For Kiitsu Kyokai tomorrow
The Aetas
I spent five days last week in Clark, Pampanga, the former largest foreign military base of the United States.
Nearby, a New Clark City is being develop.
- The goal of the city is to move key government offices and build a new economic center.
- Depopulate overly populated Manila.
The land where the New Clark City is being developed is owned by an indigenous people with a unique belief on land that puts them at a disadvantage.
- The aetas believe that they are owned by the land, so they refuse to register their lands.
- Military occupation has displaced them out of their lands, which has affected their livelihoods, leading to poverty.
The aetas’ belief system.
Introduce the aetas. Introduce the belief system of the aetas. Emphasize that their spirituality is tightly connected with their way of living (economic, social, political). Introduce how their belief system particularly on land had made them at odds with the gov.
Imaoka’s thoughts on “free religion”
From “What is Free Religion?”
Particular religions contain something more than that which is confined within particular religions. What is that something more? It is universal, super-logical and creative. Free Religion is neither a new religion ranking among existing religions nor a unification of them. Free Religion is immanent in them, being their essence and goal. religion is man’s ultimate concern. In other words, religion aims at none other than becoming a true human being. From the standpoint of Free Religion, what is natural and is what matters.
Imaoka point: Free religion (jiyu shukyo) is universal and shared by all religions.
Questions
- If free religion (jiyu shukyo) is indeed universal, where is it among the aetas belief system?
- As a non-theist or an agnostic,
- If Imaoka is right that all things are religious, how can a free creative spirituality help people in political situations like the aetas are in?
Might be useful
Free Religion will be discovered not only within particular religions but also within all human activities that are nothing but the realization of human nature, universal, creative, holy and religious. According to a popular view, the sphere of religion is holy while those of politics, economy, science and art are secular. Free Religionists do not, however, distinguish between holy and secular spheres. Politics, economy, science and art are not mere politics, economy, science and art but realization and development of universal and creative human nature and are therefore sacred, i.e., religious in the broad and true sense of the word. human activities are multifarious but the ultimate goal is to become a true human being. And this is what I mean by Free Religion.