Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My Trip to Vancouver

   Over the last weekend, I went to Vancouver to attend Leaders' Seminar, Japanese Study Class, One-day Truth Realization Seminar as a dispatched minister from SNI International Headquarters. This is the first time for me to go not only to Vancouver but to Canada.

   Vancouver is a very beautiful place where red, yellow and other color's leavers are in full bloom. Since I came to Hawaii last June, I've missed cherry blossom and autumn leaves, therefore, it was a perfect time to enjoy those beauty of nature.

   A wife of the Chairperson of SNI Canada just passed away about a month before the events, the chairperson seemed to make an every effort to encourage his organization and himself. Thanks to a warm and appropriate guidance from Rev. Kobayashi, a resident minister in the country, I saw people there are promoting our International Peace by Faith Movement enthusiastically and cheerfully.

   I talked about the wonderfulness and meaning of SNI Holy Sutras and about the our mission as a SNI leader at Leaders' Seminar where I emphasized on joy of propagation activities and how we can greet a new generation, and so on. On the following day, I talked about the power of words, and Sundial Way of Life at One-day Truth Realization Seminar. As sharing my personal experiences regarding how I came to believe in the SNI teachings and how I got awakened to the pricelessness and importance of this propagation activities, I expounded that the bright and inspiring words have a mistical power to improve our destiny and environment, and sometimes brought us some miraculous improvements. Furthermore, as giving a full account of SNI outlook on people and the world, sundial way of life is highly recommended for us to lead a happy life because not only our destiny but also everything in the universe is a reflection of our mind, when we change our perspective on us, people, and things, they will change accordingly. In other words, we can change the world when we change.

   At the end of the each event, since enthusiastic questions came to me from devout leaders and members, I did my best to answer those questions to be of help to their understanding of the teachings.

   By the way, I found a good news on today's "The Honolulu Advertiser." It said that Hawaii state government and Hawaii Electric Co. signed to establish the wind-power plants so that one third of Oahu energy can be provided from the plants through underground pipelines in the future. The government is aiming at having 70% of the energy demand of Oahu covered by alternative energy by 2030. Hawaii is a treasure of natural resources such as solar power, wind power, and tidal power, and so on. I hope Hawaii plays a leading role to guide the nation to a "green country."

 http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810210358

   Presidential election is just around the corner. I hope the person who takes more care of our beautiful Earth is elected as the next President.

-TA

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Terumi Abe's Testimony

My wife, Terumi Abe, delivered the following testimony. I hope you will find it interesting.

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  Thank you very much. My dad and mom met each other through the Seicho-No-Ie propagation activities and got married. They read the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines to me when my mom was pregnant. This is why I knew about SNI before I was born.

  When I was very young, my mom often attended SNI events with me. I remember she enthusiastically took me to the Grand Public Lectures given by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi by telling me that the Truth he taught would permeate through me. However, I didn’t accept the teachings voluntarily.

  It was in December 1991 when the turning point of my life came to me. I was 23 years old. It was a snowy morning and there was some snow on the windshield of my car which was frozen. I usually walk to a nearby station, but would be late on that day so I drove to the station. Seeing some snow on the windshield, my mom was kind enough to rush to the car and wipe away the snow. I was so used to her loving ways, I failed to say "thank you very much" or "goodbye," and started the engine. When I reflected on that day, I felt I was too hasty. My mom smiled and waved to me until I was out of sight.

  At lunchtime, my dad called me at work. He was home because it was Sunday. "Terumi, your mom fell and was taken to the hospital. Come home right away." It was unbelievable because she seemed so fine in the morning. But anyway, I rushed to the hospital.

  After my mother saw me off outside which was about 30 degree F, she prepared lunch in a warm kitchen. Next she did the laundry in the cold bathroom, and memorialized our ancestors by reading the Holy Sutra in a warm room. Since my mom had some congenital problem with her heart, the sudden temperature change caused a heart attack. She was transferred to the hospital by ambulance.

  As a result of a six-hour examination, the doctor who diagnosed mom told us that she could leave the hospital and return again the next morning. After she came home, she said her heart was hurting, but my dad and I persuaded and encouraged her by saying, "Believe the doctor. There can’t be anything wrong with you." And we read the Holy Sutra to her. Although I was worried about her health and situation, since I caught a little cold at that time, I went to bed early. My dad kept on reading the Holy Sutra until midnight; then, my mom told him, "Thanks to your kindness, I feel very comfortable now. I will have you take me to the hospital tomorrow morning. Please go to bed. Thank you very much. Good night." He then went to bed.

  The next morning, my dad's panic-stricken voice woke me up. "Terumi, your mom is dead!" I was so upset I jumped out of bed and rushed to her room. I shook her, there was no movement. "Wake up mom, wake up!" I cried. I put my ear to her heart, but there was no heartbeat. I checked her wrist; there was no pulse. After a while, a few policemen and a doctor came to our home and determined that she passed away around 2 or 3 a.m. due to myocardial infarction, or MI. I could not believe she was dead. She was running around the house until yesterday very cheerfully, and now, her countenance was peaceful and quiet, and she appeared to be asleep. If I said, "Good morning, Mom," she would be on the verge of getting up.

  For a while, I found my dad hunting for something in the house. He was looking for the key to the safe where we kept money, cash card, and other important things. It was my mom who kept the key; therefore, we were at a loss when she suddenly passed away. My dad was very concerned because without the key, we could not even hold a funeral service for her.

  I suggested that he ask Mom. I asked Mom as if she were alive, "Mom, where is the key?" Immediately, "the key is in the drawers of the chest" came to my mind in a flash. Dad had looked for the key in the drawers; however, I wanted to look again. I found an envelope in the drawer and I took it out unknowingly. There was the key under the envelope. This kind of happenings had occurred time and again.

  Through this experience, I came to firmly believe that she was still alive. Whenever I talk to her, she answered me through inspiration. I deeply understand that even though our physical body is dead, the spirit is still living and guiding us. This experience made me firmly aware that the truth, "Man is immortal even though his physical body dies" taught by SNI is true and I was impressed how great the truth is. It was like a thunderbolt. Since then, I started to read the Truth of Life series, especially the “Book of Spiritual World” like crazy.

  One day four members of the Youth and Young Adult Association visited our home to memorialize my mom. One of them was Rev. Masahiro Takemura, Chief of Aomori Missionary Area and the other was Rev. Mario Kawakami, Chief of Northern California Missionary Area, whom you may remember because he was here as a resident minister. They were members of the Youth and Young Adult Association. My dad and I were very moved that they sincerely read the Holy Sutra and they were so bright, cheerful and attentive. They visited us bringing the gift of God’s love. The scene was so impressive that I can clearly remember it even now.

  I strongly desired to be a person like them who brings the bright and warm light of God to those who are disappointed. My dad and I talked about how our once lonely home that missed our mom would light up if such bright, kind people visited us. Then, I started to hold Readers' Meetings at our home and engaged in propagational activities with all my might. Once I was assigned an important role as vice president of the Regional Lecturers Society in a missionary area of Japan. I am very happy to join this movement here and there.

  It is thanks to my parents that I am able to have such a priceless experience. And I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the youth members who manifested God's love and to Tetsuya and Manami with whom I became a family in accordance with the will of God. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you whom I am able to meet through God's deep consideration and who support us constantly day and night. Thank you very much.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

2008 October Message

Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

  The Jisso Center 25th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony was held on September 7 at Jisso Center with approximately 130 attendees. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all who attended the ceremony and the members who worked to make it a success.

  Jisso Center is a place where the "True-Image World" is manifested into this phenomenal world. And the "True Image" will appear when we fully live the PRESENT moment. Let us show our sincere appreciation to our distinguished senior members who have contributed to the Center and strive toward a movement befitting the current situation so that the Center will be the place emanating a brilliant light that erases all delusions.

  By the way, as you already know, our public lectures, the most important event of the year, are only six weeks away. The information is as follows:

【Japanese】
Date: Sunday. November 2, 2008
Time: 10 a.m. - Noon
Place : Seicho-No-Ie Matlock Center
Speaker:Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara
Bishop, U.S. Missionary Headquarters

【English】
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2008
Time: 1 - 3 p.m..
Place : Ala Moana Hotel, Garden Lanai
Speaker:Rev. Bruce Mallery
Chief, New York Missionary Area


  Please invite not only your family members and relatives but also your friends, colleagues, and old-time members who have not been coming to church recently, as well as anyone else you can think of. And please bless them by reciting their names. Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi taught that blessing is both wonderful and helpful in the following example:

  A New Thought writer was staying at a hotel in a West Coast city. When he entered the hotel room, he felt an indescribable feeling of peace and joy. It was such an intense feeling that he casually asked the maid assigned to his room about it. She replied, “Whenever I clean a room, I pray with this thought: ‘Please make the guest in this room happy.’ And since I have a job because of this room, I also thank the room that I’m cleaning.” This is why his room had such a strong sense of peace. By blessing the world in the same way, we can realize world peace. (Shinpan Shinri, "The Truth, New Edition,” Vol. 2, p. 201)

   Again, I sincerely appreciate your continuous dedication and cooperation. Thank you very much.