Toll
of the
According to the
principle of Buddhism, we all human beings are gifted with the nature of Buddha
upon the birth. However, we are also
destined to carry 108 worldly concerns and passions. Because of these, we always suffer from pain,
want, envy, suspicion and the like, and thus hardly attain the peace of
mind. So the salvation is only possible
by the effort to throw off these concerns and passions one by one. This is why people endeavor in study,
training, meditation, and sutra chanting.
At the
The discovery of nuclear fission was a miracle of the 20th century. Despite its absolute potential as an
inexhaustible energy source, nuclear energy was tainted upon its birth during
the war. Since then, enormous efforts
have been made to make use of nuclear energy in peaceful way. Actually, some 20 % of world electricity is
now generated by nuclear energy. Even
so, nuclear energy is not really
liberated from its own dark shadows, the fear of nuclear war and accident. In order to eliminate these shadows,
continued developmental efforts are needed.
In Japanese, the English word "development" is translated as "kai-hatsu". Originally the word "kai-hatsu" was a special term in Buddhism, but nowadays, it just means "development'. In Buddhism, "kai-hatsu" means the endeavoring process leading to the spiritual enlightenment through the liberation from worldly concerns. In other words, it means the process of purification.
It is very symbolic that we use this word "kai-hatsu" for the development
of nuclear energy, because what we really need for nuclear energy is the
purification, or the salvation from its own dark shadows. In the last page of his autobiography 'The
First Nuclear Era', Dr. Weinberg quoted from Geothe's
Faust;
"Who e'er
aspiring, struggles on
For him there is
salvation"
For the salvation of
nuclear energy, we continue to aspire, struggle on. We continue our "kai-hatsu". With such sentiment, I hear the toll of the