Great Construction

Slaves to the Grave


     The title of this essay may probably appear peculiar, but upon careful reading, it should make perfect sense. The title refers to people who religiously and earnestly praise and admire old ways of thinking and aspects of culture that have become encrusted with mold and who cannot give these up and discard them. It is well known that human beings are not able to rid themselves of the traditions and customs that their ancestors have held and guarded over the generations, and it are these very people whom I want to call slaves to the grave. In today’s times which develop and progress every month, even every day, the facts show that those very individuals who have this kind of thinking are those who are behind the times and become failures in life. An example of this on a greater scale are the present conditions of both the United States and the United Kingdom.
     Needless to say, it would be fair to say that the U.S., which now leads the world, whether in prosperity or the substantiality of its national power, provides a magnificent spectacle of this century. The very cause of this phenomenon is the paramount enterprising thought of the American people. It is the spirit in which anything that is new is relentless pursued, in which anything superior to what came before is better. In contrast, England’s very deep-rooted conservative thought brings it harm and still the English are still rather proud of that conservative thought. Just to look at the classical beauty of London is very fine, but even so, as can be observed that contemporary urban beauty is greatly lacking, the city well illustrates England’s current condition. Thus, concerning the fate of England, when one thinks of its glittering days not less than a half century ago, it does feel like it is a different country. Quite something were the English when they controlled as their own the seven seas, possessed many colonies, and obtained enormous revenues without even lifting a finger. Surely it is not just the British who are unable to bear the differences between then and today. As can be seen in the two examples I have cited, altogether so apparent is the nation controlled by the grave and the one that is not.
     Others that have followed the same fate are the Western nations of Egypt, Greece, Persia, Spain, Portugal, and Asian nations such as India, China, and Korea. The cause of this phenomenon in all these cases is that these peoples are not able to awaken from the dreams of their glorious days, those dreams become a block to progressive ideas, and thus these nations have declined at present. The histories of these nations testify as to how devastating is the slave-to-the-grave consciousness. Neither is religion an exception. The most conspicuous example is probably Buddhism. At present, there are a little over 300,000 followers of Buddhism in India, the birthplace of the religion, which means there is about one Buddhist in a thousand, so the situation probably amounts to the religion having disappeared there. In China as well, nothing like even a shadow of its former self remains, and all that can said about Japan is that here Buddhism barely maintains a pulse. The next religion, Christianity could be said to have reached its peak during the Middle Ages. As at one time the religion even enjoyed jurisdiction in civil judicial affairs, the extent of its influence can be imagined. Christianity came under the influence of material science as well, but as all are aware, today all it has is a formal existence.
     Thinking about the facts above, it is needless to say that with the passage of time all aspects of culture change and continue to change. Bergson’s theory of all in a state of constant change probably refers to this phenomenon. The law of evolution where the old falls away and the new rises can be clearly understood from the process of history as described above. It is in this sense that the very birth of a thought that is worthy to lead the new age is what advances civilization, and this new thought has historically been a great religion. I hereby declare that it is World Messianity to which this is most applicable. The facts of course are demonstrated but validation is also found in the activities of salvation that World Messianity is now conducting across various fields. I will omit enumerating them one by one here, but actual observation allows for quick comprehension which comes from the fact that all are activities to which no one as yet has put a hand. In this regard, what I always tell people is that what has been done before can be left to professionals in the relevant field. I am clearing the way for a new world whose creation was only in dreams. I believe this work is the mission given to me by God. Of course, the fundamental of that mission is moving forward on the basis of an ism that is not, as described in the title, controlled by the grave.

Eikō, Issue 209, May 20, 1953 
translated by cynndd