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     To this day I have continued to speak and write about the activity of the spiritual and physical aspects of Izunome, but it appears to be seen as a difficult subject that few are able to truly put into practice. The practice of Izunome, however, is not that difficult. Izunome is not able to be carried out because of the preconceived notion that it is too difficult. At the same time, there seems to exist the idea that Izunome is thought to be not that important, so I find it necessary to write about Izunome time and time again.
     Briefly, Izunome is an ism that does not lean in any direction. Izunome is the act of taking the middle path. Neither shojo nor daijo, Izunome is shojo and it is daijo. In other words, Izunome does not run to any extreme and means that decisions are not made simply to be making decisions. Still, what has to be decided, does have to be decided, and to judge whether something should be decided or whether it can be left for a little longer can indeed be difficult. Izunome is like good cooking that should be neither too sweet nor too spicy but just the right taste. Izunome can also be compared to the weather. Neither too hot nor too cold, Izunome is like the weather during the seasons of both equinoxes in the temperate zones, which is the most pleasant time of the year. In the same way should be a person’s mental and emotional states as well as deeds, which means that, when the whole world has come to be this way, will be liked the person by all, and only natural will it be that every matter and affair connected to the person proceeds well. However, the problem is that individuals nowadays, for one reason or another, do indeed prefer to lean one way or another. This tendency is probably most visible in the field of politics. These days we have what are called the right and the left, which at their very core profess to be isms that lean to one side. Therefore, the way of thinking is extreme, and because the self always thinks that it is strong, conflict never stops. Thus, for both the nation state and its people, politics becomes a very negative factor. So, in the political world as well, it is only natural that the Izunome way of handling matters ought to prevail, but there does not appear to be any politician or political party that has reached such a level of awareness. For this reason, few also are the number of individuals who feel free to approach us. The causes of war are the same which is of course a result generated by social thought that attempts to force an extreme ism on all.
     Likewise, when conflicts involving faith are carefully investigated, we see that they stem from differences of shojo versus daijo, that is, from feelings versus reason. In such cases, each side will fit perfectly when the vertical side is shortened by half and the horizontal side is also decreased by half, so harmonious resolution becomes possible. Thus, when carefully considered, reconciliation is not that difficult. In regard to the4 issue of reconciliation, the following often occurs.
     That is, regardless of the field of human endeavor, there is most certainly a conservative faction and a progressive faction, and religion is no different. When these two factions are observed in the religious sense, we can say that the former is composed of old members who adhere to the traditional and stubbornly hate new things, a faith which could basically be called old-fashioned. The later, although progressive, tends to newness and attempts to exclude anything that is old. From these differences arise lack of agreement over opinions, and internal conflict breaks out. When affairs and matters are handled in the Izunome manner, however, resolving and settling problems can be accomplished. Even in the important field of religion it is necessary to be deeply aware of the spirit of the times, but those involved in religion are rather indifferent to their times, and the tendency is for them to think that what they believe is what should be done. The only ideas that enter their minds are the traditions of a hundred or a thousand years past. Of course, faith is a matter of the heart and the mind, and as it is vertical, an eternally unchanging truth, so it is best not trifled with, but the economy of the universe does not work that way. As it is the aspect of the physical, of substance, of the material, change corresponding with the age is natural. In other words, Izunome is a total function, an activity of both the spiritual or mental and the physical aspects. Which is to say, everything must be carried out in an Izunome manner.
     In this sense, thinking in the same way as in the times of Shakyamuni or Christ and trying to practice those teachings in the same manner as in that day will needless to say make it impossible to appeal to the souls of people nowadays. It should be understood that existing religions are stagnant because of this one point. It is sufficient to understand that it is the very activity of Izunome that is the fundamental truth of all, which is why I always instruct on the significance of Iznome. I would like all of my followers to know, understand, and practice the activity of Izunome.

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“Izunome no Mitama” has previously appeared in translation. The citations of their appearances are given below.

“Izunome, the Balanced Cross,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Two, 1968, page 67.

“The Izunome Principle,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 297.

“Lean Neither Way but Stay in the Middle,” Reaching for Faith, 2010, page 47.

“Izunome, the Balanced Cross,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Two, 1968, 2004, page 38.