The Day People’s Destiny Forked Some Died While Others Survived
On August 6th, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima for the first time in history, Michio Mishima (89, pictured) was only two kilometers away from ground zero. “I heard that a B29 had come, so I went into the building to get binoculars. Then suddenly a flash went off as if many strobe lights had flashed all at once. ‘This is no small matter,’ I thought to myself and went out. A few minutes later a fierce blast came over me.”
Something hard flew at him, flicked off his hat, and hurt his head. Putting his hand to the wound, he looked at the city area only to find a huge mushroom cloud beyond the mountain. It was radiating dark red, grotesque light.
Three days later, when Michio went to the place which had been the city area, there were many people lying hideously burnt there. “Corpses were strewn all about the place. I weaved my way through them all. It was as if I was walking through hell.” Every time such unforgettable scenes crossed his mind, he couldn’t help wondering why he had survived. Two years ago, Michio read a monthly Buddhist magazine. He was attracted by the Law of Cause and Effect, and started to attend lectures held in his hometown. On August
20th this year, a mudslide caused by a heavy rain hit Asa-Minami Ward in Hiroshima City, where Michio lives. “When I woke up at 5:30 in the morning as usual, I heard noise from outside.” He went out to find earth and sand coming as close as 10 meters away from his house. People living only a few doors away were dead. “If I had built my house a little closer to the mountain, I would be buried in mud now.”
After staying in a shelter for four days, Michio attended a Buddhist lecture. A few days later, he listened to a webinar on the Law of Cause and Effect. He shuddered to hear that when a cause aligns with a condition, it inevitably brings about a result. “I went through many crises, and now I have opportunities to listen to Buddhism. I keenly realized this is brought about by various causes and conditions,” Michio said with deep feeling, and he participated in a Myogo- Granting ceremony. “In this world of impermanence, I have no time to waste. I would like to make the most of every lecture.” He pledges to listen to Buddhism seriously.
Michio says, “I can’t help feeling that everything
that happened to me led me to Buddhism.”
Michio Mishima, Hiroshima Prefecture
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #47 | 2015, The Day People’s Destiny Forked Some Died While Others Survived
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