Ryuho Okawa, founder of the Institute for Research in Human Happiness (IRH), Kofuku-no-Kagaku in Japanese, has devoted his life to the exploration of the Truth and ways to happiness.

He was born in 1956 in Tokushima, Japan and graduated from the University of Tokyo. In March 1981, he received his higher calling and awakened to the hidden part of his consciousness. His thinking has been influenced by many philosophies including Buddhism and the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and Emmanuel Swedenborg.

He established the Institute in 1986 and for the past twenty years has been designing spiritual workshops for people from all walks of life, from teenagers to business executives. He is known for his wisdom, compassion, and commitment to educating people to think and act in spiritual and religious ways. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide and he has also produced successful feature length films (including animations) based on his works. The members of the Institute follow the path he teaches, ministering to people who need help by sharing his teachings.

In many of his books, Ryuho Okawa presents practical and immediate solutions to problems that affect all of us in one way or another throughout our lives: How can we be happy? How do we help our intimate relationships to grow and thrive rather than stagnate and die? How should we judge success materially or spiritually? What is the true meaning of life? How can we make ourselves mentally and spiritually stronger so that when adversity strikes we do not suffer so much? How can we be generous and compassionate without being taken advantage of or not achieving our goals? These questions are dealt with in the following books, which can be read as a series or as stand-alone titles. All offer bracing, thoughtful, gentle, and honest guidance on living a good life and being thoughtful, kind, loving, and generous.