Friday, May 02, 2008

2008 May Message

May Message
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

  Thank you very much, everyone. As I practice Shinsokan Meditation every morning and meditate on the happiness of all of you who live the will of God and convey the love of God in your daily lives, a sense of gratitude and joy bubbles up from the bottom of my heart. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for your dedication.

  This month I have a very important announcement.
  Effective June 1, 2008, we will eliminate the practice of "two deep bows, two hand claps, and one halfway bow" and substitute the following brief prayer when we worship God at Sunday Services, Spiritual Training Seminars, Truth Realization Seminars, meetings, etc. in the Hawaii Missionary Area.

  Let us worship the Great Universal Life,
    which dwells in each one of us.
  We are all children of God, and as such
    we are already endowed with all divine
    attributes.
  We are all children of the same one and only
    God, and this truly makes us brothers
    and sisters.
  Thank you very much.


  Let me explain the reasons for this change.

  The International Peace by Faith Movement was launched in 1993 and it clearly stated that what Seicho-No-Ie aims for in today's world is "world peace," and that world peace is not achieved through political power nor a check and balance with nuclear weapons, but realized through "faith" in the absolute God. In addition, as an "international movement," it considers various measures to propose and carry out various plans for the movement in each country in a unified and organized manner.

  However, the purpose and spirit of the International Peace by Faith Movement does not differ from the Humanity Enlightenment Movement which Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi initiated in 1930. In today's movement all SNI leaders and members worldwide as well as SNI International Headquarters are promoting the application of the teachings taught by Dr. Taniguchi to our current society. I sometimes receive a question saying, "I don't like today's movement because it doesn't seem to be in line with Dr. Taniguchi’s teachings." I must say this is a complete misunderstanding. It is the current movement that enlivens the teachings for today’s world situation. Please think of it as manifesting the will of Dr. Taniguchi. It is clearly written in "REALIZING PEACE BY FAITH" by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi on pages 40 to 48. If you are interested in this booklet, please contact the Office.

  Having launched the International Peace by Faith Movement, which shows that Seicho-No-Ie teaches that all religions emanate from one universal God, it was decided to review the rituals and ceremonies originating in the Japanese culture and to look for a new form suited to the culture and customs overseas. As a result, "THE FUNDAMENTAL THINKING ON CEREMONIES IN SEICHO-NO-IE" was fully discussed and determined by the U.S. leaders and approved at the Top Level Meeting at International Headquarters in 1994.

  Based on that decision, new ceremonies and rituals, which were also discussed and determined by non-Japanese leaders, were adopted at the International Spiritual Training Seminars (ISTS) that started in August 1995. As the ISTSs were held at each Missionary Area in North America, the new rituals and ceremonies started to be used at seminars and events held in English in each Missionary Area.

  The way to worship God by "two bows, two hand claps, and one halfway bow" is a Shinto tradition born in the Japanese culture. Seicho-No-Ie in Japan adopted this way to worship God NOT because it is the Seicho-No-Ie way BUT because it is comfortable with almost all Japanese whether they be Christians or Buddhists.

  It is a very important change to help newcomers feel comfortable in attending our events, being aligned with other Missionary Areas in the United States, and manifesting the teaching that all religions emanate from one universal God in our rituals and ceremonies.

  Your deep understanding and cooperation is highly appreciated to move our movement forward in the Hawaii Missionary Area.