Way to Infinite Abundance Part 7

There are some more exercises, but I would like to conclude this topic by sharing exercise 8.

Ex. 8: Everyone has his/her own problems and sometimes these problems are beyond his/her control. Then, all he/she can do is to try to enjoy the situations and take advantage of these situations. Write down your current problems and write how you can enjoy your situations.

This is an example. One of my friends, Rev. Otsuka, who is a resident minister in Germany, traveled from his hometown, Frankfurt, to Brussels in Belgium in June this year to provide a seminar. He used a train for this trip. While he was in the train, there was an announcement which told him that the train would use a different course due to some reasons. That would cause his arrival to be one hour late. He did not want to be late, but the situation was beyond his control. So, he decided to enjoy the beautiful scenery along with the Rhine River. This photo was taken while he was in the train. (http://yujio1957.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2010/06/03/p5310111s.jpg)

In our lives we need to enjoy and be cheerful in order to become prosperous. We have to keep a smile on our faces when we awaken because our smile and laughter attracts more smiling and laughing, bright situations.

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 6

Exercise 4: This exercise is an extended version of Exercise 3. Our attitude toward material things is important. We take care of things which belong to us, but we sometimes take advantage of things which are the public domain. This is clearly explained in the TOL Vol. 8 on page 149. (Please read that page.) This excercise should be carried out in our daily lives. You can also create your own principles:

1) Pick up trash in public spaces and dump it in an appropriate place. Do not ignore it. If you cannot find a trash can near you, carry a shopping bag and dispose it.

2) While shopping at the supermarket, you often see a thing left at a different place where it doesn't belong such as as a loaf of bread near can food corner or milk near the vegetable stand. Whenever you see it, relocate it to the proper place. Do not think that you will take a job away from the store employees. That is an excuse. Do not also allow yourself to give an excuse that you are already in line to check out. If you cannot do this in the beginning, next time when you go shopping at least you should return an item that you picked up and decided not to buy it.

3) Keeping a smile on your face wherever you go. This ha a positive effect to everyone.

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 5

Why do we need an exercise to realize prosperity? It is because we know our minds create our destinies. If we want to become prosperous, we have to properly use our minds. How many people want to become a billionaire? (I believe most of them.) Then, how many people believe that they can actually become a billionaire?

If you don't think you can become a billionaire, you won't be able to become a billionaire because your mind creates your future. For example, there is the Pacific Square Mall on Redondo Beach Boulevard where there is a Japanese supermarket, Marukai. Imagine that you are involved in the restaurant business. Do you want to open a Chinese restaurant in that mall? Some of you may think it is a waste of money because a big Chinese restaurant, Sea Empress, is already there. So, you may think a new Chinese restaurant won't survive. However, is it true? Or, is it just what you think and not true? The truth is that nothing is definite. In the U.S. there are many lawyers, and there are still many people who want to become a lawyer in the U.S. and take the bar exam every year. Why? Because they want to become a lawyer and they think they can become a lawyer. The same thing will be applied here. If you want to become a billionaire, you have to think that you can become a billionaire; otherwise, you won't try to become a billionaire such as those who don't try to oepn a new Chinese restaurant at the Pacific Square Mall or to take a bar exam for a lawyer. Everything will start from our minds.

Exercise 2: Priming water is not just an action to give something to others. You need to help others by utilizing what you have such as material things, ability, etc. What can you do for others? Please write down what you can. Then, you take actions. These are examples:

1) Bookkeeping (Those who are good at accounting help bookkeeping at the church or community volunteer group.)
2) Computer skills (Those who are familiar with a computer can use their knowledge to assist the community, your children's school or church through these abilities.)
3) Cooking/Baking (Those who are good at cooking can prepare refreshment. My wife loves baking. She recently donated her famous onion bread to our daughter's school as an opportunity for the Teachers' Appreication.)

Exercise 3: (Read the 7th day message of TOL March, 1983, reference 5) List up things to which you are grateful such as your current environment/education/ability/opportunity, having good friends and family members, having a neighbor who plays piano well so that you can enjoy free beautiful music, surrounded by the beautiful nature and scenery, wonderful smell of flowers or trees or even the smell of fresh baking bread in front of the bakery. You need to find and write down at least 200 things to be grateful for, or start writing 10 grateful things from today and continue it everyday.

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 4

I listed these steps by using Truth of Life Vol. 8 to help you to understand the way to Infinite abundance; however, you need to read this volume carefully by yourself. Then you will increase your understanding of the way to infinite abundance. Now, let us practice the first concrete exercise.

Exercise 1: This exercise is to enlarge the size of our "mental cup." In order to enlarge it we have to change our perception. If we think the same way that ordinary people think, it doesn't work. To enlarge our mental cup means to actually think large, believe that we have already received greatly and enjoy what we have received. The following is an example how you should perceive a thing or situatin. My acquaintance and my mother in Japan istalled 2KW and 3KW solar panel system almost 5 years ago. They use photovoltaic electricity in their homes and the extra energy which has been produced by their solar panels is sold every month. They received almost $50 every month. Since November 2009, a new regulation of purchasing electricity of photovoltaic electricity was implemented in Japan, their extra income suddenly increased $100 each month. Imagine that you had installed the solar panel system 5 years ago and now you have an extra $100 income. How do you perceive this in order to enlarge your mental cup?

Answer (an exmaple): This is one of the ways you can perceive this situatin. Because of the new regulation my acquaintance has an extra $100 income every month. To accumulate this for a year, it will become $1,200. In Japan a regular saving account's interest rate is 0.004%. in order for him to receive $1,200 interests a year, he has to have $3,000,000 in his saving account. He decided to think that he has $3,000,000 in his bank so that he is able to receive $100 every month as its interest. In this way he is able to actually think in his mind that he has $3 million in the bank and as a result he enjoys $100 of the interest every month. By thinking this way we are able to enlarge our mental cup. This is only an example, but you can think anything in this way and enlarge your mental cup. Consiquently, you will be able to receive what you visualize in your mind.

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 3

How about the following question? "Whenever I hear negative news such as the financial crisis in Greece, I feel that I want to help them to change the situation of that country's negative deficit to the positive. (p. 120)" Greece's financial deficit creates a stir in EU and it affects the U.S. as well. If EU didn't help Greece, the problem would expand to the entire Europe and affect the stability of Euro. Greece was once a communist country. People in Greece are used to be given and they want to keep their salary and benefit as is. So, they strongly protested to their government in order to keep their current situations. They held a mass demonstration which was outrage and some people died. In order for Greece to receive enormous subsidy from IMF and EU to protect their financial crisis the government has to perform a cut back of the salary an reforms. But people don't want to be victims. It is not logical for other EU countires. On the other hand, as the consequence of the unity of the currency into Euro in EU countries, Greece became one of the lowest labor countires and many European countires took advantage of this opportunity. The same things happened in California as well. In California there are many Latino laborers with minimum wages, so we can enjoy life without spending a lot of money. We can have fresh vegetable and fruit as well as different services such as restaurants, markets and many other places.

Recently many people expressed their disagreement of the new law which was authorized by the Governor of Arizona State for police to allow to identify aliens by asking their identifications. It is said that this might increase more discrimination of minorities in this state. Some people are outraged at this law. However, I haven't heard much about sympathy toward Greece. It is because I think many people don't know about the situation of Greece. This means people in the U.S. do not care much about Greece or I may say that we lack love toward Greece. The lack of love means the lack of awareness of the world or universe. The TOL Vol. 8 explains about this:

"Since the universe is a single living entity, it may, for example, be compared to the human body. When an injury occurs on the skin, a change takes place nor just on the skin, but in the entire body system, which senses the disharmony that has taken place, and the material needed for the healing is transported to the necessary spot by the blood supply of the entire body. A similar phenomenon occurs when we as individuals run up a deficit. The material supply of the entire universe goes to work at once in order to fill this deficit. Therefore, there can be absolutely no poverty when we awaken to the Truth that our lives are joined with the grand flow of universal life. The universe is an infinite source of abundance. When we are supported by this infinite abundance, how can there be any poverty?" (p. 120)

The awareness of connecting to the universe is the realization of oneness of all of everyone and everything in the universe. Once we have this awareness, our individual deficit would be filled up automatically. This awareness concludes everything comes from our minds which realize the oneness of all. The Fonder of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi, wrote, " 'When I pray, heaven and earth respond; and when I move, the whole universe moves.' Indeed, it is all my fault that there are still wars being fought on this earth." (TOL magazine July issue, 1983, Tenth day message) Because of such a grand awareness of oneness of all, our founder realized infinite abundance and established churches and temples worldwide.

Now, I would like to explain how to realize infinite abundance in 12 ways with actual exercises using the Truth of Life Vol. 8 as text.

1) Know the Truth (To become wealthy means to be close to God.) (p. 140)
2) Enlarge the size of one's "mental cup." (p. 133) Exercise 1
3) Give and you shall receive. (p. 144) Exercise 2
4) Be grateful to what you have been given. (p. 145) Exercise 3
5) Give love to all things. (p. 149) Exercise 4
6) Use what you have now as effectively as possible. (p. 152) "Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?' " (2 Kings 4:2) Exercise 5 & 6
7) Obtain wisdom through prayers. (p. 153)
8) Harmony in home is necessary. (p. 156)
9) Unemployment is because you are lacking in desire to serve others; or you have graduated from the previous work. (p.156-160)
10) Visualize clearly in your mind what you want with strong emotion. (p. 164) Exercise 7
11) Self and others are one. (p. 168)
12) Be joyful. (Truth of Life, June 1983, refernce 2) Exercise 8

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 2

The following 8 questions are also answered with a simple "Yes/No."

(1) I am naturally grateful to everyone and everything bfore going to bed instead of recalling bad things, misfortune or failures which happened during the day. (TOL Vol. 8, p. 3)
(2) I cleanse my mind everyday like washing my physical body in the shower. (p. 4)
(3) Gratitude naturally wells up in me because I am good at seeing good points of others and trying to not see bad poins of others. (p. 6)
(4) God's world is infinite abundance, so I am peaceful even being unemployed with lack of saving. (p. 79)
(5) Whenever I hear negative news such as the finacial crisis in Greece, I feel that I want to help them to change the situation of that country's negative deficit to the positive. (p. 120)
(6) Since working for others is pure joy, I work for others to increase my spiritual joy. (p. 128)
(7) I don't think of my sickness and/or poverty or collapsing of my company. I also don't express these negative things verbally. (p. 131)
(8) My spouse and I are harmonious and I don't even have any arguments/fights with my family members. (p. 156)

How many "Nos" do you have? Please add "Yes" in the previous 13 questions and "No" from these 8 questions. Do you have more than 10 points? How about more than 5? These questions will tell you about your attitude which is positive or negative. If you have total point zero, your attitude is always positive and I would say that you completely trust in God. You must be very prousperous, enjoy your life and enjoy beling alive; you are the one that manifests the Seicho-No-Ie way of life.

These questions include pages so that you can refer to the pages of Truth of Life Vol.8 or Truth of Life magazines. For example, there is a question, "(10) It is nice to understand infinite abundane; however, it is better for me to have actual material wealh in this physical world. (p. 79)" It is explained in the TOL Vol. 8 as follows:

"Ways of obtaining temporary health and happiness, partial satisfaction, or some limited freedom may be found almost anywhere. Yet, it is possible to attain a state of health that is perfect and eternal as true existence, and to make ours into a state of freedom that is as universal and unrestrained as Truth itself. The only way to do this is to open the portals to the True-Image of life; that is, we must understand the True Image of existence and keep our thoughts focused continually on the True-Image World......When one grasps the heart of the matter, everything finds freedom. If one relies on some other method without grasping the heart of the matter, there may be some results, but all one gets are 'bits and pieces.'......So long as we look at the world through our five senses, or consciousness does not see true existnce. Instead, our consciousness becomes a victim of phenomena or temporal form. No matter how many seemingly true objects we may see through our five senses, all that we see are still things of the phenomenal world--the world of false, temporary appearances. However, when we turn our attention away from phenomena and quietly meditate on the True Image of existence, that is, the perfect thing-in-itself, which lies at the very heart of all people, things, and circumstances, our consciousness becomes intuitively aware of what is real." (pages 79-81)

Seeking the mateial results which are phenomena instead of grasping the core of the matter, i.e. True Image, is the same as getting only "bits and pieces." In other words we don't grasp the whole picture and everything doesn't go well. Those who answered this question "Yes" means that their minds have tendency to first seek phenomenal benefit or results.

Way to Infinite Abundance Part 1

I would like to discuss the "Way to Infinite Abundance." TheTruth is one, so the way to infinite abundance, health and harmony is the same truth. If we understand and practice this way of life, we will be able to become not only prosperous but also healthy and fulfilling life.

We have to know the truth that we are all children of God. We are already perfect and harmonious as we are. We don't have to add anything in order to become perfect. In other words, we are already healthy and wealthy in the True Image, and the True Image exists within ourselves. However, many people do not realize this truth and are struggling in their lives. Their minds do not have roots in the True-Image World. In the Truth of Life Vol. 8 it is explained:

"True peace of the soul, happiness of the soul, and the highest sense of security are not things which we can attain so long as we seek them externally." (TOL Vol. 8, p.59)
"Ordinary people may think that material possessions, money, physical strength, etc. come to them only after they had strained both body and mind in an attempt to bring them about from the outside. Material possessions, money, physical strength, and the like, obtained in this manner may appear for a while to be real, but they soon disintegrate if they do not have strong roots in the world of the mind. All true abundance, whether of wealth or physical health, must come from unstrained effort originating naturally in the self as well as in its environment after one has been deeply united with God within his soul. That which has been obtained in this manner has its roots in a different world in the infinite supply called God; therefore, it may appear precarious to others, but there is nothing more secure." (Ibid., pages 60-61)

How then can we connect to God? It is Shinsokan Meditation. God isthe source of infinite health, wealth and eternal peace. God gave everythig needed to His children. All we have to do is realize this truth and carry it out. The way to manifest it is Shinsokan Meditation to deepen our faith and deeds of love to carry out our faith. We have to do good for others and help others physically, mentally and spiritually.

Some people understand this interllectually but cannot perform it. Or, they may not exactly know what they should do. It is not difficult but they need to know their state of mind. They don't properly understand their minds. Therefore, I am going to explain this so that we realize infinite abundance in our lives.

Now, we know Shinsokan Meditation is essential for us to realize the infinite abundance, but what and how can we appy it in order to become wealthy. Here are some questions which will tell you in which direction your mind faces, whether your mental attitude is positive or negative, or whethr you actually believe in God or mterial existence. Please answer the following 13 questions. These are simple "Yes/No" questions. All you need to do is to honestly answer "Yes" or "No." You should answer "Yes" or "No" based on how you think but not what you think the proper answer should be.

(1) I sometimes think that being poor is good. (Vol. 8, p. 131)
(2) I have an inferiority complex of health, prosperity or happiness, or have the poverty (sickness, misfortune) syndrome (means that you are attracted to a negative situation. For example, you have used fear to influence a decision that has held you back because it goes beyond your comfort zone.) (p. 140)
(3) When I need $10,000, I wish I had $15,000 because having $15,000 is better than $10,000. (p. 120)
(4) In daily life I often talk about a blood pressure, a blood-sugar level or the rising and falling of the stock market. (p. 90)
(5) I sometimes think that my wish is not easily realized. (TOL magazine April 1983)
(6) I often think that I would be happy or successful if I had this or that. (TOL magzine June 1983)
(7) Sometimes I become angry and upset or suffer from losing money because of my stocks falling down. (TOL magazine October 1983)
(8) I give money when a homeless person asks me to spare money. (p. 53)
(9) I am nervous and worry about how much I improve. (p. 55)
(10) It is nice to understand infinite abundance; however, it is bette for me to have actual material wealth in this physical world. (p. 79)
(11) I would definitely worry if my company was bankrupt or I suffered from an illness. (p. 80)
(12) It is good for us to use more world resources because the more we use them, the more world resources increase in accordance with the law of the mind. (p. 117)
(13) Using a business class seat than economy class seat is fulfilling God's Will. (p. 124)

These questios can tell your state of mind as to how positive or neative you are in accordance with the explanation of the Truth of Life Vol. 8 and Truth of Life magazine from January to December issues of 1983. Now, how many "Yeses" do you have?