Foundation CEO travels to meet author, Sydney Banks
On February 5th, Chief Executive Officer, Haru Inouye traveled to British Columbia to meet renowned and inspirational author, Sydney Banks along with his wife Judy.
Sydney Banks’ work is the inspiration behind the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s grantee, the Center for Sustainable Change. The Center’s aim is to teach parents, educators, youth-service workers, communities and organizations how to engage the human capacity for learning, creativity, compassion, common sense and well-being—in the youth they teach and care for and in themselves. By encouraging young people and their leaders to hone in on their individual strengths and talents and in turn contributing those gifts to society, CSC and Sydney Banks’ philosophy is advancing the Six Billion Paths to Peace initative in schools and mental health communities.
Dr. Inouye visited Mr. Banks at his residence on beautiful Salt Spring Island. The island, a special place among the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, nestles up against the east side of Vancouver Island. With a population of around 10,000, there are a very large number of artists, sculptors and musicians living there.
Mr. Banks is the accomplished author of 6 published books, with 5 new unpublished works on the way. For over 35 years, he has been lecturing at universities and clinics and writing about a philosophy that challenges
psychological and psychiatric practice to focus on the fundamentals of mental health rather than mental illness. His book “The Enlightened Gardener” teaches that power of mind, consciousness, and thought, make up the elemental basis for each of our individual realities and that we have the power within ourselves to change our reality by using these elements as tools.
Mr. Banks states “The whole world is a ball of consciousness. When consciousness goes down in the world, it creates problems, conflicts, and tragedies. Nobody can change the whole world; all you can do is change your own world”. This philosophy resonates deeply with the Six Billion Path to Peace philosophy and its ripple effect. We hope to be seeing more of Mr. Banks and collaborating with him in the future.
