Today, after some time, an Applied Course by Master Idaki Shin was held at the NPO KOMA Tohoku Center. It was a most timely talk. Just last night, as I was sorting myself inside by writing down my feelings, the very word I had expressed emerged in his talk. The course began with the subject that each of us feels emotions such as anger and joy in distinct ways, each one different from another. I had been contemplating this very matter for some time. In particular, when I listen to Master Idaki Shin’s piano concerts, I experience an indescribable, blissful joy in which my whole life rejoices, and from the bottom of my heart, I wish to share this experience with everyone, which is why I encourage others to attend the concerts. Yet, even when we speak of joy, I have continually experienced that it differs completely from one person to another. I had long wondered whether hoping to share the same experience was something possible or not. I know deeply that the ways in which people feel and experience emotions are profoundly shaped by parents, environment, region, and historical background that they are born into. I realized that if I had understood this and accepted that each person is different, the suffering I have felt until now would not have existed. As the world faces crisis, I do not wish to engage in conflict or confrontation within the surrounding environment in which we live. Because I live with hope for a peaceful world in which everyone can become someone while living truly, I feel keenly each day how essential it is deeply to understand what it means to be a human being.
The NPO Koma Tohoku Center is enveloped in the rich energy of nature in the Tohoku region, and since its opening, the expression ‘as if gathering around a hearth’ has naturally arisen. We sit as if to gather around Master Idaki Shin and are given the opportunity to learn together about life and the meaning of living. It is an immensely enriching experience. Today as well, I could feel in my body that his words were becoming my very flesh and blood, something I was truly assimilating, and my heart was fulfilled. I am happy and grateful that I could find answers to what I had regarded as problems, see a way out, and move forward. Since meeting Master Idaki Shin, I have continually experienced that when the time for a solution comes, I recognize the problem as a problem. I have also experienced that what cannot be resolved cannot be recognized. To live a life in which such moments of resolution exist, and in which I can continuously change and grow, fills me with profound gratitude.
Today, I prayed again that war would come to an end as soon as possible, and I spend my days hoping that the ways of expression and living in Japan may become a force in creating a new world. Tomorrow, a concert by Master Idaki Shin will be held in Sendai. Before the concert, I will give my ”Talk” and will host the Legendary Cafe of Koguryo, where I will prepare and serve a lot of coffee. I am filled with the desire to express something, to work, and to help create a better world. Thank you.