Pray for “us” and Earth – The well-being perspective from Japanese filmmaker

A trip to Japan usually involves at least one visit to a Shinto shrine. Unlike other religious sites, Shinto shrines do not have subdivisions or categories that define and divide faith or community. Instead, each shrine may house multiple gods and/or goddesses, rather than being devoted to a specific deity. The shrines are surrounded by sacred trees, some dating more than 1,000 years. They have served as places of worship, solace and refuge for centuries.

Now, science is beginning to uncover physical and neurological well-being attained from the act of praying, as captured in the film “INORI: Prayer – Conversation with Something Great” by Director Tetsu Shiratori.

Director Shiratori’s nature-inspired films

Director Shiratori has developed long and short films on nature-positive subjects, such as circular economy, regenerative farming, zero waste and renewable energy. His films with English subtitles include Revival I (2015) and Revival II (2019), which discuss lessons learned from Fukushima nuclear pollution; Age of Fasting (2010), which revisits our modern-day eating habits; and The Readings (2018), which explore Edgar Cayce and his holistic medicine methods.

Also available with English subtitles and accessible online via Vimeo is his latest movie released in 2021, Zero Waste – Sustainable Life –, which is about Kamikatsu town in Tokushima Prefecture, the first municipality in Japan that has declared its commitment to carbon neutrality through extensive recycling and reusing.

Some of his shorter documentaries are released on YouTube in English, including “Hope – Messages from the Ancients (2018)” about the wisdom of the Native American traditions, and “Cosmos – Return to Oneness (2018)” to expand the boundaries of cognitive science. The running theme of his films is the connection between nature and people, between the soul and the body, and between the past and the future.

The healing power of prayers

Director Shiratori’s “Inori– Prayer – Conversation with Something Great (2012)” introduces frontier research on mindfulness. We are aware of the positive impact of meditation in our daily routines, but science goes further.

The international and Japanese pioneers featured in the film, including Dr. Kazuo Murakami and Deepak Chopra, attest that the act of praying can enhance physical health. This narrative of the film derives from Director Shiratori’s own illness. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2007. He was seriously ill until, one day, he began to recover. It was when a group of children and their parents in his first film gathered and prayed for him.

The film “Inori” showcases this joined consciousness, moving away from “me” to “us” and “our planet.” Director Shiratori recalls: “In quantum physics, ‘individual’ hardly exists because everything is interrelated. Nothing stands alone.”

Our fates are intertwined more than ever in this era of climate change, technological advancement and other global risks. Let us take a step back, visit places of natural tranquility and pray for us and our planet. Let us heal together.