Monday, August 04, 2003

Attracted by ISTS-(3)

■I want to share the joy based on faith with people all over the world

In the seminar, I had conversations with people of various background. This filled me a sense of contentment. I couldn't believe that I could convey what I meant in my poor English. Among the attendee, who the most impressive were a Brazilian couple living in London. The husband is a former Catholic priest and the wife is a SNI regional lecturer. Actually, she divorced her first-husband and then devoted her whole life to this movement rather than be depressed. It was a SNI event in London when they met for the first time. They were getting passionately involved in SNI movement there. As times goes by, they found they hit it off together and ended up marrying. Cerebrated by attendees of the ISTS, they conducted a wedding ceremony that my wife and I attended, at SNI-Hawaii Jisso Center. We still have been maintaining a good relationship with them.

On the third day of the seminar, we had time to learn how to launch and spread SNI. Seeing a video that introduces SNI's history, I was really moved to tears for the fact that SNI was founded in Japan, I was born in Japan, I could learn this teaching in Japanese. In addition to that, I really appreciated my circumstances that I could learn this teaching directly from Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, president of SNI, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, vice president of SNI.

On the last day of the seminar, shaking hands with participants, I had my mind set on how "I would be of much use, strengthening my ability to propagate the teaching not only in Japanese but also in English."

In 1992 and 1994, Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi did a grand lecture tour in the United States and delivered his 4 lectures in English. When I knew this fact, I was impressed and started to learn English. On my way, I stopped some time, I restarted to learn seriously in January 1999. Having no experience studying abroad and little opportunity to use English in the workplace, the thought "I want to share a joy with people all over the world through SNI" motivates me to keep learning English until now.

I now belong to the section that takes care of overseas’ activity. I am always impressed by followers who voluntarily work in Europe every single day. Without forgetting the impression I had then, I really want to practice this teaching and maintain every effort to be a useful member of the humanity enlightenment movement and International Peace-by-Faith movement.
(End)

Sunday, August 03, 2003

Attracted by ISTS-(2)

■Bright and Cheerful companions

Come to think of it, the reason I couldn't sleep on the airplane and had a headache was that we were given first class seats because of airline's convenience. Surprisingly it cost only about 300$. This led me feel excited too much. What a shame!

When I went out of the airport, the beautiful blue sky was overwhelming. The sunbeams were strong enough for me feel summer, despite it was February. The temperature seemed over 30 degree centigrade, though, it was comfortable for me due to the breeze and dry air.

The seminar began in the evening. What surprised me at first was that people there were so cheerful and bright. When a lecturer asked "Are you happy?" they promptly answered "Yes! I am happy!" This kind of response made me feel crisp. They also expressed their joy as much as they wanted.

But what embarrassed me was that everyone hugged each other from the first day, without distinction of age or sex, as greeting. However, I was getting accustomed to this habit and become not to mind quite soon.

As all lectures were delivered in English, I could, even if not completely, understand them. When I listened to a lecture teaching our organization's main concept, "A man is a child of God and perfect," I felt relaxed even if it was delivered in English. This amazed me a lot. I felt SNI has been desperately accepted, transcending nationality, race and language.

As I had been suffering from headache during the lectures, the first days was over before I knew it. I got a good night rest. When I waked up next morning, my headache disappeared completely!

In the seminar, there is usually a time when participants can express their impressions of SNI, and how they have applied SNI teaching in their everyday life and improved their life. I was selected as a presenter and presented my testimony in English for the first time on the second day. I wrote the draft before I left Japan and had it checked out by one of my colleagues, a fluent English speaker. As the time for my presentation drew near, I became very anxious. But when I was on the podium, in the midst of audience who emanated warm atmosphere, I found that I could speak unbelievably well. After the presentation, some participants spoke well of the presentation. It really pleased me.
(continued)

Saturday, August 02, 2003

Attracted by International Spiritual Training Seminar

The clock hand had just turned 9 AM. Brilliant sunlight streamed through the plane window. Looking out the window, I saw the sea glittering in the morning Sun. I had a headache because I couldn't sleep on the plane. As feeling sick, anyway, I ate my breakfast. Later the plane landed at the Honolulu Airport. My wife and I headed out to the Seicho-No-Ie(SNI) Hawaii Jisso Center where the 19th SNI International Spiritual Training Seminar would be held.
This was the story on 10th in February 2000.

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Seicho-No-Ie's Spiritual Training Seminar is a seminar which includes lectures, Shinsokan(meditation to visualize God), mind purification ceremony, and round table discussions in which participants talk to each other in a ring, and so on. Such SNI-seminars are held not only in Japan, but also in Brazil, the U.S.A., Canada, Taiwan, South Korea and Germany in their own languages.

The International Spiritual Training Seminar(ISTS) had been launched in New York, the "melting pot" of America, in August 1995, as a part of the International Peace- by-Faith Movement, aiming at world peace by true faith. An ISTS is being held 4 times a year in North America.

I had already started to learn SNI-teaching before I participated a seminar, however, my proper encounter with SNI-Seminar was one held in Uji in 1988. When I attended a SNI seminar for the first time at SNI Uji temple in Kyoto, hearing lectures, practicing Shinsokan, taking a mind purification ceremony and other practice, my feelings of inferiority were removed and the delight of "A Man is a Child of God." welled up. There were a lot of people around me who were choked with tears of joy. Some were healed from fatal diseases, others could rebuild their divided family. Until then I had known SNI only through books, I was overwhelmed by the dynamism of the faith that moves our real life and the world.

Since I could not forget the delight I tasted then, I entered into the services of SNI International Headquarters in Japan in 1992. In 1997, I was transferred to Public Information Department where I was in charge of writing the organization's monthly newspaper. Writing about an ISTS which gathers people from various backgrounds every month, I found myself feeling that "I want to attend an ISTS someday and share delight with people all over the world."

This thought had been getting building up day by day, I ended up participating the 19th ISTS in Hawaii on 10th in February 2000.
(continued)