The El Cantare Celebration, the second of the two greatest annual celebrations at Happy Science, was held on the 7th of December. Over 12,000 people gathered at the main venue, Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan, to hear Master Ryuho Okawa’s lecture “The Power to Spread Love”, which was also broadcast live to various venues across the world.

Love is one of the central teachings at Happy Science, and Master Okawa has spoken on love many times. The lecture yesterday covered all varieties of love from the personal level to love in society, the country, the international community and even the immense love of the Creation.

All Things Were Created Through God’s Love

People generally think that happiness comes from ‘receiving love’.

Happy Science, however, teaches that happiness comes from ‘giving love’. God is a being who continues to give love without rest, and humans are children of God who feel true happiness through giving love.

“God created the universe through love . . . God’s love resides in all things,” said Master Okawa. “You must realize that you live with the love of God within you”. Gratitude towards God’s love, and that your life is being sustained by God, will gradually turn into acts of love toward others.

Justice Is Needed For Peace in the Future

Happy Science also teaches that there are stages to love.

One stage is the love of helping people close to you and people in need. Through learning the truth, however, we can deepen our wisdom to practice love on a higher plane: giving love at work, giving love at the national level, giving love at the diplomatic level, etc.

Then, there is the stage of ‘forgiving love’. Humans are prone to making mistakes, but deep down we all continue to retain the glory of being a child of God. Forgiving love is love that not only has the wisdom to determine good and evil, but is also able to discover this glorious light in each person.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments are threatening the world. China is also expanding its hegemony, and has been invading the sovereignty of neighboring countries. These fearful acts are clearly evil.

We must not forget, however, that the people living in those countries are also children of God just like us.

Master Okawa mentioned the possibility of war between U.S. and North Korea while making an impassioned declaration of his desire to save the people living in North Korea and China:

“Please believe that love will unite all,” Master Okawa said, explaining that the power of forgiving love will overcome differences in religious belief, and will become the power to spread love.

Master Okawa closed his lecture with words that ring in our souls for all time: “I love you all”.

The lecture covered the following additional topics:

• People are judged not by their birth but by their actions.
• Why Happy Science continues to publish spiritual messages.
• The characteristics of evil countries.
• How the gods in heaven see president Trump’s decision to make Jerusalem the Israeli capital.
• The purpose of religious sacred grounds around the world.
• How God sees India’s caste system.

This lecture can be viewed in full at your nearest Happy Science branch.
http://happy-science.org/