Return to the dojo what you gained from it

In Shorinji Kempo, an unemployed person may not become a branch master. One must have a stable livelihood; this is a primary condition. You should have a system that allows you to use what you gather from everyone - without any qualms - for seminar fees, for traveling expenses to Hombu and events, and for other such matters. If possible, I would hope that you make a legal system for using the money by forming organs such as an operations committee and a board of directors.

If you were trying life as a Shorinji Kempo instructor because nothing else has gone well for you, then I would hope that you quit immediately. We absolutely must not produce branch masters who simply take it easy, show their faces at the dojo in the evenings, and then disappear after gathering everyone's money.

I built my dojo out of my own pocket. What one gains from the dojo, one returns to it. I meant to use the money that way from the start, and I have invested a tremendous amount in it. Even if I bought a Rolls Royce as Shorinji Kempo's head, there would be nothing wrong with that. I haven't, but if I wanted one I would buy it. What would be the problem with any of you buying one, so long as there was a real need for it? If you want a dojo, build one. It is merely a question of whether or not you have the courage to pour the money into what will become the property of an organization. If you're thinking, "I want to die in possession of everything I have ever earned," or, "I only want to pass it on to my wife and children" then you can't possess anything when you die, none of you. There is an old way of putting it: All you need is half a mat to sit on, one mat to lie down. You are born naked, and you die naked. If you just understand this, then you can accomplish as much as I have.

It sounds bad to speak of profiting from Shorinji Kempo, but I tell you to gather the money well. Use that money, and leave behind at least a building. Just leave behind your good name. I want to say this perfectly clearly: gather well, and then use the money well. I have no regrets for wealth or honor in accomplishing things and making a name. I live amidst the warm affection of a large group of people who have gathered together through a shared bond. I find true joy in this. Even when I die, there is a full complement of youth raised who believe that the way I have preached is good, and who will take over afterward. India's Buddhism collapsed but came to Japan, and even if it is on the verge of collapse in Japan, it is growing a new sprout in the philosophy. It is not a matter of buildings, neither is it a matter of names. In that sense I believe that each one of you is my successor and my treasure.

(lecture in 1978)

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