PART TWO
223. Fearing no devil, walk towards the right Divine path. Him who takes the correct path God will protect as a fellow-traveller.
224. Even if the sun were to rise in the west or the sun and the moon were to fall from the sky, this teaching and God’s favour would remain imperishable.
225. Man, living in this world like a short-lived flower, cannot but fall at some time. Man is such that he must fall once in the fierce wind. Although old, he is not old; although young, he is not young: no one knows when he will die. So ephemeral is human destiny. May all of you, then, carry out your faith with full care. Visit the garden of the Divine realm where it is always spring, with flowers in full bloom and fruits never falling.
226. Perfect your faith with all your heart and with all your strength. Whether you die sooner or later, the place where you go will be one of two: one is the Divine realm, full of eternal prosperity and joy, the other is the abysmal realm, full of suffering and ruin.
227. The favour of God, who is the Master of the universe, is limitlessly vast. He constantly endows our hearts with the abundant pure spirit or naohi, so that we may shine and be cleansed of our countless profound sins.
228. If you repent and wish to improve yourself, you are already favoured by God. May he who drowns in sins take the ship of salvation as soon as possible and reach the shore of the Divine realm. Be sure not to miss the ship of salvation through negligence: may you not gnash your teeth in regret.
229. God, the most compassionate and the most loving, endows every human heart with naohi so that humans may examine themselves, drive away malicious spirits and open to themselves the door of the Divine realm. Thus does God constantly protect the life of every human being.
230. Yet despite this, human beings defile their naohi through self-love, and God, taking pity on them, has sent down from heaven the Spirit of Mizu as saviour, with kind words of persuasion to enable them to make their naohi pure once more. He who disregards God’s deep compassion becomes a serious sinner against God. May all take care, therefore.
231. He who believes in God, observes the teaching of the Spirit of Mizu and is solid in his conduct will never perish, but will be favoured with eternal life, tranquillity and joy.
232. The enchanter or devil always fears the light of God. It is afraid because the evil which is its substance is immediately exposed by that light. The Spirit of Mizu is a light which shines on devils.
233. The just gods love light and enjoy warmth. Devils, however, love darkness and are fond of cold.
234. The true and good God is full of virtue, which nurtures and nourishes everything in the world. Devils amuse themselves only by destroying and ruining everything.
235. God does not rejoice in one who serves Him having purified only his body, with however much water. He who believes that to serve God it is sufficient if only the heart is pure is also a false believer in God’s eyes. True faith is such that one should serve God having purified both heart and body.
236. Amenomanai, the pure spring of the realm of heavenly beings, is invisible to the eyes of ordinary humans; neither can they draw from it. The hypocrites in this world have no idea how to wash and purify themselves in its water. But he who follows God and the Spirit of Mizu can easily draw from the spring and bathe in it. Because this spring is the sacred pool of the realm of heavenly beings, he who does not purify his body and heart in its water is not allowed to go before God.
237. Washing in water makes the body healthy and the skin firm. It is the best of all for hygiene. Bathing in warm water is the best thing for removing dirt and odour from the body. He who serves God must remove the dirt of his body by washing in water and by bathing. But if he does not remove also the impurity of his heart he will not be able to bring joy to the heart of God. That which purifies the heart is the spring of the realm of heavenly beings.
238. Coming down from heaven, the Spirit of Mizu shows the affairs of heaven. But it is natural that human beings in the world cannot understand this. Little do they know the affairs on earth, where they dwell: even less so the sublime affairs of heaven.
239. The Spirit of Mizu is a true envoy of God. The desire to reach the Divine realm in heaven should be directed to the envoy from heaven. The true envoy or messenger of heaven is only one throughout all time. Besides this one, all who call themselves direct envoys are false. How can one be saved and brought to the side of God in heaven, asking a false envoy?
240. The Spirit of Mizu is the saviour who with his tears redeemed the human beings on earth from their various sins, taking the sins upon himself instead. In hell he redeemed the various spirits from their sins with his blood; and bearing the sins himself, he became their saviour. The God who opened the door of salvation, redeeming the sinners of the world, is the Spirit of Mizu; the God who forgives the sins is the Spirit of Izu. This applies only to the worlds which belong to the solar system, however: above this sits God, who makes the last judgement.
241. The true guide to the Divine realm is one and only, that is the Spirit of Mizu. Those who are led by a false guide will never be able to enter through the gate of the Divine city. Rather, they will wander into a thicket of thorns and their bodies will only be wounded and torn. For them there will be no escape from falling together into the ditch.
242. Although I show the holy work of God, presenting that which I have experienced through practice and seeing, the perverse people of this world do not accept this as the truth; rather do they doubt, contradict, and defy the Divine heart. Pity on them!
243. Yet it is natural that they fail to understand, because they try to interpret the words of the true Spirit, the words of the infinitely sublime and profound heart of God, with their own limited wisdom and reasoning.
244. When you pray to God, never repeat the same request. God dislikes above all those who ask immoderately.
245. When you recite Norito (words of prayer) of purification, you do not need to repeat the same request before God, because in it the various requests, large and small, are already sufficiently expressed: for the peace of the nation, to keep oneself and one’s house in order, to avoid misfortune and to wipe out sins.
246. Often to be found are those who are proud of the fact that they recite Norito fifty times in a single day. Far from praising such conduct, God reproaches it.
247. There is a religion that teaches that God is love. To be sure, God is He who has the deepest love. But God is not love only. If He were only love, that would mean that He would be the possessor only of Sachimitama (love). God is also wisdom, activity and harmony; that is, He is the complete possessor of the four spiritual qualities.
248. God loves not only human beings but all things; in the world there is nothing which does not receive God’s love.
249. God loves human beings especially deeply. Therefore you too must love God especially deeply and wholeheartedly.
250. Love of God should not be like the way human beings love their children, but must be love with respect and humility. It must be true love from the highest, purest and firmest heart.
251. God’s love is the true love. When you turn to God who is true love, you too should have true love.
252. The Divine teaching is pure and white like an egret or like the snow. It is colourless and unornamented; it is without lies, without fiction, without calumny and without insult. Know, therefore, that teachings which contradict this are not from the true God.
253. Do not ornament your words before the true God, who is unadorned. Do not say false things before God, who is without falsehood.
254. In the Divine realm there is a way changeless for eternity. This way is truth. Truth is quite straight and is like a rod of iron; it cannot be bent or twisted at will.
255. If, while the father accepts truth, the son does not follow him, however great the love between them may be, it must be subordinated to the way and to truth. In the world there exists nothing more important than truth.
256. When you accept truth, and also your enemy accepts it, even though your interests are incompatible, you must walk hand in hand in harmony.
257. When one twists truth because of one’s affection and love, the truth becomes their slave and the true path of God is ruined. On the Divine path one must not distinguish in one’s love between one’s own child and the children of others.
258. God’s activity, wisdom, love and harmony are in conformity with truth; they are not such as human beings imagine these to be. Even if because of truth the present order is broken, it cannot be avoided. Truth is more important than order.
259. The saviour does not suddenly descend from heaven. He appears from the lower classes, from the poor, in accordance with God’s will.
260. Generally, heroes arise from the lower classes, downtrodden and treated dishonourably. But because they are born according to God’s will they achieve renown and bring benefits to the world.
261. He who does not believe the Founder or the Leader because they are lower-class cannot be saved into the realm of heavenly beings.
262. Obedience to the Spirit of Mizu is the same as obedience to God. Learning the teachings of Mizu is the same as learning from God.
263. Defiance of the Spirit of Mizu is just the same as defiance of God; reviling him is the same as reviling God.
264. All human beings in the world are children of God. Good and evil alike are God’s children. The countless spirits in the material and spiritual worlds, too, are part-spirits of God, that is, they are children of God.
265. Respecting the heart (soul) more than the body (matter) is the beginning of good. He who makes treasures of his heart and of truth, therefore, is goodness itself and conforms to God’s heart.
266. Respecting the body more than the heart is the beginning of evil. He who makes treasures of his land and of his possessions, that is, of physical things, is evil itself and will fall into the abysmal realm.
267. That which one does for the world at large is good. That which one does only for one’s own profit is evil. He who accomplishes virtue with a just heart is good. He who does not perform just deeds, having an unjust heart, is evil. The good and the evil are equally God’s children.
268. A good person opens the door by himself to the realm of heavenly beings, full of beauty and prosperity. An evil person falls by himself into hell, full of ugliness and suffering.
269. Whether one is saved into the Divine realm or falls into the abysmal realm depends only on the good or evil of one’s own faith and conduct. The difference between the two is like that between the sky and the earth. Who is at fault?
270. Do not envy those who are exalted only in name. Do not become noble only in your worldly position. Do not become a monster of gold and silver. These are the poisonous insects of the world; they are disliked by God.
271. Do good away from the sight of people, so that no one may know, and accumulate virtue. Whether in light or in darkness, God clearly sees every action of human beings.
272. The spirit of God is called Complete Spirit. Complete Spirit does not increase, neither does it decrease. The spirit of God is without beginning and without end.
273. Not so is the human spirit, which increases and just as surely decreases. That is, when a man does good, his spirit increases and when he does evil, his spirit decreases.
274. God is such that He is able to give spirit to a human body or take it away.
275. The basis of heaven and earth is truth. Because of truth the exalted may live, the people prosper and all beings remain at peace.
276. When I am called the Spirit of Mizu this does not refer to my body. It refers to the words of the Spirit of Mizu which is a part-spirit of God, dwelling within my body. Let there be no misunderstanding.
277. A man who hears the truth but does not practise it defies God’s heart and cheats himself.
278. Missionaries, take care! Do not relate the teachings with pride, thinking of yourselves as pure missionaries spreading the Divine will. The causes of dishonour to the Divine teachings arise more often from the deeds and words of missionaries than from those of ordinary believers.
279. Do not be proud of the fact that you serve God and spread the teachings on God’s behalf. For it is God’s will to bring sinful humans close to Him and enable them to repent. Let him who serves God never forget to be as patient and humble as possible.
280. Save humans with true love, guide humans with true faith, protect humans with true courage and give strength to the weak with true wisdom.
281. The envoy of God, whose wisdom and virtue are perfect, cultivate deep faith, eschew favouritism and invite believers to the just path with sympathy and gentleness, modesty and compassion.
282. Missionaries, who have the role of leading the believers, children of God, to the Divine realm: before all else cleanse your souls and your conduct, acquire the key to open the door to the Divine realm, and then you will be ready to lead them.
283. Do not do missionary work without sufficient knowledge of the Divine way. If you dare to do this, you will dishonour God and sully the way, deceive your own heart, and finally lead people to fall into hell; and you yourself will fall into hell and suffer infinitely. This is most to be avoided.
284. The true path of God remains quite unchanging, in the present as in the past. He to whom it seems that it changes should know that this is caused by the errors of previous prophets. This is why the teachings of Mizu are seen as anomalous. Until now there has not been a prophet who has imparted the true teachings of God without change.
285. He who thinks highly of the rich but looks down on the poor is not in accordance with God’s heart. For God makes no distinction between rich and poor.
286. The poor are rich in faith, and therefore many are saved into the Divine realm. The rich are poor in faith, blinded by treasures which will decay. Therefore there are many rich people who cannot taste the true happiness of the realm of heavenly beings.
287. Those rich people who are perfect in their faith and whose conduct is good can receive the joy of the realm of heavenly beings, which is much greater.
288. Missionaries, may you all make your hearts tranquil and understand without error the correct way of God: never be confused by malicious spirits.
289. Many are the missionaries who first become confused themselves and then confuse believers. He who confuses people and sullies their hearts is the greatest sinner of the Divine realm.
290. Do not regard the poor man as worthless and do not look down on the foolish. Those who cannot refrain from such conduct while being missionaries or believers of God will become sinners, profaners of the pure name of God.
291. When giving seats to the believers at worship of God, never distinguish between the regular and the newcomer. Do not separate people into high and low according to their rank.
292. God has defined 181 classes eternally unchanging for all gods.
293. Before God never apply human ranks and degrees, which human beings can freely change, give and take away.
294. Human beings, born as God’s children! Which would you prefer, rich in material treasures to repeat crimes and finally be fettered in the prison of the spirit world, or, materially poor but rich in the virtues of faith, to enjoy life in the Divine realm? Richness on earth is finite, but richness in heaven is infinite and eternally unchanging.
295. Suffering on earth or in the flesh is finite, and consequently it is only temporary. Suffering after death or of the spirit is infinite, consequently it is true suffering; it is impossible ever to liberate oneself from it.
296. The teachings of Oomoto are not such that they have newly appeared in the modern age. This is the true teaching of the original God of the world. Until now it has not been able to appear because of devils who dared to rule the earth. At this time, therefore, God has sent down the Spirit of Mizu from heaven to bear witness to the teaching.
297. Do not confuse about freedom with arbitrariness. Though there be freedom of belief, to go the way which is not truth is arbitrariness. Arbitrariness is most hated by God. A way which is not truth is a malicious teaching.
298. He who submits to the teaching of a malicious god is an arbitrary person, even though it may be allowed to all to believe in any teaching.
299. He who believes in God, first remove doubt. Faith with doubt is like a floating grass: if the wind blows to the east, it too drifts to the east; if the wind blows to the west, it too flows to the west.
300. May your faith be unmoving like a rock. With faith like a floating grass you will remain without Divine favour for your whole life, and your body and soul will finally perish.
301. There is none who stays without Divine favour. But a man with wavering faith cannot receive the full favour of God.
302. He who follows the Divine teachings, let him hold an unmoving heart, directed towards a single goal. An opportunistic person will finally profane even the holy name of God with his inconsistent behaviour.
303. Do not be surprised even if you suffer offence and torment for believing in God’s way. Trust everything to God’s heart, and walk straight along the middle of the road with truth as your support. Endure through Divine activity, keep friendship through Divine harmony, revive yourself through Divine love and understand through Divine wisdom.
304. Repent of your sins and pray that you may be saved by the Spirit of Mizu. Be calm, offering all to God.
305. While you have the opinion that your faith is perfect, you still do not even know in which direction the Divine realm lies.
306. If you are sad that you wash and wash and yet your soul does not become pure, that you walk and walk and yet the way becomes further away than ever, know that you are coming a little closer to God.
307. Faith without practice is dead faith, however fervent it may seem. Faith without practice invites only anger in the heart of God.
308. A man who suffers sickness, a man who is distressed by poverty, a man who loses hope, a man who remains without pleasure, may these all follow the teachings of God and hear His voice. Then joy will immediately flower and bear fruit, and all will be favoured by being able to see the prosperity and joy of the realm of heavenly beings.
309. The power which stirs and activates the soul failing through tiredness and distress is naohi (pure spirit). Without the live function of naohi, malicious gods will easily attack and steal the basis of the human soul, and finally even the essence of naohi will be lost.
310. Without Divine wisdom no one can correctly understand the profound Divine truth. He who tries to know the profound truth of God with human wisdom makes a serious mistake.
311. If one examines things not according to God’s teaching but according to one’s own intelligence, one will gain nothing but confusion.
312. In the sight of humans true faith resembles absence of faith; absence of faith often resembles true faith. True faithfulness to one’s parents often appears to human eyes as faithlessness. Faithlessness often seems like faithfulness.
313. True kindness resembles unkindness. Unkindness often seems like kindness.
314. True good deeds often appear to human eyes like evil deeds, and, conversely, evil deeds like good deeds.
315. To human eyes the truly wise person often seems foolish. A foolish person, contrarily, seems wise.
316. God’s teaching is deeper than the deepest sea, and the light of truth is like that of the sun. In the ship of salvation may you easily cross the furious sea of this world and attain the joy of the Divine realm. The ship of salvation is this teaching.
317. That which becomes a treasure of the Divine realm is the true life of the soul, which one can acquire through strong faith and true conduct. This life of the soul never grows old and never dies.
318. Through the teachings of Oomoto, acquire limitless power to struggle against all devils in this world.
319. Happy indeed are those who can hear the Divine words, for none of the saints and sages until now have known this truth or seen this Divine light.
320. The true home of every human being is not this world, but the Divine realm, without aging or death.
321. God created the Divine realm and expects only that the souls of just people may rise up and live in joy.
322. The physical life is finite. It is rare indeed for some one to live to the age of a hundred years. Consequently life on earth is only temporary and destined to perish.
323. The life of the soul is eternal and deathless; it is the life of spirit in the spirit world.
324. What gives to the unageing and undying spirit the eternal joy of the Divine realm? None other than the human soul itself, conforming to the heart of God, having accomplished deep faith and service to God.
325. What invites you to eternal suffering in the abysmal world? Your sin in not believing in God, neglecting Him, and your impure conduct.
326. In the Divine realm there is no sin, no impurity, no sickness and no suffering. How then will you reach this Divine realm?
327. Just believe that the Spirit of Mizu is saviour, cultivate a living faith and perform worthy deeds. The only way is to make the four spiritual qualities function fully (see paragraphs 91, 92, 93).
328. In the Divine realm, the dark night does not exist. The warm and gentle light of the sun (Divine light) shines ceaselessly.
329. The Divine realm is a joyful paradise, in which all things grow and prosper, without withering and without dying.
330. In the Divine realm there is no fighting or disorder. God is full of joy and the heavenly beings sparkle with pleasure; words cannot express its beauty.
331. A man who has been born and died can not be reborn in this world with the same body. Man, whose flesh has this destiny, do not pass the time in this world in vain.
332. While you live in your body, strive to cultivate your faith, improve your conduct and open the door yourself to the realm of heavenly beings.
333. He who during his bodily life cannot open the door to the realm of heavenly beings will not be able to open the door to the Divine realm once he has become only a spirit.
334. While you have your physical body, redeem yourself of your sins, repenting and correcting your conduct: your sins will not be forgiven after your death. A soul whose sins are forgiven during the earthly life will enjoy forgiveness also after death; the soul whose sins are not forgiven during the bodily life will search in vain for forgiveness after death.
335. He who cannot know the Divine realm during the earthly life will be even less able to do so after death.
336. The soul, given by God, must be returned to God. The soul, which comes from the Divine realm, must return to the Divine realm. How then will you excuse yourself before God if, lured into avarice, you wound and damage your four spiritual qualities and finally fall into the abysmal realm?
337. Be obedient to the words of the Spirit of Mizu. With pleasure I will accompany you to God’s side. Surely will I lead you to the side of the Original God, the Master of the world. The realm into which I will lead you is a realm unmoving and unchanging.
338. God knows well that my soul is the Spirit of Mizu. Therefore God uses my body and soul as a holy dwelling place and imparts the joyous tidings of the Divine realm.
339. Therefore, the words which I impart all come from the Divine realm.
340. The pure spring water of Anao (the name of the birthplace of Onisaburo) flows from the heart of God to wash the stains of human hearts.
341. I, born from the spirit of this water, am an envoy of heaven, saviour of the world, come to cleanse the world stained with mud.
342. He who from beginning to end serves God, enduring pain and suffering, can reach the Divine realm with the Spirit of Mizu.
343. Know that to govern the nation, one’s family or oneself, patience and effort are absolutely necessary. They are the most essential qualities for achieving anything. Even more so are they necessary on the Divine path.
344. Know that patience and effort are fundamental to receiving Heaven’s help.
345. Never shun human company. He who looks down upon human beings is in turn looked down upon by God. Three shaku under the ground, there is no distinction between the nobleman and the commoner.
346. Be gentle and compassionate. That which conquers various sins is compassion.
347. Be noble-spirited and bold. Do not worry about trivial things, do not grumble and do not reproach the faults of others immoderately.
348. Brothers and sisters, be circumspect in your speech. The tongue may spit poison and become a sword. The various sins of the world come mostly from the tongue. Take care!
349. There is nothing more terrible than the tongue. It may become a sword, a serpent, or a devil. That which will make your body and soul fall down into hell is most likely to be the work of your tongue.
350. Praise people rather than reviling them. Reviling a person is the same as reviling God, because all human beings are God’s children. Those who love to revile others are immediately rewarded with unhappiness. Be cautious!
351. People who walk on the true path, people who wish to learn the true way: never envy, revile or judge others. Vilifying another human being is the same as confessing one’s own evil and unreasonableness in front of the other.
352. There is a great difference between good and evil on earth and that in the Divine realm. The way of greatest goodness is only to love God and for His sake to strive for the prosperity of the realms of heavenly beings, heavenly and earthly. Other than this there is no absolute good. And the good must be the love of good (altruistic). The love of evil (egoistic) is the work of a malicious god.
353. On the Divine path do not regard human beings with prejudice. Whatever good words you may say, if your actions are unfair you are not taking the just and true path: you are taking the devil’s path.
354. If one desires the true flower and fruit, one should cultivate the true tree. Missionaries, take care to cultivate and nurture the wisdom to distinguish good from evil, justice from injustice.
355. The activity of a missionary is like a flame, burning mountain and field. Even a tiny flame soon becomes a great fire. In the same way, even a single one of the words and deeds of a missionary moves the world. Take heed, therefore!
356. Assimilating with people in the present world and going their way is not in accordance with God’s pure heart. He who conforms to God’s heart cannot be in accord with people in this impure world. Therefore the need arises first for aramitama (Divine activity) and nigimitama (Divine harmony).
357. Even if one speaks the truth with one’s mouth and thinks the truth with one’s mind, it is a dead truth unless one has the courage to practise it. God likes living truth the most and despises dead truth the most.
358. If ill fortune has prevented you from carrying out true deeds despite your strong desire to do so, God will be indulgent with you for some time, for He knows this well.
359. When your fortune improves, practise without delay.
360. Truth only spoken is a mask and a false thing. This God knows. Therefore, He is not indulgent even for a moment.
361. Do not do evil for the sake of a limited life and abandon your true eternal life; this is a sin which brings about God’s anger.
362. In the world there are many loyal people. But true immaculate loyalty has disappeared in the present time.
363. Loyalty in service for one’s own honour and reward is quite a commonplace loyalty.
364. True loyalty is without honour, without payment and without gifts. Helping God in the holy work, offering one’s body and heart for the nation is true loyalty.
365. Respect and love God with a straight soul. Resting on the head of a just person, God will guard him and shine on his heart. In the world there is nothing more worthy of respect than God.
366. A house built on sand is easily brought down and washed away by flood. Just so is a man with shallow faith. When one or two unfortunate things happen to him, he immediately has rancour against God and loses his faith. Such faith God dislikes most of all.
367. He whom God dislikes cannot reach the realm of heavenly beings. If you wish to reach that realm, first become intimate with God, be in accord with God and serve God.
368. Everything in the world is ruled by God. Therefore, may all ask God and obtain His permission in all things.
369. Know that he who does everything arbitrarily without God’s permission is an opponent of God.
370. That which God allows will surely come about. That which does not come about is not yet allowed by God. In such a case, make your heart tranquil and reflect on good and evil.
371. My body is a holy house of God. The Gods enter into this house and impart the gospel of the Divine realm.
372. The true chief saviour of the world is the Spirit of Mizu or the God Susanoo.
373. Shakyamuni, Christ, Confucius and others are world saviours. Human beings who have contributed to society are also saviours.
374. Those who serve humankind on earth, offering their bodies and hearts, are also saviours of the world.
375. The Spirit of Mizu, the chief saviour, has again come down into the world and made a path of salvation.
376. The chief redeemer of the various sins, heavenly and earthly, is the Spirit of Mizu or the God Susanoo.
377. Consequently, the sins which humans cannot compensate for even in a generation are redeemed and pardoned in the name of this God. Therefore, unless made to the God Susanoo your prayers for absolution will be to no effect.
378. He who sincerely serves God, persevering constantly, receives God’s favour. For God always remains with one who serves Him justly. While one remains with God, there is nothing to fear, on fields or mountains, in seas or rivers.
379. When one travels the world with God, one never loses the way and never perishes. For God’s virtue is clear and He is the true living fountain of life.
380. Making true vows before God, receiving infinite Divine power, overcoming the world in which only devils prosper, and explaining God and the truth, these are the tasks of Oomoto believers.
381. The body and soul of the man who clearly reveals God’s light and truth to the world will in turn be clearly shown by God in the realm of heavenly beings.
382. Even in such a case as when in your heart appear the clouds of avarice and greed and the sea of your emotions rages, if you illuminate your heart with the teaching of the Spirit of Mizu, the clouds will quickly disappear, the wind and waves will be calmed, the sun of admonition will appear and the moon of humility will shine.
383. The human body and soul are both borrowed from God. In the Divine realm, God guards everything at the same time, the material and the spiritual. He who wishes to enter into the true faith must never forget this.
384. Looking at human beings wandering in darkness, God always seeks to lead them to the light and cares for their salvation.
385. Never turn to the way of strife, disregarding the heart of God.
386. Pray to God that you may be saved out of the abominable realm of devils into the beautiful Divine realm. Pray with the name of the Spirit of Mizu. God is Spirit. Pray therefore to God who is Spirit, with your just spirit, given by Heaven. Serving Spirit with spirit is the true faith.
387. People in the present day are all travelling on a dark road. They are making a very dangerous journey, saying as they do that in front of their noses is the darkness of night, and living for the pleasure of the moment. Those who travel in darkness do not notice the deep pit at their feet.
388. Because God pities human beings going thus in darkness, He has sent down the light of the Spirit of Mizu and opened the way to salvation.
389. The shadow of death watches over humans incessantly. With the ticking of the clock, human life draws closer and closer to death. Therefore let no one fail to prepare for the life after death. Without faith a man will be completely unable to prosper either in the material world or in the spiritual.
390. Polish your soul to the point where you do not fear death at all, even if it comes to you now. Constantly nurture your faith, for the shadow of death is always watching over you and it is not certain when your time will come.
391. God loves all races equally, because they are all His children.
392. He who hates human beings is contrary to God’s heart.
393. He who disrespects foreigners and regards them with prejudice defies God’s heart.
394. “Hate the sin, but do not hate the sinner”, this is a common saying. But he who goes God’s way should not even hate the sin, but, looking on it, pity the sinner.
395. God hates sin; human beings have not the right to hate the sins of other people.
396. Because every human being is full of faults and impurities, human beings do not have the right to hate one another. Have pity for the fault, therefore, and endeavour to lead the sinner to good.
397. To make every person repent and correct his evil, to lead him to good and to save him from sin is in accordance with God’s heart.
398. Consequently, to change an evil person into a good person is a good act, which brings joy to God’s heart.
399. Point out your faults to one another when you notice them, and lead one another to the way of goodness. This is the duty of a believer towards God.
400. Begin to lead people to the way of goodness after you have purified your heart and improved your own conduct; otherwise this will be very hard to accomplish. Because Words of guidance from an unjust and unpractising person are lacking in faith, justice and power; they cannot move anyone.
401. Man, whose body perishes and withers away, should rely on God, who transcends death and life, and endeavour to receive the life and power unperishing.
402. That which is able to save your body and soul is naohi (pure spirit) given by God.
403. That which destroys your body and soul with torture, throwing it in a raging fire, is a devil.
404. Naohi is the just function of repenting evil and correcting sin. Justice is absolutely necessary to human beings.
405. Distinguish between gods who are to be believed and those who are not to be believed. Accomplishing this is the function of kushimitama (Divine wisdom).
406. Even if you offer to God all your treasures, riches and body, you cannot repay even a ten-thousandth of your debt of gratitude to God. Accordingly, let him who serves God submit to Him, forsaking everything.
407. The most important treasure in the whole of human life is the power of faith. He who does not have faith can achieve nothing.
408. The aim of human beings living in the world is high rank, long life and great wealth. But these are all treasures for the body only. To the soul after death, they are as worthless as dust.
409. After death the only treasure is the fruit of one’s faith while in this world.
410. Name, rank, life and wealth, these four can be a firm base for faith.
411. Faith is a tower, built on this base. He who has life and treasures is at a great advantage for the practice of faith. Indeed without life, faith cannot be nurtured at all.
412. But even if you do not have name, rank and riches, God, full of love, will build a magnificent tower on your faith, if you only have life.
413. The rich, while having the best basis for faith, do not know how to build a beautiful sanctuary. Therefore, many of them cannot pass through the door of the realm of heavenly beings; most often they fall into the abysmal realm.
414. At one time, because of the Divine will, I intended to spread the Divine teaching to build a Divine realm on earth, and I received various trials from God.
415. Each time I met with these trials, I lost my treasures. Instead of them, I acquired the fruit of faith. The true fruit, acquired through faith, is the incomparable, eternal treasure.
416. When one is rich in money, most often one becomes proud and cannot have true faith. Consequently one cannot see the Divine light.
417. I was once a farmer, practising missionary activities in my free time. But this was not in accordance with the heart of God.
418. Therefore I left my native place and entrusted everything to God.
419. Those who are rich and do not have faith are indeed unhappy. Although in their granaries weevils may swarm and bore and damage their rice, they do not know how to give even these damaged grains of rice to those who are poor and hungry. Pitiable indeed are the rich who accumulate sins against the Divine realm. Although their silk robes in their storehouses are mildewy and damaged by moths, they do not wish even to give these to those who suffer from the cold, and they are eager to have even more. Pitiable is the future of such rich people. Even though the world is coming to an end, blinded by avarice, they think only of hoarding, and more and more do they accumulate heavy sins.
420. The accumulated sins of the rich who do not share their wealth becomes a mountain of swords, which will presently fall onto the rich, will wound and break them.
421. In affairs of the world anyone can achieve high rank with the power of money, with knowledge and science. But this is not true prosperity. True prosperity is to become a missionary of the Divine realm, a witness of the Divine way. This task of the missionary or witness cannot be obtained with money, nor with intelligence or learning. This is the prosperity obtainable only through the manifestation of the Divine will according to each one’s faith and conduct.