Recently, there are times when I feel like it's enough to just express gratitude, but when I say that, I feel like there are various misunderstandings.

In particular, I think it's important not to let gratitude become a mere excuse or justification for actions, or an alibi to appear virtuous. Just because you express gratitude doesn't mean you can do anything you want. When someone says "just express gratitude," it can lead to misunderstandings.

Recently, in my meditation, I've been simply meditating on feeling "grateful" from the heart, which is a correct state of mind for meditation, but that's just a matter of the state of meditation, and it's not about the ethics of daily life.

Sometimes, in the teachings of theEsoteric Buddhism (Xianjiao), there are "easy-to-understand" teachings like "just express gratitude," but that's just a moral teaching spread by the Esoteric Buddhism (Xianjiao), and I'm not necessarily denying it, but I'm not saying that in daily life, you should say "just express gratitude" or "just be grateful" in the sense that the Esoteric Buddhism (Xianjiao) says.

In my case, I'm simply saying "just express gratitude" in the state of meditation, and I'm not saying that you should only express gratitude in words or actions, or in terms of ethics.

There is a great potential for misunderstanding here due to the explanation of words.

I don't want people who hear the word "gratitude" to misunderstand it as ordinary moral gratitude, and to think "Ah, is it okay just to express gratitude?" and use it as an excuse or justification for their actions, or as an alibi for appearing virtuous, and not see their true actions. If gratitude is used to cover up one's true actions with beautiful words, then such gratitude is not needed.

Such words that cover up reality may actually be unnecessary, and in some cases, it might be better not to express gratitude at all.

Even so, I believe that the power of the words of gratitude is great, and I want to believe that it has the power to overcome such situations. However, when I see that even when the people of the Esoteric Buddhism (Xianjiao) talk about gratitude and convey gratitude in words, it is difficult for people to understand, I think that simply using the words of gratitude may not be enough. Nevertheless, I think it's better to express gratitude.

In this way, gratitude is a good thing, but it's not necessarily the case that simply being grateful is enough. Some people, like those in the Kenkyo tradition, might say that if you are grateful, you will attain enlightenment, but in reality, the first step is often a state of stillness, and then feelings of gratitude emerge.

Therefore, talking about gratitude without a foundation of stillness is not necessarily useless, but it may not be very effective. Also, without a certain level of foundation, even expressing words of gratitude can be difficult, and it would be good to have the mental strength to overcome that difficulty, but I think it's better to take an easier path to avoid discouragement.

In reality, when feelings of gratitude arise through meditation, they can spread to everyday life, and you can often feel gratitude for even the most mundane aspects of daily life. However, this is not a deliberate "action," but rather a "state." So, while you may be in a state of gratitude, you are not necessarily consciously trying to be grateful, and it's more that feelings of gratitude arise, and those feelings are reflected in the situation in front of you. Therefore, at that point, gratitude is no longer an action, and it's different from what the Kenkyo tradition says, such as "let's be grateful." However, you will still express gratitude when the situation calls for it, so you do express gratitude. But, since feelings of gratitude arise even without a specific intention or reason, if that is considered an action, then it could be said to be an action, but if it's considered a state, then it could also be said to be a state, and it's difficult to express it in words.

In this way, there is a state where gratitude arises without a specific intention. Before that state, it is okay to consciously try to be grateful or to be grateful for a specific reason, but it's important to understand that there are different types of gratitude.