Sense of Humor - Guidelines for the Heart by Ryuho Okawa 162 -

May 20, 2018（Last Update: June 13, 2026）

This month's 'Guidelines for the Heart' discusses the power of humor in life. Humor is a refined jest that brings laughter and soothes the heart. We asked Tsuneo Oshima, the director of the Happy Science Biwako Seishinkan, for tips on how to be able to talk about humor.

The 'Guidelines for the Heart' written by Ryuho Okawa is serialized in the Happy Science's official magazine Monthly 'Happy Science'. Branches nationwide also display posters, and it is widely known as the face of Happy Science every month.

For those who want to read the guidelines in the monthly magazine, please refer to Monthly 'Happy Science' June issue.

A big failure in trying to make people laugh

This happened when I was the branch manager at a certain branch of Happy Science. With the ideal of 'I want to convey the truth of Buddhism in a fun way to those who are troubled and help them,' I planned a 'Problem-Solving Seminar' that could be learned while laughing for the general public.

So, I created a script for the sermon that included funny material, researched and practiced my talk, and distributed flyers in the community. I was making preparations.

Then came the first day of the seminar. I started talking enthusiastically, but not a single person laughed where they were supposed to. Everyone just stared at my face. Cold sweat ran down my back. I felt like I was not alive. When I finally finished the one-hour sermon, I was disheartened, thinking, 'Ah, I completely failed! They didn't enjoy it at all.'

However, at the tea party after the sermon, surprisingly, a few people signed up. I was surprised and asked why, thinking, 'The sermon was terrible, so why?' They said, 'Because you were so earnest.'

I failed to make them laugh, but I felt that the 'heart of love' and 'heart of truth' that I wanted them to enjoy had somehow been conveyed, and I felt saved in return.

The love behind humor

A few days later, the people who joined started coming to the branch for life consultations. Some even brought friends and acquaintances, saying, 'If you come here, you can talk to someone.' I listened to each person's troubles and conveyed the truth of Buddhism with sincerity.

As a result, the number of participants in the next seminar increased, and about 71 people wanted to learn the teachings and joined within about six months.

Ryuho Okawa stated, 'I believe that love should flow beneath humor.' Even in life consultation settings, when there is 'love' for the other person, one can naturally turn their own failures into humorous stories and express humor that lightens the heart. In that sense, humor may be a transformed form of 'love.' I will cherish the heart of 'love' and continue to convey the teachings.

This content is a reprint from Monthly 'Happy Science' No. 376 with edits made.
The very popular 'Guidelines for the Heart' is also available for regular subscription in the Monthly 'Happy Science', so please take advantage of it!

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