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Kunihiro Shimamoto
Oomoto School, Japan
Global warming, desertification, deforestation, frequent occurrence of natural disasters and unusual weather are now threatening the continued existence of human life, not to mention all other life forms on this planet. Life on Earth is facing a crisis of ruin. The peril looming over the global environment is today commonly acknowledged across the world. At no other time in recorded history has there been such a cry for the coexistence of humankind and nature. In November last year, in an endeavor to break through the crisis threatening continuation of life on Earth, Oomoto and Jinrui Aizenkai sponsored a in the Japanese religious city of Kyoto. The theme of the forum was "Dignity of Life � Towards the Realization of a World of Peaceful Coexistence." More than 500 religious leaders representing Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and many other religions attended the forum, where they engaged in earnest prayers and ardent discussion. During the forum, the participants by unanimous accord produced a declaration from which I will read an excerpt. Humankind does not exist alone. We must awaken to the fact that human beings are interdependent with all other species, both plant and animal. All living things are part of the great mystery of life, forming a miraculous whole, a harmonious and interdependent ecosystem. All life forms spring from the same great origin, the highest source of power in the universe. Therefore, the dignity of all life should be the highest value. Yet, as a result of excessive material desires, humankind has created a crisis by injuring and destroying life on Earth. Working toward a brighter, more hopeful future is an extremely important mission for religionists. Today, within the broad sphere of "Religion and Environment," I wish to say a few words about Shinto, a religion unique to the Japanese people. In Japan, the concept of coexistence with nature is nothing new. It is an idea of life that has been passed on from ancient times and a religious idea in the framework of Shintoism. In seeking the source of the concept, I have paid particular attention to the rice farming culture of Japan. The history of wet-field rice farming in Japan is old. Recent studies have suggested this practice appeared about 3,000 years ago. Until then, the main lifestyle was that of hunters and gatherers, who could not stop long in one place. Although there were primitive agricultural efforts to cultivate fruits and yields of trees growing naturally in the wild, as well as slash-and-burn farming, people could not settle and were forced by necessity to keep moving. However, this changed with the arrival of wet-field rice farming. Nomadic lifestyles changed to settled lifestyles. Rice brought revolutionary changes to the lifestyles of people of that time. From then time onward, our distant ancestors put the highest value on rice farming as an element of lifestyle, as rice became the staple food. Land under rice cultivation expanded with development of vast tracts of moist, level land. The large family system that emerged with a settled lifestyle and the ties created by the collaborative work of farming spurred development of society, customs and culture in Japan, and formed the nucleus of Japanese culture. As they gave prayers of gratitude for the rich diet offered by the blessings of the earth, forests, seas and rivers, and for the abundance of nature in the four seasons, agricultural people nurtured a spiritual culture. Farming receives the blessings of the earth while it maintains an intimate relationship. Due to the enormous influences of nature, especially the weather, people cultivated an ethos of pious prayer to nature and adaptability to her cycles. This was upheld as "The Way of the Gods," while the laws flowing through natural phenomena were accepted as "The Laws of the Gods." People understood the presence of dignified gods who ruled over nature and held feelings of both fear and awe as they observed those laws. Festive occasions held as prayers of gratitude for the blessings received through farming have been handed on from olden times as sacred rituals. The other side of agricultural development is destruction of the natural environment in which the gods reside. Therefore, people of olden times left stands of natural forest in each community. These became known as "groves of the guardian deities" and are said to be the origin of the local deities who assumed responsibility for protection of communities and districts. In this manner, people of Japan paid heed to coexistence with nature. We can say they developed a concept of nature and gods and lifestyles, as a unified whole. In Europe, many notable scientists emerged with the dawning of natural sciences at the beginning of the 18th century. In addition, the Industrial Revolution in Britain had a crucial role in bringing fundamental changes to economic philosophy, as it ushered in the rapid development of material civilization. However, on the negative side, global environmental problems have become increasingly serious since the second half of the 20th century. In the latter half of the 19th century, Japan ended a long period of national isolation. Japan aggressively introduced new ideas from the science civilization of Western Europe, underwent rapid Westernization as this culture was assimilated, and at the same time established a modern system of government. Yet, this had the effect of darkening people's minds. The all-purpose utility of science turned society towards singing the praises of material civilization, while deplorable, self-centered customs in keeping with the law of the jungle began to prevail over society. In 1925, based on love of humanity and the concept that all religions have the same roots, Oomoto Co-Founder Onisaburo Deguchi encouraged positive interreligious activities for the achievement of global peace. At the same time, he explained that "Agriculture is the foundation of the land," consistently advocated promotion of agriculture, and proposed "An economy self-supporting in natural products" as the ideal form of future society. In 1948, the society Aizen mizuho-kai was established under the instruction of Sumiko Deguchi, the Second Spiritual Leader of Oomoto, for the purpose of spreading knowledge of good farming techniques. Aizen mizuho-kai aimed to stimulate appreciation of the blessings given in agriculture by the moon, sun and earth, to raise agriculture to self-sufficiency in natural products, and to improve agricultural production through proper preparation of the earth. The society put particular effort into technological research of wet-field rice farming and guidance on increasing production. A movement to expand food production and ease food shortages spread throughout Japan. The outcome was a technological upgrading of wet-field rice farming in postwar Japan, and a considerable increase in yield per unit area of land farmed. Aizen mizuho-kai continues to be active, in promotion of organic farming techniques that focus foremost on evolution of Japanese rice farming and soil preparation. The society is also engaged in many other activities, including environmental conservation, proper diet and health. To protect the Earth from destruction of environment and pollution, humankind must bring fundamental change to the sense of values constructed during the 20th century. This was based on the spirit of self-interests, and highlighted by human-oriented thinking and the notion of scientific supremacy. The first step towards awakening to the providence and blessings of nature, and turning our focus onto the coexistence of humankind and nature, is in improvement of our thinking. Here, people of religion have a role of considerable value. However, to fulfill that role we must engage in dialogue, cooperate and be able to undertake unified action.
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