Great Construction

Johrei Through the Printed Word

　 　This title may seem perplexing, but I am sure it will make sense after a careful reading of the article. What I mean by the title is that you receive Johrei through the eyes when you read what I have written. You receive Johrei when you read my writings because a person's thought is conveyed through words and transmitted to the reader. This point can never be emphasized enough. In spiritual terms, the spirit of the writer reaches the spirit of the reader through the printed word. The reader's spirit is thus purified by reading what I have written because it is thoroughly God's intention.
　 　Through the process of reading, the reader's spirit may be affected either for the good or for evil, so you can see that the character of the writer has great influence. Even novels or newspaper articles have this effect, so novelists and journalists should always consider the effect of their work. I do not mean that they should write sermons or that their work be preachy. Writers are of no use unless they are read with interest so their work should be absorbing and entertaining. It is important that people be captivated by the writing and not want to stop reading it.
　 　Literature of late, however, seems to have been produced solely to sell, attaining popularity simply because it provides simple gratification. In most cases, it appears that the main consideration for publishing is whether the manuscript will sell many copies and whether or not it can be turned into a movie. Books nowadays are merely rows of type that leave nothing in the mind after reading. Writers who produce such work are not novelists but merely writing peddlers. If this writing can be compared to a human being, it is like a human body without the skeleton. We have all seen works that enjoy temporary critical success and then disappear overnight.
　 　When we observe the world in general, the many defects in contemporary society are astonishing, and these should supply plenty of material to make good stories. I enjoy the cinema, and every once in a while when I see a movie that has captured some interesting facet of life or society, I am captivated, feeling I have made a good friend. I can only bow my head in respect to the writers and producers of such movies. These works invariably claim critical success, are recognized by society at large, and so yield great profit to the publishing and cinematic industries. Two ends are thus well served. These comments on the present-day mass media are not entirely a digression from the topic of the power of the printed word.

 Eiko, Issue 184, November 26, 1952
translated by cynndd

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“Katsuji no Jôrei” has previously appeared in translation. The citations are given below for reference.

“Introduction—The Power of the Written World,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Two, 1968, page 3.


“Johrei through Printed Words,” Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 325.