Citation

Brown, Andrew James. “I Am the Life and the Resurrection [1910]—An Early Essay by Imaoka Shin’ichirō (1881-1988).” Blogspot. Caute, 30 Mar. 2026, https://andrewjbrown.blogspot.com/2026/03/i-am-life-and-resurrection-1910an-early.html.

Quotes

• species: #species/quote
• themes: religion, God, freedom

Our religion [宗教] is the flourishing of life [生命の発展]; it is a life [生活] that generates its own laws and its own God [神], and is thus bound [囚はれぬ] by none of them.

Collations

Literature notes

Imaoka's passion is revealing. He was younger when he wrote this and although he already held positions here that he held his entire life, I feel like they were phrased here in a language that suggests excitement and vigor—as if he just learned about precious spiritual truths.

I'm particularly struck by strong statements such as that God is the product of our internal life and that religion is about one's own way of living. I wonder how those in his congregationalist church felt about these statements.

As a jiyūshūkyōjin, these words inspire me to bow down to the Great Life that is within me—to create my own subjective way of being in the world and to envision my own God.

Prompts

Per Imaoka, in "I Am the Life and the Resurrection" (1910), instead of being a playground for the intellectual games of dogma, religion is what? :: That which satisfies the needs of the whole person.

Per Imaoka, what approach to religious life did Emerson call "spiritual suicide"? :: Being bound to studying ancient spiritual teachers.

Per Imaoka, Emerson called the approach to religious life focused on studying ancient spiritual teachers what? :: Spiritual suicide

Per Imaoka, what does it mean that religion by its nature is subjective? :: It is focused on one's own life and living.

Per Imaoka, because religion is focused on one's own life and living it is subjective.

Per Imaoka, before looking up to any objective authority, we must first bow to what? :: Our own internal, subjective Great Life

Per Imaoka, morals come from where? :: Ourselves

How does Imaoka make sense of God using his argument that religion is subjective? :: God is a product of our internal life.

Per Imaoka, two focuses of religion seen as primarily subjective:
1.
2. The authenticity of one's life
?
The scale of one's personality

Per Imaoka, two focuses of religion seen as primarily subjective:

1. The scale of one's personality

?
The authenticity of one's life

Per Imaoka, two focuses of religion seen as primarily subjective:
?

1. The scale of one's personality
2. The authenticity of one's life