5. Inviting Happiness:

In Buddhism, there are teachings on “Inga" (cause and effect). “Innen" (cause and condition) and “Engi" (dependent origination). These three words have one thing in common. Everything in these words is interdependent and is mutually inclusive. There is a correlation between matters that are constantly affecting and influencing one another. A Buddhist theory expresses this concept in various phrases, “Shiki-sokuzeku" (form or matter is non-substantive), “Shoho-muga" (phenomena are in existence by condition, thus, they have no substance) and “Shogyo-mujyo" (All things are impermanent. One of the three truths in Buddhism. It means that everything is constantly changing). Buddhidism expressed that “Everything has an organic influential effect". This simply means that we, the people, are all connected to one another by invisible strings. The basic foundation of the HBS's teaching premised on “Ichinen-sanzen" clarifies and explains the aforementioned phrases. A Buddhist dictionary defines “Ichinen-sanzen" as the three thousand realms contained in one mind. That all phenomena in this world or “Sanzen" are all included in the one thought or “Ichinen" that human beings have in their daily lives.

The theory of “Ichinen-sanzen" has many similar ideologies to those contained in the “Principles of Cause and Effect (Innen)" as expressed by the European scholar Carl Jung (1875-1961). Jung was a founder of analytical psychology, and in his work, he uses the term “synchronicity". The meaning of this word is “meaningful cause and condition". Jung further defined it as “there is no internal connection in cause and effect, but harmony and unity exist". In other words, events which seem like a mere coincidence have a hidden internal cause and effect connection. It is said that a coincidence is not just a coincidence, but a “meaningful coincidence".

Allen Boone of the U.S.A. is currently conducting a research on the principle of synchronicity. Boone asserts that “coincidences are not a mere occurrence that happen arbitrarily but that our conscious mind wills them to occur at times. The conscious is creating space, time and substanc....the correspondence of coincidence is, indeed, the product of consciousness. Each and every consciousness possesses knowledge of the entire consciousness". In essence, information of all human functions is contained in each cell within the body, every individual possesses the information of the universe.

As one can see, there are many similarities between the Buddhist theory of “Ichinen-sanzen" and Jung and Boone's theories on synchronicity and analytic psychology.

As an illustration of this theory, I would like to tell a story of my acquaintance.

Mr. Asakura was the second son born to a priest of a temple in Northern Japan. Because he had no desire to become a priest, he decided to pursue a career in business and he purposely found an employment in Osaka City far away from his parents' home. Upon arrival, he had to look for a place to live. After many searches, he finally found a place to his liking. To his surprise, however, the house was owned by a parishioner of HBS. He made the decision to rent the place not knowing how this one event would change the course of his destiny forever.

Upon his arrival, the landlady woke him up early in one morning to go to her temple to worship. She insisted that he join the temple's youth club. As time passed Mr. Asakura's involvement with the temple and other related services increased. This change in his life-style ultimately influenced him to study Buddhism. He, later, met Reverend Takasu of the Chokunji Temple in Kumamoto Prefecture and served under his guidance. Mr. Asakura is now a priest of Chokunji Temple. Rev. Asakura said. “If it had not been for the landlady who was an earnest follower of HBS, I would not have become a priest".

It is not so. Rev. Asakura had karma (cause and condition) which ultimately led to the course of events described above.

While completing the draft of this essay regarding Mr. Asakura, I was informed by my wife that a letter had just arrived. The letter was from Rev. Asakura whom I had not heard from for over five years. This coincidence may be described as synchronicity.

The micro world and macro world:

I would like to emphasize the concept of “Ichinen-sanzen". “Ichinen-sanzen" is a cause and effect factor. What appear to be irrelevant occurrences have an internal connection or harmony. The purpose here is not to explain scientifically the theory of “Ichinen-sanzen" but to delineate the ways to bring happiness.

“Ichinen-sanzen" means everything that exist in the universe influence one another. The activities are also interdependent.

For example, the functions of the organs, muscles, tendons, etc., are all interrelated in the way one function and supports the others. Many life forms have a symbolic relationship with other organisms.

In my congregation, there is a parishioner named Reizo lwasaki. He is a doctor of internal medicine. I received a letter from him a few years ago in which he cites an event he experienced while conducting a research at the University of Osaka Hospital.

“It was around 1961 when I spent many sleepless nights preparing my slides and manuscripts for the World Symposium of Digestive Organ Diseases and the Japan Digestive Deseases Symposium. The theme of my research paper was “Research on Figuration of the Bile Secretion Mechanism" and the research was conducted by the use of an electron microscope. Through these researches, I have gained a better understanding of how every form of life, no matter how small it may be, contributes to the universe, and of the symbolic relationship that exists between the micro and macro worlds are seen in nature".

In short, all phenomena that occur in the universe have a reason and purpose. Consequently, there is a connection and association between all things in the universe.

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