A-bomb victim Sadako’s book now in English

HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) The English translation of a Japanese picture book on Sadako Sasaki, a girl who died at age 12 after battling leukemia resulting from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has been completed recently, according to its publisher.

 

“Memories of Sadako,” the English version of the original book published in 2005, was translated by several people, including Keiko Miyamoto, a part-time teacher in Hiroshima who knew Kiyo Okura, an atomic bomb survivor and author of the Japanese book who died in 2008 at the age of 67.

Okura, who spent three months with Sasaki in the same hospital room when she was 14-years-old, had expressed hope that her book would be translated into English for people around the world.

Sasaki, who became the model for the Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima, was 2 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. She later developed leukemia and folded paper cranes while in the hospital, praying for recovery, only to succumb to the illness.

The book describes Sasaki in her early adolescence and includes episodes such as when she and Okura figured out unique ways to fold paper cranes, racing to see which of them could fold more cranes, finding a pen pal from the readers’ column in a magazine and taking on the challenge of reading Ogai Mori’s novel “Gan” (“The Wild Geese”).

The English book, which has 64 pages, is priced at ¥840.

 

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Let Us Make a “Global Friends Society” to Solve Global Suffering!

 

 

 

The last century was called “the century of nationalism and wars” amongst nations, with “crimes against humanity” committed against humans, leading to the “first mass murder of human beings.”

 

This century seems set to become “the century of nationalism and wars” against the global life system, with crimes committed against all living beings, leading to the “sixth mass extinction” of life on our planet.

 

Nations claim sovereignty like kings claim absolute power over people. Both nations and kings behave as if they have prerogatives to kill, steal, lie, and discriminate (as in wars, colonialism, racism, etc.).

 

Other major modern institutions — corporations, media, educational institutions, and even religions — follow suit, in the manner of nations, acting in similar ways, appealing to and mobilizing “self” survival instincts.

 

They must know that there is no sovereignty in any system, and must work with “system” survival inspiration.  These institutions are now ruled by “power” groups, unable to reform themselves because of their own selfishness.

 

We, the people, must regain our inalienable rights and responsibilities and restart the wholly wholesome sustainable life system of all in truth, freedom, equality, love, and peace (5 blisses).

 

The problem of modern civilization is in its pyramidal structure of nations, etc., going against the wholly wholesome global life system with falsity, bondage, discrimination, exploitation, and wars (5 calamities).

 

Genuine, universal religions must reunite (= religare = religion) all beings in all modes (physical, psychological, etc.) in holiness (wholly wholesome) from selfishness (sin = separation).

 

Concretely this is to become “friend” as illustrated in the future savior (our potential) of Mitra, Mithra, Maitreya, Mazda, Masiah. Mit (German) is English “with.” “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

 

Friends are always with friends, physically and spiritually, far or near. When friends share with friends, joys become limitless and sorrows becomes nil. Let us make friends, as all are in one intertwined system.

 

Let’s join in a “Global Friends Society” beyond boundaries, to create a world without wars against other humans, species, generations, or genders, making every day harmonious, healthy, holy, and happy.

 

This is not to create yet another institution, but to become truly yourself, a true being with all before artificial limitations, a true friend of all, realizing the true nature of all, beyond limited rights and responsibilities.

 

Let’s become and make friends all over the globe, without the five calamities, concretely, with the global ethic of “no killing, no stealing, no lying, and an equal partnership between men and women.”

 

Please see the “Declaration toward a Global Ethic” and share it with your friends and family, and make true friends all over the globe by all means, using all means of communication and cooperation!

 

The Awakened One said, “Friends make all your life.” We must awaken ourselves and others in the truth of one unified world, one life system, and act accordingly in the five blisses in limitless life and light.

 

 

Heaven and Hell Here and Now!

 

 

Once again a shooting spree has shocked here and all over the world! Why does it happen again and again here, while democracy and freedom are said to be exported all over the world?

 

There is a grave misunderstanding about democracy and freedom here the most, but all over the world also. Democracy is not mobocracy. Freedom is not licentiousness.

 

Freedom is familiarity and friendship as shown from its cognate (Sanskrit priya-dhaman, beloved domain) and its root (Latin philia-domos, friendly domain).

 

Freedom is possible only by complete understanding and compassionate action as family members in love and friends in need.

 

Democracy is equality and peace as shown from its etymology (Latin demos-cratus, people’s power) and its history (equal and peaceful system against pyramidal rule).

 

Democracy is possible only by complete equality and active peace, by system members without discrimination and friends without violence.

 

No one can claim freedom and democracy without actually living them himself or herself. We are in one integral intertwined world, affecting it by our actions and action results.

 

Our actions (past, present, future of self and other) work in our world; we go up and down, creating and entering into heaven or hell from moment to moment.*

 

Our world is a psycho-physical one with ourselves becoming hellish beings, hungry ghosts, fighting devils, animal beings, heavenly beings.

 

We may remain physically human, but spiritually inhumane. We had better small selves and transcend our selfish systems, living limitless life, light, liberation and love.

 

*A samurai visited a zen master and asked if hell and heaven exist. The master said, “You coward!” The samurai became enraged and pulled out his sword. The master said, “Here, this is hell!” The samurai put back his sword. The master said, “Here, this is heaven!”