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     In my younger days, I enjoyed philosophy. Of all the different philosophical theories, one that impressed me the most was that of the pragmatism of the well-known American philosopher William James. To translate “pragmatism” into ideograms, it might be expressed as “philosophy-action-ism.” What James means by pragmatism is that if philosophy were to explain theory only, it would be just a kind of game. Philosophy should be expressed in action and from that action, derive its value. I think it quite interesting as it is realistic and quite befitting of an American philosopher. The philosophy resonated with me and at the time I tried to incorporate it as much as possible into my work and daily life. The benefits I thus derived from pragmatism were considerable.
     Later, as I started to believe in religion, I came to think that philosophy-action-ism should be applied to religion as well. In other words, religion-action-ism. To imagine the blessings that could be had as religion was incorporated into all things, the results could be such as the following.
     To begin with, in the case of politics, politicians would not commit crimes nor fraud and would undertake their work truly on behalf of the people and not for self interest, so they would be trusted and the conduct of politics would proceed smoothly. Entrepreneurs and businessmen would manage their business with sincerity so they would be trusted and would treat their subordinates with love, and because their staff would work faithfully, steady growth would be accomplished. Educators would undertake their profession with firm conviction, their influence would be great and, thus they would be respected by their pupils. As long as government officials and salaried employees maintained an attitude of faith, they would show tremendous results and their status would improve. Artists would manifest a high level of character and inspiration in their work, and thus inspire society. Because an attitude of faith is at their center, artists are dignified, can cultivate noble sentiments in their viewers, and are highly appreciated. That is not to say that they are punctiliously textbook-like. They must make people laugh, create a sense of pleasantness, and be quite full of interest.
     In whatever vocation or profession, through the expression of religion in action the fate of individuals may be improved and it would not be difficult to imagine the extent to which this would contribute to society. Here I would like to caution on one point. That is, when undertaking religion-action-ism, just as a smelly miso is not good miso, neither are valued religious believers who parade their religiosity. This goes even more so for fervent believers. In society there seem to be those who hang their faith in front of the noses of those around them. Since this produces a feeling of unpleasantness when observed by others, from an ideal perspective, behavior should be as ordinary as possible without any smell of religion. What is necessary is to strive so that speech and deeds are truly magnificent, that the believer is kind, and that a pleasant feeling is conveyed to others. Simply, one should want to be faithful without being showy, to have faith that is not smelly and crude.
     There are those types of believer who are so ardent as to be considered mentally ill, and it is these types who are extremely subjective, whose households are dark and gloomy, and who feel no compunction about causing inconvenience to others. Since the result is that society as a whole comes to have doubts about the religion in question, for which their leaders bear responsibility, such behavior should be guarded against.

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“Puragumachizumu,” published originally as the eleventh chapter of Shinkō Zatsuwa (Essays on Faith) on September 5, 1948, reprinted once while Meishu-sama still alive in the essays anthology for the general public Tengoku no Fukuinsho (Gospels of Heaven), page 66, August 25, 1954, has appeared in translation. Citation is given below for reference.

“Pragmatism,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 322.

“Pragmatism,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Three, 2005, page 23.

“Religious Belief at Work in Daily Life,” Reaching for Faith, 2010, page 7.

“Religious Pragmatism,” A Hundred Teachings of Meishusama, no date, page 134.