Chapter3 

Buddhist Connection

The empty seat next to me that caught my attention

Priest Danjo: Now, back to the story. After meeting the Dalai Lama, I was scheduled to fly back from New Delhi to Kansai Airport. Here's another miracle.

On the Indian Airlines flight from Delhi Airport, via Thailand, the seat next to mine stayed empty all the way until we landed in Thailand.

I kept wondering why that one seat was empty when every other seat was filled. After arriving at the Thai airport, I waited a few hours during transit before departing again for Kansai Airport. At that point, an elderly gentleman wearing a straw hat boarded and sat down in the empty seat next to me. He kept his straw hat on the entire time, so I couldn't see his face at all. Of course, I didn't speak to him at all.

Before arrival, customs declaration forms for entering Japan were distributed. We needed a pencil to fill it out, but the elderly gentleman didn't have one. He said, “Young man, excuse me, but could I borrow your pencil for a moment?” I said, “Sure, here you go,” and handed him my pencil. Normally, we shouldn't look at someone's name, but since he was sitting next to me, I thought if I knew his name, maybe we could become friends, so I peeked at the name he wrote. And what do you know? It said Masanobu Fukuoka!

Jakusui: What? You mean he was Masanobu Fukuoka, the expert in natural farming that Priest Danjo talked about?

Priest Danjo: That's right. It was Masanobu Fukuoka, the one who advocates that natural farming method. When I went into the mountains of Tottori Prefecture, Mr. Yamauchi, who took care of me, had adopted Masanobu Fukuoka's farming methods and owned all of Fukuoka's books. During that year, I reread all those books many times, constantly learning Fukuoka's philosophy of natural farming.

But, you know, I thought to myself, “There's no way that revered Masanobu Fukuoka could be here.” I approached him and said, “Excuse me. I'm currently reading the books of Masanobu Fukuoka, famous for natural farming, and I see you share his name.” He replied, “That's me.” It felt like I was dreaming, and my heart nearly stopped. Back then, I practically worshipped Mr. Fukuoka like a god, so it was truly a miraculous experience.

Jakusui: That really is a miracle. By the way, what did Mr. Fukuoka go to Thailand for?

Priest Danjo: Do you know the Ramon Magsaysay Award? It's considered Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Mr. Fukuoka went to the award ceremony for that. Afterwards, he gave lectures in several places in India. Then, he was asked to give a lecture on natural farming in Thailand too, so he went there. After Mr. Fukuoka finished his lecture in Thailand, he boarded the plane heading for Kansai Airport, and I just happened to be next to him.

From then until we arrived at Kansai Airport, I bombarded him with questions. Professor Fukuoka told me, “Danjo, my ideas won't spread quickly in Japan, but this time in India, they were very well received. They wanted to hear about natural farming, so I gave a lecture to about 300 parliamentarians in a place equivalent to India's parliament building.” He further said, “We're entering the 21st century now, but India will lead the world in the near future.” And indeed, starting around the year 2000, that's exactly what happened.

Jakusui: Priest Danjo, what year did you meet Mr. Fukuoka?

Priest Danjo: It was around the early 1980s. Even when I heard that story back then, I thought, “Will there really come a time when India leads the world?” Actually, Mr. Fukuoka isn't just an expert in natural farming; he's also an environmental scientist. He could systematically explain cause and effect, the entire theory behind how doing this to the Earth leads to that outcome, and even propose ways to prevent disasters.

The Indian government was well aware of this. For instance, trees were being cut down at high altitudes above 2,000 meters in Nepal, severely damaging the natural environment. Even if they wanted to restore those deforested areas, it's extremely difficult for people and machinery to reach 2,000 meters for reforestation. They wanted to know if Professor Fukuoka had any methods or ideas for getting trees to grow there, so they invited him to India.

I became very curious too and asked, “Did you have any good ideas, Professor? What did you tell the Indian parliamentarians?” Professor Fukuoka explained, "Well, there's something called a mud ball. It's made from sticky, clay-like soil. You select that soil and put seeds inside it. The reason we make mud balls with seeds is because birds eat them. Birds can't digest the seeds in the balls, so they poop them out from the sky, effectively planting tree seeds for us."

“What an amazing idea!” I exclaimed in admiration. So, they made tons of these balls and scattered them over huge areas using helicopters and planes. The thing is, nature is designed so that natural seeds will sprout no matter how harsh the environment. Moreover, it was a brilliant idea that didn't require much cost, time, or labor.

Among the meeting participants was the president of a major Indian bank, who raised his hand and said, “I will sponsor that project.” Other lawmakers and the ministers from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health also gave their approval. “Then, let's proceed exactly as Professor Fukuoka suggested! We still have time,” they agreed. Later, with Indian government support, they dropped soil pellets onto Nepal's mountains to help mitigate future disasters.

Professor Fukuoka asked me, “Danjo-kun, if you pitched this idea in Japan, it would probably take 20 to 30 years to implement. It might not even happen. Do you know why it worked in India?”

When I couldn't answer, he said, "In India, the Minister of Education is a politician, but also a religious leader. While Hinduism is the main religion, the underlying current of religious thought is connected. When truth emerges there, everyone unites and settles on that correct idea. Such a country will become a future leader for the Earth. Japan's leaders either lack religious perspective or have conflicting religious views, so they clash with each other and can't move forward. That's why things won't turn out well."

Reflecting on what I thought back then, major disasters have been occurring worldwide since around the year 2000, haven't they? Major floods and such happening is exactly as Professor Fukuoka said at the time.

Professor Fukuoka specifically said, “The Himalayas, for instance, have lost all their mountain forests, so places like Nepal will face even worse consequences.”

Jakusui: That's a profound insight. Even if we work hard to leave money or homes for the next generation, it's meaningless if nature and the environment are destroyed.

Priest Danjo: Trees on Earth are being cut down relentlessly, leading to droughts and arid regions. The water cycle breaks down, and drinking stagnant groundwater immediately causes stomach problems. Naturally, human diseases increase, threatening life itself. Professor Fukuoka predicted this forty years ago.

After hearing all sorts of stories on the flight, we arrived at Kansai Airport, and I was practically clinging to the teacher like a disciple.

Jakusui: How old was Master Fukuoka when he passed away?

Priest Danjo: He lived to be ninety-five. I was going back and forth to his house so often he'd say, “Oh, here comes Danjo-kun again.” Looking back now, I regret not recording his talks back then.

Jakusui: I was truly astonished. With all due respect, to draw in so many remarkable teachers—Master Sri Chinmoy, Zen Master Mori, Master Fukuoka, the Dalai Lama—to guide Priest Danjo into the Buddhist world. That's incredible!