Q&A - 200809

You May Run Away From a Problem But You Will Find Yourself Facing the Same Kind of Problem

Q :

It will be four years since I started working at a medical office. Six months ago I submitted my resignation because not only is the work busy, I could not understand the hospital director’s views on various issues, and I also began to see many unpleasant situations at work. However, the director asked me to stay, and I am still working without deciding whether or not I should leave my position. If I leave because I hate my job, does that mean I am running away from my job? I heard at Seicho- No-Ie that by running away from a problem, I will continue to face a similar problem. What does that mean? I am not sure whether I should continue working in spite of the pain it’s bringing me.
(A.T., 22 years old, female)

A :

Response given by Reverend Yoshimune Saito, Seicho-No-Ie Assistant Ordained Minister

Our Mind Creates Our Environment. The Mind of Gratitude, Love and Forgiveness Change Lives

I have read your letter. Since the hospital director relies upon you so much that you are being asked to stay on, I believe that should tell you what a wonderful job you are doing. You must have a wonderful attitude. Seicho-No-Ie teaches, “We are children of God and possess infinite power,” and “Our environment is the reflection of our mind and our life is the stage in which to manifest the infinite power we possess within.” It is our mind (consciousness and subconscious) that writes the scenario for the plays and dramas of our life; therefore, our life’s drama is unfolding based on the scenario that was written in our mind.

To put it in simple terms, when our mind is bright, our life brightens, and when our mind is dark, our life also darkens. When you try to change your environment without changing your mind, the same conditions appear in your life. In other words, although you may run away from your present environment, you will continue to run into a similar environment. It is the same with schools, A second-grader transferring to another school will still be a second-grader with a similar curriculum. Likewise, we are given assignments depending on the record of our performance in accordance with the depth of our love, wisdom, and gratitude.

You may quit your job (or transfer to another school) but as long as you do not grow, you will be given similar assignments. On the contrary, no matter what the situation may be, you are given a chance to grow under any circumstance and given a wonderful opportunity to advance on the path towards realizing your true self. It is important to be grateful to your present situation.

Knowing That You Are the Master of Your Life, Choose the Path You Wish to Live

A person I have great respect for at my workplace had a problem with a superior who was strict and forceful to a great degree. He thought it would be better if he resigned and asked a Seicho-No-Ie minister for advice. He thought the minister would have sympathy for him and would tell him to resign. However, rather unexpectedly, the minister taught him to be grateful rather than to quit. He took the minister’s advice and repeatedly chanted the words of gratitude, “Thank you very much, thank you very much.”

At first, he wondered why he should be grateful but when he practiced gratitude for one month, then two months, he naturally began to see the good in this person. His superior then became a gentle person. A year and a half later, this person quit his job and when he moved on to a new job, his superior shook his hands and showered him with words of encouragement, and he left his old position in harmony. While working, he took evening courses at a university, doing well in his studies and job. He met a wonderful person and got married; today, he is living a happy, fulfilling life.

How much the “mind has grown” is indicated by the degree in which we can be grateful, loving, and forgiving towards our parents, family, colleagues at work, and others we come in contact with. When you base everything on these facts, I feel there will be many choices in the selections you make. With an awareness of the self as the master, choose the path you desire. I will be praying that you will have a happier and more wonderful life.

From Riso Sekai (Ideal World), January 2008,pp. 58-59