This year marks the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With just two bombs, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in an instant. Right after the bombing, the rivers overflowed with the bodies of people who jumped into the water because of the extreme heat. There were many people who died after walking around aimlessly, dragging their infected skin. If hell ever existed, it was Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the time of the bombing. Even after 60 years, there are people who still suffer from the after effects of the bomb.

The causes of any war are intricately intertwined, and it is difficult to argue what is right and wrong. Yet, it must be said that dropping the atomic bomb and taking the lives of many innocent citizens was a rare crime in human history.

People, on the one hand, pit themselves against one another in the erroneous belief that life�s happiness can be attained though defeating others, while, on the other hand, their unsatisfied yearning is to live in peace and tranquility. This is indeed a deep contradiction.

Then, why should we not make war? Why should we not use nuclear weapons? These questions ultimately lead to the question of why we should not kill people. Why do you think we should not kill others? I think that it is because our lives do not belong to humans. The foundress of Tenrikyo, Miki Nakayama, said, �Only through the exhaustive efforts of Tsukihi, made step by step, have you become the humans you are� (Ofudesaki VI: 88). She taught us that God had devoted much time and effort into creating human beings. In that process, God has allowed us to use our minds as we please, but He lent us a body that was appropriate for our souls. Stated differently, our minds belong to us, but our bodies, having been borrowed from God, do not. The fact that we become affected by diseases without being aware of it, and as a result, sometimes not being able to move a single limb freely is proof that our bodies are lent by God, and does not belong to us. Because God lent us our bodies, they are irreplaceable and precious. It is impermissible to hurt anyone else or yourself.

No one believes that nuclear weapons will bring happiness to humankind. Unfortunately, despite this, there are still countries that have or are suspected of having nuclear weapons. Moreover, the movement towards nuclear disarmament has been in stagnation. The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which was held this May, ended without producing any results. It is truly an alarming situation.

Once, there were enormous dinosaurs that roamed the earth, but they have become extinct. Presently, whales, tigers, and hawks are in danger of extinction. As you can see, it is the big and powerful ones that become extinct. We do not hear of small and powerless animals - ants, flies, or pigeons - in danger of extinction. The powerful become extinct, and the weak survive. This is a universal truth, a natural law, which transgresses space and time.

What I would like to say to all the countries that have nuclear weapons is that peace attained by force is only a virtual peace, maintained only by a balance in power. People are not bright and lively, but tense and in fear. It is far from the true peaceful world, where people�s hearts are purified and everyone lives joyously. Those who demonstrate power will eventually turn towards decline. The nuclear weapons that some countries hold become a threat not only to other counties, but also to themselves. The courage to abandon nuclear weapons, and not the courage to hold them, will create the future of humankind.

Jesus Christ taught that �Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.� This says that the small and the weak are the ones that will be saved. In Tenrikyo, God has taught us �At first glance, people may think that the mind of sincerity is weak, but there is nothing firmer or more enduring than sincerity. Sincerity alone is the truth of heaven.� Sincerity implies the heart that wants to save others. A sincere mind may seem weak, but it is truly strong.

Pope Benedict XVI, on his trip to Cologne, Germany in August, stated that �If together we can succeed in eliminating from hearts any trace of rancor, in resisting every form of intolerance and in opposing every manifestation of violence, we will turn back the wave of cruel fanaticism that endangers the lives of so many people and hinders progress towards world peace.� I share these feelings with him. Fanaticism is not limited to religion. Those who possess nuclear weapons and believe that it will maintain peace are fanatics of nuclear weapons. The religious people of the world must now sweep away their own dusts of hate and anger, and cooperate with sincere hearts and lead the way to world peace.

The foundress of Tenrikyo has taught us that �If only human beings throughout the world have purified their minds and lead lives joyously� When the mind of Tsukihi is truly spirited, so will be all human beings. When the minds of all the world are spirited, Tsukihi and human beings will be one in mind� (Ofudesaki VII: 109-111). When the minds of all people throughout the world become purified, and we live joyously, then God will also become spirited. When God is spirited, His providence will spread throughout the world, and human beings will be able to live more brightly. The foundress taught that when the whole world is spirited, then the Joyous Life, where both God and human beings are spirited, will be realized.

I would like to ask the leaders of countries with nuclear weapons to look at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those with power will perish. True peace is not constructed upon nuclear power, but by each person�s sincere heart. I strongly desire this meeting to be held in Hiroshima in the near future.

I would like to end my speech with some words of God. �If there is the truth of sincerity alone in the mind of each of you, complete harmony will come to your families, the one truth will settle. Now, the world will be convinced.�