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     Since antiquity, that which has borne the name “religion” without exception has principally embodied commandments which are taught in the form of preaching and sermons. Followers of World Messianity know that we do little preaching, but there are probably a few who do harbor some doubts about such a practice, and when we are asked about it by members of the general public, we really should address the reasons for our paucity of preaching and sermons, so I will explain here.
     As the purpose of religion lies in reformation and betterment, it is necessary to remove the clouds that cover the soul. Once souls become purer, human beings are unable to perform evil deeds, because they become outstanding individuals who perform good acts in order to help their fellow human beings and the world.
     To accomplish the purpose of religion, preaching and sermons are methods that cleanse the soul by teaching through the ears. Cleansing through the eyes as well as through the spirit of language perform the same purpose that, of course, includes reading sacred writings such as the Bible, the Buddhist sutras, and various other prophetic writings. In World Messianity cleansing does occur through the ears, through the eyes, and through the spirit of language, but all of these are subordinate to the primary method of Johrei. Anything that cleanses through the five sensory faculties is indirect, a physical method brought to bear on the invisible soul, so the effect is naturally weak. As the Johrei of World Messianity pours spiritual light directly on and cleanses the soul, the effect does not begin to compare with anything physical. Indeed, this effect is evident, just as in the field of the healing where diseases untreatable by other therapies are easily cured in a short time by Johrei.
     It is for these reasons that I declare World Messianity is not a religion, that World Messianity transcends religion. As the meanings of the ideograms used to write the word “religion” in Japanese show, a religion is the “founder’s teachings,” so what is seen as religion’s purpose is to save human beings and their souls through teachings, but as I previously explained teachings occupy a second or third place in World Messianity and human improvement is effected through Johrei. Johrei does not take that much trouble or time and its effect is complete. It should be no exaggeration to state that Johrei and World Messianity are indeed above religion. For this activity that presently transcends humanity’s ken, an appropriate name is not to be found, so we temporarily call it World Messianity. Such a wonderful salvation has not existed until now, so there is simply no word for it, and thus the name World Messianity will have to do. If pressed, the only other words I could use to describe our work are “light of salvation.”

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“Osekkyô” has previously appeared in translation. The citations are given below for reference.

“Preaching,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume One, 1960, page 14.

“How Religion Is Taught,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume One, Revised Edition, 1965, 1967, page 18.

“Preaching Versus Johrei and Happiness,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 282. In this version, the first five paragraphs comprise the essay “Ossekyô.”

“Sermons and Precepts,” A Hundred Teachings of Meishusama, no date, page 18.