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.

As you know, Kenji Miyazawa was a firm believer in the Lotus Sutra, and I think that he conveys, in the form of stories and poetry, the teachings of the One Vehicle and the idea of eternal life that are revealed in the Lotus Sutra. In doing so, though, he had no intention of indoctrinating people, and Kenji himself warned, “Never think of indoctrinating others!”