Principles of Nature Farming

The Technical Side

Introduction Meishu-Sama the Church's founder, advanced all his work according to the revelations he received from God concerning the New Age. Nature Farming is one of the three important activities of the Johrei Fellowship. In recent years, more and more people have been awakened to the danger of eating food contaminated with chemicals, and have begun to show a deep concern about this matter. Never before in the history of humanity has so many kinds of chemicals been injected into our daily food. There are quite a number of nutritionists, doctors and other scientists who advocate the necessity of producing pure food by natural methods. Their approach, however, is physical. Nature Farming is the new approach advocated by Meishu-Sama. It is spiritual, in harmony with the Law of Nature, based on the revelations he received from God. It is very simple and logical and as we realize its true principle and follow it exactly as shown by Meishu-Sama, we see how correct Nature Farming is, because it succeeds. In order to understand this principle, the reader must be very open-minded. Meishu-Sama first publicly advocated Nature Farming in 1949. Its basic principle is to preserve the natural vitality and fertility of the soil by protecting it from the contamination of artificial fertilizers and insecticides. Our founder stated, " Natural, pure soil is permeated with the spiritual energy of the soil, which is the true growth or fertility factor." He deplored the fact that farmers in general are engrossed with the use of artificial fertilizers, which deprive the soil of its spiritual energy and contaminate the crops by forming toxins of various nature in the plants. He also pointed out that it is these toxins which cause insects to flourish. To combat these pests, the use of insecticides made from deadly poisons has become common all over the world, contaminating the crops still further with more toxins. When eaten by man, the foods saturated with poisons cause the blood stream to become impure. This not only causes illnesses of a baffling nature, but also lowers the spiritual vibration and forms more toxic clouds on the spiritual body. Meishu-Sama said, "God revealed Nature Farming to me to save humanity from this misfortune. What I advocate is the Divine Spiritual Science of the Creator. In order to understand this teaching, you must first free your mind from pre-conceived ideas, study thoroughly and carefully until you have digested it. Then, to see how well the principle works, put it to practical use." When the problems of the contamination of food, depletion of the soil and the use of more and more deadly poisons as insecticides have been solved, what a brilliantly happy world will be realized! Nature Farming may seem like a too-easy solution, but we believe it is the answer if only more people will awaken to the truth and begin practicing our method of growing food.

Principles of Nature Farming

A. The Function Of Soil In order to understand what Nature Farming is, one must first understand the essential function of soil. At the very beginning of Creation, God made soil so that it might produce the necessary food for both man and animal. Accordingly, pure dirt is full of fertilizing elements. When seeds of various kinds have been sown in such earth they should sprout, develop into plants, produce blossoms and bear food. Soil could be called a wonderful artist, for it is endowed with the power to create, and it should be treated with reverence and love. This action is brought about through the Power of Nature, which should be the true subject of study. To repeat, God created the earth so that it may produce all the grains and vegetables needed to provide man with exactly the right amount of food necessary to sustain life, not more nor less. When we give deep thought to this, we can see how Gods' Wisdom and Love are working everywhere. He cannot have sent man to this earth plane and then left him without sufficient food to keep him alive. If an entire country suffers from a shortage of food, there must be something in its way of living which is not in accord with the Law of Nature; that is with the Law of God. Soil is composed of two elements, the physical and the spiritual, as is everything on earth. The physical side is the visible part of the soil itself. The spiritual side is the invisible and as yet unexplored by science, but it is the real entity of the soil. This invisible side of of the soil is its true, God created nutrient and growth factor. Soil becomes more productive as man raises crops on it continuously. It is the same as man himself. The more he works and uses his body, the healthier and stronger he becomes. If a section of the ground is left unused, the energy of the soil weakens, as a man weakens when he does nothing productive. Another interesting fact is that the earth produces a certain characteristic in itself which is specifically suited to the crop planted in it. The more repeatedly a certain kind of plant is sown in the soil, the more adapted it becomes to that particular plant. This happens only when the soil is kept natural and uncontaminated. B. The Basic Principles of Nature Farming Soil is permeated with the spiritual energy inherent to it, the nutrient factors for crop growth. These are indispensable sustainers of mans physical life and are the essential qualities of the soil, which are so mysterious and abstruse that material science has not been able to grasp them as yet. The basic idea of Nature Farming is to keep the soil as pure as possible, without using artificial fertilizers of any kind, chemical or non-chemical. It then exerts its true productive nature. Even the use of organic matter such as animal manure makes soil impure and deprives it of its productive energy. The important action to take in Nature Farming is to revere the soil, love it, and keep it pure. The soil will then be sure to respond and do its work willingly, for it has feelings and emotions, just as we do. C. The Power of Nature The visible world is surrounded by an invisible sea of ether, which we call the spiritual realm. This invisible realm is permeated with a universal energy from which all living things draw their life energy. This universal life energy is composed of three elements: the element of fire, the element of water, and the element of earth or soil, which fuse into a unit of perfect harmony and produce a creative energy. This is what we call the Power of Nature. There is a huge ball of fire in the core of the earth which is the source of its heat. The energy of this subterranean heat penetrates the earth's crust and fills the space between the planet and the stratosphere. This is what we call Doso in Japanese, the element of soil. Doso has both physical and spiritual sides. The physical side is scientifically named nitrogen. The spiritual side is unexplored by science as yet. The energy emitted by the sun is the element of fire, called Kaso, which has a physical and spiritual side. The physical side is light and heat, which we see and feel. The spiritual side is unknown so far. The energy emitted by the moon is the element of water. We call it Suiso. Its physical side is water, manifested by dew on a moonlit night. The spiritual side is still undiscovered. These three spiritual elements are fused into a whole and become Power X. All creation is evolved by this power. Although to mans five senses it is non-existent, it is the very source of vital energy for the whole of creation. The growth of crops also depends on this power, for it is an inexhaustible source of fertility, in the true sense of the word. Since the elements of fire, water and soil are the three essentials for the growth of crops, they will be certain to grow well when planted in pure, uncontaminated soil in a sunny location, supplied with ample water. This is the only true farming method and there cannot be any other right way. All of the present problems concerning problems concerning farming will be solved by following it. D. Artificial Fertilizers and Insecticides Pure soil, as we have said, is full of fertilizing elements supplied by the spiritual energy of the soil, coming from the ball of fire in the center of the earth and being emitted through the earth's crust. This has as intense heat-not physical, but spiritual, like the heat of the Johrei Light and is very powerful. When the soil is uncontaminated it can be permeated with the internal heat, which works as a fertility factor. This energy goes up into the air and accumulates there until rain brings it down and returns it to the soil. This is the natural nitrogen which makes the soil fertile. ( Recently, scientists learned how to extract nitrogen from the air and it began to be made into fertilizer. That particular product contains only the physical side of nitrogen, without the spiritual energy. It may work temporarily, but the soil will soon be overloaded with physical nitrogen and the balance of Nature will be upset). Man, unaware of this spiritual energy, has become engrossed with the idea that fertilizers, chemical or non-chemical, are necessary to promote or even to maintain the growth factor in the soil. With the use of these fertilizers, seemingly good results are obtained in the initial stages, but their continuos use brings about reverse effects. That is, crops become addicted to artificial energies and they loose their essential ability to absorb the spiritual nutrient of soil, developing a deficiency which requires more fertilizers, exactly like human addicts who require larger and larger amounts of drugs. Some other bad effects of using fertilizer are: (1) Artificial Fertilizers are the cause of Insect Pests. According to the Law of Nature, wherever impure or questionable substances accumulate, a purifying activity automatically occurs as a corrective method. When artificial fertilizers are applied to and absorbed by a plant, it becomes toxic. Noxious insects appear spontaneously in that impurity. This is plant purification by natural law. The noxious insects increase in number and species in ratio to the increase to the increase in fertilizer used. The toxic elements become food for them and they thrive on the poisons. To combat the pests, farmers then use more poisonous insecticides, which give rise to insects of a worse nature. In this manner a vicious cycle is developed, until today deadly poisons are being used and insects or diseases of such malignant nature are appearing that thrive on even these poisons. (2) The more unnatural substances are used in the ground, the more cloudy the spiritual realm of the ground becomes and the less the soils productive power functions. With each year increased amounts of artificial fertilizers become necessary, spawning more noxious insects and necessitating the use of more deadly insecticides. All these steadily increase their destructive effect upon the soil's natural factors and vitality. (3) Unnatural substances, whether organic or chemical, weaken the plants that absorb them and cause them to lose their power of resistance against storms and floods. The flowers drop prematurely and sufficient fructification is prevented. The leaves of grains, peas and beans grow too large and hinder the crops from getting enough sunshine, causing the hulls to become thick and the edible parts to be sparse and small. (4)Poisonous substances in the food have a harmful effect on health Ammonia sulfate, organic ammonia in animal manure, and all chemical fertilizers and insecticides are poisons. When man eats foods which have absorbed these, even a little at a time, the toxic substances enter the blood stream and accumulate in the system. This lowers the spiritual vibrations and forms clouds on the spiritual body, thus undermining man's health slowly but steadily. E. The Increase of Light and Nature Farming As the New Age is advancing, Nature Farming is beginning to work more quickly. The reason for this is the increase of Kaso-fire in the spiritual realm. As Kaso increases, purification becomes stronger and the results of all mistakes and wrongdoings, such as the use of artificial fertilizers, becomes more noticeable. On the other hand, all things which are in accord with the Law, such as Nature Farming, begin to thrive. As Kaso is a kind of heat, the growth of plants is hastened if there is no unnatural substance to hinder them. Kaso, the spirit of fire, may not be felt much physically, but spiritually it has far more effect than physical heat, The temperature of farm fields which belong to our members is about two degrees higher than that of non members' places. Farms and fields receive the vibration of their owners through the spiritual chords connecting them. So, members' farms produce better crops. What is called cold-weather damage not only comes from actual cold, but also from the weakness of the spiritual Light. Even in a cold region, members' farms are protected from damage because their vibratory rates are higher. Those who are less clouded spiritually have higher vibratory rates, so there is more light where they are. There are people that give the impression of coldness and those who give impressions of warmth. The latter comes from the larger amount of Kaso on their spiritual bodies. It means their quality of love is stronger. If a certain district suffers cold weather damage, it generally means the people living there lack love and are self-centered. The spiritual heat which comes from the loving nature of man has a great influence on everything.

The Technical Side Of Nature Farming

(A)The Technical Side of Nature Farming is Not Important In Nature Farming, leaders or technicians are unnecessary. If you study carefully and digest the teaching, you will know the basic principle. People who do not quite understand are often concerned about techniques or the application of principles. The basic principle is simple: to cleanse the soil of its impurities and allow it to exert its true inherent energy. All that is necessary is to study the condition of the soil and the climate, and then apply the principle accordingly. You must observe nature and find the method best suited to the specific conditions. (B) Repeated Plantings In ordinary methods of agriculture, repeated plantings of the same crop on the same plot has proven to be injurious to the soil. But in Nature Farming we find, to the contrary, that repeated planting is very effective. The adaptability of the soil to a specific crop is steadily increased, and its productive action for that particular plant becomes greater and greater. In other words, the soil becomes more skillful in the growth of one particular plant, just as a workman becomes more skillful in one specific profession. Like a man if the soil has to change its profession every year, it must learn the new work from the beginning and so never can become a skilled worker. God created the soil and the plants to relate in this manner. (C) About Natural Composts Sometimes farmers use natural composts. It is generally believed that they work as fertilizers, but this is not correct. The true productive energy of the soil, remember, is in pure dirt itself. When the soil is completely built up by the Nature Farming method, it becomes so soft and productive the use of composts is unnecessary. In fact, they too reduce the productive energy of the soil, so it is better not to use them if possible. The only reasons we sometimes use natural composts, consisting of grass and leaves, are: (1) When soil is clay-like and hard, they help to soften the soil so the feeder roots can reach out more easily. (it has been generally thought that the reason for keeping the earth soft is to let the roots feed on air. Air is not so important for the feeder roots, from our point of view), (2) In cold climates, they are used because they keep the earth warm. (3) When they are applied to cover the ground around the plants, they help the soil to retain its moisture, which is especially important in hot, dry climates. In the cases of (1) and (2), the natural composts should consists of half-decomposed grass and leaves.

3-Nature Farming and Johrei Nature Farming and organic farming have one point in common: inorganic fertilizers and pesticides are strictly rejected by both. In organic farming, however, organic matter such as chicken and other animal manure is used. From our point of view, these too contain substances which are impure and toxic rather than beneficial to plant life. We do not use any organic refuse, such as garbage, fish or meat. Meishu-Sama stated that refuse of this nature is impure and of a lower or negative vibratory frequency. Of course, Nature will purify it eventually and turn it to soil, but not for some time. In organic farming, fertilizer made from seaweed is sometimes considered beneficial. According to Meishu-Sama, seaweed belongs to the sea and is of a vibrational frequency unsuitable for land plants. 4. Nature Farming and Johrei Those who can obtain pure plants or seeds that have not been subjected to fertilizers and insecticides will start with a distinct advantage, and their crops will be plentiful and healthy. If the seeds have been contaminated by fertilizers and insecticides, our church members can purify them by channeling Johrei-Divine Light, insuring better crops. When Nature Farming is first started on farms and fields where unnatural substances have been used, the results may not be good for a year or two. This is because the soil has been poisoned, deprived of its natural vitality and energy. It must go through a certain stage of purification before it is restored to a normal condition. As the soil is purified, it gradually regains its original God-given vitality and begins to produce pure, wholesome foods and other products from the healthy plants, which are free from noxious insects. The application of Johrei is effective in quickening the purification of the soil, which will improve each year with Nature Farming. 5. Resume The advantages of Nature Farming are shared equally by grower and consumer. The crops are better, the foods are more pure and hence more nutritious, contributing more greatly to the maintenance of health. Also, they taste better than those produced by ordinary methods. Increased harvests are the result of the gradual disappearance of destructive insects, leaving only the beneficial ones. Because the plants develop longer roots, they become more resistant to storms, floods and extremes of climate. There is an appreciable savings, such as the reduction of labor, the elimination of artificial fertilizers and insecticides, etc.