A Living God Workbook Answer: ISC Prism (Evergreen)

Tsunamis faced by the Japanese
Japan has been suffering from natural calamities like tidal waves, volcanoes in the sea or earthquakes tormenting the sea. The Japanese people call them Tsunamis. The present story is an except from Koztumi Yakumo’s book. Gleanings in Buddha Fields (1897). The story tells a Tsunami invasion on a village along the Japanese coast in the evening of June 17, 1896. The Tsunami destroyed nearly thirty thousand lives. Hamaguchi who was the head of his village, no doubt he was an old man, he performed a very important role in facing a natural calamity. He, as the headman, settled disputes among villagers . He was responsible for maintaining law and order in his village. He was the most loved person of the village because of his selfless actions. He showed the presence of mind to face the onslaughts of the Tsunami.

Hamaguchi’s Observation
Hamaguchi, being a great observer of nature experienced something unfamiliar that was going he take place at the sea. Being experienced, he noticed an unexpected behaviour of the sea. He was aware that it was a long though slow motion from the under water. He understood that something catastrophic was going to happen. Then he saw that the sea water was turning dark and the water was moving backward.

Prompt Action Needed
Hamaguchi got apprehensive of tsunamive. But he did not have any time to waste. He knew that he could not inform the villagers about the impending danger. In normal circumstances the villagers were informed of any untoward situation by tolling the big bell of the temple. But now Hamaguchi did not have any time to adopt this method of requesting the temple priest to ring the bell.

Hamaguchi’s Action
He, keeping in mind the urgency of situation, called his grandson Tada to bring a burning torch. Hamaguchi and Tada marched towards the hundreds of rice stacks in their fields. Rice was the main source of his survival. He had invested a lot of money in growing his paddy crops. The rice was to be sent to the market for sale. Hamaguchi had other plans in his mind. He set on fire all the rice stacks with the torch. The rice stacks were converted into a huge fire. The priest and the villagers could easily see the rising flames in the fields. Even Tada could not make out what was going on in his grandfather’s mind. The priest understood the message. Soon, he rang the temple bell. It was a very effective way to convey the message. The villagers rushed towards the fields. All the villagers reached the venue in no time. Tada was crying bitterly. He told the villagers that his grandfather had gone mad as he himself put on fire all the stacks of rice. Hamaguchi was unmoved. He ensured that all the villagers had come. The villagers were confused. They could not understand why the old man did that “insane” activity. Hamaguchi just drew their attention towards the sea where tsunami was approaching.

The attack of the Tsunami
The tsunami attacked the village in no time. The whole village was totally destroyed within a fraction of time. Hamaguchi was happy that al the villagers were safe. He saved the lives of nearly 400 people. Not only this gesture of generosity, he invited the villagers to stay in his house. Al the villagers shifted to his house and the temple. It was a long time when the villagers received any help. It was an uphill task to recover from the loss. Now, the villagers understood the real meaning of the “insane” actions of Hamaguchi. Now, they started revering Hamaguchi as a divine personality. The villagers accepted him a god and hence called him Hamaguchi Daimyojin, The Living God. Even today Hamaguchi’s temple is formed in the village and the people pray to him for courage and strength.

Message
Hamaguchi’s story is a saga of sacrifice, selfless deeds and the presence of mind in the time of a crisis. We learn from this story that the real purpose of our life is to do something for others and not to lose mind when we encounter a crisis.