1. What is the film “Twiceborn” about and why did you make the film?
Twiceborn is a biographical film and the true story of the life of Ryuho Okawa, best-selling international author, spiritual visionary, and founder of Happy Science, Japan’s largest and most influential spiritual movement. The film follows Ryuho Okawa’s journey as he comes to recognize his miraculous mission and the obligation he carries to share the Truth with the world and bring happiness to all.
Based on true events, Twiceborn tells the story of Satoru Ichijo, a highly successful businessman who chose to abandon his career and everything he had to pursue his true, higher calling and his true mission, to bring happiness to the world.
The story in this film is more than just a biopic. It is a story of a modern-day hero, a quiet humble hero with a “message of hope” for the world. With the circumstances we are encountering in 2020 with the COVID pandemic and social unrest etc, it seemed there is no better time than now to release this film as the world needs a “message of hope” more than ever. This film reminds us of our true nature and that we are all part of a global community of faith and love and it encourages us to be humble and diligent as we support one another with a purity of the heart. This film reminds us to go within to find the clarity we need to discover our true mission in life.
2. How can we find our North Star in life, when we doubt ourselves and/or failed in the past?
It is essential when we are in the middle of setbacks and failures, to have a powerful mindset and believe that we are a part of the existence of the light itself and that each one of us already has God’s nature and Buddha’s nature within our hearts and souls. Without this self-trust and self-affirmation, our heart and soul can be overtaken by the negative energy of fear and self-denial. This negative vibration is just an illusion and it is not our true nature. It is important to resist the negative energy that is trying to overtake us and go within and search for our true self. Our true self is that part of us that is positive, self-affirming, constructive and loving.
Regardless of how difficult the situation is that we are in, as long as our mind is connected to our true nature, our god nature within, a ray of light will illuminate and shine through our heart and we will be guided to overcome the most difficult of times. So, how do we connect to our god nature within ourselves? The answer is always to take some quiet time and look within and practice self reflection. In the film there is a moment when Satoru looks deep within his mind and reflects upon his past, and when he discovers the negative thoughts and deeds he has entertained he asks for forgiveness. Through self reflection, he attained enlightenment and was able to make a life-time decision to abandon everything and to walk the path of a spiritual leader, alone if necessary, to bring happiness to the world.
3. How can we increase or keep our faith, when there is so much tragedy, death, and destruction around us?
God will never give us hardships and sufferings which we cannot overcome. Life is a training ground for our soul and when we were born on this earth from heaven, we brought many workbooks for our life with us. We could actually think of the hardships and suffering as something we planned to encounter before we were born and we could change our mindset to “This is happening to me now, because God is giving me a chance to grow as a soul and he will never abandon me. He will always be with me, right beside me, even when I am going through pain and suffering.” This is what faith is.
When we are facing difficulties in our life, we tend to blame others and look for a cause outside of ourselves or, we tend to rely on others, our family, our employer, our government etc. for an answer to those difficulties. However, I would venture to say that it is in these difficult and challenging circumstances that it is especially important to have a mindset of going within, a “self-help” mindset, a mindset of being responsible for our lives. Satoru was a person who practiced “self-help” and going within for guidance. He made continuous efforts throughout his life to have faith and go within and he was diligent, humble and pure hearted. If we can become self-motivated people who live in faith and have love for others, nothing can defeat us. My hope is that this film will become a guidepost for many on how to find their way to true success and happiness.
4. How can we find our true mission in our life?
One of the key messages of this film is “Finding Your True Mission in Life.” Satoru’s mission in his life was to give love to people, to nurture people and to forgive people, and to teach enlighten the world about the truth of the spiritual world. This film provides an opportunity for us to learn that we all have a purpose in life and each one of us was born with a mission, and our mission does not exist outside of us, but it resides within us. Each of us can discover our true and unique mission by reflecting back on our journey of life and the environment in which we choose to live this life. Some clarifying questions could be . . . Where were you born? Who are your parents and family? What is your education? What are your interests? What fascinates you? and so on… If you take the time to dive deep and self reflect on your life, you will hear a voice from within.
There are two secrets or keys to support you in finding your true mission.
The first key to getting clear about your mission is that your mission will to make you happy while also making others happy and contributing overall to society in a positive way. If your mission is only about making yourself happy then it is a false mission. A true life mission must be based on love for others.
The second key to finding your true mission is you will experience a feeling of passion from deep within which you cannot ignore or stop thinking about. This is an indicator that is probably your true life mission. If you have a lifetime dream or passion, please do not give up on it. Even if it seems impossible, it is so important to keep moving forward in the direction of your life mission and to make every effort to achieve that goal because, success is not the results but success lies in the journey and the process and the path that you walk on that journey. So please have faith in yourself and in God and as long as you are committed and keep making an effort to live your true mission, you will experience the positive results you are looking for in your life. It might not look exactly as you envisioned it but it will appear before you in a similar way.
5. Have you experienced any serendipity or synchronicity in your life? If so, what?
I was born into a Christian family (which is rare in the Japanese culture) and from 3 to 8 yrs old, I lived in Lebanon, Beirut because of my father’s business as he was a employed by a trade company just like Satoru). We used to go to church every Sunday, and it was located on the top of a cliff side by the amazing Mediterranean Sea. I remember as a child having an experience when I stood on that hillside with a 180 degree view of the pure blue sea and clear blue sky, surrounded by green fields with beautiful flowers, and it felt like I was standing in heaven. I experienced feeling so much energy and light and love flowing through me, and it filled me up with so much warmth, joy and happiness.
However, as I grew older, I forgot about that beautiful experience I had as a child. I spent my teenage days in New York and remained there for approximately 10 years and just after my high school graduation, a Japanese friend of mine gave me a book called “The Laws of the Sun” written by Ryuho Okawa. Yes the same Ryuho Okawa who is the executive producer of this film and the founder of Happy Science. I was still very young but when I started reading this book I felt something which I felt a long long time ago. It was almost like I already knew the content of this book and that i had read this book before but I hadn’t. It was at that moment that my memory flashed back to that moment in Lebanon standing by the Mediterranean Sea. It had been a long time since I had thought of that moment. I had actually forgotten about that moment but the memory and feelings all came rushing back and I felt that same light, that same overwhelming power and energy of love, when reading “The Laws of the Sun.” That was the very moment I knew this book was true and I was destined to find it on my journey. Since that time 33 years have passed and I continue on my own journey of life and living my purpose which has brought me here with Happy Science and I am clear that my purpose and mission are to share Master Okawa’s teachings to the world! I truly believe there are no coincidences in life and we are always being guided by angels from heaven.
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For more information, please visit the film’s website at https://twicebornmovie.com