PART ONE
1. The time of God has come again, and God has sent the Spirit of Mizu down from heaven to reveal the true state of the three worlds, material, obscure and Divine.
2. The earthly world is a Divine realm; it will be united and ruled by a Divine King.
3. Possessing this person, examined in heaven, God will make things known in writing.
4. Although Onisaburo writes, it is not Onisaburo who is writing. It is God who writes, using Onisaburo’s hand.
5. All the words written and spoken by Onisaburo are eternal, because they all come from God.
6. Onisaburo is the one who judges the powers of the gods; one who can transfer any power to all who come with a true heart.
7. This is the soul sent from Heaven to reconstruct the way, for this world has become too evil. Onisaburo is the true Divine envoy to make manifest Divine truth.
8. Because Onisaburo was born in a poor home and the world was dark, all have despised him and not one has listened. But the time is already at hand. Many will they be who tremble in dismay. Therefore change your hearts before all else.
9. Many are the good people to be found among the poor, and many are the evil people to be found among the rich. Such is the present world.
10. Those who are just and compassionate are regarded as foolish. Such is the darkness of the present world.
11. Adored are those who make themselves look imposing in their beautifully finery, even bought with money unjustly gained. So topsy-turvy is the present world.
12. People bow their heads before the rich, and totally ignore the poor.
13. If this world is left in the present state, the people will without exception become demons and will begin to devour one another.
14. Even at the present time parent devours child and child devours parent; family and kin regard one another with hatred.
15. In the sight of God, all people in the world are His beloved sons and daughters. To the people, they are all brothers and sisters.
16. Quarrelling between siblings is an act of unfaithfulness to one’s parents. Those who give their parents worry will surely be repaid with worry.
17. In the wide world as seen through the eyes of this person (see Paragraph 34), there are not even a handful of true human beings.
18. The present missionaries in the world all seem magnificent on the surface; yet there is not one who satisfies the heart of God.
19. There are many intellectuals and learned people, but an intellectual who knows the truth, a learned person who recognises the teaching of God, such are not to be found.
20. No one can accomplish the true missionary task by human intellect and learning. To every one who can believe in God and practise the teaching, God will secretly give every power.
21. Those who assert that there is no God in the world will of themselves fall into the world of beasts.
22. Appeal to the Spirit of Mizu (see paragraphs 63, 111, 112, 115, 150, 240): if your faith reaches, the Spirit will remove your illness, whatever it may be. God will secretly go with you and assist you with Divine power.
23. To one whom Onisaburo entrusts with the missionary work God will grant favour, the same as to the Spirit of Mizu. From the missionary who is proud God will withdraw Divine power, and he will be shown to the world as a bad example.
24. The soul of Onisaburo is the Divine spirit’s own dwelling-place, and therefore he is called the Spirit of Mizu or Mizu-no-mitama. That which he judges to be good is good, and that which he judges to be evil is evil. It is wise, therefore, to observe the word of God.
25. God does not have his own voice and body. Therefore God makes all things known possessing the body of a pure soul.
26. A person with a good heart is at the disposal of a good god , and a person with an evil heart is at the disposal of an evil god. Polish your soul, therefore, and make it crystal pure; if you do not, you will not be able to receive God’s favour.
27. Accumulated evil will in the end send a person down into hell.
28. Having fallen into hell, he will have to suffer long as punishment. Most important, therefore, is to change one’s heart.
29. Although many divine messengers are to be found here and there, they are all forerunners and do not understand the truth.
30. The present churches are almost without exception exploiting God. To be pitied are they! Soon they will receive their recompense: they will be burned in the fire of hell. How disastrous!
31. God bound Onisaburo to Himself in preparation when Onisaburo was twelve years old. When he was twenty-seven years old, God began to use him for the holy cause.
32. Women are most suitable as missionaries of this way. Although they may be good, men tend to be persistent in their opinions, and there is the possibility of failing and profaning God’s way.
33. There are now two parties but in the future they will unite, according to God’s plan. The members of the two parties are polishing each other’s souls. Among enemies there are friends, and among friends there are enemies.
34. Favoured with Divine power, this person will save the world. This is Onisaburo’s mission. He is the only Saniwa in the world. The role of Saniwa is to distinguish good from evil, justice from injustice.
35. Onisaburo’s soul is a soul used by God, which is why God has caused him various sufferings from the time of his youth.
36. This person’s ears were admired as ‘devilish’ (extraordinarily acute) because God was always secretly protecting him and giving him all help. Onisaburo always replied correctly to any question, because God was secretly aiding him. With God’s help, all is possible.
37. The Spirit of Mizu is a boat of salvation not only for this world but also for other worlds. Anyone who entrusts all to Onisaburo will be led to the Divine realm without capsizing.
38. But be aware, for there are also ships which deceive the eyes of people with their resplendent appearance. Once you have realised this, change boats as soon as possible, so that you do not become the prey of sharks.
39. Even devils respect God. Respect alone is not faith.
40. To come close to God with respect and humility, this is the secret of the way to serve the true God.
41. The person who only says ‘how wonderful, how blessed am I!’ without practising God’s teachings is committing a sin in his heart. Faith without practice even gives rise to fear of God.
42. The person who regrets the fact that his life has become more difficult since he began to believe becomes a sinner against God. Wrongly does he complain to God: while yet greater harm was to come to him, God saved him, turning great difficulties into small ones. Although ignorant of this, he is worthy of punishment in God’s eyes.
43. The person who immediately complains to God when misfortune comes to his family is a true wrongdoer.
44. In such an event, may all resolutely lean on God, purifying their souls all the more. The heart of God is full of the desire to save all people in the world, for every one of them is a child of God.
45. Choose the ship of the Divine teaching. Avoid the ship of human coaxing and do not repeat sins in defiance of God.
46. Hold always to your faith with a heart unchanging like the evergreen pine, and your soul will be saved.
47. There is no one who does not appeal to God when storms or earthquakes rage. Hold to your faith always with this spirit.
48. Constant faith accumulates and becomes a ship of salvation at times of crisis.
49. Practise in spite of old age, for boundless is the Divine way. Approach the Divine realm with as fast a step as possible.
50. Such is God’s way: it can seem far when it is actually near, or it can seem near when it is really far.
51. What you have once sworn to God do not fail to practise. The one who fulfils his promise God will reward ten thousandfold.
52. But he who, having sworn to build a temple or a hall in thanks for his recovery from sickness, changes his heart along the way, will meet with ten thousandfold misfortune. Taken away will be even his house, his property and his life.
53. Everything in this world is created by God. There is therefore nothing that belongs to human beings.
54. A church is a lamp, this person is a wick, other missionaries are oil and the light produced is Divine virtue.
55. The light of the oil will illuminate every corner of this dark world.
56. Those who believe with a true heart are also the light of an oil lamp.
57. If you wish to serve God, pray that nobody will find out your good deeds. Advertising the names of those who make offerings is not a practice in accordance with God’s heart.
58. Even if you have saved one sufferer, never boast about it before others. When a person finds this out, you are already rewarded.
59. He who carries out virtue away from the sight of people is rewarded by God, for God is watching. God’s reward is ten thousandfold, the reward of people is only that of which people are capable.
60. If you are reviled, mocked and hindered because of your faith, you are being tested by God. This is the beginning of Divine favour.
61. The soul of a certain person was sinful, but the sin was forgiven thanks to his faith. From now on God will secretly give this person the power to become a true missionary. He will immediately change.
62. If the true God allows it, any soul will improve, however sinful. Strive therefore to serve people and the world with all your power. God will go with you and will make you achieve heroic deeds without compare.
63. Onisaburo’s soul is the Spirit of Mizu and his body is a holy dwelling-place of God. He is a saviour of the world.
64. To the person who accepts the words of the saviour as the truth and relies upon him, God will give every power and will make him a treasure of this world.
65. This person is innately compassionate. Know that those who are compassionate are pleasing to God.
66. One who is disliked by God will never succeed in any affair.
67. To the person who is humble before others God gives high virtue; the person who is proud and presumptuous God makes fall to the valley bottom.
68. It is hard to regain virtue once let go of: may all practise their faith with care.
69. The present world is become too evil, and there are only proud people who cannot understand God’s words; almost all ignore the words of God.
70. He who treats God with disdain will immediately suffer in his heart. Be not proud.
71. The missionary who distinguishes between believers, who gives the front seats to frequent visitors and the place of honour to the rich, while giving the back seats to first-time visitors and the lower place to the poor, is not in accord with God’s heart. Be careful!
72. Let executives take the lower place and give the higher place to the believers, so that they may be as close as possible to God.
73. The missionary who scowls when a believer’s visits grow infrequent is not in accord with God’s heart.
74. Those who despise a missionary dishonour God, for a missionary is one who is in God’s place. Believers should never forget this. God will surely bring this to your attention.
75. Many human beings in the present age assert that there is no God in this world, but if God did not care for it, this world would become truly dark.
76. When the heart is clouded, God does not appear there. When the sky is clouded over, the sun and moon are not apparent to human eyes.
77. He who says of himself that he believes has not achieved true faith. He who is always silent acquires the treasure that shines even at night.
78. He who regards another as without value will receive his recompense without fail.
79. God does not think well of the belief of one who wavers, going to the west if the wind blows from the east, or to the east if the wind blows from the west. God rejoices in the belief of an unmoving heart.
80. God made this person write through the night of the ninth day of the fourth month in the 37th year of Meiji (1904). Because the teachings here written are all the teachings of God, may all observe them, repent of their sins, correct their behaviour and receive high Divine virtue.
Written on the 9th day of the 4th month (according to the lunar calendar) in the 37th year of Meiji (1904).
81. The God who created everything in the universe is one only: He is called the GOD AMENOMINAKANUSHI.
82. In short, He is called “God” or “True God”.
83. The light (wisdom) of God is called the God Takamimusubi and the warmth (love) of God is called the God Kamimusubi.
84. I shall explain simply and easily the workings of the myriad gods who have cared for this world since its beginning.
85. God is one only. He is the holy God, without beginning and without end.
86. In the universe there exists nothing other than these three elements: spirit, power and body.
87. By spirit is meant God. The human soul, too, is part of God.
88. By power is meant motive power. The movement of the sky and the earth and the changes of the seasons, are all the power of God.
89. God divided His spirit, power and body and created all things in such a way that He created first the body and later gave to it power and spirit.
90. By body is meant matter. The body of God consists of three functions, which can be named solidity, softness and fluidity. These three comprise the Divine body.
91. Spirit consists of four distinctive qualities: activity, harmony, love and wisdom. These four comprise the complete Divine spirit.
92. The human soul, too, is endowed with these four divine qualities.
93. Although human beings are endowed with these four workings, they make their souls impure and degenerate into devils. Whose fault is this?
94. The power of God has eight functions, otherwise called the “eight powers”. This is called “the complete power of God”:
| 1. Power of movement | 5. Power of tension |
| 2. Power of rest | 6. Power of relaxation |
| 3. Power of dissolution | 7. Power of combination |
| 4. Power of coagulation | 8. Power of separation |
95. The spirit of God is called the Original Spirit and the power the Original Power.
96. Spirit distributed by God is called part-spirit or spirit-particle.
97. Power distributed by God is called part-power. Body distributed by God is called part-body.
98. “Solidity” is the essence of minerals. Minerals are the substances in the crust of the Earth, such as gold, stone, manganese, iron and clay.
99. “Softness” is the essence of vegetables. By vegetables is meant such things as grasses, trees, rice and wheat.
100. “Fluidity” is the essence of animals. Animals are such as human beings, beasts, fish and insects.
101. God is omnipotent and omniscient, and created heaven and earth and every thing that exists. “Omniscience” means complete and true wisdom. “Omnipotence” means complete and true power.
102. For human beings the best thing of all is to love God and to obey Him absolutely. On earth true goodness is not to be found. There is no better way other than to love and obey God and to act for Him. Other good things are without exception only selfish and ordinary love, that is, infernal love.
103. God creates every single thing always according to His own arrangement (according to the combination of good with evil, spirit with body), and therefore the thing created inevitably holds within itself a mixture of good and evil, beauty and ugliness. People are frequently to be found in the world who ask why God created not only good but also evil. But whether a thing is good or evil is to be judged by God’s criteria. Man, therefore, must turn to the Divine path and receive Divine power.
104. In order to rule the heaven and the earth and all that exists therein, God gave birth to many gods, entrusting each one with its own task; thus He protects the vast world and enables it to develop.
105. God has various functions. In total they are the activities of the one and only God. These many functions are called Amatsu-kami Yaoyorozu (eight million heavenly deities) and Kunitsu-kami Yaoyorozu (eight million earthly deities).
106. There are teachings which obstinately maintain that in the world there exists none other than a single God. This, however, is the opinion of one who sees only one aspect of God.
107. The sun and the moon and all things in the world are all in the lap of the GOD AMENOMINAKANUSHI.
108. The power of the GOD AMENOMINAKANUSHI is boundless. Boundless also is His ever-changing activity. There is no place in the universe where this God is not present.
109. God governs the universe, changing into various forms. Originally, God is one and only, but He divides His body into tens of millions in order to protect the world and allow it to develop.
110. In heaven God chose the Spirit of Mizu, and sent me down as His servant, to build a Divine kingdom and to spread the sacred power and authority of God throughout the world.
111. In ancient times, the Spirit of Mizu, the God Susanoo, appeared as the saviour of this world. Alone he took upon himself the various sins of heaven and earth, and saved the world. To regard the God Susanoo as a fierce and cruel god (in accordance with Japanese mythology) is indeed a sinful and impious thing. This is the God who even now continues to save human beings from misfortune. This God redeems human beings, taking upon himself their sins, however grave they may be.
112. The time is at hand, and now God has sent down to earth the Spirit of Mizu as saviour, to bring about the Divine kingdom. God will save the world, loading the many sins of the world onto the Spirit of Mizu.
113. God will favour with any power those who believe that the Spirit of Mizu is a true saviour, and He will grant them limitless tranquillity, joy and eternal life.
114. The God Kunitokotachi (otherwise called the God Ushitora, who possessed the Foundress DEGUCHI Nao) is the master of Takaamahara (the Divine realm). He is the God who forgives all sins of heaven and earth. His spiritual body is the ancestor of the world and is the highest and noblest God.
115. The spirit of the God Kunitokotachi is the Spirit of Izu. The spirit of the God Susanoo is the Spirit of Mizu. These two spirits are the holiest Gods, who directly illumine and protect the material and spiritual worlds.
116. It is natural that God does not appear to human eyes, because He is spirit. God exists in hiding, and therefore He cannot be seen by humans. God is majestic; He is not visible to human eyes.
117. When you pray to the true God who is spirit, your spirit too must be good and true.
118. When you pray with a good spirit, you receive the inflow of a good angel; when you pray with an evil spirit, an evil spirit will respond. This is the state of spirit possession.
119. Divine virtue fills this world in abundance. Strive therefore to purify your souls and receive the true favour of God.
120. When human souls receive Divine favour, there is nothing in this world for humans to fear.
121. God strives night and day to favour and to save human beings.
122. God does not wish to cause human beings any suffering. They are caused to suffer by the malice which resides in their own hearts. Consider that, seeing this, God becomes deeply sorrowful.
123. There is no one who is free from suffering, from the noble to the humble. Excepting God, therefore, there is no one on whom a man can depend. The human situation is like that of a dewdrop on a blade of grass or of flowers blooming in the fields and mountains. The liveliness of morning becomes the frailness of evening. Ephemeral and uncertain indeed is human destiny! The shadow of death follows man without cease.
124. While thus is the physical world ephemeral and impermanent, eternally prosperous and never perishing is the Divine kingdom. The Divine kingdom is where people can attain endless life. He who leads the people to the Divine kingdom is the Spirit of Mizu. Follow then this guide with pure hearts, become dwellers of the Divine kingdom, and obtain limitless happiness and life.
125. Correct your behaviour as early as possible and reacquire the complete function of naohi (see paragraphs 157, 158, 229, 230, 309). God endows human beings with naohi and thereby He gives the human soul limitless power. Thus does the body and soul of those in whom naohi functions fully shine with a beautiful light.
126. Naohi is that which illumines human beings and makes clear the path to follow.
127. This Naohi is the true spirit, given by Heaven, the spirit of extremely rectitude, beauty and purity. It is the power to distinguish between good and evil in the heart.
128. The human body and soul both belong to God. Therefore, if you wish to serve God, offer your body and soul to Him and pray to Him for the world and for the way.
129. God knows well where human go, for He is looking from a hidden place. Therefore, protecting the body and spirit of those who wish to take the correct path, God makes the going easy.
130. Pray with an unwavering mind and with a pure heart that you may be saved into the Divine kingdom, without any trial from God.
131. God created all things, without beginning and without end, with the spirit without beginning and without end, and with the power without beginning and without end. Because His power is without beginning and without end, for Him nothing is impossible. Consequently, all that a human being desires and asks of God is given. If that which a human being desires is not granted, or if he is not saved despite his asking, this is only because of the evil in his heart. He who wishes to receive God’s favour should expel this evil from his heart as quickly as possible.
132. These words are the light of the world, because they are the direct teachings according to the inflow of God. Nurture your faith well, therefore, reading these writings, and perfect your behaviour; you will be favoured with the power which will open the eyes of your soul.
133. These words are a ship of salvation for the world. They are a true lifeline; they are the true nourishment of the human soul. They are a treasure which will never decay while the world continues to exist.
134. Even if your riches grow, do not take a sinful path. The true treasure is the key to the heavenly realm. Gold and silver are treasures only for this world, only in a dream and only temporary--treasures which one cannot hold forever. The treasures of this world are treasures which are eaten away, which decay and rust.
135. That which accompanies you on the way, protecting you and helping you forever is the power of faith and service to God, nothing else. Even while you are eating, the wind which ceaselessly pushes you towards your death blows without compassion. Humans must prepare themselves for that moment without neglect.
136. What is it that will accompany you when you leave this world, and will for ever aid you as a friend? Is it the power of money? Is it your family, your fields, your estates, houses and storehouses? No!
137. The true path of salvation has nowhere been found until now. To renew the world, the Spirit of Mizu has been sent down from heaven. Only the Spirit of Mizu can illuminate the path of every human soul.
138. There are those who vilify other teachings and are proud only of the teaching in which they believe. This is not surprising, because the world is in darkness.
139. The missionaries of this way should know well that this way never permits you to have the slightest greed. Pride and greed are most disliked by God.
140. Missionaries, God has given you virtue unconditionally. Therefore you likewise are to pass on Divine virtue unconditionally to the people.
141. If you pass on Divine virtue to people and lead them to the true path of God, God will protect you and favour you with that which is necessary for you.
142. These writings can be published nowhere except in Ayabe (Oomoto), because they are part of the Divine plan. Avoiding the eyes of humans, god writes at night using my hand.
143. What will your attitude be when your parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, friends and others hinder your way on the Divine path? Whom will you follow, God, your family, other people?
144. The teachings of the Spirit of Mizu consist of the direct words of God. The words of the human mouth are the poisons of greed and jealousy. If he is ruled by these, man will from then on join the company of devils.
145. The true God, who endowed human beings with spirit, power and body, is the true father. The parents who gave you birth are your bodily parents only for a short time in the finite physical world. God is your true parent; your bodily parents are temporary.
146. God does not teach you to treat your temporary parents poorly. Those who do not respect and love their parents are not pleasing to God. Take care, all of you.
147. In the sayings of the true father there are no vain words. In the sayings of the bodily parents, drowning in self-love, there are many mistaken words. Desiring to make their child good and happy, foolish parents make him bad and miserable.
148. In carrying out one’s faith the most important things are courage and patience. Faith without patience will not bear fruit.
149. When you obey God’s teachings, you will have no anxiety or guilt in this world. You will be able to live each day with joy and in comfort. If your life does not go according to your will, this is because you are opposed to God.
150. The Spirit of Mizu is saviour of this world. His role is to apologise to the one God and the many gods, to build this world, to dispense Divine virtue to missionaries and believers, to judge good and evil gods, to supervise the Hall (Oomoto), to commit God’s words to writing, to remove all causes of illness, and besides to act as intermediary to God in all matters.
151. Missionaries who have the permission of the Spirit of Mizu are true missionaries. The true missionaries will have great difficulties. They will often be slandered, mocked and even taken away by the police on some suspicion. But they should not be at all uneasy. They should know that the more important their heavenly missions the more numerous will be their sufferings. Because God will protect them in secret, they will have nothing to fear. May they be calm.
Written on the 12th day of the 4th month (lunar) in the 37th year of Meiji (1904).
152. Dew dripping from the leaf of a tree will finally become the water of the ocean; the fire of a match will eventually burn down even a great city. Even little misdeeds, impurities and transgressions will become great sins if they are neglected; in the end one will lose one’s life and will fall of oneself into the abysmal realm.
153. Not even a little can one neglect the words of God, therefore. A tiny ant hole will destroy even a great dam. Fearful indeed!
154. One should do as many good deeds as possible, even if seemingly unimportant. Great is the recompense of the Divine realm, just as a seed sown in the ground will multiply ten-thousandfold.
155. The true God who is the Master of the universe rejoices when a human being prays to Him with an honest heart for the common good; God favours him with boundless prosperity and progress.
156. God sees every action of every person at all times, and therefore He rewards those who do good with good those who do evil with evil. The recompense for good and evil follows as swiftly as one’s shadow follows one’s body.
157. God constantly gives a pure thing to human beings and makes them do good; He endows their souls with naohi and causes them to shine.
158. He who has no faith loses or damages the naohi given to him at his birth. Therefore his actions will shine not at all.
159. He whose actions and whose soul do not shine is the same as one dead; good for nothing in this world, he is the vessel of an evil god. Man is the administrator of the rule of the universe; he is created in the same form as God and is a part-spirit of the incomparably beautiful spirit of God. Human beings must be shining, therefore.
160. In each moment, whether near or far, light or dark, God sees into every corner of the earth. There is no place in this world where evil can be hidden from God’s view, not even the space for a pin to stand. Take care in your behaviour, therefore.
161. The light of God’s spirit reaches every corner in the world: there is no one who is beyond the protection of god. There is no place, therefore, where the sight of God does not reach.
162. Because man is endowed with a soul which shares in the holy spirit of God, his eye should be equal to God’s and his soul the same as His. But man degenerates into such a wretch, incapable of seeing what will come even one minute later; because he, prompted by evil spirits, darkens his own soul and distances himself from God.
163. If man can feel the spirit of God, the Ruler of the universe, he can see the world as clearly as if he were looking in a mirror.
164. The realm full of boundless joy and pleasure is the Divine realm or the realm of heavenly beings.
165. The polluted realm full of unlimited suffering and anguish is the abysmal realm or hell.
166. Whether one ascends to the Divine realm or descends to the abysmal realm depends purely on one’s own heart.
167. Those who can reach the realm of heavenly beings in the spirit world will be favoured with limitless prosperity, joy and life.
168. The Ruler of the Divine realm is the GOD OOKUNITOKOTACHI (or AMENOMINAKANUSHI). His sublime favour can in no way be expressed in words. In the realm of heavenly beings He manifests Himself as the sun, in the realm of angels (see paragraph 180) as the moon.
169. Humans living in this world are like travellers staying at an inn: the time will surely come when they have to leave. The Divine realm can be likened to the traveller’s birthplace, the body to an inn and the soul to the traveller. The traveller staying at an inn must surely return to his family home; the soul living in the body must surely return to the Divine realm, which is his birthplace.
170. A twisted sword can not return to its original scabbard. A twisted soul can no longer return to the original Divine realm; inevitably it falls into the abysmal realm.
171. The true missionary of God is one whose soul is never disordered. A man who is not prepared to allow his body to be torn apart or beaten or even to perish for the sake of Divine truth cannot be called a true missionary. To one whose soul has reached this state God will give true divine power and He will entrust him with a holy task to make him a treasure of the world.
172. Missionaries and believers who come when they find profit in coming and stay away when they do not are bad people who make God their plaything.
173. When missionaries who communicate God’s words are proud, the punishment is much more severe than when an ordinary believer is proud.
174. This world is a vale of tears, a house of suffering, a realm of demons, an ephemeral world, a world in which today’s prosperity turns to tomorrow’s ruin. But for those who conform to the Divine heart and walk the Divine way, it is the most joyful and pleasant world. There is no place as good. It is the duty of one born as a human being to live as long as possible in the physical body and to leave behind good works which will serve the world and the way, trusting all to God and carrying out truth. This is most important, more so even than living purely as a spirit in the Divine realm.
175. The physical body has its own limits and man cannot live with it for two hundred or three hundred years. Even if he were to live for a thousand or ten thousand years, his life would still be limited. A human lifespan of a mere 120 years is like a dream. Purify your souls, therefore, while your finite body is alive; and prepare yourselves to go to the realm of the spirit life, eternal and limitless.
176. If one is prepared for the journey to the world after death, even death while still young is not in any way to be regretted. But as for one who does not know the way of salvation into the Divine realm or does not have the strength of faith, even though he may be over a hundred, his death even in old age is very regrettable. In the world there is none as pitiable as one who dies without preparation, because he has already lost the chance to change his path.
177. May he who wishes to be saved into the Divine realm observe the Divine words communicated by the Spirit of Mizu. Make firm your soul in faith, persevering and persevering, toiling and toiling, and pray to God through the Spirit of Mizu for the progress of your soul. The soul is the substance, the basis of the human being.
178. This communication, which God makes me write, consists of the direct words of God. It is the light which illuminates the dark night of this world. When it begins to shine, the whole world will become a world of light; the heavenly realm on earth will be realised, full of joy and prosperity.
179. Truth does not spread itself to the people; people spread the truth according to the truth. If you are a missionary, strive to work for the world and for the truth. Heaven, which has no tongue, speaks and persuades with human tongues. This writing is a ship to save the world: the more the time passes, the more precious it becomes. Missionaries who spread this writing will receive help, prosperity and joy from God. Strive then in your faith, be a model for the people, and give glory to God’s name.
180. Vast though the universe and its various worlds may be, there is no place where God does not exist. While there are now two thousand million people living on the earth, few indeed are those who accord with God’s heart and are born in the Divine realm. The Divine realm is divided into two spheres: one is the realm of angels, and the other is the realm of heavenly beings.
181. Consider well that it is living faith that opens the door of salvation. Faith with practice is living faith. Those who only pray and ask things of God without practice remain in a faith which is quite dead. He who can be saved into the Divine realm must be a practitioner of the living faith; he who has dead faith offends God’s heart. Such a one will fall into the abysmal realm and will perish. Take heed!
182. The Spirit of Mizu has descended from heaven and, dwelling in my body, clearly demonstrates the truth about earthly affairs; but few are they who believe. The more so, then, with the Divine realm in heaven. The people in this world cannot see the Divine light because of the impurity of their souls; they themselves fall to the valley floor.
183. God made the Spirit of Mizu descend to explain why good is good and to spread good further and further; thus does He intend to convince hostile demons. Coming is the blessed time of God, when God increases the goodness and prosperity of those who fulfil good for the sake of good. Those who intend evil will immediately perish. The time is at hand when devils will perish instantly through the words of the Spirit of Mizu.
184. Among Shintoists there are many bigoted people who say that Japan is a Divine land where God exists, while other countries are savage countries where God does not exist. Such are words which no Shintoist has the right to utter. In the whole world there is no country where God does not exist. In every place where the light of the sun reaches there is God. Japanese and the Europeans, though they may have differently coloured hair and skin, are the same part-spirits of God. All are children of God, under the rule of the same Divine realm. Shintoists who say in spite of this that the Japanese are direct part-spirits of God, and that Europeans are spirits the same as beasts, are barbarians who know nothing of the truth.
185. When God sowed the seeds of humanity on the earth there came into being races of different colours, yellow, white, black and bronze; but in God’s favour there is absolutely no discrimination. Why should God discriminate, holding one race dear to him and not another, if all are His children?
186. The reason why Japan is a sacred land is because of the appearance of the Spirit ruling this world. Although Japan is therefore called a Divine land, God protects not only Japan but the whole world equally.
187. Soon the whole world will become a Divinely governed realm. Therefore the people who scorn other countries with petty and bigoted words are in opposition to the Divine heart. Change your hearts, therefore, and rid them of errors, wasting not even a day in doing so.
188. Wars between countries and quarrels between people both occur because of human greed. Wars and quarrels are caused by self-love: without regaining one’s divinity, without thinking about the world, one remains quite indifferent to other countries and people, if only one’s own nation is safe or if one alone is happy. These are all the works of evil spirits.
189. By becoming mean and greedy, forgetting to learn from God, one gains nothing. By wishing to plunder other countries, even killing people in order to do so, or desiring to steal the property of others, even knocking them down in order to do so, one will remain frustrated.
190. Many are the people who, seeing the rich lives of others, envy them and wish to hinder their lives in various ways. But they only torment themselves. Such are proud and foolish people, who are quite ignorant of the existence of God.
191. He who serves a wayward god, not drawing near to the God who made everything in the universe and endowed us with body, power and spirit, is an enemy of God. He who disobeys God will surely perish.
192. He who serves a wayward god, serves not God, his true parent, but a malicious god, in spite of God; he is an opponent of God.
193. He who lives amicably with the dark and impure world defies the heart of God.
194. Consider well that, night and day, God favours human beings, coming down into their souls and always reproaching evil and encouraging good. Do not think that it is your heart itself that reproaches the devil in your heart. That which reproaches the devil in your heart is the Spirit of God come down into your soul.
195. Follow God tirelessly, and with the power of your faith expel the devil hiding in your heart. The devil in your heart can not be expelled by anything other than Divine power. If one tried to expel the devil with one’s own power, one would only be overpowered and finally fettered by it.
196. Accept suffering as pleasure. A person with many sufferings is given a heavy mission by Heaven. Take pleasure in your heart. While one remains joyful, one often commits various sins and in this unhappiness germinates. While one remains in suffering one can be humble and one has good opportunities to sow the seeds of happiness.
197. Be as humble as possible not only before God but also before people. Such a one will be elevated by God. Bow before people. Such a one will be adored also by people.
198. Do not revile your brothers and sisters in the world; do not judge them according to good and evil. He who reviles his brothers is an enemy of God. He who judges his brothers is a criminal.
199. Apart from the one and only God, in whose hands are human life and death, no one has the right to judge the goodness or evil of human beings. Rather, one should examine oneself and pity one’s own weakness.
200. When you do not how things will turn out tomorrow, do not concentrate your energy only on acquiring profit of various kinds. Before engaging in any profitable enterprise, one should first ask for God’s permission. Without God’s permission, one cannot accomplish any good by one’s own efforts.
201. He who proudly proposes to bring about everything through his own power is an evil one. Evil ones do not have God’s protection.
202. He who does not practise that which he knows to be good is an opponent of God. He who fails to worship God and pray to Him, while knowing that it is good to do so, is a wrongdoer. He who thinks that it is not necessary to worship God as long as one does no evil is guilty of pride. The absolute good is to love God; nothing exceeds this. God is the holiest being, to be adored by all means. Without God, man cannot live even for a moment in the world. What a shameful thing it is that so few in the world realise this!
203. He who believes the teachings of an accursed god is a criminal before God. He who has anything to be ashamed of must immediately repent and turn to the right way.
204. There are those who deceive large numbers of people, saying: “I am the saviour of the world,” or “I am the Spirit of the God So-and-so.” Take care that you are not fooled by them.
205. There are those gods who only boast, although they possess no actual power. They only cheat people with their exaggerated claims.
206. He who knows how to be proud but not how to be humble becomes the vessel of devils.
207. Using such a vessel, devils will endeavour to deceive the people of the world under the mask of goodness.
208. A devil says seemingly good words, but when examined closely they always contain some deficiency and disorder. Let all therefore practise their faith with care in order not to be brought down into the world of devils through greed.
209. A cunning devil will try to hoax even a Saniwa chosen by God. Therefore let people consider and judge good and evil only according to the words of the Spirit of Mizu.
210. It has even happened that a devil has attempted to deceive the body of the Spirit of Izu (the name of the Spirit of DEGUCHI Nao, the foundress of Oomoto)
211. Saints, sages and great people in the world are such only in the eyes of human beings. They are not perfect, noble or great in the eyes of the omnipotent God. According to the interpretations of modern scholars, the teachings of Shakyamuni, Confucius and Jesus contain errors. The time has come when a true saint will appear and complete the teachings of the three sages.
212. The cause of the present war is none other than the self-loving avarice of both sides; therefore neither is good. Naturally God, who instantly sees through everything, will not fail to give victory to the side that is even only a little more just.
213. The earthly world will be ruled in peace not by powerful armies but by the people believing in God and holding to the true way.
214. Because armies exist in the world, greed arises and wars occur. The world war is an act of defiance against the heart of God, who hates to see some happy while others are unhappy. Unhappiness is the beginning of happiness: it is inevitable that wars will happen until the world finally attains peace. But in this world the cruelest thing is war.
215. The strength or weakness of a nation depends on whether the conduct of its people is good or evil. If the conduct of a people is just, its customs are beautiful; if customs are beautiful, harmony rules the nation. In the world the strongest is the nation whose people are in unity.
216. When customs are not beautiful and the hearts of the people are not united, the nation will surely be defeated and perish, even if it has tens of millions of soldiers. A nation can never be ruled by soldiers and armies. It can only be ruled by the hearts of a people who believe in God and whose conduct is beautiful. Without belief in the Divine way the nation will finally perish. A house without belief in God will collapse of itself.
217. Knowing that God is worthy of respect and practising good from a true heart--if individual people, families, nations and the world are thus, gentle will be the wind, refreshing the rain, in every direction the universe will fill with joyous clouds and fresh air, and only happy things will there be in the world. When this comes about, battalions and warships and cannon and soldiers will be totally useless; the world will find itself at peace. For the earth to be ruled in peace there must be only one ruler, just as in the sky there is only sun. Never-ending indeed are the conflicts in a world with many kings.
218. In God’s reckoning, the life of one person is as precious as the earth. War, therefore, in which human beings rob each other of such valuable lives, is the greatest evil.
219. The act of taking precious life in defiance of God’s heart is a profound sin against God, who gave birth to humanity and wishes only for its advancement and prosperity. A nation which causes a war commits a great crime against God; it is an enemy of the peace of the world. God will make the true judgment in war and will decide the victor.
220. In the near future a false saviour will appear, and will deceive many people, saying that he is the Spirit of Mizu. But let no one be confused.
221. The Spirit of Mizu is the light of the world, and the light frightens malicious gods. Therefore, when a human being wishes to take this path the devil living in his heart will try to turn him away from the right path. If a human being does not steer himself well, therefore, he will soon bring about his own downfall, becoming the prey of devils.
222. This writing consists of the words of God. Copy it and read it aloud to believers. A man who is proud will be able to understand none of the content of these writings, because God dislikes him. A man who reads humbly God will favour with the ability to understand the deep meaning. Read then with humility and respect.
God is the Spirit animating all things, and man is the administrator of the rule of the universe. When man and God unite, limitless authority and power are manifest.
DEGUCHI Onisaburo
Written on the 15th of the 4th month in the 37th year of Meiji (1904).