Introducing the Fuji Declaration
Next, the three initiators of the Fuji Declaration—Masami Saionji, Hiroo Saionji, and Dr. Ervin Laszlo—came on stage to convey, in their own words, the purpose and significance of the declaration.
Masami Saionji, Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai
How grateful we are to be able to officially announce the Fuji Declaration at this gathering of people from across Japan and around the world! Thank you so much for coming today.
The Fuji Declaration calls for the re-awakening of our sacred consciousness, and we are so happy that we are able to announce this declaration to the world from Fuji Sanctuary. It gives me utmost joy that we have reached this day as a result of the continued prayers for world peace that people have been praying here. Even amidst rain, snow, and wind, and in the hot sun, people have continued offering prayers.
Re-awakening our sacred consciousness means recognizing that each and every one of us is a noble and precious existence—a sublime being and an embodiment of life. For the sake of the peace of humanity and the Earth’s continued existence, we are linked together with indestructible bonds. Every one of us is an individual ray of light, branching out from the universal divine source. The universal divine source is almighty, and a source of infinite love, wisdom, life, ability, potential, and joy. It is the source of everything. Since our being is a ray of light branching from the universal divine source, the great mission for each of us is to manifest the universal divine will.
Up to now, we human beings have been bound by our adherence to nationality, ethnicity, religion, ideology, and status. This has resulted in confrontation and discrimination, and we have lost our natural way of living—our ultimate path. All the various extraordinary phenomena, unnatural disasters, and other destructive situations on this earth can be traced back to the greediness of each member of humanity. Our greediness created these phenomena, and each one of us must respond to these issues, remembering that the responsibility lies solely with each one of us. This is a path that we can no longer avoid.
Now is the time for all humanity to overcome barriers of nationality, ethnicity, religion, and ideology, to unite as one and rise up to resolve these issues. Our happiness and peace are not things that we get from others, nor can they be given by an external God. They must be created by the divine consciousness inherent in each of us. The goal of humankind is to rediscover this divine spark. True life—the true purpose of life—lies in making efforts in pursuit of our spirit. We cannot afford to leave a negative legacy—such as tragic wars, the destruction of nature, and environmental pollution—to future generations. Let us together build a new spiritual civilization—a civilization based on the divine spark. Thank you for your continued support. May peace prevail on Earth!
Hiroo Saionji, President of the Goi Peace Foundation
On this beautiful day, with a good view of Mount Fuji, I am so happy to be able to celebrate the inauguration of the Fuji Declaration here at the Symphony of Peace Prayers.
The Fuji Declaration was initiated by the three of us—Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Masami Saionji, and myself. I’d like to give you a brief background to the Fuji Declaration. Ten years ago, in 2005, the Goi Peace Foundation, the Club of Budapest, the Club of Rome, and 11 other international organizations started an initiative to create a new civilization. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and other leaders from Japan and around the world gathered and talked about how we can change this world into a more harmonized one. At that time, the vision and framework for a new civilization were discussed. At the end of the three-day conference, the conclusion was that while a framework is important, at the base level, human beings need to transform their consciousness, as that is a prerequisite for change.
The Fuji Declaration that we are inaugurating today has two important values that form the basis for a new civilization. One is that human beings inherently have a divine, sacred nature—this is based on the theory that people are essentially good. The other value is that of oneness—that we are interconnected with others and with everything around us. These two important values—that we human beings have a good and sacred nature, and that we live interconnected with everything—are values that we must convey to everyone, and that we must revive within the consciousness of all human beings.
This is an individual declaration, but at the same time, we need more people who are conscious of these values in order to change this turbulent world into a truly harmonious one. That is another major goal of the Fuji Declaration. Dr. Laszlo is supervising research in four areas—economy, politics, business, and media. A vision and roadmap for how we can transform society by changing our consciousness, as well as some concrete examples that have already been made clear, are published on the Fuji Declaration website.
Two days ago, 50 well-regarded specialists in various fields from Japan and around the world gathered and discussed this transformation, including the role of the Fuji Declaration. We had a very good discussion. Thus, we started the Fuji Declaration not only with words, but with specific ideas and proposals.
Not only here at Fuji Sanctuary, but also in Denmark and in more than 50 countries, events are taking place to celebrate the launch of the Fuji Declaration. We will also introduce the declaration in June at the Expo in Milan, Italy, and in November at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Atlanta. 21 out of 30 living Nobel Peace Laureates have agreed to attend the summit thus far. In Israel, Pakistan, India, Africa, and China, they have asked us to present the Fuji Declaration, and we are so happy to be able to do this.
In the 14th century in Europe, the Renaissance began. The Renaissance was a revitalization of culture. The Fuji Declaration’s starting point is a spiritual renaissance. I know that many of you have been praying for peace for several decades, and your accumulated prayers have brought us to today’s event. I extend my sincere gratitude to you. Thank you so much.
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Founder and President of the Club of Budapest
Dear friends, dear Mr. and Mrs. Saionji—my colleagues and co-initiators of the Fuji Declaration—it is a very great pleasure and privilege to launch the Fuji Declaration today, for igniting the divine spark in the hearts of all of us.
This declaration comes at the right time. It comes at a time when we are searching for a new direction—how to act and how to develop on earth. We know that the way we have been going for the past decades—the past 200 years, perhaps—will not lead to a viable and thriving world. We need to change our thinking. As Albert Einstein said, we cannot solve the problems of our world with the same kind of thinking that gave rise to them.
Where does this new thinking come from? The remarkable fact—which we express in the Fuji Declaration—is that it comes from science and from spirituality. It comes from the latest developments in our rational thinking, and from humanity’s deepest and oldest source for such thinking.
The latest developments in quantum science tell us that this universe has energy and information. It is not an accidental universe—it’s a universe that is informed by a higher, or deeper, source. The universe is informed, so that particles join together and make atoms. Atoms join together and make molecules. Molecules make cells, and cells make living organisms. This is not an accidental process—this is an intentional process.
There is a divine spark in the universe. This divine spark makes wholes from parts—more and more complex wholes, but harmonious wholes. We human beings are an expression of this great tendency in the universe to create harmonious wholes—wholes where the parts act together and make one.
So, the great spirit of the cosmos—of the universe—is toward oneness, and is toward peace, because only through peace can we have oneness. All the cells of our bodies cooperate together and complement each other. We are at peace. If any part of our body is not at peace, it becomes a disease. A healthy body is at peace.
Science has discovered what spirituality and religion have always known—that this world is meant to be a peaceful world, a world of oneness. So, I tell you, dear friends, dear colleagues, members of the human species, that we should ignite the divine spark in us, because when we ignite the divine spark in us, then peace will reign on Earth. Thank you very much.