Today I should like to speak about our life as human beings who have been created through the deep intention of God the Parent.

When you think about it, the birth of a human being is actually a marvelous and mysterious thing. Modern science is capable of presenting a step-by-step explanation of the workings of nature that go into the birth of a human being, but whether or not we can apply this theoretical knowledge to create a new life out of absolutely nothing is another question altogether. Surely it will be impossible so long as we are unable to create the necessary substances, and besides, we are not even sure how the various conditions required to create life were determined. Couldn't we say, therefore, that a human life can only be created by something whose power is far greater than our own?

About thirty years ago I underwent surgery for an ear ailment. Several days after the operation the doctor told me: "I have removed the part from your ear that was causing you trouble, but that is the extent of what I can do for you. The rest--the actual healing of the incision--will be accomplished by the body's natural capacity to mend itself. I have merely assisted the powers of nature in your body to function smoothly."

What he was trying to say was that he could surgically remove a malignant part of the body or stitch an incision, but he could not force the two edges of the incision to join together again, nor could he compel the other parts of the body to compensate for the part he had removed. It was outside his power, therefore, to restore the body to function normally in its daily activities. The actual recovery, according to him, would ultimately depend on the powers of nature that are present of their own accord in the patient's body, as well as on the patient's affirmative state of mind that cooperates with the healing process.

This started me thinking. Even if the surgeon took up his scalpel and attempted another incision, no cutting would take place unless the skin responded by severing. Even if he stitched an incision, it would only open again when the stitches were removed unless the two edges of the wound had joined together. The impact these thoughts had on me was a new awareness that cutting and joining are not functions that human effort can control. This shows us, I believe, that the human body and life are created by some marvelous and mysterious power that is beyond science and inexplicable from the standpoint of our ordinary reasoning and logic.

Any of you who have had surgery or been bedridden with a serious illness already know that some of the simplest actions we perform effortlessly while in good health become practically impossible when ill. At these times we may try to lift an arm only to discover how heavy it really is. Even such a minor task as lying down may require the help of another.

Perceiving that we each have a separate body, we imagine that our individual mind has control over it and can move it or relax it at will. In everyone's experience, however, there must have been times when the body did not respond in the manner dictated by our mind. That the body does not always respond as we wish is surely proof that it is not something we can compel to function in accord with our will.

Nobody wants to fall ill. Nevertheless, if a cold is going around, you may end up catching it even though you hadn't the slightest intention of doing so. Even at times when your work has piled up and you cannot see your way clear to taking a rest, if the body is tired out you will end up having to rest anyway, no matter what the mind says.

So long as it is only a matter of a cold, I suppose there might be someone who would welcome it as an opportunity to take things easy for a while. Nonetheless, a cold is never an enjoyable thing to have. Everyone is well aware that colds have a way of developing into other illnesses, and many a life has in fact been lost due to a cold.

Generally speaking, therefore, we have no desire to become ill, and yet there are times when we become ill anyway. This is because the body is not under our control. In fact, it is not even ours. In regard to this, Oyasama has taught us:

All human bodies are things lent by God. With what thought are you using them?

Ofudesaki III:41

And also:

Human bodies are all things lent by God. Do you not know the omnipotence of God

Ofudesaki III:126

This teaches us that God the Parent enters each body to oversee its workings and protect it, and through these workings the body is able to function freely without any deliberate effort on our part.

A heart that is not performing its function will not circulate our blood, and a stomach or intestine that is ulcerous cannot function as freely as it should. Our internal organs and nervous system continuously function without interruption whether we are awake or asleep and, though functioning incessantly, they cause us no inconvenience whatsoever.

We live day after day quite unconscious of these workings and tend to take them for granted so long as every function of the body is working smoothly. But it is possible for us to have an insight into how great these blessings really are. When we fall ill, we realize for the first time how precious health is and we perceive beyond the shadow of a doubt that these bodies we had imagined to be ours are actually bodies we borrow from God the Parent. What is more, the very fact that we are living comes to be seen in the image of being embraced in the immense bosom of God the Parent.

When our mind gains an insight into this, we shall not have to wait for an injury or illness to show us the joy of being able to move our fingers freely or the joy of being alive to enjoy this day. Truly, gratitude will spontaneously well up within us, and the mind will leap up in joy and become spirited in any and everything. This is exactly what every follower should be like, for it alone enables us to be aware of the marvel of living in this world.

This awareness of the marvel of living is also, you may agree, a function of our mind. We have been taught: "The body is a thing lent by God, a thing borrowed from God. The mind alone is yours." The point being taught here is that, depending on the way the mind is handled, this world can be joyous or it can be painful. What is important, therefore, is the way we handle the mind.

(This article was excerpted from Zenye Nakyama's Joyousness Day after Day, published in 1992 by Tenrikyo Overseas Department.)