神と人間 安心立命への道しるべ
ー 五井 昌久著
第６章 正しい宗教と誤れる宗教②
宗教とは哲学ではない。哲学を越えた行の世界が宗教である。
また、宗教とは教団や教会や、伽藍ではなく組織でもない。人間が神仏にそのままつながっている生命であることを、自覚させる行であり、教えである。
真に宗教が世界に拡まり、世界人類が、真の宗教心、信仰心に生きたならば、この世は愛に満ち充ちた天国となるのは明らかである。
愛とは、神そのものであり、神と人間をつなぎ、人間と人間を調和させ、人間とあらゆる生物を琴和（きんわ）させる最大の働きをもつ心である。
宗教に入って、愛の心が湧きあがらぬようならば、その人は真の宗教人ではなく、神に祈りながら安心立命の道に入ってゆかぬならば、その人の神観は誤りであり、その祈りは正しいものではない。
こうしたところから、正しい宗教と、誤れる宗教、正しい信仰心と、誤てる信仰心とを判断すべきである。
人間は古代から奇蹟を求め、新しい世界を求めつづけた。人間の力以上のもの、知識以上の出来事、こうしたことを待ち望む心は、本来の神性、自由自在性の顕れの一部であり、常に新世界を求める人類の心の底には、神の国が蔵されていたのである。
この求むる心、希求する心が、一方では科学精神となり、眼に触れ、手に触れる物質から物質へと探究してゆき、ついには現代のように物質波動説にまで進展し、一方では求むる心をそのまま五感の世界を超越して、波動の世界にいたり、さらに超越してあらゆる波動を発する本源の世界に突入した覚者を生んだのである。そして、この二つの方法が必然性をもって近代の文化を開き、理想世界樹立を目指してゆきつつあるのである。
先覚者釈尊は、自己の肉体を超越して本源の光に達した時、自己そのものが、光明身そのものであることを悟ったのであり、それ以来、自由自在に神の力を駆使して、数多（あまた）の奇蹟を行い、その弟子たちも、霊界の守護神の力を借りて、それぞれの神通力を発揮した。
仏教学者は釈尊の偉大さを、その哲学的な説教におき、その奇蹟の面は、釈尊の偉大さを称えるための一つの物語的に解釈している向きが多いが、あの奇蹟があったればこそ、仏教哲理が現在のように拡がったのであり、この点、キリストの奇蹟も真実のものであることを私は明言する。
奇蹟なき宗教は、あまりに広まらないし、人間を魅力しない。といって奇蹟のみを喧伝（けんでん）する宗教には邪しまなものが多い。
説教のみの宗教は、宗教の形骸に流れやすく、奇蹟のみの宗教は、かえって、人間を不安動揺せしめる。
近代における既成宗教の大半は形式を教うるのみで魅力なく、新興宗教の大半は、奇蹟的現世利益を説くが、人間の不安動揺の心を根抵から救ってはくれない。
その場、その場の現世利益があったからといって、そのことだけで正しい宗教とはいえないが、宗教とは現世の利益など、どうでも良く、死後や未来がよければよい、というのも片寄っている。また、宗教に現世利益を求めることは間違いで、人間の本体を仏であると観ずること、色即是空、空即是色（ものは即ち空であり、空の中にすべてのものがある）である悟りに入ることのみが宗教なのだ、という人びともある。これは真に正しい教えなのであるが、現世のように、肉体生活への執着の非常に深い時に、ただ、肉体は仮相であって、実相ではない、と、全然、肉体生活の利害を無視したように見られては、一般大衆との距離があまりにも遠く、これによって真に救われる人は僅少の僅少のほんのわずかであると思う。
私は、肉体生活がある限り、肉体生活の利害を全然思わぬ、というような教え方は無理であると思うので、肉体生活の利害も認め、その利益もあり、幽体の存在を認め幽界を知らせ、幽界における死後の生活の方法を教え、さらに一番大事で、肝腎な、人間は神そのものである、ということを悟らせる方法が、前者の各方法よりさらによいのではないかと思う。
→ ③へ続く
God and Man ～Guideposts for Spiritual Peace and Awakening
ー Written by Masahisa Goi
Chapter 6: True Religions and Mistaken Religions Part 2
Religion is not philosophy. Religion is the world of spiritual exercise that goes beyond philosophy.
Religion is not a religious group, nor is it a church or cathedral, nor is it an organization. Religion is the spiritual practice and the teaching that makes human beings realize that they are life that is naturally connected to God.
If the essence of religion truly spreads throughout the world, and if humanity lives in the true religious spirit and in true religious faith, it is clear that this world will become a heaven filled with love.
Love is God Itself, and love is what works most powerfully to join human beings with God, to harmonize human beings with each other, and to bring human beings into harmony with all living things.
If, after entering a religion, the spirit of love does not well out in a person, he or she is not a religious person in the true sense. If, while praying to God, one does not enter the way to spiritual peace and awakening, one's view on God is mistaken and one's prayer is not a right one.
With respect to these points, one should distinguish between true religion and mistaken religion, and between true faith and mistaken faith.
Since ancient times, human beings have been seeking miracles and looking for new worlds. This mentality of waiting and wishing for something beyond human power, for events that are beyond ordinary human knowledge, is one part of the manifestation of the original divine nature and infinite freedom. In the depths of the mind of humanity, which always seeks a new world, there exists the realm of God.
This seeking mind became, on the one hand, the scientific mind which investigates, one by one, material substances that can be seen and touched, and it finally developed the modern theory that all matter is made up of waves, or vibrations. On the other hand, the seeking mind produced the awakened people who transcended the world of the five senses, entered the world of vibration, and further surpassed this and entered the world of the Origin that radiates all vibrations. These two methods have inevitably developed modern civilization and are aiming at the founding of an ideal world.
The awakened Sakyamuni, at the time when he surpassed his physical body and reached the original light, recognized his true existence as a body of light itself. From that time on, he freely exerted divine power and performed many miracles. Each of his disciples also demonstrated a particular kind of divine power, supported by power from their Guardian Divinities.
Many Buddhist theorists tend to place the greatness of Sakyamuni on his philosophical sermons and to interpret his miracles as mere tales to praise his greatness. However, it is because of those true miracles that Buddhism spread as we see it now. On this point, I clearly declare that the miracles of Christ are also true.
Religions without miracles do not spread far and do not hold strong appeal for human beings. On the other hand, many religions that only advertise miracles are vicious.
A religion of sermons only can easily turn into the skeleton of a religion. On the other hand, a religion of only miracles will make people all the more uneasy and disturbed.
Most of the established religions in recent times teach only formalities and lack appeal. Most of the newly formed religions preach of miraculous benefits in this world and do not release people from the source of their anxiety.
Even if one has received some benefits at a certain time or place, this alone does not prove that the religion being practiced is a right one. However, it is also too one-sided to say that in religious faith, worldly benefits are irrelevant and the only thing that matters is our happiness after death and in the future.
There are also people who say that it is wrong to seek benefits in this life through a religion, and that the only purpose of a religion is to let people see that the true existence of a human being is God Itself, and to reach their awakening, becoming aware that matter is empty, and that everything exists in Kuu.(※17) This is truly a correct teaching, but when the attachments to the physical way of life are extremely deep, as they are in this world, if one only takes the view that the physical body is a temporary phase and not the ultimate reality, totally disregarding any interest in the life of this physical world, it will be just too far removed from the general population and I believe that it will bring true deliverance to only a scanty few people.
I think that for as long as people have a physical body, it is unreasonable to teach them not to think at all about life in the physical world. Therefore, it seems to me that rather than taking either of the preceding two approaches, it would be better to recognize the interests and benefits of life in the physical body and physical world, and also to recognize the existence of the subconscious body, and let people know about the subconscious world,(※18) and teach them how to live in the subconscious world after death, and then to let them realize the most important and essential point: that human beings are God Itself.
To be continued in Part 3
※17: The phrase in Japanese is shiki soku zekkuu, kuu soku zesshiki (色即是空、空即是色), aphrase frequently used in Buddhism.
※18: Refer to Figures 2 and 3 in Chapters 3 and 4.
Dios y el Ser Humano (Spanish Edition)
Deus e o Homem (Portuguese Edition)
