The Main Teachings of Ryuho Okawa
The Laws of the Mind and the Pursuit of Happiness
“I nearly always focus on the laws of the mind at some point because these are the rules that determine whether people will ultimately be happy or unhappy. In this sense, they are of crucial importance.
One of the objectives of our organization is the scientific research of happiness, but what does this actually mean? It means studying and exploring the mind that invites happiness. In seeking to better understand the origins of happiness, the mind becomes the subject of our research, based on the assumption that each individual has a mind governed by certain universal laws.
Your ultimate happiness depends on the degree to which you attune the vibrations of your mind to those of God. Adopting the right frame of mind and acting in the correct way will ensure that your receiver is always attuned to God’s transmitter. And what are the signals that are coming from God? They are love, wisdom, courage, justice, hope, joy, freedom, equality, fairness, progress, and a host of other vital gifts. All you have to do is to attune your mind to make the connection to God, and then you will be able to receive infinite energy of light.”
From: Change Your Life, Change the World | C4: The Pursuit of Happiness
The Ultimate Rightness
The Exploration of the Right Mind
“There is a certain law that, if studied and applied correctly, enables you to receive God’s energy and experience true happiness. This is a law I call Exploration of the Right Mind. In this context, the word “right” means a state of mind that is in accordance with the laws of the Primordial God who created the universe.
The rightness that I teach does not necessarily correspond to the results of scientific research or study. The rightness I talk about has its basis in the existence of God and the existence of the spirit world. What is right in the world of faith is eternal and immutable and quite different from what often turns out to be the temporary truths of everyday life and even of science.
This is the true meaning of rightness, so Exploring the Right Mind is to seek a rightness or the state of mind that accords with the Will of God.”
From: Change Your Life, Change the World | C4: The Pursuit of Happiness
I nearly always focus on the laws of the mind at some point because these are the rules that determine whether people will ultimately be happy or unhappy.
BY RYUHO OKAWA
From the book “Change Your Life, Change the World” Chapter 4
The Principles of Happiness
The Fourfold Path
“You may wonder, “How do I explore the Right Mind?” The answer to this question is “by practicing the Principles of Happiness.” If you focus on exploring them and do your best to put them into practice on a daily basis, they will assure you a happy and bright life. There are four Principles of Happiness: the Principle of Love, the Principle of Wisdom, the Principle of Self-Reflection, and the Principle of Progress.
These four together constitute what I call the modern Fourfold Path. These principles are not independent of each other; rather, they are closely related. Each principle contains aspects of the other principles. Following each of them carefully means you will always be able to walk the path of happiness…”
From: Change Your Life, Change the World | C4: The Pursuit of Happiness
There is nobody in this world as happy as those who consider the happiness of others to be their own happiness.
BY RYUHO OKAWA
From the Book: “Love, Nurture and Forgive” Chapter 4
The First Path to Happiness
The Principle of Love
“You can never achieve true and long-lasting happiness as long as you are constantly craving what you do not have. You have already been given a great deal, so start by offering thanks for what you have. You will then start to feel the need to offer something in return and begin to live a life of giving. The truth is that there is no way to be unhappy in a life that involves “giving back.” Almost the moment you start to offer something to others, you will begin to feel happier yourself.
When you begin to practice love, you have already begun your own journey to happiness. There will be greater enjoyment in every day, and you will become more and more delighted by the happiness you are able to bring to those around you. Start with what you can do for others. If you find joy and happiness in seeing others smile, you have already taken the first step towards Heaven.”
From: Change Your Life, Change the World | C4: The Pursuit of Happiness
To love somebody is to practice the “love that gives,” and everything I teach at Happy Science centers around this concept. I explain the principles of happiness as the Fourfold Path that consists of Love, Wisdom, Self-reflection, and Progress. The path of love, however, is pivotal.
BY RYUHO OKAWA
From the Book: “Love, Nurture and Forgive” Chapter 4
The Second Path to Happiness
The Principle of Wisdom
“The purpose of the path of Wisdom is to love more and more people. The more wisdom you acquire, the more useful your life becomes to more people. If you lack wisdom and intellectual power, it will be difficult for you to do good for many others. By learning extensively, you will be able to expand your range of activities, and influence even more people. This is why I say that wisdom is important—wisdom supports love.”
From the Book: Love, Nurture and Forgive | Chapter 4
The Third Path to Happiness
The Principle of Self-reflection
“Why do we have to practice self-reflection? When you think you are practicing “the love that gives,” you still need to check and see that it is the kind of love that God expects of you. There are any number of people who may think they are doing good but who have strayed from the right path. Although they may think they are practicing “the love that gives,” in actual fact some of them become so blind in their acts of giving that they go as far as to spoil the recipients and eventually cause harm. The givers may have started off with pure motives but have gradually forgotten them, and come to crave recognition from others. They may now boast of the good things they have done in an effort to justify their motives. Although starting out with pure and wholesome thoughts, it is easy for the ordinary human to forget his or her original intention and stray from it. So we need to practice self-reflection in order to put ourselves back on the right course. In this way, self-reflection is practiced for the sake of love.”
From the Book: Love, Nurture and Forgive | Chapter 4
The Fourth Path to Happiness
The Principle of Progress
“The fourth path of the Fourfold Path is Progress, and this is also undertaken for the sake of love. When love becomes powerful, when it expresses itself strongly, it will influence more and more people. When you discover a powerful love within yourself, you will want to help as many people as possible, to create as many smiling faces and as much joy as possible. Progress actually means the expansion of love. As love grows and becomes ever bigger, its ideals grow and this is what we call progress.”
From the Book: Love, Nurture and Forgive | Chapter 4
The Foundation to Happiness
The Exploration of the Right Mind
“Some may think that the Fourfold Path is hard to practice, but in the end, it all comes back to Love, Wisdom, Self-reflection, and Progress are all simply ways of making love stronger, bigger, and more wonderful. If you wish to achieve spiritual development through the study of the Laws of Truth at the Happy Science, as a minimum requirement, you must have an attitude of exploring Right Mind.
This means that in order to have good intentions and express them in action, you have to establish a basic stance, the attitude of exploring Right Mind.”
From the Book: Love, Nurture and Forgive | Chapter 4
A Planet of Love: Earth
Love, Enlightenment and Creation of an Ideal World
“First, we must turn our planet into an ideal world where the majority of people learn the Truth, explore Right Mind, and strive to practice the Principles of Happiness.
You should not think that your work has finished when you have found your own happiness. If this has been achieved through awakening to the Truth, it then becomes your duty to spread your happiness to others to change the whole of society. We must all make it our goal to sow the seeds of enlightenment, to practice giving love. Start now by making an effort towards creating an ideal world in the town or city where you live.
You can help to transform your school, company, society, country, and the world so that your surroundings become filled with love and light. Even living amidst a happy family is a start, because if every family were blessed in this way, the journey towards an ideal world will have begun. And your effort to increase light and brighten the world, once started, must continue for the remainder of your life here on earth.”
From:Change Your Life, Change the World | C4: The Pursuit of Happiness
If you would like to learn more about these teachings by Ryuho Okawa