Teachings of Meishu and Kyoshu

01 Door of Mystery Opened

     That which I preach is mostly unprecedented, so there may be not a few people who entertain doubts as to what I truly mean.
     To dispel their doubts, I will now give a simple explanation.
     Construction of the “Earthly Kingdom of Heaven” which I am always advocating is not my own notion, but one which God revealed to me together with plans and aspects as to how to realize it and He has endowed me with the great power to perform the said mission as the time is opportune now.
     Exertion of this superhuman power to learn things results in the views which I preach and the enigmas hitherto inexplicable, or any other phenomena veiled in the fog of mystery which have been clearly disclosed to my spiritual senses. What I write are those truths just as they have been disclosed to me. Now is the time when everything should be brought to light. The world has hitherto been in the dark period and so it is a matter of course that people have been unable to see things clearly. The dim light has not been bright enough to perceive the truth. This has been the real condition of this world.
     The dawning of the new world began at the middle of June, 1931. Since then, the world has entered the daylight period, the “Bright World” or the “World of Glory” is at hand, and the “Earthly Kingdom of Heaven” is being realized. Accordingly, every enigma, secret, social vice, etc., are to be exposed to the light, this world hitherto opaque will become transparent and vice will have no refuge to hide in.
     It is natural that the world free from disease, poverty and conflict should be born by ridding vice of the world, when vice is the sole cause of disease, poverty and conflict, the three great disasters of human beings.
     The cause of all human diseases, the great pain of the three, will, of course, be clarified, causing a diseaseless world to be realized.
     No religion, philosophy, pedagogy, idea, etc. up to the present has been able to completely explain or, penetrate into the pith of, all phenomena in the world.
     Buddha, when seventy-two years of age, said, “Now, I have become able to see the truth”, and Nichiren, a famous Buddhist, I hear, became able to see the truth at his fiftieth year.
     Seeing the truth means to penetrate into the pith. What Buddha called the truth which he saw was the fall of Buddhism and the birth of “Miroku,” the Messiah, and in the case of Nichiren, it was the appearance of the world of “Gino,” a Utopia, with the birth of “Johgyo-Bostsu”, the Messiah in another name, after six hundred and fifty years.
     Jesus Christ would have been unable to predict the appearance of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Second Advent of Christ unless he “saw the truth” although he did not say so.
     We can imagine that other saints who could almost “see the truth” must have appeared in the world since olden times.
     “To see the truth” is, as it were, to climb up to the top of a pyramid. The higher we climb, the wider the field of vision becomes, and the more things we can see.
     As for me, I became able to “see the truth” at forty-five years of age. One can clearly know everything ranging over past, present and future when one has reached the state of “seeing the truth”.
     Every error committed by human beings in the past is clearly visible to me, and also the future condition of the world and mankind can palpably be seen through.
     I am not, however, able to tell everything which I have come to know, for the present. For Satan, the “Daiba” (the Devil is Buddhist term) or the Pharisees are still continuing to disturb our cause. So I am obliged to publish only a part of my knowledge.
     It is Providence that I am obliged to publish only a part of my knowledge, although I feel some dissatisfaction in leaving my knowledge half published.
     Still anyone who has ever read my writings must perceive that what I have hitherto published must surpass what predecessors have written.
     Now, as is shown by the title, the door of mystery has already been opened.

02 Embodiment of Truth

     The true purpose of a religion is the embodiment of truth. Truth is nothing but a natural phase of the Universe itself, the reality of which none can deny. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Man, being once born, must someday die (this in Buddhist terms is expressed as follows: Everyone living must die; those who meet must part, and man keeps living by breathing and eating.) These are all “truth”. The present condition of human beings is so confused that even such a patent fact needs an explanation.
     Confusion, conflict, disorder, crime, etc., are pervading every aspect of the modern community. Nobody will deny that such conditions are, for human beings, the cause for unhappiness rather than happiness.
     Where is, then, the root of such conditions? I think that the root of all affairs in the world are deviating from the truth too evidently. Only people have not taken notice of the said fact.
     Frankly speaking modern people do not even know what truth itself is, partly because they have not enough time to think about “truth” under the pressure of living.
     Even some religions have not hitherto been able to clearly understand what truth is.
     If religions had been able to really preach “truth”, human society would have been free from such a profound agony from which it is now suffering.
     Maybe, an earthly paradise would have already been realized to some extent.
     I believe that now the time has come, however, when the Great Love of God should be manifested, and God has chosen me to open the way to “truth”.
     One will be able to gradually understand what truth is when one open-mindedly reads and appreciates, articles and remarks by me in which I am preaching “truth”.
     For example, man falls ill because he has deviated from truth in some respects, and he can not be truly cured because he has deviated from truth.
     Dangerous thoughts, increase of crime, shortage of money, inflation or deflation, etc., are all results of deviation from “truth”.
     Life has been so made by God that every wish man has is easily realized, as long as it is right and if everything in the world is not deviated from “truth”.
     Then, an ideal, human society pervaded with good and beautiful thoughts, and human life full of joy and happiness are sure to be realized. This is none other than the true phase of the Earthly Paradise, the advent of which I am always advocating.
     One might think that my opinion is very different from others, but it is not so. It is quite normal and not strange.
     It is when anyone reads my articles with eyes clouded by non-truth that they think they are abnormal. The stranger my opinions seem to people of the world, it follows that the more abnormal the modern community is. The people who affirm my opinion can be said to have grasped what truth is.
     God has granted boundless freedom to human beings. This is a “truth”.
     Here lies the reason why human beings are far superior to other creatures. Then what does the liberty allowed to human beings mean? Man is situated between God and beasts, the two extremes, approaching nearer to God by elevating himself, and to beasts by degradation. In other words, it depends upon his own action whether this world becomes a sweet paradise or a miserable hell. This is “truth”. It is a matter of course that anyone should prefer the former to the latter.
     In short, realization of the heavenly world is the final purpose of human beings and to attain this purpose, “truth” should be embodied. That is the essential mission of religion in general.
     So I am always preaching and writing on “truth”, making efforts, and leading a busy life day and night as a person with a mission to embody “truth”.

03 I Preach Truth

     It must be realized that what I teach contains a meaning which is quite different from the hitherto accepted way of thinking. All so-called conventional views are widely known and scarcely need writing about here. Nevertheless, however skilfully such views may be presented, they are after all, only an adaptation from the originals and so a vain effort.
     We can not rate too highly the merits of the sages, and the wise and great men, who have lived from olden times, and have done good to the world through their teachings and views. Still we can not but admit that their utility has become less relative to the progress of the world. Hence a new viewpoint which can be useful in this new era has necessarily been born. This is what the modern people have a crying need for.
     Indeed, that which great religions in existence preach, must of course have had great significance for the people of the time when those religions were born, and their contents were suited to the cultural level of the time. But the actual state of the present tells us eloquently that they have not enough power to appeal to the people now that long years have elapsed since their birth. Furthermore, scholars and wise men have amended and distorted parts of what were originally preached by those religions.
     Thus one may say that existing religions have lost much of their power to save the world. Another problem is that religious classics and records are very difficult to understand. Most religions which are based on the teaching of a single founder, are divided into several sects, and in some religions, there exist a continuous conflict among those sects. Thus it is utterly impossible for those religions to give people a true philosophy.
     It is most important for religions in general to reform man's mind through teaching of truth, as the intrinsic mission of religion in general is to embody truth. As a result of mistaken concepts of religion, social work has been thought to be an essential religious work, although actually it is only a secondary thing.
     Then arises the question of what truth is and the thoroughness of explanation is necessary, although there is nothing so simple and understandable as truth. That which is unintelligible and complicated is really far from truth. Truth is for example, the facts that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, or that one breathes and eats.
     It has been a wonder to me that truth has been considered very difficult to understand since olden times. One reason is that there has never been anyone who could see truth in the real sense of the word. It is because this world has been in a nocturnal period
     I was endowed with the great mission from God when I was more than forty years of age, and at the same time reached a stage of being able to see the truth. I have noticed that modern culture has committed too many errors after observing every phenomenon during this stage.
     Then, the fundamental condition of salvation should be to enlighten the ignorance of all the people of the world by clearly exposing the real state of affairs. In this sense, that which I advocate and carry out is quite different from what has conventionally been advocated and done, and so I break through the bond of tradition.
     As everyone sees, I explain all truth quite easily and simply, and as understandably as possible. One difficulty is, that the truth which I preach is prone to be mistaken as non-truth by people who find it difficult to discard the hitherto conventional way of thinking. This can not be helped as it is a temporal phenomena in a transitional period.
     However, the truth is truth and must of course gradually be understood as such by all in the course of time. Truth is such a thing. The unprecedented development of our religion proves the genuineness of these facts.

04 God Is Justice

     I write here under this self-evident title because not only people in general, but even ministers and church members often forget that God is justice. Our religion especially emphasizes justice and virtue, but some members, though very few, deviate from the highway of religious faith and stray in mistaken directions. They invariably receive warnings from God. Should they ignore these warnings, they will be dealt a crushing blow by God.
     Followers are generally very honestly impressed while they are still in the stage of novices by the divine virtues and miracles. If they earnestly continue their religious faith and as far as it continues to be correct, they will be abundantly blessed with divine bounty and respected by others. Their living will also be greatly improved. They should be more grateful for divine mercy and do their best in answering for it.
     Alas, however, here comes the human weakness. With the lapse of time, they become self-centered and unguarded. Evil spirits are watching for such a chance and enter and occupy them. These spirits can now handle such bodies as they please. How dangerous it is! Evil spirits like to possess people more, who are ambitious and of great use. However, if members continue their correct religious faith, they are safe, because evil spirits can do nothing with such members and they have to abandon the hope of possessing them. There are, however, a few members who are possessed by evil spirits. One can never be too cautious on this point.
     There is a standard by which a person can know whether he is safe or not. The standard is whether one possesses selfish love or not. If one is motivated by the cause for God and mankind, and not by one’s own interest, evil spirits can do nothing with one. However, with small success, one can become conceited and consider oneself great. This is the critical moment. One becomes ambitious and wishes to give the impression of greatness and influence many people. This is horrible. Evil spirits will enter more and more deeply into such a one’s soul, and completely occupy it in the end. Moreover, if these evil spirits happen to be influential ones they can command spiritual power of considerable magnitude. They can even heal though temporarily, invalids or show other miracles. Such a person becomes therefore more and more conceited.
     Correct religious faith, as I always maintain, should be of the “Daijo” and free. Members should be completely free in maintaining or abandoning their religious faith. They should be bright and happy; they should look something like the inhabitants of Paradise. On the contrary, if any religion is ruled by severe and extremely strict commandments, such a religion is an evil religion. Members of such religions are living infernal lives on account of their religious belief. Should any religion have secrets of which members are admonished not to reveal to outsiders, such a religion is also not a good religion. Correct religious faith has no secrets, and is thoroughly bright and happy.

05 The Power of Johrei

     It is not self-praise when I say that I am exercising a divine power so magnificent that no words can adequately describe it. Such a power has never been recorded in human history. As this is well-known by church members, I will here write for non-members.
     People who have suffered from serious diseases over a long time and who have not been cured by medical treatment, popular cures or faithcures, come to us. They receive Johrei and are astonished at its supreme effect. They are then told that not only are they healed of their diseases, but that they will be endowed with the power to heal others.
     To their great wonder, they are bestowed with the power to heal others after completing an introductory course of only three days. It is with great uneasiness that they administer Johrei for the first time. However, the recipients are healed and warmly thank them. It is not the healed, but the novices who are more astonished at the effect of Johrei. They are either pleased, or they are filled with great wonder that they have been endowed with such a great power. They read divine books and ask questions of ministers, and then they understand the true merits of World Messianity. Then, they heal many other diseases. Their faith in the religion is solidified. Thus they become regular members.

06 Regarding Sickness

     Followers of World Messianity are apt to take the beneficence of divine favours which are so great and wonderful for granted.
     Yet, nothing is so feared today by people in general as disease. There is almost no one who does not need to rely on doctors and medicine. For example, a person has a fever and loses appetite when he catches cold. When a person has a heartburn, he worries himself as to whether he has a stomach ailment.
     Difficulty of breathing through the nose, or a dull sense of smell causes one to worry about nose- diseases. A sore throat accompanied by a fever, causes fear of tonsillitis. Slow reaction or reflexes in the limbs causes one to fear spinal injury or disease. A sore protocele causes one wonder if it is not an indication of piles.
     The troubles that can beset modern people and cause them anxiety and nervousness are endless.
     Should a person suffer from a cold, which becomes complicated, and a persistent cough accompanied by excess of sputum lingers, this causes worry as to whether it may not be the first indication of lung-disease.
     Should a member of family be stricken with tuberculosis, other members fear that they might also have this disease. However, it is a well known fact that people who suspect that they have this disease, fear to be told the truth, because in such cases where it may be tuberculosis, they would be forced to give up their positions in office or in social life.
     Usually, such people begin to secretively read books on tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is explained in detail in such books, and this only causes the reader further anxiety.
     Not only diseases, but also various epidemics are the cause of anxiety. A severe diarrhea causes worry of dysentery. A continuous fever causes fear of typhus. Parents worry over their child should symptoms point to dysentery or Japanese Encephalitis B.
     Continuous strangled coughing of a child causes parents to fear whopping-cough. Woozy sounds in the throat, diphtheria. Stilted walking, polio or spinal caries. Abnormal thinness, scrofulosis.
     In modern times, women suffer from irregular periods, menstrual pain, and other complaints. In the event of pregnancy, morning sickness, kidney ailments, or even premature birth are feared.
     The sickness and diseases of mankind are too numerous to list, and it is no exaggeration to say that there does not exist a single person who is completely healthy on this earth.
     Here one must deliberate whether such is the normal condition of human beings. Is it that our Creator has created an incomplete creature in man? This is unthinkable.
     Then what is disease? The answer is very simple. It is nothing but the pain which accompanies the excreting process of toxic substance within one’s body. Such toxic substance must be excreted out of man’s body to maintain health. Therefore, one should be thankful for disease. Only when one has completed understood the above fact, one can be thankful for catching cold, having diarrhea and even for existence of bacilli. One’s health is gradually improved though disease and one can become a healthy person in the true sense. Many instances prove this fact.
     By receiving Johrei, one becomes less susceptible to disease with every purification one experiences and thus becomes gradually healthier with lapse of time.

07 Way to Happiness

     The gravest problem of people in the world today, is how to attain happiness.
     Man is necessarily occupied with this thought from the cradle to the grave. Ironically enough, that which man is most anxious to know is usually most difficult to know. This problem is no exception to the rule. I am fortunate enough to know the answer to this problem. My knowledge is unerring because it is based on practical experience. The definition of fortune is not easy as it is so vague. One can not change one’s fortune. The only thing one can do is to leave one’s fortune to take its own course.
     It is very difficult even for the greatest man in the world to swallow his lot. As a result, the ardent desire for happiness is a stimulant to life, which makes one toil and struggle to earn money, or attain distinction through life, to no avail.
     There is nothing more contrary than human fortune, which is too elusive to catch. A chance to become happy must be seized at the instant it appears, otherwise it escapes.
     Through various experiences, I once felt as though I were being mocked by good fortune, but now I know I have been blessed with good fortune.
     This is very difficult to explain to non-church members, who are inclined to judge things superficially without looking into the core. When a person is not able to penetrate into the core of good fortune, he is unable to understand what fortune actually is.
     When man moves, it is not his body that moves of its own motivation, but his mind which moves the body. The same principle is applicable to fortune. The universe is composed of the phenomenal side and the invisible spiritual side. Such is the way in which God has created the universe. The spiritual side of the world moves the phenomenal or physical side of the world just as the mind moves the body. And in every case, the spiritual world precedes the phenomenal or real world.
     So, fortune follows the same rule; that is, one can become happy only when the spiritual side of oneself in the spiritual world has become happy. One’s happy condition in the spiritual world reflects upon the physical world to make one happy in this world.
     In the spiritual world, the class system is more strict and impartial than in this world. It is divided into three strata, the upper, middle and lower, each stratum being again subdivided into sixty divisions. Therefore, it has one hundred and eighty divisions in total. The upper stratum corresponds to heaven, the lower to hell, and the middle to purgatory, the condition of which is approximately the same with that of this world.
     This may be inconceivable to modern people. This fact, however, is unerring and has been revealed to me by God, and is based on my own thorough and long investigation into the relation between the spiritual world and the physical world. The numerous people who have become happy through having faith and practising my teaching based on this revelation proves the genuineness of the fact.
     The spiritual side of man resides in the spiritual world, whereas the physical side of man lives in this physical world. The spiritual side of man, or his soul, stays in one of the one hundred and eighty divisions, that is, he is spiritually domiciled in that position in the spiritual world. This spiritual domicile is not settled but always moving upward or downward. This movement influences man’s fortune to make him happier or unhappier. Man should, therefore, try to uplift his spiritual domicile as much as possible.
     The lower part of the spirit world is hell, of course, a pandemonium full of every kind of agony, a dark lightless world.
     The higher one’s soul goes, the better the condition becomes. The upper part is heavenly, peaceful and bright. An ideal world. The condition of the middle part is neither very good nor very bad.
     Thus, it is quite clear that to lift the position of one’s soul in the spirit world is basically the most important thing to become happy, when one’s domicile in the spiritual world is reflected upon one’s fortune in this world to make him happier or unhappier.
     There are some persons who, having succeeded in life and been envied by many, suddenly fell in their circumstances to their original condition in spite of their expectation in continuity of success. The cause of their fall is attributable to their too strong self-confidence, negligence of God and ignorance of the above-stated fact. Besides, those people are inclined to afflict others and attempt the impossible. In consequence, they may phenomenally succeed in life, but their souls are then already in hell. The condition of their souls in hell is reflected upon them in time, finally making their lot hellish by the law of “spirit preceding body”.
     Vicious deeds make one’s soul cloudy, whereas virtuous deeds make one’s soul pure enough to ascend upward. The secret to attain happiness is therefore, to avoid all vice, do good as far as one can and thus try to make one’s soul as pure as possible.
     I affirm that this is the truth and that there is no other way to become truly happy. I know it is much easier to preach than to practise. There is one way, however, to make its practice easy—Faith.

08 The Road to Zen

     Speaking from a broad sense, religions were born of God’s Love and to lead people to the happy way of life. It is a well known fact that is very difficult to attain happiness by merely trying. Only a relatively few people can attain happiness after a lifetime of effort, and most people suffer from one unhappiness after another. It is very rare that theories taught in schools, teachings and biographies of great men, or books are of help to attain happiness. However elaborate theories may be, reality very often does not agree. Honest people are deemed as simple-minded and if one tries to be dishonest, one may fall in public estimation or be punished by law. Shrewd people make it their philosophy to pretend honesty and actually practise dishonesty in secret. People in general are inclined to follow such a philosophy, and usually succeed in life.
     This may be the reason why social vice does not decrease. The more honest one is, the more one is deemed as hide-bound and anachronistic. Many people who too strongly advocate justice, are kept at a respectful distance, and usually lead an unhappy life.
     Against such opposition, I have fought in the cause of justice. This creates the necessity of unusual effort.
     I have experienced the scornful abuse of newspapers, partly because I have commented on social vice without reserve.
     I am very happy that since then the general tendency of thought has pointed favourably to the direction of our cause for justice and honesty. Our cause for higher social morals remains unmoved in the face of opposition with divine help and our church is endowed with merit.
     I am very happy that the democratic age has come to Japan in which freedom of faith is permitted and fatal persecution can be avoided. So, I am now proceeding step by step towards the realization of Zen (justice, virtue) which is my grand plan, eliminating Aku (injustice, vice).
     The fundamental condition to be happy is Zen (justice, virtue) of course, but one must have the strength to eliminate Aku (injustice, vice) in order to carry out Zen.
     Since olden times there have been many homes which are not free from poverty and successive misfortune, in spite of the earnest devotion to faith by their family members.
     Such a fact gave birth to the conventional misconception that only spiritual salvation is the essential mission of religion. Through World Messianity, one can find material salvation as well as spiritual salvation.

09 Divine Spiritual Radioactivity

     The words radial rays and radioactivity are now well known among the reading public, and especially with the progress of the theory of the atom. This tendency of interest has become marked. Of course, these words came into use with the discovery of radium. Today, new elements such as uranium and plutonium have been discovered, and it is astonishing how these elements are contributing to the development of our culture and how they may be applied in future to every branch of human civilization and contribute to the welfare of mankind.
     However, I have found a more powerful and superior radioactivity than mineral radioactivities and I am now applying it to the healing and saving the lives of many people. I have named this radioactivity the Divine Spiritual Radioactivity. The special characteristic of this radioactivity is that differing from mineral radioactivity, it can be emitted endlessly from the human body and exerts an astonishing power. Another characteristic is that unless the purpose of the person who uses this radioactivity is righteousness and virtue, and unless he feels love of humanity in his heart, he can not exert this power. Scientifically expressed, this radioactivity is composed of more minute particles of a greater density than those of mineral radioactivity. That is to say, this radioactivity is much superior to mineral radioactivity.
     So-called divine favours which have been given by various faiths have been achieved through the divine spiritual radioactivity. But the divine spiritual radioactivity has been incomparably weaker than that which I am exerting.
     Let us now enumerate the examples of its effect. When one emits the Divine Spiritual Power to the affected part of the human body, the person begins to recover. This is being testified to by numberless reports of healing by grateful onetime sufferers.
     Unbalance of character, for example, juvenile delinquency, unmoral people, victims of hysteria have been restored to normalcy through the Divine Spiritual Radioactivity.
     On the face of it, it may be thought that only specially selected people have the power to utilize this Divine Spiritual Radioactivity, but this is not so. Anyone can make use of it by learning it’s method of use. Although the strength of radioactivity differs according to each individual, anyone may be bestowed with this power to some extent.

10 Divine Science

     What is the essential quality of spiritual cloud. It is the toxic “germs” which have been generated in the spirit of water which man possesses. These germs are so minute that they can not be seen by scientific aids. The principle of how such minute germs are generated shall be explained later in a separate article, so here let me only explain the principle of annihilating these toxic germs through the spiritual power of Johrei.
     How is one able to annihilate the cloud or toxic germs in man’s spiritual body through the power of the radio-activity channelled through a human body in the administration of Johrei? The element of the radioactivity is the light-wave which is generated from the spirit of fire, the essence of light. This is the element quite contrary in quality to the toxic germs in the spirit of water. The difference of the qualities between Zen (justice, virtue) and Aku (injustice, vice). This light-wave is composed of ultra-minute particles of light and exerts a sterilizing power.
     Now let me explain what the essential quality of this light-wave is. The ultra-minute particles which compose the lightwave is a radioactivity from God, and the original source of the divine favours through which our church members are working daily miracles by Johrei. I have known well that non-members as well as members have marveled and have been anxious to know the principle by which these miracles are brought about. However, I have hitherto been unable to clarify the principle because the time was then premature, but now that the final moment is at hand, I am obliged to reveal it.
     Up to now, the salvation of mankind by The Divinity has been achieved only spiritually and the favors of God upon human beings has not been so apparent, because the Divine Light from God was not powerful enough as it had been composed of the spirits of fire and water only and lacked the spirit of soil.
     However, now is the time of the great transition in the spirit world. The end of the world or the Last Judgement advocated in the Christian Bible is at hand. This has made the absolute power of salvation necessary. This absolute power should be composed of the spirits of fire, water and soil, the Trinity power. The spirit of soil means the element of substance in general, and in this case, the human body.
     Passing through a human body, the Divine Light acquires the Trinity power composed of the spirits of fire, water and soil. Thus, the element of light exerted from God appears as the Divine Power by passing through my body and becomes the purificatory power when it is transmitted from me to every member and emanates from his body through Johrei.
     The other reason of the absoluteness in the power of Johrei is this. The great transition period in the spirit world started recently. In the spirit world before that time the amount of the spirit of water had been greater than that of the spirit of fire. However, since the above-mentioned time, the amount of the spirit of fire has been gradually increased, surpassing the amount of the spirit of water.

11 Faith Means Trust

     In this world there are many religionists, but true religionists are rarely to be found. Let me explain my point.
     However, a man may think himself to be a religionist, it means nothing should this thinking be a subjective opinion of himself. The proof of quality in a religionist should be obvious when viewed objectively.
     Much of religion is based on trust. It follows therefore, that one should strive to become such a person as to inspire trust in others. Strictly speaking, to have others believe in one’s word as trustworthy, that only good can result from one’s company, to have others believe in one’s honesty—than can a man be said to be trusted by others.
     Then, comes the question of how one can inspire such trust in others. This will come of a constant and conscientious striving to improve the inner quality of oneself. To abstain from lies, deceit, to think of the good of others before oneself. These and many other factors help toward securing the love and respect of others.
     It is quite natural that qualities as these should bring others into closer relation with oneself and foster that inner warmth and intimacy that ultimately means trust.
     However, such qualities in man should be constant and not spasmodic, as the slightest detectable deviation will cause others to lose their trust very quickly.
     The above are a few pointers on human relations only, which although may be said to be commonsense, often go by the board. We also must not forget the ultimate in trust—that is, the trust of God—another commonsense factor oftimes neglected and without which we shall not know the estatic life.

12 Road to Paradise

     A fundamental condition must be taken into consideration in order to change this world into paradisial one, that is, to eliminate Aku (injustice, vice) which lurks in the heart of man. However, people in general apparently do not like Aku and are afraid of being deemed vicious. Furthermore, the essential point of ethics and education in general has been to admonish people against Aku. One of the main purposes of religion in general is to recommend Zen (justice, virtue) and denounce Aku. Among a family, each member naturally wishes one another to perform Zen. Laws exist to punish vicious people.
     Despite the above facts, Aku still exists. However, people of Aku may be divided into four groups. (1) A person who commits Aku intentionally. (2) Those who perform Aku unconsciously. (3) Those who perform Aku under stress. (4) Those who perform Aku while believing it to be Zen.
     The first will need no explanation. The second may be said to be the most prevalent in the world. To the third group may belong barbarous people, imbecile, weak-minded people, etc. Those who belong to the fourth group may be said to have the worst influence upon the world in general, since they perform that which they believe to be Zen openly and most enthusiastically, whereas it is actually Aku.
     Now let me write on the relation between Aku and the progress of civilization. In olden times when people were still barbaric and uncivilized, the stronger preyed upon the weaker, deprived them of freedom, plundered them, or murdered them, so people provided every possible means to protect themselves against such dangers. Collective as well as individual efforts and devices of self-protection contributed to improve human knowledge and wisdom, without doubt. On agreement between groups to secure safety might have been an original form of the international treaty today. From social regulations to punish those who dared to disturb the peace of a community might have originated modern criminal laws.
     However, these devices and efforts made by mankind have not been sufficient to eliminate Aku from human society. Thus the strife between Zen and Aku has continued up to date. Innumerable numbers of virtuous people must have been killed in the strife. Great religionists have appeared from time to time to save the people. They have tried to afford spiritual relief to the distressed and to make vicious people repent of their sins through preaching. Such has contributed to improve the condition of the world to some extent, but it has been unable to change the general trend of the world.
     On the other hand, mankind has developed material civilization to eliminate unhappiness which has resulted from Aku. The unexpected progress of material civilization, however, was unable to eliminate Aku, contrarily it has even contributed to promote evils by making the scale of war much larger.
     At the bottom of this phenomena, however, there is perceived the deep dispensations of God. The ideal of both spiritual and material civilizations is a realization of an ideal world where eternal peace and happiness dominate. As a result of the fact that the above ideal can not be realized, intelligent men are haunted by doubts and have come to a deadlock. Some of them are seeking for a solution in religion or philosophy, but most of them seem to believe that only the progress of science may bring about a final solution.
     Should Aku be the fundamental cause of human unhappiness, there must arise a question as to why God has created Aku in this world. This must be one of the problems which has worried mankind most.
     I believe that Aku has been necessary up to date in order to advance material science, progress of which has been speeded up through the struggle between Zen and Aku. This must be an unexpected answer, but it is true. For example, war, a most miserable disaster which kills innumerable people has driven man to devise every possible means to avoid war, as a result of which the progress of civilization has been given impetus to a great extent.
     Should a war continue over too long a period, complete destruction of a country or civilization might result. So God stops a war at a proper stage in order to avoid complete destruction. Thus, war and peace have continued alternatively. This is the actual stage of human history. In the community, criminals and procuration authorities are always matching wits with each other, or individuals are at variance with one another. These are basically the results of the strife between Zen and Aku, and an impetus for the progress of civilization.
     Should the conflict between Zen and Aku have been necessary for the development of civilization, Aku will be said to have been necessary up to date. However, it should be known that the necessity of Aku is limited.
     It is necessary to know the purpose of God to understand the above. The end of the world as prophecied by founders of various religions including Jesus Christ actually must have meant the end of the world of Aku. That which is to come after the end of the world of Aku is the ideal world which is free from disease, poverty and strife and where truth, virtue and beauty are dominate.
     In order that such a wonderful world may be realized, a corresponding preparation is necessary. The material and spiritual condition must be ready to form such a world. The material side has been developed in advance to spiritual side through God’s dispensation because the spiritual side can be developed very rapidly, whereas it requires time for the material side to be developed. Atheism was born in order that the human mind may be chiefly concentrated upon the development of material culture. So atheism may be said to be a fundamental condition of Aku. Thus good people have been afflicted by Aku and the conflict between Zen and Aku has continued over a long period, as a result of which man has been struggling in seeking for happiness.
     Therefore, the miserable condition of mankind can not be helped considering that the existence of Aku has accelerated the progress of civilization to a great extent.

13 Be a Man of Daijo

     As I have previously had occasion to say, that what is Aku (injustice, vice) from the standpoint of “Daijo” is Zen (justice, virtue) from the standpoint of “Shojo”, and what is Zen (justice, virtue) from the standpoint of “Shojo” is Aku (injustice, vice) from the standpoint of “Daijo”. Some members of World Messianity are inclined to forget this all important fact.
     Plainly speaking, “Daijo” means to look at things from a wide viewpoint. There may be some cases in which a member may be striving his utmost, believing that he is performing Zen, and yet the results obstructing the realization of the Divine Program. Such person is usually self-reliant, overestimates his ability and unknowingly forgets the greatness of the divine power of God.
     I often hear people say that such and such a person is doing his work earnestly but somehow without success. They wonder why it is so. Actually it is due to that person’s “Shojo” faith. Persons of “Shojo” faith usually are rigid and formal. So, few people visit them. Consequently their work will not expand. Then their narrow way of thinking is inclined to take them to extremes, they lack commonsense and act eccentrically.
     On the other hand, there are some members who apparently do not seem to be so earnest and yet are surprisingly successful in their work. With such people their work expands because they understand “Daijo” faith and put it into practice.
     Another thing, people of “Shojo” faith are likely to condemn others. As I always say on this point, it is a great mistake to speak about good or evil of other persons, because it is only God who knows the good or evil of man.
     To condemn others as good or evil is impertinent and a blasphemy towards God. Such people are usually dogmatic, boastful, and not loved or respected by others. Consequently they do not expand in their mission work. Moreover they sometimes cause outrageous troubles.
     I once wrote an article entitled “Be a World Man”. That which I intended to convey by this article was to show that only Zen in its “Daijo” sense is true Zen.
     In other words, there are two kinds of love, man’s love, and God’s love. God’s love is of “Daijo” and therefore boundless love towards all mankind. Man’s love is love of “Shojo”
     If you understand this, you will do whatever you are doing in a ”Daijo” way of thinking. Embrace the love of God in your heart when you are helping other people to faith and the result will be fruitful. Always try to keep God’s heart within you and deal with people with a broad limitless love. Then naturally everybody will feel pleasant to be with you and more and more people will be attracted to you. In this way your work will expand.

14 On Love

     Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of love, love of Shojo and universal love. Among the former in extreme cases is self-love, next comes love for family, for friends, and so forth. However deep such love might be, it eventually belongs to Aku, because the intenser such love is, the more it is apt to become a cause of conflict.
     Universal love is love for mankind, for the world or a divine love. Therefore, even the finest principle can not be trusted, should it be based on love of Shojo, which is limited.
     Universal love should pervade all over the world and become the common idea of the people of the world in order that strife may be eliminated.
     One should know that every kind of strife is caused by love of Shojo.
     In the history of religions which even advocated universal love, there have been conflicts. We read of wars between religious sects or wars for the cause of religion. Our idea is that a religion should practice as well as advocate universal love. We should pray that the time may come when all religions in the world respect each other and work hand in hand for the world peace.

15 On Asceticism

     Since olden times, an ascetic way of life has generally been regarded as a “must” in being a respectable religionist. An ascetic way of life, was believed to be the best way to awaken oneself to truth and improve oneself spiritually. However, I can not agree with this way of thinking.
     I believe that all creation exists for the sake of man. One should deliberate on the reason for flowers in spring, autumnal tints, the singing of birds, the chirping of insects, the scenic beauty of mountains and rivers, the elegant atmosphere of a moon-lit night, etc. I believe that all these have been created by God for man’s diversion and benefit. Further, man has himself been given the sense, above beasts, to enjoy the arts of song, dance, literary works, etc. for his delight.
     In addition, all forms, of building, gardens, even clothes, are now made not only for the purpose of man’s existence, but they all contain some elements for man’s diversion.
     Food becomes truly nutritious and the sustainer of life only when one enjoys it. Should foods, houses, and clothing exist only to enable man to live by, they need not be so fully of variety and beauty, and taste.
     Thus God has endowed man with the sense to enjoy all things, artificial as well as natural. Therefore, man should enjoy them. To refuse to do so and try to attempt to satisfy oneself only with the necessary things to live on, may be said to be an erroneous mental attitude, and contrary to God’s intention.
     That which has been most lacking in some privileged classes up to date may be altruism. Generally speaking, the rich have been rather inclined to try to seek pleasure only for themselves and for their families, being utterly indifferent to the pleasure of others and incidentally of society, to the exclusion of love of mankind. This form of living may be said to enjoy the exclusive possession of God’s favors. In answer to God’s love, the favored ones should share the pleasure of their possessions with those less favored.
     Now, the saints of olden times led an extremely ascetic life, with the plainest of foods and clothing. I think this too may be said to be a life contrary to God’s intention. It is a great pity that people as a whole are oblivious to the above truth, and tend to deem religionists as not pious enough unless they lead such an ascetic way of life.
     In the above sense, an earthly paradise means a world in which human life has been much improved as a whole, and the artistic pleasures have attained the highest level.
     A word on truth, virtue and beauty. Roughly speaking, truth means the absence of falsity. Virtue means the right practice of man. And beauty means the whole. An ascetic way of life may be said to be full of virtue, but it not only lacks truth and beauty but, should all of the people lead such a life, it must hinder the development of man’s culture.

16 To Eradicate Misery

     What is more disliked in this world than misery? It is almost impossible to completely eliminate misery. But we may dare say it is not so difficult to alleviate it.
     First let us consider what the true essence of misery is. There may be different causes of misery. But in most cases we find one undeniable fact causing it; and that is sickness. Of course there can be other things to cause misery, such as unrighteous conduct the result of greed, or impure love-affairs, etc. But even with these a closer investigation reveals the cause to be mental or spiritual sickness. The proverb, “A sound mind in a sound body” is really true.
     I have found from many years of study that scandals in love-affairs, bad morals, dishonesty, quick-temperedness, alchoholism, indolence and delinquency almost always these come from physical shortcomings and diseases. This is spiritual cloud. Up to this time there never has been any sure method of attaining real spiritual and physical health, because no one had really discovered the cause of human misery. Even though we had discovered the cause, how to solve it was the problem. I have seen many people trying all kinds of things to get rid of their misery without effect and still suffering terribly. My heart cries out in pity for them.
     Through Divine revelation I have learned that the only way to eliminate all human misery is to disperse the clouds from the spiritual body by the invisible spiritual energy—the Divine Healing Light of God. God is all powerful. Those who have had experience with Johrei know how truly powerful Divine Healing Light is.
     Modern people cannot be satisfied just with theories, however wonderful or profound they may be, unless they see the actual results which would prove the truth. Theories are useless without becoming factual to prove their validity, and Paradise on Earth where all mankind might thrive without becoming a reality would still remain a dream.
     The invisible power which moves the visible—this power should be the very essence of faith. What is being channeled by World Messianity is this power. Johrei is a method in which the Divine Light is poured forth directly toward the spiritual body—toward the inner soul—so that the soul may wake up to the truth—to the great love of God. This is what might be called bringing of soul to fruition, unconsciously. We believe preaching is of secondary importance.
     To members who are in direct contact with the Divine Light, receiving and channelling Johrei, spiritual progress is very rapid, and they gradually attain spiritual advancement which otherwise is very difficult to accomplish. They are not only helped from their misery but are endowed with the power to help others.
     As the number of those individuals increase, Paradise on Earth will draw nearer to its realization, because the world is composed of individuals.

17 Climate and Weather

     If I try to give a spiritual explanation about climate and weather, the majority of modern people who are accustomed to listening to scientific explanations of all natural phenomena may not easily be convinced of what I say. But this was revealed to me as all other things, so I publish this theory with conviction. If I express this in a single word, the change of climate and weather is all man-made. This may sound very queer. But I hope you will consider my words carefully, with deep thought.
     As I stated before, besides the various phenomena in this physical world which we can attest with our five senses, there are phenomena which occur in the invisible spiritual realm which influence this physical world. Seasons are generally divided into four seasons ranging from winter to summer.
     The change of seasons should come smoothly and naturally according to the transition of time. But once in a while we experience an extreme change of climate. This is caused by human thought which reflects on the spiritual world. For instance, if the majority of people entertain righteous and peaceful thought the climate will be mild and normal. In case many people get abnormal and their thought tends to lack the warmth of love, this thought reflects on the weather, making it colder than it should usually be for that season. Conversely, if the majority get excited at a certain event and lack equilibrium of emotion, the weather tends to be warmer than it should be for the time of the year. Besides these, in case many people hold such evil thoughts as complaints, discontent, resentment, curse or desperation, this will reflect on the spiritual world and there will be somehow gloomy atmosphere in the air.
     Human speech also has great influence on climate and weather. Those words which belong to evil thought, such as abuses, complaints, grumblings, lies etc. form clouds making the spiritual worlds very cloudy.
     I once had a religious friend who could see the spirit of words we human utter. He used to say that from evil words he could see something like darkish soot being emitted from the mouth, while he would see from good words and words of virtue vague but whitish light coming out. It is this soot-like substance that comes from evil words which make the spiritual word cloudy. When this substance increases to a certain point, a natural purification must occur to disperse the cloud and make it disappear. This is the natural law. It is the same as house-cleaning we do when the home gets dirty. The natural purification of a large area may come in heavy rains, typhoons and thunderstorms.
     Floods, fires and earthquakes are also purifications. Winds blow off the dust, water washes away the dirt and fire burns up all impurities. These are handled by those divine spirits who are in charge of natural purifications of the whole world using the many spirits who work under them.
     When we come to understand the meaning of these things, we realize why we should try our best to eliminate evil thoughts and words.

18 The Power of Speech

     When some one is suffering from sickness or from some other trouble, we often experience wonderful result from prayer. That is, by praying our prayers aloud. People are often miraculously helped out of severe pain or out of trouble. It is so miraculous that people wonder why or how such things could have happened. There is a definite reason for this.
     It is the power of vibration of speech which causes this. If I may explain this a little more fully, in the spiritual world there is a realm of speech where (in Japan) 75 great spirit-sounds are always vibrating. But these are soundless sounds which fill the spiritual world. Of course we humans on the mortal plane do not hear them. To this realm of speech in the spiritual world the words we human utter vibrate and influence that world. Good and righteous words emit high vibrations which diminish the clouds in the spiritual world, while bad and vicious words emit low vibrations and make the spiritual world more cloudy.
     There is a certain order in the arrangement of the 75 sounds in the spiritual realm of speech. And the words uttered on this plane should harmonize with the right arrangement of sounds in the spiritual realm of speech in order that that world might be kept pure.
     Good words mean elegant words which convey beautiful thoughts. They are the words in which sounds are naturally so arranged that they agree with the law of Truth, Virtue and Beauty. That is why they harmonize with the sounds in the spiritual world. These words sound pleasant to human ears, too, because they penetrate and reach our soul which is the seat of conscience. Conversely, bad and vicious words do not reach the soul but stop at our mind which surround the soul.
     If I may explain this a little further, our secondary spirit which is of animal nature can possess the human mind and stay there, but cannot go further. The denser the cloud is that surrounds the mind, the stronger the secondary spirit becomes. Consequently it is more active. If such is the case, the cloud and the secondary spirit cover up the light of the soul, and so, the voice of conscience becoming weak the person will take delight in doing wrong.
     As a rule people in general feel good when they hear some good story, because the vibrations are good and they give a pleasant impression to the soul. If some people like hearing bad words, they like them because their secondary spirits enjoy the low vibrations emitted by those words. For instance, suppose we were listening to some villains talking about their vicious plans, their conversation would sound so unpleasant that we could hardly bear it. But to those villains it would give a pleasant feeling.
     Good words send out high vibrations and these vibrations reach the inmost soul and the soul emits more radiance, which in turn alleviates the cloud around the mind and makes the secondary spirit diminish. When the secondary spirit diminishes the primary spirit gains more power so that that person comes to dislike wickedness.
     When we pray Amatsu Norito, “Prayer of Heaven.” or Zengen-Sanji, “Prayer in Praise of God, ”the high vibrations formulated by the good words of the prayers will weaken and diminish the secondary spirits within the people listening to them. In case of an evil spirit possessing the human being and torturing the body, it will be obliged to leave the body being unable to stand the high vibrations of the prayers. Thus the clouds around the mind being alleviated or dispersed, the body will be freed from suffering.
     I think you now realize how wonderful the vibrations or rightly chosen words are. Thus when we say our prayer aloud the spiritual world around becomes much more purified. The same can be said of singing of hymns, chanting of scriptures and reading of the Bible.
     There is one more important point I wish to mention in this connection. Not only the power of certain words themselves, but the purity of the soul of the person who utters the words has a great relation to the vibratory power of the words uttered. In other words, the purer the soul is the more powerful will be the vibrations emitted by the words he utters. This is because spiritually the soul belongs to that high plane of higher vibrations.
     For you who are endowed with Light, your vocal vibrations are extremely high. They even approach the plane where dwells the Divine Light of God. Consequently you members should always be striving for spiritual advancement so that your character may attain this highest plane and your speech may give utterance to the highest vibrations.

19 Religion Is Miracle

     We know through many records that religion and miracles are inseparably related. A religion where no miracles happen cannot be called a true religion. However beautiful and elaborate its rituals may be, if the followers experience no miracles, we may say it has already lost its value as religion. It is God who performs miracles. Human can work no miracles.
     When an unexpectedly wonderful result is gained in answer to one’s prayer, people generally call it a miracle. Through this kind of experience one may be led to deep heartfelt gratitude and faith, and is thereby saved from misery. By this we know the value of effective religion. One fact is better than a hundred theories.
     In Japan since World War II, the tendency among the younger generation is to despise religion and to cater to unsound immoral thoughts. This is becoming a matter for deep concern. The over-emphasis on materialistic education is, I believe, responsible for this unfortunate trend. The problem of delinquency and demoralization in Japan and elsewhere will not be solved unless people of the world become conscious of this great misfortune.
     I believe the only way to break down this trend to materialistic idealism is to awaken one and all to the existence of God. How can we do this? Nothing short of a miracle can achieve this end. If they see with their own eyes a seeming impossibility coming true, something which can hardly be explained by natural law—then all doubt and skepticism will vanish.
     So we may say, “Religion is miracle; miracle is religion.” Peace of the world and establishment of a sound righteous society can be realized only when all people come to believe in God and spiritual culture is earthed.
     For this age of great transition God has sent us His Divine Holy Light. And such an intense, magnificent Light it is. Never have mortals experienced such a light before. This is the Light which performs miracles. According to the revelation I received, God has sent this Light for the expressed purpose of awakening human souls—souls that are unmindful of His Existence—souls that cannot conceive of His Paradise on Earth.
     Our Supreme God who has been working through the great masters of all time now shares directly with us this intense Divine Light to see us through this great transitional period, and by His Almighty Power. He will manifest greater miraculous works. Thus by the miracles performed through this Divine Light, God’s Plan of saving the world will be fulfilled and Paradise on Earth will be realized.

20 Construction of an Ideal World

     Jesus Christ prophesied the advent of the Kingdom of Heaven, and Buddha also spoke of the coming of the world of Miroku, an ideal world. It is time that this new age be realized in the near future. According to the revelation I received from God, in the spiritual world the foundation of the ideal world has already been laid.
     So we know that such a world will be constructed on earth as a reality in the near future. How happy we are to be born in this world at this time! I am filled with rapture when I think of it.
     But we must not miss one point in connection with this. To take an illustration in building a house, if we are to build a new grand construction on a site where an old house has been standing, first the old one must be razed. Sometimes out of the old materials, we may pick up some good materials, clean and repair them and they may be used in the new building. In the construction of an ideal world, a Paradise on Earth, something similar to this may be accomplished.
     In the affairs and events that will come about from now on, some may seem useless or even destructive to the human eye. We must know that all the occurrences which seem disagreeable to the human eye are great purifications of the sins and clouds which have been accumulated in the long age of night. Everything which occurs in this world is a manifestation of God’s Will. We have to realize that God’s Providence is too profound for humans to understand. Then we can be truly humble and be prepared to meet the change to come.
     Those who have been informed of this revelation should hold a right concept of God and be careful not to misunderstand the Will of God. Then whatever unusual happenings or even catastrophe may come, we can keep serenity of mind filled with radiant hope, which is a privilege endowed only to believers of God, and wait patiently till the time comes. In short we must be prepared for the process which we have to go through of necessity before Paradise on Earth be realized.
     We believe it is the mission assigned us by God to inform the people of the world of the Divine Light being brought to us and to open their minds to the life-saver sent for this age from the great Love of God.

21 Fortune Can Be Changed At Will

     When things go adversely for a man, he is apt to submit to it as inevitable. He takes it for granted that fortunes of man are beyond human control. I believe, however, that man’s fortune can be greatly changed at will. It is created to some extent by himself. One may be hopeful, therefore, in this regards.
     It is a common craving of man to achieve good fortune, and most people are trying hard to attain this goal, even risking their lives in some cases. However, the true state of things is that very few people can become really happy. The majority of people, after trying all means to become happy, finally find themselves at a loss as to what to do until at last they come to the end of their lives. What a hopeless world it seems to be, then!
     Seeing a few instances in which some people seem to have really grasped good fortune, the public continues the never-ending search without abandoning hope. Some consider human life as the endless pursuit of happiness which can never be reached.
     However, should there be a real method by which one can be truly happy, it must be wonderful. Since few seem to know what it is, they make themselves unhappy, creating an imaginary jail in which they confine themselves and thereby agonize. What is this method then? The simple expedient of sowing the seeds of virtue. It is proverbially said, “One must reap what one has sown.”
     All sowing is not necessarily virtuous. Some seem to be sowing the seeds of evil. This means the deeds based upon an egoistic way of thinking such as afflicting others or inflicting losses upon others for the benefit of oneself. The seeds of virtue means the deeds based upon the altruistic love such as trying to make others happy or to give benefit to others without regard to one’s own benefit or happiness. In short—altruism. Very simple and easy—you may think. But not necessarily so. However, there is a way to make this simple—Johrei. The Divine Light of God purifies the spiritual body and adds spiritual fortitude to the mind lifting it thereby. To put one’s mind in such a state as to believe in the above principle and stick to it, you must have faith.
     You who are suffering misfortune thru adverse circumstances, we invite you to better your state by receiving the blessings of Johrei.

22 Some Hints on Johrei

     The function of Johrei is to beautify or cleanse that which is impure. Today the majority of people seem not to be spiritually inclined, consequently they lean toward worldliness and thereby acquire a form of impurity which manifests itself in impure and unrighteous thoughts. This comes from impure blood in the body. The best solution to this problem is Johrei. God employs man as a channel for His Divine Light and individuals are purified one by one.
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     Johrei is not very effective when you depend too much on the method alone and forget the real source of the Divine Power. This is putting too much importance on the mechanics or method and thus losing alignment with the Source. If you find your Johrei’ing not quite effective, you must take stock and find out what is really wrong. Then in accord with Divine Law, try to attune yourself with that Law so that you can follow God’s Will. When you attune yourself to God’s Will things will go smoothly and turn out all right.
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     When there are many people waiting for Johrei, and you find some seem to be suffering much, they should be given first consideration. The rest should be taken in order of arrival. Should the order be disturbed here, its effect is transmitted to the spiritual realm. The result of this is that things will not go smoothly according to the “law of spirit preceding body”. It is very important to keep to the order since it has a great influence on the effect of Johrei.
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     With a difficult case where you have to channel the Divine Light continuously for an extended period, the Johrei will be more effective when it is stopped half way and is resumed once again after a short rest. Thus diversion of one’s mind sometimes makes Johrei more effective.
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     The fingers tend to spread of their own accord when one tries to relax his hand to give Johrei. Then the spiritual light can not be focussed. Thus it is better to put fingers close together for a more effective Johrei. When one tries to put the fingers together, however, tension is unconsciously put in the hand. The best result is obtained when one puts the fingers close together without putting tension in the hand.
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     When Johrei is not effective, often the cause is due to this unconscious tension of the hand. One should relax his hand as much as possible. The Divine Light which flows through Omamori-sama emanates from the palm. So if the hand becomes tense even slightly, it obstructs the free flow of the Divine Light. It is not wise to become over anxious in channeling Johrei. On the contrary one should give Johrei in a relaxed frame of mind, and leave everything to God. One should always pray for God’s blessing on his ministration and ask Him to take over, then relax, realizing that it is God and not himself who is extending the Divine Healing Light.
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     If the recipient is a new comer who does not yet know the workings of Johrei, he will have good result even though he does not believe in it, because it is permissible. However, after having come to a certain understanding of what Johrei is, if he still does not believe in it, then he is in error. Should he still be skeptical even after witnessing miraculous results, then there is something definitely wrong with him.
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     Some older channels conscious of their success in Johrei become conceited, and the power of Johrei thereby is very much weakened. Often a new member giving Johrei in humbleness is greatly surprised at an unexpectedly good result. I cannot emphasize too strongly the necessity of being humble in all Johrei ministration.

23 Juvenile Delinquency

     Recently, the tendency of juvenile delinquency is being taken up as a social problem. However, no proper counter-measure seems to have been devised yet. The various kinds of preventive measures against juvenile delinquency which are being advocated today do not seem to me to get at the core of this problem.
     That which is most necessary is to find out what lies at the root of juvenile delinquency. Here must be taken into consideration parent-children relationships, which will be compared to the relation between the trunk of a tree and its branches. It will be almost nonsense to try to prevent a tree’s branches from decaying while neglecting its trunk and roots. The basic condition of this problem lies in the full understanding of the fact that juvenile delinquency originates with the parents.
     Let me first approach the problem from the spiritual point of view. Parents and their children are connected with spiritual cords. When the spiritual bodies of the parents become cloudy, this condition is reflected on the spiritual bodies of their children through the spiritual cords. This results in juvenile delinquency. Therefore, the best counter-measure for juvenile delinquency is to keep the spiritual bodies of children as pure as possible. And this will be achieved only by keeping the spiritual bodies of the parents pure. Being ignorant of this spiritual law, parents many times are guilty of wrong thinking and commit sins consciously or unconsciously. This is reflected upon their children’s spiritual bodies making them cloudy. Therefore parents should always try to be purified by doing good, and keeping to the right path. In this way they will be attaining their spiritual growth. This is the most effective way of preventing juvenile delinquency.
     From the physical point of view, children usually follow their parents’ examples consciously or unconsciously. When parents think of something wrong or deviate from the right path, their children often become conscious of it, however dexterously parents may try to keep it back from them. Then children must naturally think: “Why must not I do the same?”
     In short, “juvenile delinquency” can be said to stem from “parent delinquency”. Therefore, when parents want their children to be good, first they themselves must try to be “good parents”.

24 “Paradise Is a World of Art”

     The application of the cardinal truth to any object, system, technique, science or category of thought is Art.
     “Paradise is a world of art” is what I always say. Truly fine art, literature and all other fields of art should flourish in the New Age, for they are all good. But art should progress equally in its every phase. I mean, this world can not be called a true paradise unless it becomes artistic in every phase of life.
     The spiritual healing by Divine Light which I advocate can truly be called the Art of Life, for essentially art should include truth and goodness besides the beauty in it. In the state of illness there is no truth, hence no art. Health is the true state of man. If a man becomes ill, he is no longer whole. He is no longer in a state of manhood.
     Let us take a bowl, for instance. If a bowl is impaired or cracked in any way, it can no longer be useful as a bowl. If it leaks, does not stand straight and falls when it is put on a table, or is too fragile to be handled, there is no more truth in it as a bowl. We must repair it in order to make it useful, we must make it whole. Similarly, if a man can not work because of illness, he is useless. He, too, should be made whole and returned to the true state of manhood. It is Johrei, the Divine Light of God, which can achieve this.
     If a man should lose his quality of goodness and do wicked things, he no longer exists as a true man, and such a person will do harm to society. Far worse than being useless, his very existence will personify wickedness itself. And he must pay the penalty, for there is a Law of Compensation. God holds the power of life and death within His hands. Those who disobey the Law suffer in one way or another: they may fail in business, suffer from a long illness, or be harassed by poverty. In some cases such people even lose their lives.
     There are two kinds of evil: that which is done intentionally, and that which is done unintentionally. The suffering which comes from them is proportionate to the degree of the evil. The Divine Law is absolutely fair.
     Beauty is art itself, so I will not spend any time expounding it.
     Thus the fundamental requisites for transforming this world into paradise is the embodiment of Truth, Goodness and Beauty.
     In this meaning spiritual healing and farming which we advocate can also be called art, the former the Art of Life, the latter, the Art of Agriculture.
     We are also constructing miniature paradises as another of our activities. This is the Art of Beauty. The Art of Life, the Art of Agriculture and the Art of Beauty—these three being combined, the World of Light will be realized where Truth, Virtue and Beauty abound. THIS is Paradise on Earth—the Ideal World.

25 Trust in God

     I have often preached about the importance of trusting in God. You should completely trust providence and should not worry about anything. This seems very simple and practical, but it is not easy to do.
     I, too, sometimes worry and find myself in a predicament, notwithstanding my great effort to place my trust in providence. It is almost impossible not to worry in this present material world. This condition, however, is greatly different with those who have faith in God. They soon become aware that there is no need for worry and are free from it.
     There is one more important phase of this problem which no one is aware of: From the spiritual point of view, worry can be explained as an undesirable form of attachment. In short, it is a worrying attachment and it gives a very unfavorable influence on the development of things. Also attachment is generally considered to include: grudge, hatred, or the desire to take revenge on a betrayal of love. But I won’t invite your attention to such plain and simple attachments as there is another about which very few people are aware: It is worry about the present, the future or the past.
     In the case of some members of our church, when God wishes to extend His protective hand, their attachment hinders it. Therefore, the stronger their attachment, the weaker becomes the use of divine protection and they often fail to succeed in their undertaking. Surely you must have had this kind of experience: While you earnestly and intently desire to acquire something, you never attain it, but when you have despaired of its acquisition and have abandoned hope, it unexpectedly happens. When you earnestly pursue a purpose that seems to be realizable, it is not realized, but when you have completely forgotten it, it is suddenly realized.
     The same can be said of Johrei. The more intently you wish to help a sick person, the slower the result will be. Often a sick person may be helped unexpectedly and easily, if you channel Johrei without such excessive earnestness; or when you channel it with little conviction or only for trial purposes. In the case of critically ill people, their progress will not be favorable and may even prove fatal, when their family or relatives wish too intently for their recovery. Whereas, those receiving Johrei who do not care about life or death and whose family also do not worry about them, often recover unexpectedly and smoothly.
     It is interesting to note that those who profess they will never die of such slight disease or who boast they will heal themsevles through mental effort or strong will, generally die. Their attachment to life has greatly contributed to this end.
     So from the above I think you have understood the injurious influence of attachments. When administering Johrei to almost hopelessly sick people, it is better to hint, if possible, that should their lives not be saved, their spirit will be purified by receiving Johrei, making it ready to go to higher realms for further development in the spiritual world after their earthly departure. And afterwards they often begin to recover favorably.
     In the relation of man and woman, if one party becomes excessively passionate, the other party often begins to experience disgust. This is great irony, but in this case, also, attachment of the former has cooled the heart of the latter. So you see the world is full of ironies, which make our lives complicated as well as interesting. In many cases, the greatest cause which makes things progress unfavorably for us is our attachment.
     Trust wholeheartedly in God, who is Absolute Love and Wisdom. Then all worries will leave you, and all will turn out well.

26 The First World

     It goes without saying that modern civilization is chiefly constructed on the basis of materialistic science. Now I will explain it as revealed to me by God.
     What you should first know is the construction of the universe. I will write, however, only about the important points excepting those matters which have no direct relation with human race. The universe is originally composed of the elements of the sun, the moon, and the earth. These three elements are spirit of fire, water, and soil. The phenomenal aspects of these three elements correspond to spiritual, atmospheric and physical worlds, and these three worlds are, in their real aspects, fused into a whole of perfect harmony.
     Only two of the three elements, that is, the world of atmosphere and the phenomenal (or material) world have been known to man up to now. The presence of another world which is spiritual has been unknown or inferred, because by materialistic science, its presence is unperceivable. Accordingly, only the two worlds have been progressing and a modern materialistic civilization has been formed, which may, therefore, be called a two-thirds’ civilization. However, the spiritual world, the first one of the three, which has been neglected so far is more important than the other two, as it is the center of basic power! Complete civilization can never be realized without taking this into consideration. Nothing proves it better than the fact that happiness, the ultimate object of the human race, has not kept pace with the remarkable progress of the two civilizations.
     We can find a basic reason for it by deliberately investigating the root of this seeming unreasonableness. If mankind had known the presence of the spiritual world better, the first one of the three worlds, from the beginning, the material civilization would not have made brilliant progress. Negligence of the spiritual world has given birth to atheism and evil was born in the world when there began the struggle between good and evil. The human race has been forced to develop material civilization, being distressed by pain at the same time.
     If you deliberate on this, you will see that it is nothing but the profound providence of God. However, material civilization has advanced to such an extent that it may destroy itself. One of the signs of this crisis is the invention of the atomic bomb.
     Now is the time when God has decided that there should be the greatest change in the progress of human civilization. As the first step in this accomplishment, the presence of the spiritual world will be manifested. Thus the world which has been set at naught for such a long time will receive its just consideration.
     This manifestation, of course, can never be achieved by science, the spiritual world being a zero existence. There comes the realization of the greatest power mankind has ever experienced, that is, the power of God. It is difficult, however, to convince modern people of this fact. By modern people, I mean those who have held tenaciously to the materialistic way of thinking and living.
     The only way to do this is through the miracle of Johrei. Seeing the miraculous results effected by Johrei, even the most radical atheist will be convinced of the invisible power of the Divine Light.
     When this is known to all the world, modern civilization will inevitably be changed completely and birth will be given to a true civilization which all humanity can enjoy.
     There still remains, however, a troublesome problem. The amount of sin accumulated by man is immeasurable, for it has taken him thousands of years to mould his modern civilization. The sins which mean the impurities of human soul and body have accumulated so much that they are obstacles in establishing a new world.
     It is as if there were a lot of trash littered on the ground on which a new structure is going to be built. So there must be a purification. We can not avoid it. It is nothing but the Last Judgement which Jesus Christ predicted.
     You will see, by the above explanation, that Johrei which is working miracles, is the plan of God to awaken man to the presence of the first world that he may have faith in God and be purified enough to work for the construction of Paradise on Earth.