “No, I will go back to Japan next year and continue to look for the answer there”. This person may have the same worry for all his life.
Our value of existence can be known by our relationship with other people. By making ourselves useful for the others somehow, we can better understand our roles.
As for this young person, he thinks only what he wants for himself, and he does not think about his relationship with the society, such as how he might serve the world, what he can do in this world for others. The ideas of “There is not a job for me,” or “This job does not suit me” are also thinking only of himself. It is absolutely wrong to think that “there is no job for me”.
If we open our mind outward, there are plenty of things to do such as serving or being helpful in the world, in the company, and for others.
If you think there is no job, it means there is no job that you want. If you think only for yourself, you can not know what you should do.
Even in doing the same thing, the result will be different whether “you do only for yourself” or “you do for the others”.
The people who “do for the others” are always smiling and vigorous. However, those who “do only for themselves” rarely smile and often look dull.
If you want to have a vigorous life, you need to serve the world. By knowing the role you should play in this world, you can know “the value of your existence”.
What is your role to play in this world?