Akarui Kokoro - Bright Heart
Maintaining a positive, optimistic, and cheerful attitude toward life.
Akarui kokoro is the bright, cheerful heart that Shinto cultivates. Rather than dwelling on negativity, the Shinto spirit emphasizes optimism, finding joy in life's blessings, and facing difficulties with resilience. This brightness attracts the kami's favor.
A bright heart illuminates the path ahead and draws the blessings of the kami.
Positivity is considered essential to spiritual health in Shinto.
Folk wisdom
Written about in
- What Shinto says about starting again after a fall
The expected end state is brightness, not remorse. That is the hardest demand here: once the rite is done you are to be cheerful again, and Shinto gives you no approved way to keep carrying it.