Great Construction

Preface


  The some thirty years of my continuous life of faith has been for the most part a long period upon a path of thorns. Oppression by the authorities, the suffering that comes from being in debt, and struggles with sickness defy description. I feel as if I have been through every sort of suffering a human being could experience. On the other hand, not a few have been the blessings of God and the assistance from many people, so the pleasure equals the pain. Through these many valuable experiences, I have come to know the actuality of God and divine beings, the essence of faith, the significance of life and death, and much else. This volume, based on these experiences, is a compilation of those writings that may be of interest and provide fruitful lessons. I have taken great care that these essays may be appreciated by both believer and non-believer, and by both scholar and member of the general public, so if the reader is able to attain some amount of peace of mind and enlightenment, I will be very happy.


 Author


August 1948

Essays on Faith(Shinkô Zatsuwa), September 5, 1948