An essay reflecting on the essence of Zen as established during Japan’s Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
Tracing the evolution from Buddhist salvation for the poor to a philosophy of inner freedom, it criticizes power worship and affirms truth, clarity, and spiritual independence in the 21st century.
Published on May 13, 2017.

Fulfill your life with a clear mind.
That, I believe, is the true essence of Zen established during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
May 13, 2017.
Good morning.
This is my message.
January 11, 2011.
For most of human history, people were desperately poor, like clinging to the bare ground.
From the dawn of civilization across East and West, for more than a thousand years, Zen evolved as a form of salvation for people who were utterly impoverished and unable to find meaning in life.
It was Buddhism as a religion of liberation, of attaining enlightenment, which then evolved, so to speak, into modern philosophy—the idea of “I think, therefore I am.”
Naturally, this came about because four or five hundred years had passed since the time of Kūkai and Saichō, and people had gradually become more prosperous and wiser.
“The Times They Are a-Changin’.”
Bob Dylan.
The essential point is this.
Human beings are not closed or confined, but open.
The world does not belong to humans alone, but to all things.
To know that infinite contemplation is connected to infinite freedom and to the boundless universe.
Those in power are nothing special, and power itself is merely a tool, a convenience.
Therefore, those who make a living talking about power are, in truth, not worthy individuals.
To speak of power every single day is the height of foolishness.
Fools only multiply fools.
Look at the state of Japan’s intellectually bankrupt television and the editorial writers of the major newspapers.
What must always be pursued is truth.
This is the same for everyone.
That, I believe, is what Zen teaches.
Life inevitably includes birth and death, which are laws of nature.
Therefore, one must not live enslaved by desire and egoism.
One must not live as a fool, nor as a being of malice or greed.
To follow power blindly is the lowest form of humanity.
It is not what human beings of the 21st century should do.
Fulfill your life with a clear mind.
That is the true essence of Zen established during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
Before long, I will begin writing Chapter Two of “The Turntable of Civilization.”
Omitted.
As a Kūkai and Saichō living in the 21st century, I intend, with hearty laughter, to continue writing words like flashes of lightning.
What must be criticized will be criticized thoroughly.
What must be praised will be praised without hesitation.
By naming real individuals, I want to convey and celebrate the truth of what they have achieved and expressed, to as many Japanese people as possible, and ultimately to people around the world.
Because those who illuminate the world, who speak first and foremost from the reality of the 21st century, and who guide the world toward ideals and peace, are precisely these people.
Whether individuals, magazines, documentary films, movies, all forms of genuine art, researchers, entrepreneurs, religious figures, nations at their peak, or sports.