A long time ago, I moved to Tottori Prefecture.
I chose not to raise my children surrounded by concrete buildings.
Instead, I sought a place closer to nature, even if only slightly.
However, nature continues to face destruction, and natural disasters now occur almost yearly.
When I was a child, such frequent and severe disasters were unheard of.
The destruction of nature and the abnormal disasters we now witness stem from the loss of the nature within us.
When the nature within humans is broken, we destroy the nature around us.
Disasters remind us of our powerlessness.
Faced with nature’s overwhelming force, resistance is futile.
The best we can do is prepare, minimize harm, and escape when necessary.
Why do such extreme weather events and unprecedented disasters occur?
One theory attributes them to environmental changes caused by human destruction of nature.
However, from a seitai perspective, the root cause lies in the destruction of the nature within humans.
Nature breaks because humans themselves are broken first.
To mitigate these disasters, we must reclaim and restore the nature within ourselves.
Restoring the inner nature of humans leads to protecting and healing the external environment.
Seitai, a practice that conveys the warmth of human touch, facilitates this process of reclaiming our inner nature.
For example, humans have grown dull to instincts like avoiding danger, evacuating, or avoiding harmful substances.
This dullness reflects the loss of our natural instincts and sensibilities—qualities inherent in all living beings.
As humans, we’ve lost touch with these natural abilities, to the point where we fail to recognize danger.
To restore nature, we must first restore the nature within ourselves.
Seitai emphasizes the natural essence inherent in every person.
Does nature truly exist?
We know it does because we can sense it.
Sensing is a function of the heart, and believing reflects the state of the heart.
Nature exists because the heart exists—it resides within us.
Destroying nature is akin to destroying one’s own heart.
But do we destroy our hearts intentionally by harming nature?
Probably not.
It is more likely that a broken heart leads to the destruction of nature.
Within the heart’s nature, the original landscapes always reside.
From disharmony to harmony.
We originate from harmony, and we live to return to it.