Great Construction

The Feudalism of Medical Science

     This essay is a chapter from Book of Science Revolution.

     The phrase “feudalism of medical science” is completely new so its import may not be readily apparent, but as the following is read, there is sure to be no one who does not see the point. The reason is that, as is known, at present not only is great the number of varieties of diseases, but also great is the number of sick individuals. Of the sick persons, eight or nine out of ten suffer either from a chronic or serious condition. Doctors know well that hardly anyone truly recovers. In spite of the fact that doctors always try to heal patients as quickly as possible, using the latest therapies and treatments, and exerting their utmost efforts, healing does not proceed as it was thought it should. When the first diagnosis was made, a prognosis of how many weeks or how many months are needed for recovery is made which is conveyed to the patient, but there are probably hardly any instances of cases that recover according to the prognosis. Medical theory holds that recovery will occur when a certain drug or therapy regimen is followed, so that this regimen is administered and recovery still does not take place is a phenomenon that both patients and doctors probably always experience.
     In these circumstances, in accordance with medical theory relief does appear to occur temporarily, but recovery does not last long. Whether in a short while or after a long period, either a recurrence of the same disease or the outbreak of another will occur. Doctors are aware of this phenomenon because they encounter it endlessly. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that doctors themselves might continually harbor suspicions and find the phenomenon mystifying. Why they may happen to find this so is because medical science has not advanced as much as doctors believe it has. There has been no development of medical science apart from the illusion of development. Doctors are constantly placed, on the one hand, in the dilemma of the contradiction between theory and practice, while on the other hand, they still receive the respect of the world at large and maintain their firm position in society. Not ordinary must be the anxiety and suffering in their hearts. I do believe, however, that their belief that medical science will someday advance and resolve this problem is simply one form of mental masturbation that is linked to nothing but faint hope. Therefore, if after reading what I have to say and the veil of suspicion does lift, then for the first time will the fallacies of medical science be exposed to the light of truth that is like broad daylight. It is only natural that these individuals will awaken in aghast. However, because this delusion is a great obstacle to the progress of civilization, in spite of the fact that even though science has advanced so far, that the happiness and welfare of humanity has not increased is not perceived. Due to this lack of perception, my views are not at all investigated. As theories of a man of religion, they are held to be nonscientific. The steady advance of the theories of science is taken to be adequate validation, and no one is interested in taking up what I have to say. In other words, because the sunglasses of scientific superstition are worn, my ideas do not appear accurately.
     These sunglasses are medical science’s fundamental point of view that human life can be placed on the same level as that of other things, living and non-living, and that thoroughly believes that illness can be resolved through science. What I have learned through divine revelation is that, yes, apart from human beings, everything is all on the same level but it is human beings, and human beings alone that differ fundamentally, and that it is only the field of healing human life that is not within the sphere of material science. One example is that not only such aspects as hobbies and tastes, joy and anger, and romantic love, but higher levels such as intelligence, art, mysticism, and altruism are not to be found in any other animals. It should be understood just by observing this fact that human beings are distinct from other animals. In this way, a great defect is in ignoring the particular characteristics of the human being and in treating human beings the same as animals. Moreover, as long as this belief is a fundamental concept of medical science, science remains secluded within its own framework and can not see any other world.
     To observe the issue from a different perspective, suppose the level of human beings is taken as that of the horizon, everything below the horizon are objects and above are human beings. This is a law of the cosmos. In accordance with this law, everything below the horizon can be freely used by human beings, but above the horizon, it is the reverse. Therefore, it is only natural that to use the material science made by human beings to make free with human life is not possible; the proof of this being that it is evident by observing that the eradication of illness and long life do not result from medical science. In which case, for human beings to try to heal the sickness of other human beings is as if juniors were dominating seniors, that is, the opposite of what should be. For human beings to try to heal human beings is an invasion of God’s domain. In accordance with this law, as far as the life of human beings and human beings only is concerned, no matter how much scholars and researchers of the world may exert themselves, their efforts are nothing but a waste of time. That they do not perceive this and blindly pursue mistaken byways is the present state of medical science, so the ignorance is indeed to be pitied. I do believe today’s scholars of medical science are the dead of science, possessing the same psychology as heretics and members of superstitious religions. Another way to put it is to use an example from the age of feudalism when bushido was taken to be the highest form of virtue and not only was the committing of murder for one’s master allowed, rather honor was earned through praise for mass killings. From our viewpoint today, such acts are nothing but barbarism, or in other words, bushido and the killing of others was the promotion of open public evil. When we apply the situation then to the medical science of today, the issue should be easier to understand.
     The fact that science is taken to be the highest form of healing disease is a blind spot that cannot be separated from the shell of narrow-minded feudalism. However, I have learned that, indeed, there is an unknown, wonderful world where there is true healing and where complete healing is possible, so as preliminary to informing the peoples of all nations everywhere of these great tidings, I announce my views to the medical scholars of the entire world.

Eikô, Issue 227, September 23, 1953
 translation by cynndd