As summer begins to wane, the green stalks of the growing rice plants turn golden,
and the hour at which the sun sets gradually comes earlier. We take for granted
the changing of the seasons, but when we closely observe the working of nature
we recognize that it is a series of ongoing wonders.

In our solar system, the only planet known to sustain life is Earth. Unlike the other planets,
Earth’s distance from the sun is exactly right for supporting life.
Thanks to Earth’s rotation while it revolves around the sun, plants and animals, including
human beings, can live, so we cannot help but be grateful for the way the universe works.

The importance of this is obvious since Earth never stops rotating even for a moment so
that each one of us is able to live. No one really knows why the universe works in this way,
however.

Kazuo Murakami, professor emeritus at Tsukuba University, who successfully decoded the
genetic code of the renin enzyme has said that “the great life force that permits life to
exist” is “something truly great,” and adds, “There is a mind to the universe.”

Putting this in Buddhist terms, we could say it is “the invisible arrangement” of the Buddha.
If we look carefully at the wonders among the things we usually take for granted, we will
be deeply impressed at the mysterious and profoundly valuable gift of life we have received
as human beings.

When we realize that we have received this precious, wonderful life as
part of the vast universe, we are filled with the positive determination to live life to the fullest.

Encountering the Dharma

Through incalculable, innumerable interconnections we are given the opportunity to encounter
the Dharma, and to understand the Truth with which all things are imbued.
We then become aware that being caused to live is a marvelous thing, and without being
influenced by changes in our surroundings or the words and deeds of others, we can accept
that everything is a manifestation of the Buddha’s care.

Thus, realizing a mental state in which we achieve personal serenity and feel at ease after
entering the path of faith is the fruit of the religious practice we have been undertaking by
making “cultivating the field of our hearts and minds” our goal.

This month a special ceremony commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the death of
Cofounder Myoko Naganuma, in which we will recall her virtues and renew our determination to
move forward. Cofounder Naganuma disciplined herself to achieve her compassionate concern
for others. I believe this was because she grasped the wonder and preciousness of the life
that causes all of us to live without discrimination.

Following the example of Cofounder Naganuma, let us devote ourselves to the practice of
“putting others first,” and together experience the wonder of being caused to live.