In which case, perhaps what matters most is that we demonstrate—through the very way we live our lives—our ability to accept any kind of hardship and to go on living with an awareness of gratitude for the life we are receiving in the present moment. As a result, when we hear people who are suffering with troubles give voice to what is on their minds, we will be able to offer them words of strength and encouragement.

It is important for people to value their own individuality and live with pride. Misunderstanding this, though, can lead to arrogance—such as being overly proud of yourself or intimidating other people—and at times, even spread the dangerous mood among people everywhere that war is acceptable. Faced with that reality, I feel that Soseki’s poem is imbued with the wish to be like a roadside violet that blooms quietly, lives vigorously but inconspicuously, and is a presence that

“Everything is one.” This idea is, of course, based on the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Leaving out the complicated details, this simply means that “the universe is one, the Earth is one, and the world is one.” The Earth was born in a universe that continues to evolve as one entity, like a single life form, and everything existing on this Earth exists in a mutual state of interdependence.