I grew up in the mountains. From childhood, I was a child who touched the plants and trees of each season and felt their “voices.”

When the branches and leaves of thatch, willow, and bamboo swayed in the wind, it felt like listening to music, and I loved singing along with it.

Even when I turned eighteen and went to university in Kyoto, walking through the city, what caught my eye were the street trees or the flowers and grasses at my feet.

My subtle senses. There are mysterious moments when the plants before me become “me,” or when I become one with the trees. Perhaps this stems from my childhood experience of becoming a vegetable and facing death.

I believe that when anyone feels a deep, heartfelt love for all living things, a worldview filled with joy flows through their entire being.

In a quiet, meditative environment, our hearts become peaceful, and we feel no desire to harm others. Of course, we would never take or destroy something precious to someone else. Constantly enveloped in silence, within a meditative space, a wordless communication flows with all things in the universe: “You are me,” “I am you.”

I am deeply grateful to Editor-in-Chief Sako and all the other staff members for their tremendous support in preparing this publication. During our meetings, the suggestion arose to title it “Danjo,” and I was asked to write the characters.

My given name is Danjo Kenji, and my monastic name is Danjo Souken. Danjo is my family name. Read backwards, it becomes “Joudan” (joke)... With my grandparents, parents, brother, and sister all have passed away, I am now the sole family member who can speak of the Danjo family's roots.

My grandfather served as a guard for the Imperial Guards of Emperor Meiji and Emperor Taisho, and was also a martial artist. My father, a kendo instructor holding the rank of 8th dan, worked at Fukuyama City Hall while teaching kendo for many years. Perhaps because of this, the Danjo household maintained a strict lifestyle reminiscent of the samurai of old.

In my mid-twenties, through my encounter with Master Mori Daiko, I took ordination before our principal object of worship, Maitreya Bodhisattva, and became a disciple of Master Daiko. This allowed me to learn traditional Japanese tastes, etiquette, and the style of traditional culture. By studying the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha alongside the path of Zen, I have forged new connections with various people, leading to my present circumstances. This is an irreplaceable treasure of the heart, and I hope to pass it on to the next generation during the life I have left.

I believe that by mutually cultivating the gentle compassion and loving-kindness embodied by Maitreya Bodhisattva and Kannon Bodhisattva, peace of mind will come, and ultimately, this will lead to world peace.

On the occasion of this publication, I sincerely thank everyone for the kind congratulatory comments you have sent.

From Germany, congratulations came from my longtime friend, genetic anthropologist Dr. Svante Pääbo, who won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

From the Netherlands, congratulations came from Fred, a photographer who has understood my Zen mission since 2009 and hosts retreats, and his wife, Molly, a painter.

From Kobe City, Jodo Sect Tsushoin Temple, Venerable Keiku Sahashi.

Composer Akihiko Hayashi, a dear friend who shares prayers for world peace

Qigong practitioner and acupuncturist Kenjiro Naka

I sincerely pray that reading this dialogue book will become a source of salvation for each person to overcome their hardships, and that it will connect you to the good karma of the Tathagata Bodhisattva who guides you.

Danjo Souken