...Our methods of healing the sick, and of reforming agricultural methods are, without question, a form of art. The former is the art of life, the latter, the art of agriculture. The creation of prototypes of an ideal world is also the art of beauty. When these three arts are combined, we shall have created a world of bliss wherein truth, virtue, and beauty abound in perfect harmony.
(Excerpt from an essay by Mokichi Okada - October 4, 1950)
Towards the Creation of New Medicine
Mokichi Okada (1882-1955) stated that medicine should set the highest objective of eliminating illnesses from society. What in his concept constituted the elimination of illness or the creation of ‘True Health?’
To Mr. Okada, merely removing the symptoms of an illness did not constitute a cure. He envisioned all professionals working with a person to not only foster health in body, mind and spirit, but work towards remodeling the souls as well. Mr. Okada’s reasoning was that, what good would be brought to humanity, if only a physical cure was attained for a person to turn around and bring harm to others with their new-found health. From the early 1930s he became an advocate for the creation of a health care system based on New Medicine originating from his recognition of the importance of improving the spirituality of human beings together with the physical state of health.
The five main characteristics of his concept of New Medicine are:
- Care that incorporates the understanding of the true nature of human beings as both a physical and spiritual existence.
- Care centered on and giving value to the individual and not the system.
- Care that advocates the practice of health promotion, prevention and treatment based on a coherent theory to eliminate the true cause of illness.
- Care that helps one to understand the purification process through the elimination of bodily toxins or the cleansing of spiritual clouds to improve one’s state of health.
- Care that fosters a greater sense of gratitude ultimately leading to changing one’s lifestyle to fulfill one’s purpose in life.