Notable Moments

August 20, 2020

Every year from mid-to-late August, an event known as "Jizo Bon" is actively celebrated throughout Kyoto and the broader Kansai region. These events pay tribute to the Jizo statues enshrined in local neighborhoods as a way of expressing gratitude while also praying for community safety and the healthy growth of children. Although the specific activities vary by neighborhood, they typically include Buddhist monks reading sutras and giving sermons, juzu-mawashi (a ceremony where children pray while passing around large prayer beads), children's games and raffles, and Bon Odori (a type of folk dance).

During one such Jizo Bon festival, Inamori was invited by the local community association to share a message with neighborhood children titled "The Most Important Thing in Life." Using the story of Yuan Liaofan, a figure from China's Ming Dynasty who positively changed his predetermined fate through good deeds, Inamori highlighted the importance of kindness.

"In every human heart, there coexists a selfish desire to benefit oneself and a selfless wish to help others. In other words, we all harbor both a selfish heart that says, 'I want to eat more delicious food' and 'I want to make money,' and a selfless heart that wants to do good for others, like our neighbors and friends. Starting today, if that selfish heart of ours surfaces, we must whack it down as if we're playing a game of whack-a-mole. If a heart that pouts as soon as it's scolded by mom emerges, you should whack it down as if you're in another round of whack-a-mole. If you do that, then a good heart will naturally come forward.

Even school studies can be fiercely competitive, and just being kind may not be enough to prevent you from falling behind. But in the grand scheme of life, having good or bad grades is not a major issue. Success in life depends on how good of a person you can become. Even if your destiny in life seems predetermined, you can change it for the better. If you harbor a good heart and perform good deeds, your life will certainly take a turn for the better. I hope you all believe in this." (From August 23, 2008, at a local community association's Jizo Bon festival)

Photo: Inamori watching over children at a Jizo Bon festival venue, KBS Kyoto TV