Indeed, we can see Kenji’s strong determination to empathize with other people’s suffering and mental anguish by going to them, wherever they are, and doing whatever he can for them—and this is the mission of people who lead their lives as bodhisattvas in this real, saha world.

I am already in the middle of my winter years, but as a human being, I am nowhere near reaching such a mature state of mind. However, considering the average life expectancy back then compared with now, Confucius’s 70 years old would be about one hundred and ten years old today. I am an octogenarian, but my practice and learning are still far from complete, and there are many things I do not know or understand, so therefore, I honestly think that I should continue to learn a