RecentWords2025

As my final message for 2025, I would like to share with you the words of Seiichi Takeuchi, a scholar who has deeply explored the Japanese sense of "kanashimi" (sorrow and compassion): 

"You cannot create anything new unless you make use of all the experiences you have had in your life so far."

In recent years, terms like "Post-X" or "X 2.0" have become popular—ideas that suggest we must discard the old to find the new. However, Professor Takeuchi argues that true "newness" does not come from abandoning the past. If we forget our journey so far, we lose our ability to move forward.

He illustrates this with an interview with Yoshiharu Habu, the legendary Shogi (Japanese chess) master. When Habu contemplates a move for a long time, he isn't just imagining future possibilities. Instead, he often retraces the entire process from the very first move to the current position. By reaffirming how he arrived at this point, the "next move" naturally reveals itself.

This perspective resonates with the Buddhist concept of time: "Ko-Rai-Gen" (Past, Future, Present). In this view, the "Present" is supported by both the Past and the Future. It teaches us that looking back is just as vital as looking forward; it is the foundation for truly "living in the Now."

We often think that to create something new, we must discard the old. But this month's message teaches us that our regrets and failures are not heavy burdens dragging us down. They are the very raw materials we need to build our future.

The poet Paul Valéry once said: "We enter the future backwards." Think of rowing a boat on a lake. You cannot see where you are going (the future), but by keeping your eyes fixed on the shore you are leaving (the past), you can maintain a straight and steady course.

As the year ends, we often dwell on what we failed to achieve. Yet, by embracing our "past"—including those very failures—we gain the strength to take the next step.

Rather than blindly chasing the future, let us walk with a steady gaze on our past. In that mindful journey lies our certain tomorrow.