Kiitsu—Returning-to-One
Welcome to "Kiitsu—Returning-to-One" the podcast formally known as "Making Footprints Not Blueprints." My name is Andrew James Brown, and I’m the Minister of the Unitarian Church in Cambridge, UK.
Knowing that full scope always eludes our grasp, that there is no finality of vision, that we have perceived nothing completely, and that, therefore, tomorrow a new walk is a new walk, I hope that, on occasion, you’ll find here some helpful expressions of a creative, inquiring, free and liberative religion and spirituality that will help and encourage you to journey through life, making footprints rather than blueprints.
Kiitsu—Returning-to-One
S11 Bonus Episode - What Kind of Church/Kyōkai is Kiitsu Kyōkai? by Imaoka Shin'ichirō
The full text of this podcast can be found in the transcript of this edition, or at the following link:
More information about Imaoka Shin-ichirō (1881-1988) can be found at this link:
https://andrewjbrown.blogspot.com/p/free-religion.html
And information about a modern, online, Kiitsu Kyōkai, can be found at this link:
https://andrewjbrown.blogspot.com/p/kiitsu-kyokai.html
Please feel free to post any comments you have about this episode there.
Opening Music, "New Heaven", written by Andrew J. Brown and played by Chris Ingham (piano), Paul Higgs (trumpet), Russ Morgan (drums) and Andrew J. Brown (double bass)
Thanks for listening. Just a reminder that the texts of all these podcasts are available on my blog. You'll also find there a brief biography, info about my career as a musician, & some photography. Feel free to drop by & say hello. Email: caute.brown[at]gmail.com
What Kind of Church/Kyōkai is Kiitsu Kyōkai? [1959] by Imaoka Shin'ichirō
January, Shōwa 34 [1959] in “Creation” [創造], Issue 86
Even though ten years have passed since its establishment, Kiitsu Kyōkai has not yet fully formalised itself as a church/kyōkai. Although it continues to meet on Sundays throughout the year, it has not been very successful. It remains unclear whether there even exist members [会員] or those who call themselves followers [徒]. Under such circumstances, the common opinion is that the church/kyōkai will probably disappear in time, and as the one responsible, I feel sincerely sorry for this situation. However, from my perspective, before creating an organisation [組織], the foremost issue was to examine the character [性格] and essence [本質] of the free-religion we advocate. Thus, the past ten years have been a period of experimentation [実験] for this church/kyōkai. Given this, after a decade of seeking the Way [求道] and examination [検討], have I fully grasped the quintessence [神髄] of free-religion? Certainly not. I still see myself as nothing more than a seeker on the Way [求道者] and I am by no means a shepherd [牧者] guiding a flock of straying sheep [迷える羊の群れ]. My experiment [実験] must continue from now on as well. However, I believe I have, at last, reached a state of mind [心境] where my trials [実践] can be translated into actual practice [突践] even as experimentation continues. Therefore, I will now present my personal views on free-religion and my understanding of Kiitsu Kyōkai, and humbly seek corrections from those more knowledgeable than myself.
Free-religion is a religion that thoroughly emphasises freedom [徹底的に自由を強調する宗教]. It not only refuses to be bound by fixed dogmas [ドグマ] or ceremonies [儀式], but it even advocates for liberation from the authority of a founder [教祖からの解放]. Therefore, it is neither so-called Buddhism nor so-called Christianity. It emphasises freedom [自由], autonomy [自主的], and creativity [創造的]. Rather than focusing on reaching a final destination [終点], it values the process of progress and development [向上発展の過程].
Even the religion of Jesus [イエスの宗教] and the religion of Śākyamuni [釈迦の宗教] were, in fact, neither so-called Christianity nor so-called Buddhism. The religion of Jesus was not the doctrine of the Trinity [三位一体説], or the theory of atonement [贖罪論] preached by later Christianity, but was simply the gospel of creative love [造的愛の福音]. Likewise, the awakening of Śākyamuni [釈迦の悟り] under the Bodhi tree was by no means limited to the Four Noble Truths [四諦] or the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination [十二因縁]. Rather, it was the fundamental principle [根本的理法] of creative evolution [創造的進化], which manifests in infinitely adaptive and transformative ways [臨機応変,千変万化の妙]. I believe that this Dharma [ダルマ] can even be interpreted as Humanism [ヒューマニズム]. This kind of non-dogmatic, highly flexible religion [ドグマでない柔軟性に富んだ宗教] is precisely the free-religion that we uphold. However, later Christians and Buddhists confined the ever-evolving spiritual life [流動進展してやまない霊的生命] within the boundaries of dogma, ceremonies, and religious authority [教権]. The essential task, therefore, is to return these ossified, formalised established religions [固定化・形式化した既成宗教] to their original sources [その源泉に立ち帰らせて] and revive them with free and creative life [自由で創造的な生命に復活せしめる]. In other words, to transform orthodox Christianity [オルソドックス基督教] and fixed Buddhism [固定仏教] into Free-Christianity [自由基督教] and Free-Buddhism [自由仏教]. However, if Free-Christianity and Free-Buddhism [自由仏教] are fully to embody true “freedom” [真に「自由」に徹底する], then there is no need to cling to traditional labels [伝統的名称] such as Christianity or Buddhism. It would be sufficient simply to call it free-religion. Thus, through our Kiitsu Kyōkai, we have sought to create a thoroughgoing example [徹底的なエキザムプル] of free-religion.
Since both Jesus and Śākyamuni were great figures of free-religion [偉大なる自由宗教人], we must learn much from both sages [両聖] with an attitude of reverence and humility [敬虔謙虚な態度]. However, there is absolutely no need to limit ourselves solely to Jesus and Śākyamuni. We must learn just as much from Augustine, Luther, and Schweitzer, as well as from Nagarjuna [竜樹], Shinran [親鸞], and Gandhi. Even the Orthodox Christianity and fixed-Buddhism, which were provisionally rejected earlier [一応は排斥した], if we survey them from a broad historical perspective [歴史的に大観して], and regard them all as steps in the process of evolution [進化の一階段], then I think there is also something to be learned from them [そこにも学びとるべきものがあると思う].
From the perspective that the process [過程] of progress [進歩] is more important than the final destination [終点], we should not hastily rank polytheism [多神論], monotheism [一神論], theism [人格神論], impersonal conceptions of God [無人格神論]—a type of atheism [一種の無神論] — or even spiritualism [心霊論, in terms of superiority or inferiority, or of higher and lower [上下優劣の差別].
Therefore, at Kiitsu Kyōkai, we include not only Christianity and Buddhism, but also Shintō, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and all other faiths [一切を包含する]. However, this does not mean that all religions unconditionally unite into one [一切の宗教が無条件に帰一すると言ずるものでは決してない]. Noise and harmony [雑音と和音] must be distinguished. For different religions truly to return-to-one [真に帰一する], they must refine one another [切磋琢磨しあわなければならぬ]. Thus, all religions must first become free-religions [自由宗教]. That is to say, dogma, ceremonies, and religious institutions [教団] within various religions should not be regarded as ultimate or absolute [終局的・絶対的], but rather as secondary and symbolic [第二義的・象徴的], shaped by the conditions of time and environment [時代的・環境的制約]. The essential task is to awaken to what lies beyond these dogmas [ドグマ] and symbols [シムボル].
I often hear critical remarks [批判] that Kiitsu Kyōkai lacks creeds [信条], scriptures [経典], pastors [牧師], and priests [住職], making it too vague [余りに漠然としていて] and difficult to grasp [つかみどころがない]. And indeed, such a criticism [批判] is perfectly reasonable [如何にも尤である]. However, since the quintessence of religion [宗教の神髄] lies in grasping the meaning of [把握する] the Great Life of free and unobstructed creative evolution [自由で無得な創造的進化の大生命], such matters are simply minor details [枝葉末節]. That being said, just because they are minor does not mean they are entirely unnecessary [全然無用ではない]; so, in due course [その内には], I think our church/kyokai [本教会] should put those things in place [整備].
From the standpoint of Kiitsu Kyōkai — a faith that is free [自由], tolerant [寛容], universal [普遍的], and all-embracing [一切を包含する]—we must regard the Buddhist scriptures [仏典], the Bible [バイブル], the Qur’an [コーラン], the Vedas [ヴェーダ] as, each one of them, scripture of the Kiitsu Kyōkai.
Likewise, all the saints and sages [聖賢] of East and West, past and present, should be respected as the spiritual forebears [祖師] of Kiitsu Kyōkai. Some may argue that this makes for too many scriptures [聖書] and too many spiritual forebears [祖師], but this is the same mistake as going to a cafeteria [カフェテリア] and thinking one must eat every single dish available. No matter how broad-minded [雅量] Kiitsu Kyōkai may be, it would never force someone to overeat [食べすぎを強要する]. The only point Kiitsu Kyōkai emphasises [強調する] is that one must avoid an unbalanced and one-sided diet [唯偏食してはいけない].