4 Simple Steps to Realize the True Power of Gratitude

By Yoichi Utebi

In our daily lives, we encounter many situations where we are exposed to negative energy. If we allow those energies in and they begin to accumulate, they can create darkness in our body and soul, attracting misfortune and even illness. However, negative influences cannot exist where there are gratitude and love, so cultivating and deepening abiding gratitude for the life we’ve been given can protect us from them.

Negative energy is a vibration generated by an aggregation of negative thoughts that come from hatred, anger, fear, worry, self-denial, jealousy, and the like. It can sicken an individual’s body and soul, just as it can sicken a community if enough individuals within the group tap into the same negative emotions and thoughts. Fear is its ‘super spreader’. Consider the coronavirus. A direct cause of illness, the virus is an aggregation of negative energy with an intention to attack human beings, and it thrives on fear. We fear the virus because it makes us sick, is unpredictable, and we have no medical means to defeat it yet. 

Whoever imagined what the world would look like in 2020? Sometimes it seems as if we are in a dream and will wake in the morning to say, “Oh, thank God it was only a dream!!” Sadly, though, we must accept the reality of the virus and muster on until we find the cure that will defeat this unseen enemy. As we wonder, “Why is this happening to us now?” and grasp for the so-called ‘new normal’, I believe there is a lesson we need to learn. Perhaps God is warning us that we have been too arrogant acting as if we are the creator of the universe. Maybe we ought to be more humble and grateful for what we have been given and stop taking advantage of our gifts. That does not mean we have to revert to the stone age and renounce modern technologies. It is important for us to continue to find the middle way, to progress utilizing modern conveniences to the fullest, but with appreciation and gratitude for all that we have.

“The Real Exorcist”, a new movie based on an original story written by Ryuho Okawa, founder of the global spiritual movement Happy Science, touches on the most effective tactics for overcoming fear and defeating negative energy. In the supernatural thriller, Sayuri, a café waitress with psychic powers, combats several evil spirits as she helps her coffee shop customers troubled by supernatural phenomena. (If you are a believer in spirits and ghosts, evil spirits are charged with negative energy, whereas angels are filled with positive energy and love.) When asked by her apprentice, Isamu, how she is able to defeat the evil spirits, Sayuri explains, “First, you have to believe in God. Then, always be grateful for the life you're given. Evil spirits never feel gratitude. All they have are grievances. To not give in to this negativity, you need faith and gratitude.” 

The keyword here is “gratitude”. How many of us actually take time to contemplate gratitude? The word is so familiar, it is easy to check it off thinking, “Oh, I give thanks to everyone every day.” Few of us, however, really understand and realize the true spiritual power of gratitude- the power to change yourself and all of your surroundings for the better. Followed every day, these four simple steps will deepen your gratitude to the point where you will truly understand and sense its energy.

1. Prepare your environment

First, you need to prepare your surroundings. Serenity is important, so sit back and relax. Take all the tension out of your mind, body, and spirit by breathing deeply for a few minutes until your mind is calm. Playing relaxing music always helps.

2. Think about Someone you want to give thanks to

Next, choose one person you want to give thanks for. Perhaps that person is someone you are in conflict with. An important point here is to be “selfless”. Stop thinking about yourself for once and let go of self-centered ‘me, me, me thinking’. Focus your thoughts on that person only.

3. Reflect upon the relationship

If you are comfortable so doing, put your palms together in front of your heart (chest) in the manner of “Gassho”, the symbol of peace and harmony. This will provide you serenity. Now, think about the relationship you have with the person you have chosen to focus on and begin self-reflection. If you are in conflict with that individual, put aside all the hardships, discord, anger, hatred, fear and so on between you.

4. Feel the energy of gratitude and love from within

Think deeply about the person and start giving unconditional gratitude for your relationship. After a while, you will start to feel a warmth rising from your heart (chest). This is the energy of love welling up from within. We all have light- Buddha Nature or God Nature- residing within. Try to perceive the warmth of this energy of love and gratitude. 

The essence of gratitude is love, and love is positive energy. Even though you cannot see it or catch it with your hand, like a soft breeze, it exists. when you are in gratitude, you are sending this positive energy out to the universe and to an individual. Whether or not s/he feels this energy, s/he will receive it. The energy will start working on its own and eventually produce positive results. Love is the ultimate positive energy. With gratitude and love, nothing can defeat you.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with words of wisdom by Ryuho Okawa.

“Love, in other words, is a great river. It is a power that flows from the upper reaches downstream without ever stopping; it is life with a momentum that nothing can resist. Love has no enemies. Once you actually see this spiritual panorama of the great river of love, you will clearly know that nothing can stand against love.” ~ From “The Laws of the Sun”

“Love blows like the wind. Love is also like a light that glitters brilliantly, showering happiness on all. Love exists in compassion. When you truly understand that this is the nature of love, and when you savor and nurture it for yourself, your happiness will expand limitlessly. So, let us bring happiness to many. Let us become happy ourselves and make others around us happy as well. I would like all of you to spread happiness, with the word “love” as your pledge.” ~ From “Origin of Love”