| A Second Life |
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| — This Is Your Last Chance — |
Today, even here in Japan, we are witnessing growing social issues such as school refusal and social withdrawal, where many young people are dropping out of society at an early age.
When we consider the undeniable reality that so many young people are abandoning the very privilege of youth and spending the time given to them in emptiness, then perhaps the lives of those who have been blessed with meaningful work and cherished family relationships may, in their own way, be considered fortunate.
As such people enter the later years of life and pause to reflect upon the path they have walked, what they most likely wish for is this:
to spend the remaining years of their lives in good health, with peace of mind, and with a sense of meaning.
And if, in doing so, they can feel purpose, experience the joy of living, give thanks for having been born, and bring their lives to a close with gratitude, then many would probably say that there could be no greater happiness.
So then, what about the fathers who have spent long years supporting their families?
What about the mothers who devoted themselves tirelessly to the happiness of their loved ones?
If you have now reached a stage where you can finally place a period upon all the years of effort you have made, then why not make a decisive shift in direction and try living the remaining years of your life truly for yourself?
And yet, by this point, many are already in their fifties or sixties, perhaps approaching seventy.
Physically and mentally, you may feel that you no longer have an abundance of time ahead of you.
It may be unavoidable that the functions of the body decline with age.
Still, while your strength and spirit remain, why not use this time to do what you truly came here to do, and bring your life to completion in that way?
Why not, at this stage, seriously begin designing a life that is genuinely your own?
Of course, there are many different paths ahead.
Some people, after retirement, seek second or even third careers.
Some wish to return to society after years devoted to the home.
Others finally wish to immerse themselves in pursuits they truly love now that they have more freedom.
These too may certainly become one of the choices available in the years ahead.
However, I would like you to consider your remaining time from an entirely different standpoint — as though none of those options existed.
With that in mind, I would now like to speak a little about what "your time" truly means, and perhaps invite you to reconsider it from a fresh perspective.
What I mean is this.
Most people — not only those eagerly preparing to begin a "second life" — naturally believe that their lifetime extends from birth to death: seventy years, eighty years, perhaps more.
And they regard that span as "their time."
That is why people wish to use their limited time well, enjoying it as fully as possible.
They feel that since their time is limited, it belongs to them, and they should spend it doing what they want.
On the other hand, there may also be people who lament that life has not gone as they hoped, and who, in despair, feel that their lives are already over.
Certainly, the time between your birth and your death is precious to you.
It is indeed your time, your life.
And within it, there are surely both rises and falls.
But is your time truly limited?
Is your existence really confined only to the years between birth and death?
At this point, let us look at things from a different direction.
From the beginning, we humans have understood ourselves primarily as physical forms.
Of course, those forms differ from person to person.
Each of us has different facial features, different bodies, different characteristics.
That is why we can distinguish one person from another.
Please do not dismiss this as merely obvious.
In fact, this "obviousness" contains an extremely important point.
And that point is this:
In everything, we have consistently viewed and judged the world from the standpoint of form — from the standpoint of what can be seen physically.
Not only human beings, but existence itself has been understood through the assumption that what has form exists.
And conversely, what has no form is assumed not to exist.
This is the perspective through which we have understood humanity and human life until now.
For example, countless novels, films, songs, and plays throughout history have explored themes such as:
And needless to say, most of these works focus on how human beings lived and what they accomplished within the limited span between birth and death.
The underlying assumption has always been that because our time and our lives are limited, human existence gains meaning from what is achieved within those limits.
Many immortal masterpieces have moved people deeply, awakened joy within their hearts, and inspired them to live.
But even in these examples, the same basic perspective remains.
You, too, probably believe that the world confirmed through your five senses — the world you can see, hear, and touch — is what truly exists.
Simply put, you feel alive because you possess a body.
You breathe.
Your heart beats.
Therefore, you believe, "I am alive. I exist here."
And if your heart were to stop and you ceased breathing, then people would say that you had died.
Your body would eventually be cremated and disappear completely.
And along with it, your existence itself would also seem to disappear.
If human beings are understood solely as physical forms, then this conclusion naturally follows.
Once form disappears, nothing remains.
And naturally, your time would also come to an end.
This logic is understandable.
But let us now suppose something different.
Suppose that human beings cannot truly be defined by form.
Suppose that our true nature is invisible.
In that case, this body — with its head, face, arms, and legs — would not be our true self.
For the moment, let us continue from that assumption.
Imagine that we, whose true nature cannot originally be expressed through form, are merely possessing physical bodies for a temporary time.
Bodies, being forms, differ endlessly in appearance.
Height, weight, gender, age, skin color — all vary.
Some people can move freely using their bodies, while others cannot.
Some can see, hear, speak, think, eat, laugh, and cry without difficulty.
Others cannot.
When viewed solely from the perspective of form, such differences appear highly significant.
But if we change our perspective — if the body is not our true self — then perhaps the important question is no longer who can or cannot do something, but rather:
Why do such differences exist at all?
As you can see, what we focus on changes completely depending on what we choose as the center of our perspective.
And what we choose as our center is profoundly important.
For now, however, let us simply continue with the assumption that although we presently possess physical bodies, these bodies are not our true selves.
When the heart stops beating, anyone would call that death.
And if the motionless body lying there were truly the entirety of that person, then indeed, everything about them would end at that moment.
But if we view human beings as merely possessing physical bodies for a time, then even if every bodily function ceases, that would only mean the end of the body itself.
For beings whose true nature was never physical to begin with, what would actually come to an end?
Nothing.
The events experienced through the body within the world of form would certainly end there.
Naturally so, because the body itself has disappeared.
And this includes the flow of time as we experience it in daily life.
By now, you may already understand what I am trying to say.
The very idea of "limited time" arises only when existence is viewed through the lens of physical form.
If our true nature is invisible, then such an idea no longer applies.
Earlier, I said that what we choose as the center of our perspective is crucial.
This is exactly what I meant.
A life centered on form and appearances is entirely different from a life that is not.
So first, ask yourself this:
What has been at the center of your daily life until now?
Surely the answer is that you have viewed, heard, felt, and lived by placing form at the center of everything — including yourself.
Within such a perspective, judging good and evil, happiness and unhappiness, has seemed completely natural.
And of course, society itself operates in this way.
When someone demonstrates extraordinary talent or achieves an unprecedented accomplishment, the whole world celebrates.
Nobel Prizes, medals, gold medals, and countless other honors are regarded as tremendously valuable.
From the standpoint that the world of form is reality, this is only natural.
Such achievements are praised as wonderful.
That is the world we live in.
And I fully understand that speaking to such a world about the invisible nature of human beings is not something people can easily accept.
Even so, I cannot help but speak about it.
Because there is a message that unquestionably resonates within my heart.
The essence of human beings is consciousness.
I have come to understand that the reason I am here now is to encounter the truth contained within this single phrase.
Even if this truth cannot yet be smoothly accepted by society, a time will surely come when it will be delivered to humanity through massive cataclysmic upheavals.
And I feel that time is already drawing near.
Even when the body disappears, something remains.
There exists something that endures regardless of the body.
That enduring existence is none other than your true self.
In order for each person to begin sensing this within their own heart, humanity is now entering an increasingly chaotic age.
From the standpoint of form, the realities people depend upon will collapse before their eyes.
I can already hear those approaching footsteps within my heart.
It is no longer possible to prevent these upheavals or even minimize their damage.
The scale of the cataclysms I sense cannot even be compared with the disasters now occurring on Earth.
These upheavals will come again and again on a scale where catastrophe itself means death.
Please understand that humanity has already entered that current.
What you now believe must be protected will likely vanish in an instant.
And when faced with upheavals of such magnitude, what will arise within your heart?
There is still a little time left.
That is why I sincerely hope you will treasure the time ahead.
Why were you born?
This is the essential question.
To continue living while deeply asking this question within your own heart is truly important.
Before thinking about your spouse, your children, or anyone else — first, begin with yourself.
Each person must learn to live while truly valuing themselves.
And this is not selfishness.
When you come to understand within your own heart why you were born, and awaken to the realization that your true essence is consciousness, then you will finally understand what it truly means to value yourself.
Though our discussion wandered somewhat, from this point onward we will proceed not as though "human beings are consciousness" were merely a hypothesis, but as a decisive truth.
And so, here is the conclusion:
If your life is viewed only through the body, then your time appears limited.
But when viewed from the standpoint of your true self, your time has no end.
Therefore, even after death, your time continues.
And precisely because of this, the truly important question becomes: