Lifestyle

Part 4 – Living with Altruism

Heart. In September 1997 I took refuge in the Buddha's door, in November 1997 I started my spiritual life. Because they are not used to it, going for alms is extremely hard, the toes sticking out of the sandal slip on the asphalt, spitting blood, and the body is exhausted. I tried to endure, on the way back to the temple, when I was passing through the park, I met a woman who is a sanitation worker, broom in hand and foot walking briskly to me and put a 500 yen coin in my pocket worn on the chest, very natural action.

In that moment, an emotion that I had never felt before suddenly spread throughout my body. A feeling of happiness overwhelmed me. I really received the compassion of the Buddha through that woman's act of kindness. It showed me what altruism is at the core.

Forgiveness is not a far-fetched thing. We can start from caring a little bit about the people around us, from close family members to friends and then expand to a larger scale such as community, society, humanity...

Going to hell or going to nirvana depends on the mind. How important is the ability to care about others, or to be altruistic? The old monk where I practiced preached to his disciples: "Nirvana and hell are two completely similar realms. The difference is the mind of the people living in those two places. People living in hell are selfish people who only think about themselves. And in nirvana are people who have an altruistic heart, always living for others."

The root of business is altruism. According to Max Weber (1864-1920), the builders of a capitalist society advocated valuing strict ethical principles, respecting labor, and profiting from economic activities used for development. society. In other words, the spirit of altruism for the sake of society, for people, for the common good rather than for self-interest must become a common moral rule.

Altruism widens the horizon. It is important to note the two-sided relationship between selfishness and altruism. In other words, if viewed from a low level, a certain action can be considered altruistic, but if viewed from a higher level, those actions become selfish. Therefore, altruism must always be enhanced and broadened. Family interests are greater than personal interests, community interests are greater than family interests. The social benefit is greater than the community benefit, and higher is the benefit of the whole world and the universe.

Altruism becomes the driving force to overcome difficulties, leading to success.

I appealed to the staff: "For the people, let's make long distance phone rates cheaper", "Life is only once, live it meaningfully". Unexpectedly, our sales increased day by day, upsetting all expectations. It clearly demonstrates: Success is achieved if our motives are pure.

Please contribute to society. Kyocera's business philosophy is "Bring benefits to all employees in both material and spiritual aspects, and at the same time contribute to social progress".

When the company's foundation is solid, after giving year-end bonuses to employees, I urge everyone to set aside a little bonus to set up a charity fund for the poor during Tet. agreeable person. This is Kyocera's first charitable cause.

As a result of the development process of Kyocera company, my fortune increased unexpectedly. I said to myself: I must not keep that property. Property acquired from society is either kept for society or must be returned to society. In that spirit, I founded the Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Prize to give back to society.

I think that, along with physical and mental training, schools need to create opportunities for children to learn and think about human life. At the same time, do not forget the elements of morality, ethics, philosophy, human outlook, the basic things that express the inherently beautiful image of man.

Learn how to live contentedly from the natural world. In addition to altruistic actions, thinking of others on the basis of compassion, we need to master the way of life "contentment".

It is by knowing how to live “contentedly” that the natural world can exist in balance and stability. Don't people also need to learn the "moderate" way of all species in that natural world?

Humans want to dominate nature with bottomless greed. That greed pressures every thought and action. Had back wanted more; rich and want to be rich again. The wall of "trivial" has been demolished. And in the end, that is threatening the whole earth - the abode of man himself.

An altruistic civilization will blossom when humanity is enlightened. In order not to drown in the ecological boat, there is no other way but we must regain moderation: not asking for more than is necessary. What we need is a way of living "contentious" as Lao Tzu taught: "He who knows enough is a happy person". But being content is not a peaceful life or complacent, it is also not a stagnant, passive way of life, without creative capacity. On the contrary, it is a way of life full of creative energy, always eliminating the old, receiving the new in a healthy way, and new ideas always arise in the process of living.