The Value of Our Existence

Cultivating Gratitude and Responsibility

Author

Matthew Doetsch-Kidder
December 28, 2025

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The Value of Our Existence in Daily Life

As we approach the New Year, this text feels particularly timely. It asks us to consider not just who we are, but what we are committed to doing with the time we have. At its core, this principle asks us to cultivate two specific mindsets: Gratitude and Responsibility.

When you wake up in the morning, take a moment to simply appreciate being alive. We can appreciate what we have, even if it doesn’t feel like much. Many people in this world are doing all they can just to get by, just to survive one more day. Others may be so sick or injured they can barely think about anything else. We all can be grateful for something in our lives. How fortunate are we to be mentally, emotionally, and physically able to study and train and have teachers available to support us. Do not take your training for granted. 

Tohei Sensei urges us to “guide the development and creation of the Universe”. This doesn’t mean we are the grand architects of the world designing it to please us, but it does mean we have responsibility in how the Universe grows and develops. The Universe is being created in every moment, and we have a choice in how to meet those moments, which influences the following moments. Every action we take, every word we utter, even every thought we think impacts the world and people around us. We must take responsibility for the impact we have. 

Table of Contents

Unpacking Ki Sayings

The Shokushu (誦句集), or Ki Sayings, are the crown jewels of Soshu Koichi Tohei Sensei's teaching influenced by, among other things, his reading of Saikontan (菜根譚) as a young man. We often read one of the Ki Sayings before class, and it's easy to let them wash over us without washing through us. So I want to take time to chew on each of them in depth so we can soak more deeply in their meaning.

There is a challenge here. These Ki Sayings are experiential teachings, written in Japanese many years ago and not updated significantly even as Tohei Sensei’s own experience and pedagogy progressed through his life. The English version was translated early on by students whose own level of understanding was still developing, so, even with small revisions over time, the English version can sometimes be misleading and sound like commands or a distant goal. 

In this series of articles about each Ki Saying, I will do my best to present the Japanese original, the standard English translation, a more literal translation, and an exploration of the deeper meaning. The real teaching, however, is not about the meaning of words, but about experiencing the Oneness of Bodymind now, now, now, in every moment. 

The Text

Original Japanese:

二、我が人生の存在価値

我が生命は天地の氣より生じたのである。草木動物としてではなく、万物の霊長としてこの世に生を享けた事を感謝しよう。

天地の生成発展の大経綸に参画し、我が使命を完遂する事を誓おう。

Standard English Translation:

2. The Value of Our Existence 

Our lives are born of the Ki of the Universe. Let us give thanks for being born not as plants and animals, but as human beings blessed with a Universal Mind. Let us pledge to fulfill our missions by helping to guide the development and creation of the Universe.

A More Literal Translation:

2. The Meaning and Value of My Life 

My life arises from the Ki of heaven and earth. Let us be grateful that we were born into this world not as plants or animals, but as the pinnacle of creation. Let us pledge to participate in the grand process that is the creation and development of the Universe, and to fulfill our mission.

Commentary & Analysis

There are several key concepts in this Shokushu that can help us understand it more deeply.  Let’s look at them in more detail. 

1. Tenchi no ki (天地の氣) Ki of the Heaven and Earth (the Universe).

The first phrase is pretty consistent between the standard and literal translations. Tenchi (天地) is Heaven and Earth, which, in classical Japanese and Chinese texts, is a way to refer to the Universe. This reminds us that we are a part of, not separate from, the Universe. We are each like a droplet of ocean water, distinct from other droplets for a moment of time, but not different from them or the ocean in essence. We are already, naturally, and originally one with the Universe. We were born that way. This is our original and natural state, we have no need to do anything extra to experience this.

2. Banbutsu no reicho (万物の霊長): The Pinnacle of Creation

The standard translation uses the phrase "blessed with a Universal Mind," but the original Japanese is Banbutsu no Reicho.

  • Banbutsu (万物) means "the myriad (万, ban)  things (物, butsu)" or everything in existence. This is a synonym for tenchi (天地) above, or uchu (宇宙) from the phrase Shimpo Uchurei Kanno Soku Genjo. 

  • Reicho (霊長) implies the "head (長, cho)  of the spirits (霊, rei)" or the master of all things.

It is important to clarify that this is not about ego or dominance. We are not "putting down" plants and animals. However, a tree or a cat does not have the capacity to realize its Oneness with the Universe. Humans possess the unique consciousness required to go beyond instinct and reactive patterns and understand the Universe and reflect upon it. We should be grateful not because we are "better," but because we have the distinct potential to realize Bodymind Oneness. 

3. Daikeirin ni sankaku (大経綸に参画) Participate in the Grand Process

The standard translation asks us to "guide the development and creation of the Universe.” However, the Japanese term daikeirin offers a different nuance. Keirin (経綸) refers to statecraft, a systematic order, or a large-scale plan. Dai (大) means large. So, daikeirin (大経綸) can mean “Grand Plan” or “Grand Process.” 

This means that we are not trying to force the universe into a shape of our liking. Rather, there is a vast process already unfolding. Our job is sankaku (参画), which means "to take part in" or "participate in." 

This shifts our perspective from trying to control reality to aligning ourselves with the flow of nature. We are not forcing reality to be what we want it to be, rather we accept and work with what we have in the moment. We also acknowledge how, by being active participants, we do help shape the causes and conditions that give rise to future moments, thus creating the future. We will explore this in more depth near the end of our Shokushu series when we discuss Intoku. 

4. Kansui (完遂): Total Completion

Finally, Tohei Sensei asks us to fulfill our mission, the mission discussed in “Our Motto.” The word used is Kansui means to carry something through to the very end, to execute completely, or to accomplish fully.

This is a reminder that our training is not a hobby or a part-time interest. It’s not just to get a little better, to glimpse Bodymind Oneness from time to time. It is a lifelong pledge to align with the "Grand Process" and see our mission through to the very end; to cultivate the experience of Bodymind Oneness continuously, in all circumstances. 

The Importance of Being Second

It is significant that this teaching, "The Value of Our Existence," is the second Shokushu. The first, "Our Motto," provides the essential "North Star" for all of our training, defining why and what we train: realizing Bodymind Oneness. With that ultimate goal established, “The Value of Our Existence” brings us to the most basic, primordial ground of our being from which everything else can grow. 

By establishing our connection with the Ki of the Universe (tenchi no ki), continuing with gratitude for the unique gift of human consciousness (banbutsu no reicho) and accepting our role to participate in (sankaku) the great process (daikeirin), we establish the personal value and responsibility necessary for all subsequent principles and techniques to take root and flourish. This is the rich, fertile soil upon which our training is built so we can bring our mission to total completion (kansui). 

Looking Toward the New Year: Shugyo Tassai Kigan Shiki

This principle ends with a directive: "Let us pledge to fulfill our missions."

In our tradition, we do not just make this pledge abstractly; we formalize it every New Year during Shugyo Tassai Kigan Shiki (“the ceremony to renew our commitment to Shugyo”).

However, to understand what we are pledging to complete, we must understand the definition of Shugyo (修行). It is often translated simply as "training," but it means much more. Shugyo is cultivation, it is a continuous practice that extends beyond the dojo into every moment of our lives.

When we bow in for the New Year, we are accepting our role as Banbutsu no Reicho. We are acknowledging that we have the unique capacity to shape ourselves and our environment. We are pledging that for the coming year, we will not just be bystanders, but active participants (sankaku) in the “Grand Process” (daikeirin) of the Universe. 

Let us enter this New Year with gratitude for the opportunity to train, and a renewed commitment to carry our Shugyo through to completion.

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