Despite disasters, Japanese people remain dignified

By Kul Bhushan

The Japanese people have to maintain their dignity even during a devastating situation like the current one that has struck their country, said a Japanese artist, Yuriko Anando Lochan, in Delhi on Tuesday evening.

Explaining the Japanese psyche of maintaining their balance, composure and politeness even during the catastrophic events, Lochan said everybody is equal in Japan, it does not matter if you are rich or poor, you are equal. So with this frame of mind, they understand how to cope with this situation and deal with each other.

The Japanese are quite close to nature and respect nature. So they are prepared since childhood to face natural disruptions. They are not taught this at school but they just know how to cope, she said. They can’t blame anybody for this disaster – not the government nor their neighbours. They do not like to disturb others and so when they ask others politely about their lost relatives or thank their rescuers, they always do so with a bow. They are not egoistic and try to remain disciplined at all times, so there is no looting from destroyed shops. Basically, the Japanese are brought up to be human beings under all circumstances, she said. They remain composed and balanced during this difficult time, as this is part of Japanese culture. “For me it is quite natural behaviour,” she commented.

Yuriko Anando Lochan was speaking at a special meditation session ‘Centred in the Middle of a Cataclysm’ at Osho World Galleria held to express oneness with the victims with positive energy and vibrations.

The meeting started with a story Osho tells about a Zen master who having dinner with his disciples when a major earthquake struck. As everything shook, swayed and things began to fall all over, the disciples quickly ran to another room and some dashed outside in the open. But the Zen master sat still where he was and closed his eyes.

After a few minutes, the earthquake was over; the disciples began to tiptoe back to where the master was sitting in silence. When they asked him why he did not run away, he replied, “Where can you run? The earthquake is everywhere – in this room, the next room and even outside. So the only place you can escape is inside yourself. And that’s what I was doing.”

In this context, a special Buddhist meditation – Atisha’s Heart Meditation – was held guided by Osho’s words. Participants breathed in all the negativity in the form of pain, agony and suffering. Then they breathed out positivity of benediction, blessings and peace. This Buddhist meditation style is totally opposite to the normal concept of breathing in positive and breathing out negative vibrations.

After the meditation, an Osho disciple said, “Seeing all this harrowing footage on the TV and the reading about it in the media, I felt a strong desire to send positive energies to the Japanese people and I am thankful to take part in this event.”

* * *

 10 things to learn from Japan

The Calm: Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.

The Dignity: Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture. 

The Ability: The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.

The Grace: People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.

The Order: No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.

The Sacrifice: Fifty workers stayed back to pump seawater in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?

The Tenderness: Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.

The Training: The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.

The Media: They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No sensationalizing. Only calm reportage.

The Conscience: When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly

* Published in print edition on 1 April 2011