Compass of the Times by Keiko Takahashi
September 2017
Compass of the Times 162
To Reveal the World of Necessity
Keiko Takahashi
Why You Have Become Who You Are
For many people, life is what has begun unnoticed.
The reality is that no one begins life’s journey with a clear sense of its onset. As if a dice is thrown into the world, we are forced to make a bet on what we call life, without knowing whether we will win or lose.
No one can choose their own genes. We know that we have no choice to decide on the era, nation, region, or parent to which we are born. We quickly absorb the things surrounding us, (such as) our family, language, way of life, and sense of value, at the time of birth and shape ourselves.
And, before we know it, we begin to build our life in the world full of challenges where trials fall upon us one after another. Naturally, we do not notice that there is neither a destination nor a mission.
Yet, at one point in life, the following questions will come across our mind:
Why have I become who I am?
For what purpose do I live?
Why am I here?
Some of you may long have had such questions in the back of your mind. Others may have had a flash of such thoughts but which then drift away.
Even if it is not the same, we all must have had a sense of discomfort or doubt about ourselves and the realities of life.
Posed by these questions is a mystery called “yourself”—your aspirations and goals in life, your mission to fulfill, the power that makes you as you, your hidden energy.
What is important is that there are answers to these questions.
There is a meaning that you are who you are.
There is a reason why you are here.
And, you have a mission to which you respond by living your life.
Reveal the World of Necessity
Some individuals may still think “Even if you say these things,
I can’t believe such answers so easily.” This is because many of us who live in the current era are living based on the worldview of chance.
The worldview of chance derives from the perspective that explains physical matters — that is, a scientific worldview.
This worldview considers that it is chance that we were born and became who we are. It is a coincidence that we now exist in this place. Everything is chance, whether it be an encounter or an event we are given day to day.
However, when we think everything occurs by chance, we lose sight of the connection with the world and are severed from it. Inevitably, we become alienated and feel as if our existence is meaningless and that there is nothing certain out there.
In exchange for the world of chance or coincidence, do we need to accept such emptiness? Is there any other way than acceptance?
If we wish to escape from such a world of solitude and emptiness, we must move away from the worldview of chance, and reveal the world of necessity.
When an incident occurs that seems to happen only by chance, we should consider that the necessity of the event is hidden. We should perceive each incident by asking ourselves,
“This event came to me as a necessity. What is the meaning of its calling?”
When we start doing so we are then able to restore our connection with the world.
Needless to say, we must avoid interpreting the necessity and meaning of an incident for our convenience. We must also understand the risk of overly exaggerating the meaning of an incident.
This is because the connection and meaning of the world of necessity is not what is shown explicitly, but rather, is given to us in a more subtle manner.
This month, I would like you to feel such a world of connection.
Excerpt Translation of G. Monthly Journal September 2017 issue
Preliminary translation as of Septembert, 2017
GLA member-volunteers translated Takahashi Sensei’s words.
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