"Beliefs Without Actions are Meaningless
We are not training in Shorinji Kempo in order to become martial arts instructors. It is essential that we be aware that we are seeking to make a more pleasing world through awareness of ourselves as fellow human begins and through our mutual assistance.
Buddhism is originally a teaching of human mutual esteem. To respect another requires that one first respect oneself. The characters with which "person" can be written in Buddhist philosophy mean "spirit" and "stopping." To put it into religious terms, that means that, if anything, people are spirits who contain in themselves a portion of the Dharma --- and I believe it is only when one awakens to this fact that one is capable of respecting oneself. The great change in my outlook on life came because I truly understood the meaning of this.
Each one of us is a splendid person holding a portion of the Dharma. That means that if we put in our effort, we can become capable of doing anything. We can go to the moon, and we can dive to the bottom of the ocean. We can make ourselves happy, and we can make others happy. To understand this is to discover yourself. If you understand this, now go and bring your understanding to life; become a person who works for others, for society, and for the whole world.
Though many say, "I strive to conquer myself," just what is it that they are doing? A single example would be fine, but are you making the effort to hold out against any specific one of your desires? What we are practicing here is to act upon what we think --- the unity of mind and body, the oneness of action and ideas.
Giving ourselves for the task of building the best possible world is not based only upon thoughts but on turning them to action. Why not try acting on your thoughts? Beliefs without action are meaningless. Good things, we do. Bad things, we stop doing. Lately I've heard people saying that Shorinji Kempo has ideals but doesn't do anything. If your own house or school or company is in trouble, its no good just to keep quiet and watch how things turn out. If revolution can be called giving yourself for a cause, preventing problems is also giving yourself for a cause. Before you concern yourself with whether it's to your advantage or not, why not try doing something about the problem.
The person who is trusted by others is the person who can commit himself. Anyone who has to think of the costs and benefits is not worth trusting. When you act and go beyond the realm of costs and benefits, you will find the strength of others. Rather than worrying about unfairness and your own displeasure, why not think about how to overcome the problems?
(At Instructors Seminar, October 1969)
