Great Construction

Dialogue with a Certain Medical Doctor

     I am going to write up a conversation that I had on a certain day recently with a certain medical doctor who operates a clinic in Tokyo and with whom I have cordial relations. 

DOCTOR: The other day during a discussion at a meeting of our local medical association, when talk happened to extend to your religion, the topic of your religion’s opposition to medical science was raised, the argument became heated, and the overall atmosphere was quite negative, so I think it would be best if your religion could be careful not to slander medical science.

ME: Your warning is certainly sound. I do think I should like to do as you say. If matters were handled as you suggest, we would have no worries, and I do understand that that would be the intelligent thing to do, but that is not the way things are. That is because there would be nothing better and matters would certainly proceed more smoothly if I could just let this religion grow, be content to be a spiritual leader, and be treated as a living god, but my goal differs greatly. No, rather what God wants me to do differs, so there is nothing I can do about it.
     God’s purpose is to save humanity which is groaning in the depth of suffering and to construct paradise on earth. The method toward that end is the elimination of the cause of human suffering. Humanity’s way of doing things at present is so mistaken that the time has come when the world will be corrected, when each member of humanity ought to return to the true path, and paradise on earth should be constructed. The foundation for this activity is the construction of a healthy human being free of disease. For that, it is necessary that medical science realize the fallacy into which it has fallen.
     That being the case, I do not aim to make enemies of doctors nor do I intend to say bad things about medical science simply to be criticizing. I do understand that I am rather at a disadvantage. As long as matters stand as I have just stated, it would be impossible to do anything else.

DOCTOR: I see. Hearing you explain it, what you are doing is not unreasonable at all. There are some unfortunate aspects to it, but personally, there is nothing that I could say.
     And, after that, we switched to topics of general conversation.

Hikari, Issue 47, January 28, 1950
    translated by cynndd