HONESTY (60)

 

Honesty is a true treasure,

Far more priceless than any earthly treasure.

I am now spreading the Divine teachings of God

So more and more people may be awakened to Truth

And become truly honest.

In order to help others become more virtuous and honest,

Those who serve must first rid themselves

Of all insincerity.

 

I have been honest since childhood. I could not tell a

lie. When I was young and starting out in business, I was

often told: “An honest man like you will not be successful.

You have to learn how to tell lies if you want to be successful

in the business world.” I, too, thought so then. For a short

period of time I tried to do my best to lie, but it was sad.

I was so miserable that I couldn’t stand it. My life became

dark, and my days were all unpleasant.

Being a merchant, lying should have been useful for me

in business. But somehow it didn’t help. Finally, I made up

my mind to remain honest to the end. From then on, results

were unexpectedly good. The business world trusted me, so

I succeeded by leaps and bounds.

Later, when I left the world of business to concentrate

on my spiritual work, I remained true to my decision to live

by the principle of honesty. Naturally, the results have been

good. In the beginning I was misunderstood, criticized and

harassed. Yet, despite all the ups and downs in my life,

people’s trust in me did not drop. I believe strongly even

now that this was due to the merit of honesty.

 

 

Foundation of Paradise, “”Honesty Does Not Pay” Is Not True” – April 20, 1949