Fuji Declaration Presentation
Byakko Deputy Chairperson Yuka Saionji thanked the prayer leaders for their contributions to this year’s ceremony, and then introduced the next portion of the program:
I would like to thank all the prayer leaders for leading us in their prayers. It is thanks to these prayer leaders that we are able to hold the SOPP and have time like this, where we can truly connect to each other and connect to the world through our prayers. So, once again, thank you to the prayer leaders as well as all the participants who have offered their prayers to Congo, to Nepal, to the earthquake recovery in Turkey, to Japan, and to the whole world and the universe.
Now, we will move on to the Fuji Declaration program. The Fuji Declaration was launched eight years ago at the Symphony of Peace Prayers. So, at each SOPP, we continue on the journey of the Fuji Declaration. In today’s program, we will pose two questions to you, so that you can participate and think about the world of the Fuji Declaration.
Yuka’s introduction was then taken up by Byakko Vice Chairperson Maki Saionji:
Maki Saionji, Vice Chair of Byakko Shinko Kai
This year marks the eighth anniversary of the Fuji Declaration. The Fuji Declaration is a call for the revival of humanity’s sacred spirit and the movement toward a civilization in which all life is connected as one. These values are needed more and more for both humanity and the earth, and their importance seems to increase every year.
For this, the eighth year of the Fuji Declaration, we would like to deepen our pursuit of the sacred world that the Fuji Declaration aims for, by narrowing down the broad concepts of ‘oneness’ and ‘diversity’ to the key terms of ‘circulation’ and ‘tolerance,’ respectively.
The first value, circulation, is also the theme of this year’s SOPP. In order to create a world of oneness, we must look at the natural world and the various living things that make up that world, as well as the many elements that support life.
For example, we can see that the water, soil, air, and ecology exist, evolve, and create while maintaining a delicate balance in their cycles. Moreover, when we look at society, we see that many services, goods, and people are connected to one another across national borders — a cycle that we ourselves are part of on a daily basis.
By reexamining our world and our society with the keyword of ‘circulation’ in mind, we can see ourselves as being more closely connected to nature, people, and things, all part of a unified flow. I believe that this brings the worldview of oneness into clearer focus for all of us.
The second value is tolerance. In our daily lives, we may experience various conflicts and struggles. If we look at it from a global perspective, throughout history, conflicts, wars, and disputes have never stopped, even for a single day.
How can we take a step forward toward a peaceful world where all life, in its great diversity, is respected? If we are to build a world of peace, I feel that one of the things our society needs most is a spirit of tolerance.
When we are confronted with differing opinions and values, rather than criticizing or condemning them, rather than adopting a binary perspective of good or bad, I hope that such times will bring out the tolerance within each of us and lead to opportunities to enhance and deepen it. With this in mind, we would like to delve into our understanding of a world with tolerance at the core, a world where diversity and plurality are respected.
Beginning with the 2023 SOPP, we will spend this year talking with supporters of the Fuji Declaration and others working in various fields, discussing the two values of circulation and tolerance.
We encourage all of you who are participating today to ask yourselves questions about tolerance and circulation through this program.
In order to realize the world that the Fuji Declaration aims to create, I would like to ask you to think about the following two questions.
First, when we try to look with sacred, divine eyes, what examples and events of circulation and tolerance can we see, even in this seemingly divided and fragmented world? The second question is, what do you think we can do to expand the world of circulation and tolerance?
I feel that if each of us asks ourselves these questions and continues to search within ourselves, our actions will be transformed, and the accumulation of such actions will be a powerful and definite step toward the creation of a peaceful world.
Now, I would like to share with you messages from Masami Saionji, Dr. Ervin Laszlo, and Hiroo Saionji, co-initiators of the Fuji Declaration. As you listen to their messages, please keep in mind the two keywords, ‘circulation’ and ‘tolerance.’
Dr. Ervin Laszlo
The Fuji Declaration was born at the foot of Mount Fuji. It is a physical presence that’s also a spiritual symbol. The rise of this mountain, majestic and unique above all else into the sky, symbolizes what we need today. We need purity, we need understanding of something higher than we are to climb to the top of that—not to dominate it, but to find that we are part of it.
The Fuji Declaration speaks of oneness, speaks of joining together in the interest of peace. It has not been more needed ever before in history than in these days that we are living now. We are in a transitory period that can lead to a breakdown—a collapse—of civilization, or to a new civilization. As Mount Fuji rises above the plain to the sky, so the new spirit that is represented in the Fuji Declaration rises above the darkness—the conflict that is reigning in the world today.
Not only that—there is novelty, there is progress in the world, there is real evolution in the world. But we have to give it a new momentum, desperately needed today to rise above the conflict—the depression that is still very much at a prevalent level in this society.
The Fuji Declaration has been shared widely. It has been declared in the presence of something like 10,000 people, at the foot of Mount Fuji. That spirit that inspired people on that occasion—it was literally at the dawn of the day, and was also the dawn of an age in which the spirit of the Fuji Declaration will be a dominant and determining spirit.
I dedicate these few lines and these few words to the ongoing spirit of the Fuji Declaration. Let us rise together in unity to create a world of light, of purity, and of love.
Masami Saionji
Good day, everyone. As we gather today, the earth and all of nature—plants, animals, and other living things, as well as the oceans, mountains, and rivers—are being destroyed. It is up to us to stop it. The Fuji Declaration declares that all humankind is one, transcending boundaries of race, ethnicity, religion, and nationality. For this reason, all human beings in this world—men and women, children, adults, and the elderly, and people of all different colors—the entire human race must be united in our divinity, and let our divine spark shine forth in our life.
A baby born from its parents is alive. It is truly alive with divinity, and no matter whether it is born with a disability, whether it is black or white, it has the same power to live as all other people. The divine spark transcends all boundaries of ethnicity and nationality, and is the very source of our life.
Even if a baby is blind, the moment it is born, it clings to its mother’s breast to drink. That is because of its divine spark, because the mission that it was born with is ingrained in its soul. This is why I say that all human beings are equal.
It is fine that we have different nationalities, ethnicities, and religious beliefs. These differences are natural. People born in a particular country or environment have their own way of living, their own way of doing things, their own politics. But the only thing that can unite us beyond politics, beyond religion, beyond ethnicity, is our divine spark.
When I look at the current world situation, Ukraine and Russia are still at war. Where is the divine spark? The leaders of each country have lost sight of their divine spark.
For this reason, if we who live in other countries rekindle our own divine spark and offer our prayers, those countries will show more and more signs of change.
Being aware of our own divinity truly makes the world more peaceful. No matter how poor a country we might live in, no matter how much education we have, if we are aware of our divine spark and let it guide us, our innate divinity will emerge, and the power and wisdom we need to live will appear.
Therefore, for as long as I am alive, my message to the world is that we should live united by our divine spark. I would like to visit those countries and bring the world together as one through mutual harmony and discussion.
Thank you for listening today.
Hiroo Saionji
Hello, everyone. As we celebrate the 8th anniversary of the Fuji Declaration, I would like to take this opportunity to talk a little about the significance and the important aspects of the Fuji Declaration. The Fuji Declaration is a movement for the revival of human spirituality—a movement to revive spiritual values that have been diminished by an overemphasis on material values.
At the core of these spiritual values is the sacred and good heart within all human beings, which in English we call the ‘divine spark’. From this core emerge thoughts and actions of love, harmony, compassion, truth, goodness, and beauty. This is in line with what Masahisa Goi said about the need to shift from a material civilization to a spiritual civilization for the evolution of humankind.
Another essential value described in the Fuji Declaration is expressed through oneness, diversity, connection, and circulation, which is the theme of today’s event. At first glance, ‘oneness’ and ‘diversity’ may seem to be at odds, but when we look at the human body, we see that it is made up of countless cells and organs, and that this diversity, taken as one, forms a whole individual.
Life is maintained through the interconnectedness and circulation of these diverse parts. In addition, the earth is populated by some two million kinds of living organisms, which coexist and create ecosystems. Materials and energy circulate amidst this diversity, maintaining the stability of the global environment.
For example, as you are well aware, in forest ecosystems, trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and supply oxygen, which has a purification function. This is one type of circulation, or cycle, and it resonates with what Dr. James Lovelock, winner of the first Goi Peace Prize, said—that the earth is a living organism with the ability to regulate itself.
Thus, in both the microcosm and the macrocosm, harmony is maintained through oneness, diversity, connection, and circulation. This is the providence of nature and the law of nature. Unfortunately, I think it can be said that human society alone has deviated from the laws of nature.
The main cause of this is our overemphasis on material values, as I mentioned earlier. It is the result of our self-centered, egotistical way of thinking, which is not in tune with our divine spark. The Fuji Declaration calls on all of us to return to our original state of being—to our divine spark and a sense of connectedness.
The Fuji Declaration is a movement to revive these two important values and return to a harmonious society. I ask all of you to consider and appreciate these values anew, and it is my hope that we will move forward together. Thank you very much.