On his first visit to Africa, while underlining his basic teachings, the global spiritual leader preached on the power of hope to change the course of the future. Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science delivered a lecture in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday, completing his visit to all five major continents. According to Happy Science, the 30-minute sermon attracted approximately ten thousand people to Mandela National Stadium despite heavy rain. Moreover, three Ugandan TV stations broadcasted the lecture to five million presumptive viewers.

“I want to talk to you about the light inside of you,” said Master Okawa, “I think people of Uganda and people of Africa are very great people. The only problem is that you don’t have enough confidence in yourself.” While he admitted that Africa has serious political and economic problems such as poverty, disease and conflict, Master Okawa preached that Africa needs the power of the mind to overcome its difficulties. He repeatedly stated that Africa has a great potential and was welcomed by the audience with cheerful applause.

An introduction of Happy Science’s main teachings followed the encouraging message. Master Okawa elaborated on each of the four principles of happiness that Happy Science advises people to practice so as to attain spiritual happiness: love, wisdom, self-reflection, and progress.

“Love is not to take. Love is just to give others everything that you can give to others,” Master Okawa taught. Just as Jesus Christ preached goodwill to one’s neighbors, the spiritual leader of the 21st century also defined love as generosity to offer something good to others rather than romance.

On the second principle of wisdom, Master Okawa emphasized the value of human souls that the great Creator has created. “You need knowledge and you need experience, but real wisdom is in you, all of you. It comes from the fact that you know the mind of God.” Happy Science teaches that in order to improve one’s daily thoughts and deeds, it is necessary to know that people are born in this world from Heaven to learn something valuable.

This leads to the third principle of self-reflection. “You can wash all of your sins through wisdom and reflection, and through giving love to others.” Because thoughts and deeds in this world bring either reward or punishment in the afterlife, people are encouraged to check and correct their mind regularly in accordance with the spiritual worldview.

According to Happy Science, this process of love and self-improvement serves as the basis to better society and create a harmonious society, or Utopia. The teaching maintains that people and countries need to aim at prosperity by their own daily efforts.

“You can build Utopia by yourselves,” Master Okawa stated, “You need self-help thinking. It’s not so difficult. Just believe in yourself, and just think that you all have a diamond within you. This is the starting point to prosper.”

Master Okawa has been welcomed enthusiastically by local members in his lecture tours to countries such as Brazil, India and the Philippines. The spiritual teachings of the world teacher have given hope to people globally and his group has attracted 12 million members in 95 countries so far. Happy Science is making steps towards its objective of creating Utopia through love and enlightenment.

One of the participants of the sermon in Uganda said, “I feel Uganda has gained a new life of happiness and love, which has washed all the sins in the continent of Africa and Uganda as a country.”