The following is an extract of the lecture of Master Ryuho Okawa, December 7, 2008, entitled “Towards the Future of Dreams”.

Towards the Future of Dreams

The biggest problem still remains as far as religion is concerned.
As shown in the terrorist attacks in New York of Sep. 11, 2001, and the war against Iraq in 2003, the struggle between the Christian cultural sphere and the Islamic cultural sphere slowly started and is still continuing.
As it is progressing gradually, in some ways it may seem to us as if they are trying to resolve the acts of terrorism that occurred.
However, seen from another perspective it could be said that, “World War III has already started”.
What is meant by this “World War III” is that in the 21st century there will be a struggle between the Islamic and the Christian cultural spheres.
In the 20th century there was a mighty conflict between countries adhering to Marxism-Leninism and countries believing in a Christian God.
Now it is becoming a battle between Islam and Christianity and perhaps including the Judaic faith.
Whether we call this battle World War III or not hasn’t been decided.
However, this battle, which has roots originating in religion, will only be ended through the help of Happy Science.
There is no other group that can end this war other than Happy Science.
That is because these other religions believe theirs is the only God and look at any other movement as the devils religion.
Unless their basic philosophies change, war will never end.
This is not simply a struggle against terrorism.
Something more basic lies beneath it.
Religious antagonism lies beneath it.
Each mistrusts the other’s religion.
There is hatred and anger.
And behind this is a battle to determine which civilization is better.
I have a stern message about this.
Hear me, people who live in the Christian world.
Surely what I taught through Jesus Christ was love and peace, but are the people in Christian countries today living and acting with the idea of love and peace?
If not, you must reflect on that.
Also to people in Islamic countries I’d like to say what I taught through Mohammad was peace and tolerance, wasn’t it?
But what are you doing now?
Under the name of God you are committing acts of terrorism throughout the world, killing people who have done no wrong.
Is there happiness for human kind after this?
They are merely acts of revenge and hatred.
Hatred cannot put an end to hatred.
The chain of hatred can never end unless it is severed by love.
You must understand that love is the only thing that will stop this.
Moreover, even in Buddhist countries, the teachings of Buddha have already become obsolete and are taught by scholars in the same way that materialism is.
They say that Buddha did not believe in God and did not believe in the other world and preached that everything would end in this world.
They believe that such an understanding of Buddhism is modern and sophisticated.
With this, they try to avoid being criticized themselves for their philosophies.
This attitude is mistaken.
Buddha means “The Awakened One”.
What does it mean to be awakened?
If it were just seeing the visible phenomena of this world as they are,
that would mean He was an ordinary person.
If He could only see and sense the things of this world, could He be called Buddha, “The Awakened One”?
It is precisely because He could see what was invisible to the people of this world, hear what was inaudible to them, and sense that which they could not feel that he was Buddha in the meaning of the words “The Awakened One”.
The Buddhist scriptures clearly teach that when Buddha attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree He saw the three worlds of the past, present and future.
This means that “Humankind has a past, present and future”.
When Buddha attained enlightenment he saw that “There is not only the life we are living now.
There are past lives, the present one and future lives”.
He understood that.
And he tried to teach that Truth to humankind.
In particular, Buddhism taught people whose past and present actions meant that a dark future awaited them what they should do in order to live in a bright world, in order to end their spiritual darkness and live in a world of light.
That light is fading away in the Buddhist world.
The torch of Dharma, the light of the Law, is coming to an end.
I am now trying to go beyond those world religions and am trying to provide a global teaching to open up the way to an age where the people of the world can live under freedom, peace, and tolerance and the act of love.
I am determined to end all religious conflicts and wars.
Without correcting issues at hand from the very basic fundamentals, war will never end.
The beginning of war is born from hatred, anger and distrust.
In other words, it comes from not being able to understand the other party.
In many teachings I have spoken about reincarnation.
If you read these teachings about reincarnation carefully, you will surely see that you have been born at times in Europe, at times in America, at times in China, at times in Korea, at times in Japan.
That being the case, borders of nations must not give you a reason to harbor hatred.
The world has a population so humungous compared to history, and I came here not to tell you about a fearful future, but to bring you a bright future.

Now the Buddha who was born in India is reborn in Japan with a greater mission, trying to guide humanity.
I have revealed that El Cantare is the true name of the teacher of humankind.
I believe that the struggle for Truth will still continue.
I would like to tell you again and confirm again that we, including myself, should not be working for our own desires; not for the good of ourselves, not only for our own good.
Please don’t forget this.
The duty of a person of religion is to empty the self.
Be egoless so as to save people and help people of the world and to practice love and compassion.
Even if he is criticized and rebuked, even if he receives no recognition from this world, however harsh and painful the thorny road he treads, it is the duty of a person of religion to hasten along the right path.
You need not compromise on anything.
I want to teach people the path of love and peace, and to teach tolerance, and also how to correct your mistakes by practicing self-reflection.
Furthermore, I ask each individual to explore Right Mind.
I really want people to know that “An exploration of Right Mind is ultimately the establishment of Right Faith”.
Happy science is not active only for the sake of Happy Science.
In this regard it is an unusual religious organization.
Even if it puts us at a disadvantage, I dare to say what must be done, what I think is “right”.
No matter what happened, I have said what had to be said and have done what had to be done.
I intend to go on doing so.
I am always considering what rightness is.
That is all that I continue to think of.(…)

I say to you all throughout Japan and around the world, the struggle has only just begun.
We want to light a lamp for the world as it sinks into darkness.
We want to light a flaming torch and illuminate the pitch-black seas.
We want to banish darkness from the world.
So, please have the light of hope in your mind.
I want you to “be positive”. Please be proactive.
Please be constructive. Please be brave.(…)

I wish to spread the message to as many as possible, even just one word more, that will be of help to people.
Even with just one of my words, I’d like you to tell the Truth to others.
The future of our dreams will surely open up from that first small step.
Even though the first step may be slow or the work of one person may be small, all people in Japan and the world must collect their energies into one.
Then this power will cover the entire world.