Great Construction

Belief and Non-Belief

     Before starting on my main theme, I want to make clear that what I mean by “belief” in the title refers to that of our church and not to that of other religions or organizations.
     Whatever may have been the case in olden times, as we objectively observe individuals living in the vile world today, surely apt are the words of Christ, “those pitiful lambs.” Think about it. How many people live each day truly in peace without any unease whatsoever? Of the various causes for unease, what people think about the most is probably disease. Illness can afflict all at anytime. An hour from now, anyone could catch a cold. A cold can lead to pneumonia, or even to the primary stage of tuberculosis. Sometime tonight someone could writhe in the agony of appendicitis. Tomorrow perhaps, typhus, or some unknown disease might hit. Those with children worry about terrifying conditions such as ekiri (children’s dysentery), diphtheria, and meningitis, all of which can lead to death two or three days of striking. The elderly have concerns as well. A stroke can lead to palsy, leaving the affected person tragically bedridden for many years, or even a lifetime. If a family member comes down with a contagious disease, that member can be isolated and quarantined in a hospital. And the unease does not stop here.
     Nowadays, costly medical expenses make fees for treatment and hospitalization unforeseeable. Recovery in a short time is indeed welcome, but the hardships of long-term hospitalization can reduce or wipe out a person’s savings. Even if patients recover, they may get laid off from work and become homeless. Or else, though their lives are saved and they can still earn a living, in unfortunate cases, they can become disabled as a result of the illness, and in cases where the patient passes away, what will happen? If the deceased is the main wage earner, how will the remaining family members continue to live? For the deceased, plans and projects all end uncompleted. It is truly pitiful for a man in his prime to pass away. No one expects to experience the unbearable condition of having to cut the ties to those one holds most dear, wife and children. All these things considered, the continuing dread of disease as the burden of a heavy lead ball to be borne is probably shared by all.
     To be liberated from this kind of frightful life of unease and anxiety, until now it could only have been with the consolation like that of Shakyamuni who says that true wisdom lies in realizing that our vile world is only a burning house and that there is nothing to do but be resigned to the four sufferings of birth, disease, old age, and death.
     Since such consolation has so far been our only hope, there can be no better news than that of the appearance of a religion that can liberate us from the anxiety of disease that I have outlined above. Those who hear these words for the first time may think I am crazy. How could there be such an absurd thing in this world? Listeners would think I verge on insanity. But it is here. A religion such as I have portrayed has indeed appeared. Readers may doubt or even deny this, but if they knew it to be true, what would they do? Not merely a flurry, there could not help but be a world-wide sensation. Amidst that sensation, lucky will be those who decide to look into the phenomenon. On the other hand, there will be those haughty and scornful individuals who consider my account nothing but superstition. Such people are the ones who should truly be considered unfortunate, as those who would dive off a waterfall or jump into a volcano.
     Readers may think I am full of myself to make these claims, but here I would like to give a simple introduction to our belief and the causes of disease. Those individuals who have grasped the reality of our belief do not have to be concerned with illness. They know the fundamentals of disease and rather than fear sickness, they welcome it. This is because they know that disease is a self-generating physiological mechanism that occurs to help promote health in the body; it is God’s greatest blessing, and that when any form of disease is generated, it can be easily healed with divine spiritual radiation.
     As sources of unease, so far I have only discussed physical disease, but there are many other causes for unhappiness in addition to disease. One example are the transportation systems that are an irreplaceable part of our society, and for some individuals these systems play an integral role in their everyday lives. The uneasiness that stems from possible damage and injury from those systems cannot be regarded lightly. Other sources of unease and unhappiness stem from the danger from machinery at work in the factory, damage from fire and theft, and so on. Harm from earthquakes or flooding, although even more rare, can be serious.
     When we think of how we live each day never knowing when we might be attacked either by disease or by any of the many other varieties of possible misfortune, we cannot relax our guard for even a second. The public and private sectors conceive of many projects to cope with these calamities, from insurance for health, disasters, unemployment, to savings plans and to varieties of institutions, but as physical forms, these all have their limitations, and we are still left uneasy. Absolute peace of mind can not be obtained without the formless kind of insurance, what could be called God’s insurance. People nowadays, however, are not prepared to accept the idea of a formless power, of God’s insurance, but because measures with form are not able to provide true peace of mind, they find themselves in a dilemma, and so days of unease continue. Truly such people are nothing more than pitiful lambs.
     As those who believe in the formless power of God, we find it truly painful to watch non-believers struggle in their rootless lives without anything to cling to. As passengers in a small boat trying to make its way over a great ocean, even though these unfortunates could board a large ocean liner, they are focused only on their own boat and do not seem to be aware of the form of the great ship at hand. We pity them and recommend faith, but they cannot overcome and break out of the darkness of denial.
     The power of this wonderful salvation is unprecedented in the history of humankind, so it is not to be wondered that some find it difficult to accept. But the fact that such tremendous good news has actually appeared should leave no room for doubt that the emergence of paradise on earth, a world without illness, poverty, of strife, is not far away.

 Hikari, Issue 2, March 20, 1949
translated by cynndd

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“Mushinkô to Yûshinkô” has previously appeared in translation. The citation is given below for reference.

“With Faith and Without Faith,” True Health, 1987, page 17.