Great Construction
TO EXTERMINATE THE ILLS OF TRAGEDY
In this world, probably the most detestable thing for man is the ills of tragedy. Though it is impossible to completely eliminate tragedies, it is not so difficult to mitigate them on some level. Regarding this, I will examine what the real nature of tragedy is.
In reality, it is an undeniable fact that almost all the causes of the ills of tragedy are disease. Well, it seems that, besides tragic calamity because of disease, there are some other tragedies; tragedy brought by love affair and tragedy of injustice caused by love of possession, etc., but looking closer at these, we know that they are also come from disease: psychological illness. It is said that a sound mind dwells in a sound body, which is utterly true. The result of my many-year study shows that love affair, immorality, crooked person, bad temper, heavy drinker, laziness and juvenile delinquent, all of which I would like to say are always found to have physically unsound defects without exception. Nevertheless, the reliable method to bring about a complete cure for disease and produce a physically sound body as well as spiritually has not been found by the medicine up to date or some other ways. Even if the cause of disease could be discovered, there was no method to really solve the problem. Until today it is certain that people emerged who boasted themselves to complete the method for discovering the cause of a disease and the establishment of medical cure, but, too often, they had only temporal effects and disappeared at some time or other. I cannot help thinking that man still has a long way to go even after the decline of day. Just like a lot of examples reported in "Thank God" stories published in our papers, I cannot read without shedding tears about their hearts and minds overflowing with joy and gratitude, their difficult and severe maladies having been resolved.
Such solutions of diseases and unhappiness are brought about by what we call the expression of invisible power and only those who have experienced it can know how great the divine power is.
The modern people cannot be persuaded of anything unless the fact or the tangible evidence is presented. If so, however skillfully theories are preached and teachings are recommended, as long as the real effects are not shown, they will be nothing more than empty prayers after all. And it will be only a dream to save humans extensively and advance the world welfare.
The power by which the invisible makes the visible move is none other than the essence of religion. This is precisely what our religion is executing, so I think ours is truly the power religion. Since the majority of the traditional religions have been formed on the basis of their teachings, as the Japanese word for religion "shu-kyo" (teachings of religious sect) indicates, they try to make people's inner souls awake from the outside. However, the Johrei method which our religious group practice emits spiritual light right into the inner soul, and makes it awake all of a sudden. This is to make people soul-awakened with doing nothing as it were, so that we regard stuffs like a sermon as a matter of secondary importance. Shakyamuni said, "Each mind is a living buddha," and also said, "A person who has achieved spiritual enlightenment is a bodhisattva." This is indeed true. A person who becomes a believer in our religion will obtain spiritual awakening, attain genuine enlightenment and not only not have to be concerned about his own tragic matter but also become qualified to exterminate other people's ills of tragedy of his own accord.
Hikari, No.12, June 11, 1949 (the 24th year of Showa)
(06/11/11 UL)
This essay has previously appeared in translation seven times. The citations are given below for reference.“To Eradicate Misery,” The Glory, Number 016, July 16, 1957.“To Eradicate Misery,” Teachings of Meishu and Kyoshu, no date given but estimated to be late 1956 or early 1957, page 29.“Eradicating Misery,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume One, 1960, page 12.“Eradicating Misery,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume One, Revised Edition, 1965, 1967, page 16.“Eradicating Misery,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 202.“Eradicating Misery,” The Light from the East, Volume 2, 1986, page 268.“The End of Suffering,” A Hundred Teachings of Meishu-sama, no date, page 20.