Review Section

Originally published in Japanese in 1954

Ohsawa wrote about Gandhi to encourage every young, poor worker to become a really great person like Gandhi. The conditions for becoming such a person were, for Ohsawa, to be healthy and not to lie. To be healthy, one must observe the macrobiotic diet, which can be explained as basically a vegetarian diet high in whole grains and low in fats and proteins. With this diet, however, one tries to balance the amounts of sodium and potassium both in food and in the blood. (1.)

In this book you will learn about the childhood and adolescence of the great sage Gandhi. Not only was Gandhi a timid, cowardly boy, but he was also slow-witted and clumsy at sports, which consequently he hated. Moreover, his handwriting was very poor; and he even committed theft.

If you were not a whimperer or a coward, were neither timid nor dull-witted, were good at sports, had good hand writing, and had never lied or stolen, then it would be a waste of your time to read this book. You will surely become greater than Gandhi. (2.)

The dietary method that most directly and surely causes judgment to develop in the direction of Supreme Judgment is the one I have named "macrobiotics." Once again stating it briefly, this method teaches us how to choose, combine, prepare, and eat the proper foods.

The Chinese and Indian sages who lived many thousands of years ago were the first to describe the macrobiotic way. Lao-tsu named it the "Tao." In India the Code of Manu gave flesh to its contours. Buddha in his teaching called it "Fujimon," the gate which leads to oneness.

For thousands of years the law of Fujimon, expressed in the term "Shindofuji," taught the identity and inseparability of the human, animal, and vegetable kingdoms. Then, gradually, through the course of millennia, and especially during the last two hundred years, the grand concept of Shindofuji has lost its luster. And now, in these times of industrial revolution and scientific progress, it is considered to be the figment of a vague and hazy imagination.

For the past forty years my job has been to restore this tarnished concept to its former brilliance and then to apply it to the development of human judgment as well as to the healing of all disease. Accordingly I have extensively written about judgment and disease from a variety of aspects, from scientific problems to political problems. Now, in this work on Gandhi, I have concentrated on another, slightly different theme: the effect of upbringing and childhood experiences in the development of judgment. Specifically, what is the effect of lying on our childhood dreams, which, I maintain, are a memory of Seventh Heaven or Supreme Judgment? And I have tried to furnish clues in the various ways that lying manifests itself, so that you can tell how much lying is a part of your life.

I truly hope that on your way you will meet many temptations to lie and encounter conflicts that will test your honesty, so that you will be able to grow to be a great and honest man like Gandhi.

For his entire life Gandhi tried to live without lying either in thought or action. This is only possible if you are healthy. If you are sickly, you will keep telling lies. Only those who do not lie are capable of courageous action. You must realize in your life the six conditions of health: never tired; good appetite; good, deep sleep; good memory; never angry; and quick and smart thinking. By so doing you have already contributed to the revolution of mankind, (3.)

1. Gandhi the Eternal Youth - Publisher's Preface
2. Gandhi the Eternal Youth - Preface - George Ohsawa - November, 1953
3. Gandhi the Eternal Youth - George Ohsawa - Translated by Kenneth G. Burns