It is natural to feel emotional and shaken by events that shock us—leaving us with questions, uncertainty, and heaviness. Whether these events happen in our personal lives, our community, our state, our country, or anywhere in the world, the truth of interdependence means that what happens to others will eventually touch us as well. When this happens, it can feel as if the ground we trusted—the ground we thought would never move—is suddenly shaking beneath us.

In daily life, we rarely stop to check whether the ground we stand on is secure. We simply assume it is. But when that trusted ground becomes unreliable, our whole life feels exposed and fragile. We search for a place to belong, yet everywhere we step seems unsteady. What we need is a reliable ground that does not come from human ability—something greater than us, yet existing for us. That is religion, and that is the life of faith.

One of the essential roles of religion is to answer the ultimate questions of life. When the ground created by human hands begins to shake, there is still the beacon of Great Compassion and Great Wisdom that guides, supports, and sustains us. This is the realm of Enlightenment entering our human life, illuminating our ignorance and struggles, and showing us a path of harmony, understanding, patience, and resilience.

Wisdom is the Light that illuminates all things. It penetrates obstacles and ignorance, bringing warmth, hope, and a gentle embrace to our trembling body and mind. It dispels the darkness of our biased and limited minds and helps us understand the causes and conditions that shape what we experience today. In that wisdom, we realize that we hurt each other because we fail to see how deeply connected we truly are. Without knowing it, we harm those who are part of us.

This is the shadow that covers all of us. But the Light reveals the shadow—not to shame us, but to awaken us. It reminds us to be aware of our biases, to care for one another, and to understand that the shadow exists only because there is Light we rely on and take refuge in.

In the Light of Wisdom that embraces all people with care and love, there is Compassion. True compassion does not judge. It embraces all beings as they are, recognizing each person’s story, reasons, and pain. Seeing the suffering they endure—and the suffering they cause—compassion cannot help but reach out to heal and soothe.

When we experience this healing for our own pain, our eyes open to the pain of others—pain we may have caused. Compassion becomes the tears that see the struggles of humanity, and the hope that awakens us to this truth: if our happiness depends on another’s unhappiness, is that truly happiness?

Peace and protection cannot belong only to “my side.” If my peace is not their peace, then their peace is not my peace. We need a peace that embraces all. This peace is expressed in the highest truth of religion—in the awareness of Enlightenment—where all beings exist in harmony, acknowledging differences while still shining in their own way.

This is not illusion or fairy tale. It is the dynamic working of Enlightenment shining upon our limited humanity, guiding us toward a life grounded in harmony. Conflict will arise, but we are guided not only by the human mind, but by the Light of Awakening.

In this interconnected world, we affect one another directly and indirectly through complex relationships. History teaches us that hatred never ends hatred; only true love and compassion can. Revenge creates more revenge, and families everywhere shed tears when loved ones are lost.

The unshakeable ground is full of virtue—kindness, care, love, understanding, purity, excellence, compassion, wisdom, and non‑judgment. This ground sustains our fragile and shakable lives. This ground is Namo Amida Butsu—the compassionate calling voice saying, “I am here for you, whatever happens.

And this ground of compassion and wisdom never tells us, “Don’t be afraid” or “Don’t shake.” Instead, it embraces us exactly as we are—strong as we are, weak as we are, shaking as we are, shedding tears as we are. In this embrace, no one is left behind.