The financial crisis, which started from the United States of America and spilled over the whole world, seem to have already become the Great Depression. Financial ministers from various countries have been meeting in Washington, Paris, Geneva, Beijing and Sao Paulo etc. and have made a concerted effort to overcome the crisis. The financial crisis seem to not only have a negative effect of causing the world economy meltdown, but also a positive effect of accelerating the borderless worldwide cooperation. If this is so, a time is coming earlier than our expectation when the nations will become one world transcending the Senkaku(Diaoyu)-islands, Takeshima(Dokdo)-island and Palestine issues etc.

Jesus, who had withdrawed to the Mount of Olives after visiting the temple in Jerusalem at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, appeared again in the temple courts at early the next morning, and said to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees following;

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

"You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

"I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!"

I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.(John 8)

Jesus might have taught us; "You cannot hear what God says or understand what I teach as far as you are of this world. You have to go back to your intrinsic nature before Abraham was born, so that you can see the truth. You are unable to hear his voice unless you die once and be born again to discard your stank pride and arrogance as Abraham's descendants."

These words, which Jesus spoke in the temple, are all based on the Old Testament and have shown us that the entire world is guilty before God under the Mosaic Law and that the purpose for Jesus to appear in this world is to use the power of the prayers of those whom have the same faith as him to let grass, trees and the domains of all living things, all attain buddhahood. Paul explained these things in his letter to the believers in Rome.

Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say," No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace." "They have no fear of God at all." Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.(Romans 3: 9-22)

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (Romans 8:14-24)

Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769 or 1685-1768), who is known as the ancestor who rejuvenated the Rinzai school in Japanese Zen Buddhism, taught us "Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?"

When you clap with both your hands, a sound comes out. However the sound vanishes in the twinkling of an eye and so does everything in this world. If you are seized by a phenomenon, which is a result of different factors and terms, which changes constantly or die out immediately, you are unable to see the truth. Only the one who can hear a sound before two hands clap, in other words who faces his intrinsic nature before his parents were born, can see the truth.

There was a teashop infront of the temple where Hakuin lived. The old landlady of the shop named Osan insinuated itinerant priests, who concentrated on the koan (subject which Zen-masters give each religious to learn and practice the doctrine of Buddhism) of "the sound of one hand clapping" during meditation in the temple, and said "Sell the goods by clapping both your hands rather than trying to hear the sound of one hand". When Hakuin learned of this, he said "If your business goes through by clapping your hands, you need not hear the sound of one hand."

The discernment of the landlady, who proclaimed that doing one's business to get along in this world is the way for a single leap's entry to the kingdom of god, is incisive. Naagaarjuna (150?-250?) described this theory in his book called "The Treatise on the Middle Way" and stated: "Dharmas (phenomena) are born of causes and conditions. I say they are thus empty. They are also called false and fictitious, and that is also the truth of the Middle Way." We can also find this in the Heart Sutra as saying "Form (phenomenon) is emptiness, emptiness is also form. Emptiness is no other than form, form is no other than emptiness"

However without the financial crisis, we have to work sleeplessly every day, becoming nervous, thinking, if my lifestyle is worthy or if God had sent me to do this kind of job. Therefore we meditate in temples or go to church.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."(John 8:31-32) Jesus might have taught us that one who keeps Jesus' teaching to take up his cross and follow Jesus, will know that his suffering in this world is a koan (discipline) given by God and resolving this koan is the divine mandate from Heaven. If you try hard to fulfill this mandate, you are the one who lives in heaven while staying in this world.

(Eko-an Hensho-koji：2008/11/16)