Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the March 2007 issue of the Buddhist Wheel

I am a broken mirror,
Shining in the Light of the  Universe.
I am a broken mirror,
With all my gifts of imperfection.

I am a broken mirror,
Shining in the Light of the Universe
Receiving the Light of the Universe
Reflecting the Light onto others.

I am a broken mirror,
Shining in the Light of the Universe.
Namo Amida Butsu.

The recent 2007 Hilo Hongwanji officers and board members orientation program was a blast!

“Bruce, why was it a blast?” 

As part of the program, a motivational guest speaker, Glenn Furuya, was brought in by the program’s chair, Richard Onishi.  Glenn is founder of “LEADERSHIP WORKS!” – an educational expert invited by many groups in need of motivation and new paradigms to enliven and re-energize their personnel and organization.

In a way, Glenn’s presentation was a much needed booster shot for all who attended. Although Glenn covered five compelling areas which our Hilo Hongwanji community needs to apply and actualize, I’d like to touch on the first area entitled, “Cause Driven”.  

The way Glenn presented the essential meaning of “Cause Driven” came through during the story of a professor lecturing to his students.  A ‘smarty-pants’ student wanting to give the professor a hard time, he stood up and asked, “Professor, what is the meaning of life?” The professor looked at him, and addressing the whole class, responded, (and I paraphrase):

“Each of us comes into this world. With that life comes all the possibilities and unique gifts we offer to others and the universe. Those gifts include strengths and weaknesses actualized in the course of our human life. Each of our lives are therefore, likened to a broken mirror. (The professor takes out a piece of broken mirror he keeps stored away for this very purpose.)

Despite each of us being a piece of that broken mirror, each piece takes in the light of the universe. That light symbolizes the fundamental intent of the greatest good. (In our own tradition of Jodo Shin or the True Pure Land teaching, the term, Hongwan, Universal Compassion or the Primal Vow is used. These points express the fundamental intent of greatest good, i.e., universal enlightenment, delusion and ignorance transformed into wisdom and compassion, the natural and supreme virtue or power of wisdom-compassion directed toward those in suffering expressed as NamoAmidaButsu. )

Each person’s life, though likened to a broken mirror, shines brilliantly in the light of the universe. The expression, ‘light of the universe’  is a compelling,  simple, even obvious expression of Shinran’s expression, “Amida’s Primal Vow”.  In turn that person reflects the light of the universe onto others. The light of the universe is thus passed from one broken piece of mirror to the next. The strength of the light is never diminished—simply passed on through an endless series of reflections.”

This is the Cause which drives us—you and me—all of us—everyone—the true and real measure of a successful human being. A person who truly succeeds in life, succeeds with others, one at a time.

This broken mirror
Shines in the light of the universe,
Receives the light of the universe
And reflects that light onto others.
NamoAmidaButsu.

Will you make this Cause Driven the basis of your identity and relationship with the universe? In a society and world constantly shifting and sinking into the epicenter of self-centeredness, share your light and its reflection—the shining light of the universe!

NamoAmidaButsu.

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