Let me say...

What Happened in Sydney

2011-09-15T11:25:00.004+09:00

I visited Sydney to conduct Readers' Meeting held there as a dispatched lecturer from Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters. I left Japan on Sep. 8, Thursday, and returned here on Sep. 12, Monday. They have a monthly readers' meeting receiving assistance from Int'l HQs via Skype. They don't have any Regional Lecturers and Propagators, but they keep holding meetings every month, propagating the teachings, and organizing their group well. I would like to extend my heartfelt blessings to them all!

　　　On 10th, Saturday, we had a Readers' Meeting at the Vibe Hotel North Sydney with 14 participants. I provided two lecturers respectively titled, "Gratitude Is the Key to Happiness" and "Let Us Extend Our Joy throughout the World," and led "Prayer for World Peace" in the end of the event. It was a good time to pray for world peace because the following day was 10th anniversary of 911.

　　　At the first lecture, I focused upon two of the three pillars of the SNI teachings, "the world created by God is perfect and harmonious, therefore, man is a child of God," and "our body and environment are a reflection of our mind." I talked that the Great East Japan Earthquake is an opportunity to remind us of the fact what is considered the ordinary should be highly grateful to. With a few hours of rolling blackout, we for the first time realized that having electricity should be grateful to and part of the electricity we are using is generated by Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has been a center of attention from the world. Then, I shared a testimony of a woman who could be harmonized with her husband recovering from in-house separation by practicing the teachings.

　　　In the second lecture, I talked about Islam, empathy, and global environment. One of the three pillars of the SNI teachings is "all true religions emanate from one universal God." Touching upon this principle, I explained why we SNI members need to learn Islam. I briefly talked about the commonality between the teachings of Islam and Seicho-No-Ie based on what Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi taught us. After explaining about empathy, I emphasized that we believe practicing the "Four Immeasurable Minds of Buddha" is one of the key to solve the climate change issue.

　　　It is highly appreciated that all the attendees enthusiastically listened to me and resolved to live Eco-friendly lives as a practice of "Four Immeasurable Minds."

　　　This event was organized by Int'l HQs and promoted and advertised by our members in Australia including the facebook page they sponsored. We were happy to welcome two participants who knew about the event from the facebook page.

　　　What made this event so meaningful and successful was great efforts by local members as well as sincere supports by International Headquarters, especially members of Int'l Department. The minister who is doing a job as a contact person is constantly helping their activities via Skype and others. She did a very good job!

　　　On 11th, Sunday, we had Mind Purification Ceremony and discussion at a members house where 9 people gathered, took part in the ceremony, and enjoyed Thai dishes and our company.

　　　With deeds of love by all concerned, we were able to spend the wonderful weekend. Thank you very much, everyone!

　　　Incidentally, since Sydney is in the Southern Hesmiphere, it is the early spring. It was so cold especially in the morining and night. But a kind member advised me to have some warm clothes in advance, I made it through the cold weather without any problem. Thank you very much!

Tetsuya Abe

Photos: Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Cafe au lait, Thai foods we enjoyed on Sun, and Group photo on Sat.

"Nadeshiko Japan"

2011-07-22T22:12:00.002+09:00

I am so happy to see that "Nadeshiko Japan" finally won World Cup on Sunday. Information on their performance, preparation for the competition, who they are like, etc. is getting unfolded, what deeply impressed me among them is their spirit. As the following saying goes in Japan, stumbling seven times but recovering eight, they rise immediately whenever they fell down on the ground. They NEVER give in. The U.S. team was truly great and strong. I think they are also deserved to the cup. That is why Nadeshiko should be proud of winning the match in the way they did. Other than their outstanding performances, what strikes me a lot is the spectators in Germany. Despite their team was defeated at the quarter final by Japan, almost all of the quarter finals' and final's stadiums were filled with a full capacity of people. More than that, the final started 8:30 pm and ended over 11 pm, but many of the spectators remained there and cheered both U.S. and Japan team. I felt that the Germans really love soccer and their team will show wonderful performance next time.

Tetsuya Abe
　

What I'm grateful for today

2011-05-23T21:37:00.000+09:00

It is very grateful that my families are very fine everyday. My daughter seems accustomed to her new school life. She has to get up early in the morning, I mean, two hours earlier than when she attended kindergarten. It is true that she's still been struggling for that, however, she is really enthusiastic about learning and enjoys her company at school. It is a relief for my wife and I.

2010-11-02T21:40:00.001+09:00

I cooked further no-meat dishes the other day.
I've been really into cooking these days.

Tetsuya Abe
　

Left: okra pods tossed with ume, or Japanese apricot
Above: simmered chopped turnip and fried cake of ground fish
Below: fried turnip leaves with deep fried tofu

2-year Service for the late Rev. Seicho Taniguchi

2010-11-01T21:56:00.001+09:00

On October 28, two-year Service for the late Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, former President of Seicho-No-Ie, was held at SNI International Headquarters in Tokyo with the presence of Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi, and Mrs. Emiko Taniguchi, wife of Rev. Seicho. Mrs. Emiko Taniguchi delivered an address in the end of the service along with Rev. Taniguchi.

　　Since it was a very cold day like December, some people might be hesitant to attend, but devout members in Kanto area gathered and memorialized Rev. Seicho, deeply grateful for what he had done for us. Everything in the program was good, the remarks by Mrs. Emiko Taniguchi were most impressive for me. She talked about her photo albums, which she noticed were only cheerful and bright photos in the albums. Then, she thought they are sundial photo albums! She also told that she had been reading Rev. Seicho's books and thought he lived as what he had written in his books. Lastly, she introduced a piece of his articles which struck me a lot. I will show you part of it as follows:

　　Just as we hope for a beautiful sunset, we also wish for our life's sunset to be just as beautiful. However, it is impossible to have a beautiful, comfortable, and even dignified death all of a sudden.
　　It is because our life is sequent. Isn't it true that you can beautifully end your life for the first time you lead a beautiful life? That is why let us start to live a life of justice, practice love, and do something good for the people, countries, and societies even though they are small things, without thinking of what you are doing is known or not.
("Shinseiki Eno Message," or "Messages for the New Century," pp. 94-95)

　　When I was a college student in Aichi prefecture, about two decades ago, I was asked by a Missionary Area's business manager to keep a seat for Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, who visited Mie Missionary Area to conduct Seicho-No-Ie Public Lecture, so that he can have a seat at the waiting room when changing a train in Nagoya station. When Rev. Seicho showed up on time at the room with his secretary and the leaders of Aichi and Mie Missionary Areas, one idea came to my mind. It is that I wished to have his autograph on his newly published book that I had just purchased.

　　When I asked Rev. Seicho to have his autograph on the book, he drew his own back and picked up his fountain pen. Then, he asked me saying, "What do you want me write?" I was taken aback by the unexpected question, but I answered, "Please write 'God is love.'"

　　Seeing what I'd done, Rev. Jun Okada, Chief of Aichi Missionary Area who is already passed away, was very pleased and introduced it to many members who gathered the other day by saying, "Abe is bold and wonderful. He can have Rev. Seicho's autograph because he's done what came to his mind right away." I was very happy to hear that. I keep it as one of my greatest treasurers.

　　Rev. Seicho shook my hands and told me that "keep it up propagating the SNI teachings." I clearly remember his hand was very soft and warm, and his eyes were pure and beautiful.

　　I would like to do my best as much as I can to repay a spiritual obligation on him.

Tetsuya Abe
　

Self-made Bento

2010-10-26T19:15:00.001+09:00

I cooked my luch for the first time in about a decade. Recently one of my closest friends started to cook his own lunch bento and share his lunches' photos, which was a good stimulus for me. It's good because you can have a healthy diet and it saves your allowance...

　　"Danshi-bento," or a boxed lunch cooked by men, is getting popular these days in Japan. I found many Japanese blogs that specialize in "Danshi-bento."

　　The menu is fried roll egg, chopped burdock root cooked in soy sauce and sugar, lotus root with curry powder, and teriyaki chicken.

　　It was GOOD!

Tetsuya Abe

"Postingjoy" Started!

2010-10-19T15:46:00.003+09:00

It has already been a year since a Japanese version of "Postingjoy" started, but this time an English version was initiated.

　　Postingjoy is an online message board where only positive, enjoyable, pleasant, beautiful, and wonderful things to share our joy with all other people.

　　In Seicho-No-Ie, we are highly recommended to say, think, and write only positive things and things grateful for. This is called "Sundial Way of Life." Sundial can tell you what time it is only when the sun is shining. Like this, in the "Sundial Way of Life," you are encouraged to record none but bright and cheerful things.

　　Please don't wait to post your joy. Where there is joy and where people rejoice is where happiness gathers. (Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi, OPEN THE DOOR OF YOUR LIFE, vol. 4, p. 193) Your message is most welcome!

　　http://eng.postingjoy.com/

Tetsuya Abe
　

PE Festival, Entrance Exam, and Business Trip

2010-10-14T21:30:00.001+09:00

The last couple of days were very busy to me. First of all, I participated in a PE festival held at my daughters' kindergarten on Oct. 11, Monday, a national holiday. It was warm, even hot, and the sun was bright. My daughter, Manami, got a cold for a few weeks, but she was happily able to join the festival with her classmates and teacher.

　　The following day, there was an entrance exam for private school. Manami got an exam and my wife and I underwent an interview. To our astonishment, we got a notification of acceptance from the school the next day of the exam. We are very pleased to see that our effort was greatly rewarded.

　　We started to prepare for the exam a few months ago. Manami studied hard and learned a lot from her mom. My wife and I discussed about our education policy taking long time. It was a very good opportunity for us to reflect how we raised our kid and how we will from now.

Oct. 12 & 13, I visited Okayama on business where Chiefs' meeting in Chugoku Area was held at Seicho-No-Ie Okayama Missionary Center. Jotting down all the participants' remarks, I deepened my sense of gratitude for all their activities leading their members with wisdom and love.

　　I am very relieved that I got through without any problem these busy schedule.

Tetsuya Abe

Manami is on the top

Manami is marching in front

A Burglar Who Stopped Robbing

2010-08-05T11:36:00.004+09:00

July 30th ABC News(Podcast) introduced a moving story about a burglar who stopped robbing after he listened to a story of Jesus by a clerk of a cellphone company he planned to attack.

　　The burglar with a gun entered the company and threatened a woman clerk to rob money. However, the clerk did not call on "Police" by dialing "911" instead calmed down and called on "God" in this urgent moment. The following dialogue was made between the robber and the clerk:

　(C)　I am just going to talk with you about the Jesus that I have.
　(R) The What?
　(C) The Jesus I got before you leave.
　(R) God bless you for that.
　(C) I'm Christian.
　(R) So am I, and I absolutely hate doing this.

　　Their conversation went on and on and the robber finally left the office after he politely bowed once without robbing anything. The woman saved the man from committing a crime.

　　How wonderful this story is! The security video set there showed that he surely made a courtesy bow. Since he is a decent man who even makes a bow, I'm sure he will go straight.

　　I sometimes hear this type of story from a Seicho-No-Ie lecturer. For example, Rev. Yasuo Shibuya, a former Bishop of SNI Latin America, once introduced a following story of Brazil. A SNI member who was very impressed by the SNI teachings such as "everyone is a child of God," and others by attending a SNI seminar took a taxi. The woman talked on and on about what impressed her to a taxi driver all along the way. When they arrived at the destination, the woman saw the driver crying. He said that he was in a trouble so much that he had planned to threaten his customers with gun and to rob them of money. However, after he listened to her saying, " everyone is a precious child of God," he realized that God dwells within himself and felt very ashamed and said to her, "It is highly appreciated that you told me such a wonderful story and give me an opportunity to be reborn as a child of God. You don't have to pay this time."

　　Truly, everyone is a child of God. How wonderful it is!

　Tetsuya Abe

にほんブログ村

　
　

Tips on Effective Presentation

2010-07-30T21:33:00.001+09:00

I've been listening to "Business English Conversation" aired by NHK, or Japanese National Broadcasting Cooperation. This is one of my favorite radio program from which you can learn not only English but also be enriched your education. I've kept listening to the program for nearly 10 years except for the three years I spent in Hawaii.

　　In a recent program, how you can give an effective presentation was discussed which attracted me a lot. One of the things focused on was to do rehearsal.

　　An assistant teacher of the program, Ms. Chris Matsushita said, "I think almost none of presenters are aware of the importance of rehearsal. Many of them may imagine what they are going to talk in their mind, though." It may be true. I usually don't do any rehearsal when I give a presentation in my native language, Japanese while I do when in English.

　　Another important thing talked over the program is a passion to drive home your message. It does not mean that you need to speak in a big and loud voice, but you need to manifest your passion in any way. I couldn't agree more.

　　Following points are the tips on effective presentation introduced in the program titled, "Storytelling":

　・Do rehearsal
　・Speak with a passion
　・Use well-chosen anecdotes related to your topic
　・Keep an eye contact with your audience
　・Don't read all the letters in a slide
　・Don't include many letters in a single slide
　・Don't use many fonts in a slide
　・Be careful about combination of the colors in a slide
　・Let your audience know your e-mail address so that you can have feedback from even people who are reluctant to ask questions publicly during and after your presentation

　I'll keep them in mind and put into practice in my next presentation.

　Tetsuya Abe

にほんブログ村
　

Digital Addiction

2010-06-19T20:29:00.003+09:00

It has been almost one month since I came back to Japan from Hawaii where I was stationed as a resident minister of Seicho-No-Ie. Since I had not been to Japan in the past three years, everything I saw and heard was very fresh to me. It can be said that I had "travelers eyes" which can see in a different manner from the residents.

　　　By the way, I've recently learned about digital addiction that can take over people's life in an NHK radio English program. According to an expert quoted in the program, if you spend more than two hours using digital devices other than work and study reasons, you are potentially addicted.

　　　I am one of the persons who receive the benefit from them including PC, internet, electric dictionary, kindle, and ipod. For example, I can exchange ideas on my blog with my friends who I never met, and I can still enjoy watching ABC's and CBS's news which I used to watch while I was in Hawaii by using ipod. However, if you use those devices too much, it might harm you.

　　　To be honest, when I was in Hawaii, to turn on the power of PC and check emails was my priority after practicing Shinsokan and Holy Sutra reading everyday. I did so because I sometimes had important and urgent emails from U.S. Missionary Headquarters in California where there is three hours time difference from Hawaii. But now, I am not turning on the power of PC until I get to my workplace because if I check the flood of emails I recieve everyday in the early morning, it takes lots of time not only by responding those emails but also checking the websites I registered, which ends up consuming precious morning hours.

　　　I think to take a balance is important. Receiving a benefit from highly advanced technology while savoring what is blessed to us such as natural beauty and others by making fully use of the our five senses may lead you to a mentally and physically healthy and abundant life.

Tetsuya Abe
　

Article for Starbulletin

2010-05-10T15:43:00.004+09:00

I wrote an article for Starbulletin which appeared on May 8, Saturday. It is my final article for that newspaper. I appreciate for being given this opporunity and also appreciate Clifford Nishimura who editted my article every time.
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Let Us Awaken to Our Eternal Life
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　The founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, expounded about "life and death" in the Divine Message of the Return of the Soul to the Spiritual World as follows:

　　　Your physical body is a musical composition performed on the strings of thought. The concept that Life dwells in the physical body is a dualistic one and not the truth. Properly speaking, Life manifests the physical body in accordance with the composition performed on the strings of thought. ... All people must someday lose their physical body, but they do not die. Man is a child of God and therefore deathless.

　　　In Seicho-No-Ie, we firmly believe that everyone is a child of God. Since God is the source of the infinite, a child of God has infinite potential and abilities within. However, in this earthly life, we cannot manifest all our abilities in a single lifetime. An engineer can manifest his ability as an engineer during his adult life; however, his inner ability as a politician, pianist, lawyer, or teacher is still dormant. That is why by being born to this world over and over again, we are able to manifest our infinite power within this physical world.

　　　To think that our life is just a single occurrence is contrary to the principle of natural growth. A day starts from the morning, the sun shines in the daytime, and night comes quietly. It repeats every day without fail, as does the seasonal cycle of spring, summer, fall and winter. In this way, circulation is the principle of natural growth. Therefore, the life of a human being, as a part of nature, follows this principle of repetition and growth.

　　　If we understand this, we no longer have to worry about failures and misfortunes. Since we can think about our life in the long run, even if we fail at something, we are able to try it over and over again until we are satisfied with peace of mind. Let us awaken to our eternal life and live our life to the fullest.
　

2010 May Message

2010-05-02T09:03:00.001+09:00

Farewell Words of Gratitude

　　　In accordance with the decision made by the Top Level Meeting at Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters on March 10th, I will be transferred from the position of Acting Chief of SNI Hawaii Missionary Area to work for the Missionary Activities and Lecturers' Department at International Headquarters as of May 23. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude for all of the support and kindness that were shown to us officially and by individuals over the past three years.

　　　With Oahu members, I was able to learn the teachings at Sunday services, Spiritual Training Seminars, Truth Realization Seminars, and other activities, and I also learned from you the right attitude in faith and in advancing our movement, and many other things.

　　　When I visited the four neighbor island Centers, all Center members warmly welcomed my family and me, and we could share the wonderful SNI teachings cheerfully with you all. It was one of the greatest pleasures to me.

　　　I cannot find appropriate words of appreciation for everything given to my family and me both officially and privately.

　　　One of the most memorable things during my tenure in Hawaii is that we could accomplish big changes with your cooperation, such as changing the rituals and ceremonies to a way that is suited to the U.S. It is truly your understanding, efforts, and right faith in God that made it possible to achieve this without any major disruptions.

　　　It is also highly appreciated that President Tashiro and the entire Board of Directors are perfectly in accord with SNI Inc.'s policy, take guidance from Bishop Rev. Teshigawara in a sincere manner, and wholeheartedly support our movement in its administrative aspects.

　　　Another thing I am grateful for is that you listened to my lectures and remarks with great patience. I made every effort to improve my English, but I don't think it was enough for English speakers.

　　　As far as our movement is concerned, we still have plenty of work to do: holding many more English Readers' Meetings, further improvement of Sunday services, nurturing the leaders who shoulder our movement, expansion of the number of Holy Missioners, and effective usage of the Truth of Life magazine and expansion of subscribers. I feel sorry that I could not be of enough help to promote these movements.

　　　Regarding my family, although they faced many challenges in the past three years, they learned many things, could grow in various ways, and had priceless experiences. Especially, our daughter Manami enjoyed her school life in Hawaii surrounded by loving and thoughtful teachers and many good friends. She was also kindly treated by SNI members as if she were their own granddaughter. I believe she obtained valuable experiences in building her personality.

　　　Lastly, I would like to pray for the happiness of all of you and the further development of SNI Hawaii Missionary Area under the leadership of Bishop Teshigawara and the guidance of your new Chief. My prayers are always with you. Thank you very much.

Yours sincerely,
Tetsuya Abe
　

2010 April Message

2010-04-06T08:25:00.003+09:00

"'Carbon Zero' Movement" and “Office in the Forest”
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　Thank you very much.

　　　In April we commemorate the ascension of Teruko Taniguchi, the wife of the founder of Seicho-No-Ie and the first President of the White Dove Association. I hope to see you at the 22nd Memorial Service for Mrs. Taniguchi, which will be held at Jisso Center on April 18th. It is indeed fortunate that English speakers can read and savor the beautiful articles written by Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi that appear in the Truth of Life magazine almost every month. The translations into English are well done. I appreciate the entire TOL magazine staff for their tireless efforts.

　　　As you already know, April 22nd is Earth Day. Have you seen the very popular 3D movie Avatar? I watched that movie at a movie theater in Windward Mall, where the Obama family also saw it at the end of last year. This is a science fiction movie directed by James Cameron in which human beings go to a lush, Earth-like moon of a giant planet to seek a precious mineral in the middle of the 22nd century. They threaten the continued existence of a local tribe that leads a life coexisting with nature, and are defeated by them in the end. It is clear that director James Cameron was fully aware of the global environment issue. Avatar is extremely popular because of the beauty of its images and novelty of 3D; however, I think people's awareness of the environment issue also contributes to its popularity.

　　　We have a desire to live a harmonious life with nature, but at the same time, we don't want to lead an inconvenient life giving up the modern life we enjoy. But many scientists agree that global warming will worsen, and we cannot bequeath this beautiful earth to the next generation unless a dramatic change in lifestyle takes place.

　　　That is why Seicho-No-Ie resolved to address the environment issue by worshipping everything in the universe as a manifestation of the life of God, leading an eco-friendly life, and encouraging people to do the same. In 2000, SNI International Headquarters and Main Temple in Nagasaki earned ISO14001 certification (which certifies that an organization is conscientiously managing its environmental impact) and issued the "Environment Policy" as follows:

Environmental Policy of Religious Juridical Person, "Seicho-No-Ie" (Excerpts)

　　　What is required of the humankind today is the religious mind of appreciating the blessings of nature, worshipping the mountains, rivers, grass, trees, minerals, and energy as manifestation of Life of God or Buddha, and being aware that we are given life to be in harmony with them. We believe living a life that is based on this religious mind is the key to solving the global environmental issue.
　　　Since its foundation in 1930, Seicho-No-le has been spreading to all humankind the way of life of worshipping all creation as Life of God or Buddha based on the teaching that taught us to "be grateful to everything in the universe."

　　　In this policy, it is unequivocally stated that the practice of the teaching, "everything is one under God," which is the main principle of "The Divine Message of Grand Harmony," is the key to solve the environment problem.

　　　Furthermore, Headquarters launched an epoch-making project called "Carbon Zero Movement" in 2007. This is aimed at reducing CO2 emission substantially to zero by offsetting CO2 which is generated by SNI propagational activities. This includes very important points. Therefore, let me explain it in detail although it may be long. We consider the following three points to be the main causes of CO2 emissions that accompany SNI activities:

　　1) Business Activity
　　2) Transportation to Events
　　3) Workers' Business Trips

　　　As far as "1) Business Activity" is concerned, needless to say, the employees of Missionary Offices try to reduce CO2 emission by setting the room temperature higher in the summer and lower in the winter, using less water, and turning off lights when each room is empty, and so on.

　　　As to "2) Transportation to Events," instead of holding a mass meeting, they try to increase the number of readers' meetings or home gatherings, which reduce CO2 emissions as a result. To do so, you need to train new front-line leaders who can host the meetings, but by doing so, you can nurture new leaders. In Brazil, they have started to hold a nationwide Internet-based workshop seminar. The lecturers speak at Headquarters and their talk is transmitted to each Missionary Area by the Internet. Since people don't have to gather at Headquarters, the amount of CO2 emission is reduced.

　　　Regarding "3) Workers' Business Trips," it is mainly an issue within Japan, where they try to use trains instead of planes because a trip by train releases one-tenth of the CO2 emissions when compared to a trip by airplane.

　　　However, no matter how many efforts we make, as long as we are engaged in propagation, we cannot reduce CO2 emissions to zero. That is why we offset CO2 emissions in the following three ways:

　　1. Natural Energy
　　2. Tree Planting
　　3. Green Power

　　　As far as "1) Natural Energy" is concerned, as an organization, SNI's Missionary Offices are actively installing solar panels to make best use of sunlight. The U.S. Missionary Headquarters office is one of those that installed solar panels last year.

　　　Next is "2) Tree Planting." One of the biggest contributors to global warming is deforestation. It is said that deforestation accounts for one fifth of all CO2 emissions. Therefore, SNI International Headquarters and Brazil Headquarters cooperatively launched an afforestation project in Brazil. In this project, if you give a donation to the project, your name will be linked to "your" seedlings so that you can be sure to see the growth of the trees you sponsored.

　　　"3) Green Power" is a system to give a certificate to an individual or organization who buys electricity produced by natural energy. The price of the electricity is higher than usual, but you can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions by doing so.

　　　I have described what SNI is doing as an organization, and there are many things we can do as individuals: use your own shopping bag, recycle paper, plastic bottles, cans, and other materials, buy green products, purchase an eco-friendly car, and so on. I believe you already are doing these sorts of things on your own as much as you can.

　　　At the same time, I recommend that you try to learn how much of an impact what we buy and use has on the environment. For example, nowadays gasoline is about $3.30 per gallon. You may feel it is more expensive than before. However, according to Mr. Lester Brown, one of the top environmentalists and the chairman of the Earth Policy Institute, the real cost of gas is much higher. He said as follows:

　　　Based upon a study by the International Center for Technology Assessment, these costs (note by Abe: the costs of climate change as well as the tax subsidies to the oil industry, the military cost of protecting access to oil in the Middle East, and the health care costs of treating respiratory illness from breathing polluted air) now total nearly $12 per gallon of gasoline burned in the United States. If these were added to the $3 direct cost of the gasoline, motorists would pay $15 a gallon for gas at the pump. In reality, burning gasoline is very costly, but the market tells us it is cheap, thus grossly distorting the structure of the economy. (Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0, p. 18)

　　　You can use disposable chopsticks at restaurants and lunch wagons for free and you can buy 100 chopsticks for about $1. Many of them are imported from China, where deforestation is a big problem. $1 per 100 chopsticks seems cheap; however, this does not include the cost to undo the damage caused by deforestation.

　　　These stories tell us that we have a system whereby future generations have to pay the cost of the damage caused by producing and using oil, cutting trees for chopsticks, and other destructive activities. Green tax is a system to prevent pushing those costs to the next generation. It is already introduced in some European countries, but not in the United States and Japan. Why? Because people don't like politicians who vote for a bill that gives a burden to people. Our politicians disagree with those bills and so do oil industries and those who would be affected.

　　　The Obama administration and Japan's leading Democratic Party of Japan are trying to introduce carbon tax, but progress is slow. We can easily understand that it will take time if we see the result of what happened in Copenhagen last December. Those leaders managed to agree that they would continue to address the climate change issue seriously, but they could not establish any numerical target for reducing CO2 emissions for each country. It seems the outlook is bleak.

　　　Therefore, what we should do is to raise the awareness of people who elect the politicians. Namely, it is necessary to have as many people as possible change their lifestyles for our future generations and all the living creatures on earth. If many people are aware of it, since politicians vote for the bills which people like, many green policies will be legislated and society will be going in the green direction. But since the environment issue is becoming a race with time, what is required is to realize that as soon as possible.

　　　Since the current social system is based upon taking from nature, we need to create a new system that does not take from nature. Indeed, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi already warned us about this 30 years ago. Rev. Teshigawara introduced his message in the November issue of "Light of the Truth," the newsletter for U.S. members, as follows:

　　　Modern civilization is based upon the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge which people are eating. That is why they seem to be doing good, but they aren't. Wrong ideas and actions are brimming over. You think you can make a profit by taking from others. You think of taking everything from the natural world. It is the result of modern civilization. The wrong idea that people can prosper by taking from the ground as much as possible by using pesticide and chemical fertilizer has been prevailing.

　　　The "Movement that Grows with Nature" that members around the world are promoting is the appropriate response to Founder Taniguchi's warning. This movement should be a model for the change of civilization: from civilization taking from nature to civilization coexisting with nature. For that purpose, International Headquarters is bravely planning an unprecedented project. By 2012, they will transfer at least a portion of their office from the center of urban Tokyo to a mountainous area in Yamanashi Prefecture where sunlight is abundant and people can coexist with nature while leading a modern life by using the internet and by other means. This is called "office in the forest."

　　　Let me summarize. SNI has been addressing the global environment issue based on the position that we are practicing the "Divine Message of Grand Harmony." With a firm belief that "when I change, the world will change," we are trying to live a life coexisting with nature both as individuals and an organization, without being constrained by conventional ideas. If we proclaim the importance of coexisting with nature while keeping our big office in central Tokyo which requires lots of fossil fuel with many workers commuting, we cannot say that our words and actions are consistent. That is why there were many discussions on how to live a life coexisting with nature while leading a modern life, and that is why they came to the conclusion that International Headquarters should be relocated. I hope you understand that changing the site of Headquarters is a very good move which will make full use of natural energy which is a gift from God, and will bring about the happiness of future generations. Thank you very much.
　

Article for Starbulletin

2010-03-28T08:05:00.002+09:00

I wrote an article titled, "To Protect Beautiful Earth," for Starbulletin, a Hawaii local newspaper.

Tetsuya Abe

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　　　Did you sleep well last night? Some of you might not have been able to sleep for some reason; however, I think most of you slept soundly in your bed. But what if you were thinking the world may completely change the following morning?

　　　It is not only in the world of movies that the world changes overnight. Many scientists agree that we will see the earth in a catastrophic state 20 or 50 years from now if we do not take effective measures immediately and seriously. However, there is a line of thought that it is a matter of such global scale that we cannot make any difference. In response to such an idea, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Muta Maathai retold the following African story about "little hummingbird."

　　　A big fire started in the woods. Great blazes were everywhere and every single animal ran in fear out of the woods except for a little hummingbird who said, "I have to do something about that fire." Then, the hummingbird flew to the nearest spring and took some drops of water with his tiny beak. He flew to the fire, came back for more water and went back again to the fire. And he kept doing it. Meanwhile, the bigger animals looked at the hummingbird and said, "Little hummingbird, stop doing that, you can't fight this fire." But the little hummingbird didn't pay any attention to them and said to himself, "I'm doing the best I can."

　　　In Seicho-No-Ie, we consider our environment as a shadow of our minds; therefore, it will change when our minds change. We think this principle can also apply on a global scale. Since what is taking place on the planet is a shadow of people's collective minds, it is important to change individual minds from a mind of taking from the earth to a mind of compassion for the earth.

　　　We in Seicho-No-Ie have been dealing with this issue from our religious standpoint: to worship and be grateful for everything as manifestations of the life of God, to hold a belief that we are sustained by the whole universe, and to practice and spread this mindset, which is of utmost importance in solving this problem. If these ideas seem interesting, please visit the following site: http://www.seicho-no-ie.org/eng/environment/index.html
　

2010 March Message

2010-03-15T14:10:00.002+09:00

Let Us Actively Spread the “Child of God Realization” to All
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　It has been just 80 years since Seicho-No-Ie was founded on March 1, 1930. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to our founder Masaharu Taniguchi who started this movement with all his might, former President Rev. Seicho Taniguchi who succeeded our founder and carried out his will perfectly, and President Masanobu Taniguchi who assumed the post of Seicho-No-Ie presidency just 1 year ago and has been warmly guiding all SNI followers around the world.

　　Rev. Seicho Taniguchi taught us the meaning of Founding Day as follows:

　　Seicho-No-Ie was founded on March 1, 1930. This is the date on which our Holy Master Masaharu Taniguchi first published the magazine named "Seicho-No-Ie." It is the memorable day when the Truth which had been treasured in the True Image World came into this world for the first time. That is why all SNI members around the world celebrate the day. (Nobiyuku Hibi no Kotoba, or Daily Words for Growth, p. 64)

　　The reason why Seicho-No-Ie exists on earth, grants hope for a better life to many people including ourselves, and promotes the movement to bring about world peace is because our founder Masaharu Taniguchi brought "the Truth treasured in the True Image World" into this world. I believe the only way to repay our sense of gratitude to him is to propagate the teachings to as many people as possible.

　　There is an anecdote in the Buddhist scriptures that tells how valuable it is to meet the Truth. Once upon a time there was a blind turtle that came up to the ocean's surface once in a hundred years to breathe. Floating in the same sea, there was a 10-foot-square board with a small hole that was almost the same size as the turtle's head. The chance that the head of the turtle which came up to the surface once in a hundred years fits in the hole of the floating board is extremely small; however, the chance for us to meet the Truth is almost as rare and valuable as the blind turtle's head fitting in the hole.

　　We are very fortunate to know the Seicho-No-Ie teachings and meet the most excellent master ahead of most of the world's population ― about 7 billion people. Founder Masaharu Taniguchi led various kinds of movements to contribute to society by applying the SNI teachings according to the need of the time. Now is the time when people in the world have to address global environmental problems hand in hand. Based upon the spirit of the Divine Message of Grand Harmony, all SNI leaders and members worldwide are promoting the "Movement that Grows with Nature" with one heart. These efforts are shown as the Movement Policy that is presented every year; the 2010 Movement Policy will be coming soon (it will appear in the May issue of this Newsletter).

　　To convey the teachings in accordance with the Movement Policy is to carry out the priceless deeds of love that increase happy homes, manifest the True Image of all sentient and non-sentient beings, contribute to the resolution of global warming problems, and realize world peace. Please read the following article on propagation written by founder Masaharu Taniguchi and actively spread the Child-of-God realization to our surroundings with courage and a bright mind. Thank you very much.

　　　The reason why I am spreading this bright-thought philosophy―“Seicho-No-Ie" ―is not for material gain or to satisfy my own personal quest for fame as the highest esteemed teacher who expounds the Way to the people. It is only when I realize that I am Buddha [divine] and others are also Buddha, that I feel unbearably sorry for those people who have manifested forms unlike Buddha in spite of being one themselves. I am Buddha. That person is also Buddha. Nonetheless, there are those who do not realize that they are Buddha but present themselves in various aspects of poverty, sickness, and misery. When I realize this, I am overcome by an irresistible desire to let them know that their image is the same as that of Buddha. After all, this impulse comes from the Truth that "self and others are essentially one." When you realize that you are a Buddha, you cannot help but to let another know that he also has Buddha-nature. When you realize that you are God, you cannot help but to let him know that he is also God-like. This is the "self and others are one" realization, i.e., love of Buddha and love of God. To practice this love is an act of bodhisattva.
　　There may be people who think that to spread Seicho-No-Ie means to spread the Seicho-No-Ie magazines. However, this is not to spread the magazines but to spread "Buddha," the "child of God" realization. It is to spread the vibrations of the words that would make every person a "Buddha," a "child of God." （Seimei no Jisso, or Truth of Life, vol. 28, pp. 53-55)
　

Article for Starbulletin

2010-02-14T13:33:00.000+09:00

Today, many of SNI Hawaii members devoted themselves to cleaning at Jisso Center where the 49th International Spiritual Training Seminar will be held soon. Thanks to their deeds of love, now we are ready for the seminar.

　　　By the way, I contributed an article on St. Valentine Day for Starbulletin, local newspaper in Hawaii. Here is the article:

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Extend Your Blessings on St. Valentine's Day
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　Nowadays, in the western world, many flowers, cards and boxes of candy are given on St. Valentine's Day. Although customs are a little different in Asia, both in the East and West, it is a day that "love" is manifested in some way.

　　　The reason we want to manifest "love" in various ways is that "love" truly exists within ourselves. If we don't have "love," we should not have a desire to present it. Because we have "love" within and have a strong desire to express it, we try to find an opportunity to do that.

　　　My suggestion for Valentine's Day is for you to radiate your loving thoughts to everyone and everything. The founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, wrote that "our souls grow by absorbing loving thoughts sent by others, our own bright thoughts, and words of Truth." "If everyone were to bless those around them as well as those in other countries of the world in this way, there would no longer be recurring wars or conflicts."

　　　Because words have the motive power to bring about what's in our mind, if we conceive and speak positive and loving words daily and send them to others, those words are sure to be of help for individual well-being and world peace.

　　　I hope you have a happy St. Valentine day filled with loving and beautiful words.
　

　

2010 February Message

2010-02-02T08:09:00.001+09:00

Send Your Blessings on St. Valentine's Day
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　February 14th is Valentine's Day. There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day, but I think the following is one of the well-known stories.

　　　Emperor Claudius II of Rome was a very cruel man who was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. He was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270.

　　　Nowadays, in the western world, many flowers, cakes, and cards are sent to each other on February 14th. Although they have a little different custom in Asia, both in the East and West, it is a day that "love" is manifested in some way.

　　　The reason we want to manifest "love" in various ways is that "love" truly exists within ourselves. If we don't have "love," we should not have a desire to present it. Because we have "love" within and have a strong desire to express it, we try to find an opportunity and do that.

　　　My recommendation to you for Valentine's Day is to send your loving thoughts. The founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, taught that "our souls grow by absorbing loving thoughts sent by others, our own bright thoughts, and words of Truth." (Bosatsuwa Naniwo Nasubekika, or What Holy Missioners Should Do, p. 101) Please write down the names of your important persons - family members, relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and SNI members - on paper and pray for and bless them for a year. Your loving thoughts not only reach and bless them but also bless the whole universe, and come back to you. Please read the following article written by our founder, Masaharu Taniguchi and reaffirm the greatness of blessing and keep practicing.

　　　A person decided to bless five or more people a day by simply praying quietly for a minute or two in the following way, "God, please give this person true happiness. He is protected by Your love and is truly happy." This is giving love in a way that no one knows about or is aware of, and, since it is done in such an unassuming way, it is even more significant and precious. If everyone were to bless those around them as well as those in other countries of the world in this way, there would no longer be recurring wars or conflicts. It is in small acts such as this that we can see selfless, giving love that asks for nothing in return. This love is truly great in the eyes of God. (Truth of Life, October 2007, p.11)
　

Star Student

2010-01-28T17:17:00.005+09:00

Our daughter Manami was recently selected as STAR student in the elementary school she's going. According to the letter from the principal, she demonstrated skill in the Dec./ Jan. theme "Resourcefulness." She was recognized and got certification at the assembly where all students participated today.

　　For a couple of weeks, she seemed to have some stress or something uninteresting or unplesant. That is why whenever we said, "Let's go to the bathroom," "It's time to go to bed," she always said, "NO!" and did not want to follow our instruction.

　　We knew that one of her best friends (not a girl of the photo below) sometimes tells the students who tease Manami by saying, "Don't do that to Manami. She is still too small." Her friend says so out of goodness, however, she seemed to be hurt by being said, "she is too small."

　　But after she got certification of STAR student, we have been constantly telling her, "You do well this and that because you are a STAR student!" Then, her behavior completely changed. She said "Yes, daddy or mommy," whenever she was told to do something.

　　I reconfirmed the power of words and the importance of recognition. As taught in Seicho-No-Ie, what you recognize appears in your surroundings.

　　　　　Manami got certification from the principal

　　　　　　　　With her friend Taish

Tetsuya Abe
　

Article for Starbulletin

2010-01-10T02:15:00.002+09:00

I wrote an article for Starbulletin, a local newspaper in Hawaii, that appears today.

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Set a Goal to Manifest Your "Child-of-God" Nature

　　Happy New Year! I wish you a fruitful year filled with joy and happiness.

　　In Seicho-No-Ie, we believe that all human beings are children of God, wonderful beings endowed with infinite potential. It is not only the founder of a great religion, but everyone, you and I, who are children of God. However, the value of "child of God" is meaningless if you only keep it wrapped up. When you manifest it to the full extent, you feel the worth of living.

　　A good way to manifest your "child-of-God" nature is to dream and set a goal. The reason why a high jumper or a pole vaulter can jump so high at an athletic competition is that there is a bar. Because there is a bar the athletes try to jump beyond it with all their might. In this way, their indwelling power progressively manifests itself.

　　Please imagine what you want to be at the end of this year and write it down on paper. Then think about what you should do to accomplish your goal and put it into practice in your daily life. If you want to master a new language, for example, take one hour to read a book and watch the movies and TV news in that language.

　　You may not be able to do exactly what you plan every day; however, when you steadily continue your effort, you will see a big difference at the end of the year and will experience a great sense of accomplishment. That is because a human being is created to feel boundless joy when he manifests his "child-of-God" nature.

　　Let us all set our own goals and make this a year of brilliant achievement. Thank you very much!

　

　

2010 January Message

2010-01-02T08:39:00.001+09:00

Let Us Practice the Love of God Deeply and Boundlessly throughout the Year
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　Happy New Year! I wish you a productive and fruitful year filled with joy and happiness. My prayer is always with you.
　　　I would like to announce once again that we are going to hold the 49th International Spiritual Training Seminar at Jisso Center from February 19th (Fri) to 21st (Sun). The ISTS is a great opportunity for both spiritual growth and warm fellowship. Your attendance is most welcome!
　　　Seicho-No-Ie teaches that "everyone is a child of God" and "everything is one under God." When you awaken to the truth that "oneself and others are one" and put the truth into practice in your life, God will appear in your life and indwelling infinite power will appear. I see many people in my surroundings who devote totally of themselves to society, people, and church without seeking any return. I am pleased to see their faces shining brilliantly and they lead a cheerful and happy life.
　　　Mariko Senju is a well-known worldwide violinist who began her professional career when she was 12 years old and won a global musical contest at the age of 15. She developed her musical gift from a very young age. When she debuted, she practiced the violin 12 hours a day. It was not because she was told by her violin teacher but because she feared she might not be able to maintain her ability without that extensive practice. However, considering her situation where she goes to school, does her homework, and practices 12 hours a day, she had little time to sleep. Despite these exhausting conditions, she continued her efforts and managed to graduate from high school. But just after she entered college, she finally reached the limit of her endurance. One day, she stopped playing.
　　　One year after she quit playing the violin, she got a call from a hospice. The caller said to her, "a terminal cancer patient who was a fan of yours wants to listen to your violin in the last minutes of her life. Would you come and play your violin?" Senju declined in a courteous manner by saying, "I am so sorry I cannot because I already quit playing the violin." However, the caller did not give up. "I didn't ask you as a professional violinist. I am asking you just as a human being." Senju answered, "I understand" and rushed to the hospice.
　　　She could not play well because she had not played for a year; however, the patient's eyes were filled with tears of delight. Senju felt very sorry because she had to give the most terrible performance of her life in front of a person who is a fan of hers and is about to pass away. Senju resumed practicing and resolved to play the violin for the sake of others' happiness.
　　　Before this incident, the more Senju practiced, the more she agonized. However, after she changed her mind, the more she practiced, the more joy came bubbling forth. I once listened to her violin at a concert; the tones were beautiful and very fascinating. She is now very active as a top-notch violinist known throughout the world.
　　　When we live for the sake of others, societies, and the earth, we can find the real joy of living. That is because all living things are one under God, and oneself and others are one. Just as we cannot be happy if one of our family members is unhappy, we also cannot become happy in a real sense if someone, some creatures, and the earth are damaged or endangered.
　　　Throughout the year, let us deepen our awareness as a child of God and practice the love of God deeply and boundlessly at any time, at any place. Thank you very much.
　

Christmas Dinner

2009-12-25T17:01:00.003+09:00

On Christmas Eve, I cooked a Christmas dinner for my family. The menu I cooked is as follows:

　1. Appetizer (Fried gyoza dumpling with avocado and onion
　　with mayonnaise. Inside the gyoza is eggplant only)
　2. Baked onion soup
　3. Pasta with butter, Shoyu, and garlic
　4. Chicken with vinegar with hot vegetables (asparagus, carrot,
　　potato, mushroom)
　5. Dessert (shortcake, pudding with strawberry and berry

　　I cooked from the scratch for all the dishes, therefore, it took more than three hours to complete them. Other than that, I prepared a special meal for my daughter because she cannot eat some of the dishes above. Her dishes are fried rice, french fries, and spaghetti.

　　We enjoyed our special dinner and had a memorable Christmas.

Tetsuya Abe

Article for Starbulletin

2009-12-03T15:08:00.003+09:00

I contributed an article to Starbulletin, a local newspaper. This article appeared on November 21st.

Golden Words That Improve Your Destiny
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　There are people who want to improve their destiny but fail to succeed despite putting in some effort to do so. If their efforts are half-hearted and don't yield good results, they might meekly accept the consequences. But there are some who cannot achieve a good result in spite of their hard work, and wonder why. That is because hiding behind the thought "I want to improve my destiny" is the thought that "Right now, my destiny is not good." By the law of mind, namely, that what you strongly envision will be realized, your thought that "Right now, my destiny is not good" becomes what you experience.

　　　Therefore, those who want to be happy and fortunate have to visualize that they are already happy and fortunate. To think of those positive thoughts once or twice does not lead you to the desired result. You need to conceive those thoughts over and over again to plant them in the bottom of your subconscious mind, which accounts for 95% of your mind and has an influence on your destiny.

　　　Let us recite the following words 20 times a day. You will be surprised to see your environment greatly improve one month later:

　　　I am a child of God, consummate and perfect. Every day, in every way, things are getting better and better.

　　　A salesperson who recited these words quietly to himself all day long while walking improved his sales performance, rising from the bottom of the branch office to the top in a couple of months. Why don't you try it? Thank you very much.

　

2009 December Message

2009-12-02T09:39:00.001+09:00

With Gratitude to the Outgoing Year
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　December is the month of Christmas and year-end; it is also the month in which Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, was born. He was born on Christmas Eve in 1951. As some of you may know, he has a master's degree from Columbia University in international relations and he is really enthusiastic about propagation in English more than anyone else. He came to the United States on his Public Lecture tours in 1992 and 1994, chose New York as the first venue of the Special Conference for World Peace, and frequently came to this country and guided us in English.

　　　As a Japanese who is engaged in propagation activities in English, I know how much energy, time, and patience are necessary to disseminate the teachings in a foreign language. Despite his and Mrs. Junko Taniguchi's extremely busy schedule, they come all the way to the U.S. because they consider the development of our movement in America as being essential to bring about real world peace. Let us be appreciative for their thoughtful consideration and strive to make every effort to promote the "Movement that Grows with Nature" in the Hawaii Missionary Area.

　　　By the way, how are you going to spend the Christmas holidays? I hope you have a cheerful and happy time. The custom to celebrate Christmas prevails not only in countries like the U.S. where Christianity is practiced but also in countries where many of the people do not believe in Jesus Christ. However, to our astonishment, it was more than 300 years after Jesus passed away that December 25th was decided on as the birthday of Jesus Christ.

　　　According to "Shokan Zakkan Part 6" or "Random Thoughts Part 6," (pp. 52-55) written by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, a faith that worshipped the sun god or Sol was very popular in the fourth century of Rome, and the shrine to worship the god was built by government expenditure and all the costs to employ priests were also covered by the nation. They designated December 25, the day of the winter solstice in their calendar, as the holiday for the sun god. However, the leaders of the Roman Church, who felt a sense of crisis, made the day an important holiday for Christianity to prevent people from going to the shrine of the other faith. This was around 336 A.D.

　　　Whether December 25 is Jesus' actual birthday is open to question; according to "Random Thoughts," there is no description about the birthday of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible, nor is there any evidence that early Christians celebrated December 25th as Jesus' birthday: "Christmas is a holiday in which Jesus and the teachings of Jesus are taken into the cultures and customs of a given area and restructured. In other words, Christianity, a religion based upon Judaism, accepted a pagan culture. Taking the fact that it has been celebrated for thousands of years throughout the world into consideration, I strongly feel the significance of culture and custom in religion" ("Random Thoughts Part 6," p. 55)

　　　It can be said that for the teachings of Seicho-No-Ie to be rooted in the United States, further efforts to make the outward elements in religion blended with our culture seem necessary.

　　　In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who practice and convey the teachings in your areas and positions. It is my sincere prayer and hope that the next year will be a much more productive and meaningful year to you. Please purify your mind by reading the following article by our founder Masaharu Taniguchi, and have a happy new year. Thank you very much.

　　　This year will finally end today. We vow to cease all bad habits, getting angry and showing hate, holding a grudge, grumbling, and having needless fear of the future. We never get angry about anything, see only the goodness and never see the evil in people's minds and deeds, live the present moment, and proceed with a bright and cheerful mind. We swear to awaken ourselves that are perfect and harmonious children of God, endowed with infinite abilities and health, and steadily advance the way of God. (Masaharu Taniguchi, "Shimpan Komyo Hogo," or "Sermon on Light: Volume on the Way," new edition, pp. 317-318)
　

Come and Join Us at the 49th ISTS in Hawaii

2009-11-19T09:36:00.003+09:00

The 49th International Spiritual Training Seminar (ISTS) will be held at Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Jisso Center from February 19 to 21, 2010. The ISTS is hosted by International Spiritual Training Center (ISTC) located in New York, and all programs of the seminar will be conducted by Ordained and Assistant Ministers including Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Bishop of the United States Missionary Headquarters. Please DON'T miss this priceless opportunity to come together with people from the mainland and other countries as well as other Hawaiian islands!

　　　All the programs will be conducted in English and all ceremonies are arranged so that average American people can feel comfortable learning the essence of the SNI teachings. That is why it is the perfect occasion for you to invite your friends and others who are not familiar with SNI. Especially those who have any troubles will no doubt be able to find solutions by participating in this seminar.

　　　When you elevate what you learn from "knowledge" to "beliefs" and put those things into practice in your life, you can have a so-called "miraculous" improvement in your life. For example, Cindy Murakami, a Holy Mission Fellowship member who lives in Hawaii Kai, attended an ISTS two years ago not knowing that the ISTS is conducted in English. She was bewildered at first; however, as the programs went on, she awoke to the fact that she is a real child of God. At that time, she had been on very bad terms with her husband for a long time and they were about to get divorced. However, after her awareness as a child of God deepened and she started to practice Shinsokan meditation and Holy Sutra reading in gratitude to her ancestors and to speak gentle and kind words to her husband after she returned home, their marital relationship miraculously improved. She is still leading a very happy life with her husband and her business is going very well despite the declining economic situation. Every STS is guided by God and all attendees are protected and embraced by God's love and life; therefore, every single attendee is able to be reborn as a child of God and start a completely new life.

　　　Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, former President of SNI, led many, many people to a true faith and real healing by conducting STSs, including the first STS held at Tobitakyu (Tokyo) in 1948. Rev. Taniguchi taught us how meaningful it is to attend an STS in his book, "Inochi wo Hikidasu Renseikai," or "A Spiritual Training Seminar That Draws Out Life" as follows:

　　　In terms of training in human life, there is nothing more important than to find and follow a good mentor. Some people claim that they are truly enlightened without any mentor. If it is true, they must have a special talent in religion. However, in many cases, they are apt to fall into a self-conceited faith. I believe all of you are very fortunate to find a good mentor and lead a life based upon a religious faith. However, a religious activity at home or in a community is prone to be "lonely" and "self-satisfied." That is why we have to learn the teachings and train ourselves diligently at Spiritual Training Centers at least once or twice a year and master the true faith and proper attitude toward the teachings. (Seicho Taniguchi, "Inochi wo Hikidasu Renseikai," or "A Spiritual Training Seminar That Draws Out Life," p. 82)

　　　In deepening our faith and leading a life of "Child of God man," to grasp the essence of the SNI teachings and to practice it are far more important than to understand it intellectually. The reason why there are so many people who waver in theif beliefs despite reading "Truth of Life" volumes and knowing the significance of being grateful to and reconciled with the whole universe seems to be that they are not practicing the teachings beyond "intellectual comprehension." In this case, the programs in STS perfectly help us deepen our faith and lead us to a real faith. The programs consist of practicing visualization of the True Image, reading the words of Truth, and practicing deeds of love, and all of them should be conducted thoroughly. (Ibid, p. 104)

　　　For people to change their long-held custom or way of thinking, it is necessary to do good things over and over again. "Attending an STS" per se is a good thing. When you attend an STS repeatedly, even if you do not concentrate on the programs, your soul does. I want you to know that your soul learns something important through religious vibrations and what you hear during the seminar.
　　　A sermon is usually provided by "words." However ceremony is also "words," and statue, temple, church, and Spiritual Training Center, which are the manifestation of the truth, are also "words." That is why you can listen to the "words" in Main Temple and Missionary Center which are filled with religious vibrations. (Seicho Taniguchi, "Riso Sekai," or "Ideal World," Dec. 1997)

　　　I hope you come and join us at this ISTS. I am looking forward very much to seeing you at Jisso Center. Thank you very much.

　

Reading Circle for Just Two of Us

2009-11-12T04:37:00.000+09:00

My wife and I started Reading Circle for just two of us at home from about three weeks ago. We are doing this after our daughter goes to bed. We are now using "Truth of Life" vol. 34 (Japanese) as a text book. I read all the 40 volumes of "Truth of Life" books (Japanese) 6 times for each book so far. Each time I read those volumes, I feel my faith is refreshed and I am impressed by the parts which did not impress me that much when I read in the past.

　　Our Reading Circle is about half an hour including reading and discussion. When we are very busy, we make it short such as for 10 or 15 minutes. Even if a page or two, we are trying to do that as much as we can regardless of the situations.

　　The reason we started this is because we have been talking about this Reading Circle for quite a long time and we want to have marital conversations based upon the Seicho-No-Ie teachings.

　　After we started this, I was very surprised to find that it is more than we expected. I am not only moved by the teachings on the book but also I realized that there are many things of each other that we have not known so far through discussions. I also remembered my state of mind when I started to learn and convey the teachings in my early twenties. At that time, I was constantly hearing the tapes of our founder Masaharu Taniguchi's lectures and I used almost every night for SNI propagation activities such as attending a Readers' Meeting, studying class, seminar, and door-to-door visitations. I also studied hard trying to answer my questions from within like "what is human being?" "what it means that evil does not exist or mind does not exist," and others. I want to keep my mind so pure and fresh as much as I can.

　　Does anyone who is doing like this?

Tetsuya Abe

2009 November Message

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000+09:00

In Boundless Gratitude to Holy Master Masaharu Taniguchi
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you who attended the Public Lecture held at Ala Moana Hotel on September 20th. I believe you savored the wonderful truth of Seicho-No-Ie taught by Rev. Hiei Ando, National Ordained Minister, and Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Bishop of the United States Missionary Headquarters. I also appreciate those who planned, publicized, promoted and implemented the Public Lecture as committee members. Please see page 3 for an article about this event.

　　November is the month in which the founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, was born. He was born on November 22nd in 1893. November 22nd is considered a "good couple day" in Japan due to a good combination of sounds when read in Japanese. I would like to introduce how the founder and Mrs. Taniguchi were a good couple who fully understood and took care of each other by referring to Mrs. Taniguchi's book, "Shi to Aogi, Otto to Aogite," or "Looking up as Mentor, Looking up as Husband."

　　A few years after they founded Seicho-No-Ie, Mrs. Taniguchi read in a newspaper article that a mother who tried to save her drowning child died with her child in the ocean. She thought that if she had been taught how to swim when she had been a child, she could take her daughter Emiko, 8 years old at that time, to the ocean and river without any concern, and told her husband about it. Then, the founder Taniguchi kindly made a suggestion, saying, "It's not too late. Take a swimming lesson."

　　Mrs. Taniguchi found a group that gave swimming lessons from 5 a.m. in the morning at the seashore nearby. However, she was hesitant to do so because if she were to take those lessons early in the morning, she would inconvenience her husband and daughter since she could not prepare breakfast for them. Nevertheless, Founder Taniguchi allowed her to do so by saying, "Don't worry about us and take that training seriously. I will prepare our breakfast." Mrs. Taniguchi appreciated his kindness and took the training for two weeks and became an adequate swimmer.

　　The founder Taniguchi prepared their breakfast just as he said he would and waited for his wife to come back home every morning. After breakfast, he rushed to change his clothes and went to work. Mrs. Taniguchi reflected on that time and wrote as follows:

　　.... After he finished his work, my husband came back home in the evening and did writing for Seicho-No-Ie magazine until late night. Dawn came before he got enough sleep and he prepared our breakfast instead of his wife from early morning. I practiced with all my might every morning to respond to his loving thought. (Teruko Taniguchi, "Shi to Aogi, Otto to Aogite," or "Looking up as Mentor, Looking up as Husband" p. 46)

　　In this way, the founder Taniguchi's love for his wife was always brimming over. On the other hand, Mrs. Taniguchi looked up to her husband as mentor as well as loving him as her husband. She wrote how she respected him in the March 1937 issue of "Shirohato" or "White Dove" as follows:

　　Once I entered a training center, I am not his wife. He who is on the podium is not my husband but my mentor. I knew God who dwells within me. I, who knew indwelling God, no longer need to seek God without. However, my soul sincerely seeks to brighten my mind and manifest indwelling God. My soul also asks for the infinite growth by doing so. I visited the training center by following my mentor even on very windy and snowy days. (Ibid. p. 60)

　　I believe you understand that loving thoughts by husband and respectful thoughts by wife are foremost to a harmonious life for a couple. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the founder and Mrs. Masaharu Taniguchi who showed us this teaching by being role models, and I will pledge to practice the teachings and promote our movement with a cheerful and bright mind. Thank you very much.
　

Never give up...

2009-10-24T18:28:00.000+09:00

I am here in LA for In-person meetings sponsored by SNI United States Missionary Headquarters. I left home at 6 a.m., got aboard Hawaiian Airline 10 that departed Honolulu at 8:10, and arrived at LAX around 5 p.m. After we picked up our luggage with two delegates members from Hawaii, we headed to the hotel by taxi where we have meetings and stay. Then, I rushed to eat dinner and attended a minister's meeting. I felt one day finished as quick as lightening.

　　　I took a book to read on the plane, however, it seems a little too serious to read in this situation, I bought a novel at a bookstore in the airport. However, when I tried to turn on the overhead reading light, it didn't work. I wondered that since it takes more than 5 hours to LA, if I cannot read a book, what should I do... I neither feel like watching the movie on the screen because I have to purchase earphones with $5, nor renting a portable DVD player with $15. So far, when overhead light didn't work, I changed a seat and read book, however, it seemed at capacity flight, I couldn't do that.

　　　Since it was still bright when beverage and food were served, I could read anyway. But I don't like to give up using the light for no special reason, I tried to turn on the light every 10 minutes or so. But it still didn't work. However, surprisingly, it finally turned on after more than 10 times trial. Although the light was weak at first, it gradually became an enough brightness, then, I could enjoy reading a book. Through this experience, I learned that I should not give up for anything.

　　　The book I read was "MIRACLE" written by Danielle Steel. It was a very intriguing and moving story. I read one third of the book in one-way flight. I am not a native speaker of English, I am very pleased to read that much.

　　　By the way, I saw some people were reading a book with "Kindle," an electric book sold through Amazon.com. "Kindle 2 International," a machine which can be used outside the U.S., just started to hit the market, I bought it, although I didn't use it. Its weight is about 10 oz and 1,500 books can be downloaded to the machine. The price was originally $279, however, three days after it released, Amazon.com informed me that they discounted it by $20. I am looking forward to using it before very long.

Tetsuya Abe
　

Article for "Starbulletin"

2009-10-13T08:50:00.002+09:00

I posted the following article for "Starbulletin," Hawaii's local newspaper. I am supposed to write every 6 weeks and this is the second time for me. I receive a positive response from a follower of Christian Science. I deeply appreciate that.

Tetsuya Abe

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Take Everything Positively and Make an Effort with A Bright Mind
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　In our surroundings, both pleasant and unpleasant things happen. There are good news and bad news in the world. Someone may say, "I am happy because only wonderful things come to me." Someone else may say, "My life is filled with hardship and unfavorable things." What accounts for this difference? That is our "mind." To put it simply, the former person has a bright mind and the latter has a dark mind.

　　　There may be some people who enjoy rock-climbing by thinking, "This is a very exciting sport. I love it." But others may be turned off that sport by thinking, "What a dangerous sport!" Furthermore, some may say, "Running makes me really refreshed," but others may say, "Running is boring. It only makes me tired."

　　　Even if different people do the same thing, how each one feels about it depends on his or her outlook. That is why even if your situation may be difficult, it will surely improve if you keep up your effort by thinking, "This is a good opportunity for my ability to emerge. Things will be getting better and better." On the contrary, if you think "I can't stand it. There is no hope in my future," you cannot make a success of anything, because what we strongly think constantly about becomes our life and destiny.

　　　Therefore, let us conceive bright and cheerful thoughts no matter what happens. If you keep those positive thoughts, beautiful flowers will bloom on your life's stage before long without fail.
　

　

Weekend in Kauai

2009-10-12T17:44:00.001+09:00

I went to Seicho-No-Ie Kauai Center with my family over last weekend. I am supposed to visit all four Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii neighbor island centers twice at each center, it was the second time visit to this island. It is a very greenery island and I feel the appearance is similar to a rural area in Japan where I was born, it became one of my favorite sites in Hawaii. More than that, my kindergartener daughter was in the midst of 10-day holiday and a little bit boring, that is why I decided to take my wife and daughter there.

　　　As usual, we are warmly greeted by SNI members in Kauai center and I delivered two English and Japanese combined lecturers on the day. One is about "Holy Mission Fellowship" and another is about the "Movement that Grows with Nature." In the end of the second lecture, I presented the photos I took in Brazil and had them savored the exciting atmosphere of Special Conference for World Peace in Sao Paulo in August.

　　　We stayed a cottage named KALAHEO INN and visited candy company and coffee factory on the next day guided by David Hamada, a long-time and devout leader of SNI Kauai. Seeing David Hamada talking with people very friendly everywhere we went, I thought it is an ideal community where people feel like a big family, or "Ohana" in Hawaiian language.

Tetsuya Abe
　

　

2009 October Message

2009-10-02T05:10:00.003+09:00

In Gratitude to Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, former President of Seicho-No-Ie
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　October is the month in which the late Rev. Seicho Taniguchi was born and passed away. He was born on October 23, 1919, and departed this physical world to a high spiritual world on October 28, 2008.

　　Rev. Seicho Taniguchi knew about Seicho-No-Ie from reading a Truth of Life book he borrowed from a private first class while he was hospitalized for lung tuberculosis during World War II. He told us the following story in his lecture: The private first class was reading the book with a happy smile; that is why I (Rev. Seicho) thought it must be an interesting novel. However, when I read the book, I was struck by the strong words of Truth such as "Man is a child of God" or "Disease does not exist."

　　After the War, to show that Seicho-No-Ie is teaching the universal truth, the Founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi was thinking of translating literature and documents written by enlightenment thinkers and writers in the Western world, and advertised for workers for translation. One of the applicants and the most excellent among them was Rev. Seicho Taniguchi (he was Seicho Arachi at that time). He was immediately hired by the Founder Masaharu Taniguchi, married Emiko Taniguchi, Founder Taniguchi's only daughter, and became successor to Founder Taniguchi in accordance with the will of God. In the Seicho-No-Ie 40-year history book, Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi recalled that "the advent of Seicho Arachi was truly meaningful not only to the Taniguchi family but also to Seicho-No-Ie."

　　Rev. Seicho was only 28 when he started to conduct Public Lecturers and was 33 when he started to publish a book. Throughout his life, he sincerely dedicated himself to the Humanity Enlightenment Movement. When he was young, he manifested his state of mind as follows:

　　I sometimes make a mistake, I am partly imperfect and am not necessarily satisfied with myself, however, I am delighted to be able to move forward seeing the brightness ahead without any mental attachment. With a belief that my love is growing and makes every single one of the people in the world not getting sad, with my prayer for the happiness for our spiritual friends who seek the way, I always lead a bright and cheerful life. (Seicho Taniguchi, "Seicho-No-Ie," December 1950)

　　I become a trumpet for the teachings of Truth with a great joy. I deeply come to understand that there is nothing I can do by my own strength. Everything is the strength of God. The power of God appears in this world without fail through our Founder. (Seicho Taniguchi, "Jinsei no Kaitakusha," or "Pioneers of Human Life," p. 257)

　　Twelve years before the Founder Masaharu Taniguchi made a peaceful transition to a high spiritual world, he showed all of the SNI members that his successor was decided by providence by the following article:

　　 However, as the time for me to go comes closer, through providence, my successor, well-gifted with ability, has already appeared. I was struck with admiration to read Rev. Seicho Taniguchi's commentary on Shobo Genzo in Seishin Kagaku ("Mental Science"). Rev. Seicho Taniguchi's able interpretations of Dogen's difficult Zen terminology not found in an ordinary dictionary, into understandable modern language without missing a single phrase or word, as well as interpreting the Truth through the keys of the Truth of Life―are not simple feats to be attained. This has been accomplished basically through enlightenment and inspiration that came [to Rev. Taniguchi] from the spiritual world. To have such a worthy successor chosen to appear, I feel, was not conceived in the world of humanity. I can now enter the spiritual world with peace of mind knowing that I have a worthy successor. (Masaharu Taniguchi, "Seicho-No-Ie," November, 1975)

　　After the Founder Masaharu Taniguchi passed away, as President of Seicho-No-Ie, and based upon his resolve in his young age, Rev. Seicho guided us and all people in the world to the right faith that believes in God correctly - through Public Lectures worldwide, Spiritual Training Seminars, numerous writings, and through other means for 23 years, and finished his highly inspiring and productive earthly life of 89 years last year.

　　One year ago this month, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi passed on to a high spiritual world. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for his achievements and guidance, and vow to promote God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement - International Peace by Faith Movement in Hawaii with all of you. Thank you very much.
　

Leaders' Seminar in SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

2009-09-29T17:31:00.003+09:00

On Saturday, September 19, 2009, blessed with fine weather, the 17th Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Leaders' Seminar was held at Jisso Center with 29 attendees, including David and Frances Hamada of Kauai and Gordon and Shari Ann Ogi of Kona. Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Bishop of the United States Missionary Headquarters, Rev. Hiei Ando, Seicho-No-Ie National Ordained Minister, and Rev. Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief of Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area conducted the seminar, and Ms. Pat Wada interpreted Rev. Teshigawara's lectures.

　　Rev. Teshigawara gave two lectures titled, "The Role of Leaders Who Carry out the Deeds of Holy Missioners" and "Seicho-No-Ie's Mission to Bring About World Peace."

　　In the beginning of her first lecture, she shared her impressions of her visits to neighbor island centers in Hawaii as follows: When I paid visits to Kona, Kauai, Hilo, and Maui centers, I was overwhelmed to see that the trees planted by the Founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, have grown up so big. I gained an appreciation of the tremendous efforts and deeds of love done by senior leaders and members that made SNI Hawaii what it is today.

　　Then she praised all of the seminar's attendees for their daily efforts and encouraged them by saying, "You are the master of our movement." Then, she taught that the Special Conference for World Peace is an event that follows the will of the Founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, who had started the Special Conference for Japanese leaders in 1962, and that the concept of this Special Conference, "Nature and Man Living Together and Coexisting," is a realization of the principle of the "Divine Message of Grand Harmony."

　　She talked about what SNI leaders who carry out our movement should keep in mind: that they should never lose radiance in their minds and should express their minds' radiance in their daily life generously. She also introduced an inspiring article titled "You Are the Master of Your Destiny" written by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi.

　　In addition, she showed that Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, has constantly been seeking what we SNI followers and leaders should do as individuals and as an organization based upon the "Divine Message of Grand Harmony" and Truth of Life volumes. She continued that the "sundial way of life" and the "life of not taking from others" are what SNI leaders and members should seek in life, and that we need to practice a "life of giving" by making best use of our expressions, words, and minds. Rev. Teshigawara stated that all of these prescriptions are the guidance of President Taniguchi.

　　She concluded her first lecture by encouraging leaders to pass on the "flame of life," since one and all others are one in God. We who learn the truth and know the joy of practicing the truth are the people who have the motivation to convey the joy of faith to others.

　　In her second lecture, she talked about the significance of Seicho-No-Ie's movement to preserve the global environment because of the following reasons: In this day and age when the planet is warming, a movement to revere nature as the Creation of God is imperative; Global environmental problems are the manifestation of Kanzeon Bosatsu (Bodhisattva or Goddess of Mercy) who dwells behind nature. Development of human beings alone is not enough; to promote this movement is a motive power to realize true world peace.

　　Rev. Ando gave two lectures titled, "What We Can Learn from a Natural World View of the Native Americans and Major Traditional World Religions" and "The Significance of Propagation through Publications in Seicho-No-Ie." In his first lecture, he summarized in only 35 minutes what worldwide leaders learned at the Special Conference for World Peace in Brazil in August, and did so in a very understandable manner. He also gave us wonderful guidance about propagating the teachings through publications, including his own testimony.

　　I was in charge of two lecturers, "What is the Carbon Zero Movement?" and "How We Can Use the Internet in Our Movement." I explained how we can realize "Carbon Zero Movement" as an organization, and talked about the characteristics of the age of the Internet and the importance of the role of Holy Missioners in releasing bright and cheerful information to the world.

　　In addition to lectures, the seminar included testimony by Irene Revilla, who shared with emotion her experiences at the 2009 Brazil Special Conference, a question and answer session, and resolutions by Gary Tashiro, President of SNI Hawaii and Shari Ann Ogi, representative of neighbor island centers.
　
Tetsuya Abe

　

Restaurant HALE

2009-09-04T05:13:00.001+09:00

I found a restaurant named "HALE," about 5-minute drive from my workplace, in other words, very close to Ala Moana Shopping Center. The restaurant is for a vegan, who does not eat meat, fish, eggs, milk and other foods which contains animal products.

　　I myself do not eat red meat, therefore, I think myself a moderate vegetarian, however, to tell the truth, I haven't favored vegan foods until I tried at this restaurant. I ate foods similar to sower pork and vegetables, in which soy was used instead of pork, with blown rice and miso soup. The taste was much better than I expected, and of course, it is very good for health because all the ingredients are organic. You can enjoy those foods by takeouts.

　　I feel those "good foods" expel something bad in my physical body, therefore, I sometimes go to the restaurant when my health condition is not good or I feel pressured with important events are upcoming.

　　According to their brochure, the name of the restaurant "HALE" comes from "home" or "castle" in Hawaiian language, "sunny" in Japanese, and "healthy" in old English. The owner is a Japanese, but I saw two English speaking waitresses, both of them are beautiful. Incidentally, there was signature and message from a Madonna's dietician on the bulletin board. Madonna is well-known as a vegetarian.

Tetsuya Abe
　

　

2009 September Message

2009-09-02T13:52:00.002+09:00

The 2009 Brazil Special Conference for World Peace
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　I attended "2009 Brazil Special Conference for World Peace with Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi" held in Sao Paulo with 26 participants from the United States including Irene Revilla, a leader of Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii. The theme of the Conference was "The Nature and Man Living Together and Coexisting." The syllabus, which was distributed to all the attendees, explained the meaning of the Special Conference as follows:

　　Today, at the start of the 21st century, amid the increasingly more serious climatic change from global warming, humankind is being driven toward the development of sustainable societies. Nevertheless, the world's population continues to increase and in such newly developing countries as China, India and Brazil, warming advances unchanged because their economic growth follows the same course as the advanced countries. Humankind now stands at the turning point of civilization and it needs the philosophy, thinking and faith that will draw it toward the proper course. Yet the spirituality to support the new age is not entirely new at all but can probably be found within the wisdom that is already in the possession of humankind. Why? Humankind has a long history of coexistence with nature. During our Special Conference for World Peace we will we look through history, reexamine the wisdom and thinking of living together with nature, which was hidden in the shadows of the material development from modernization and find ways to apply them to the new age. While basing our examination upon the study at the previous Special Conferences, this year's Seicho-No-Ie Special Conference for World Peace will be held on the theme of the Nature and Man Living Together and Coexisting.

　　We can say that it is a magnificent project which has been realizing the ideals shown by the Founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, that we illuminate the path of all mankind. As you already know, our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi started the Seicho-No-Ie movement to light the direction in which human beings should go, and wholeheartedly led our God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement to brighten and correct all people's minds until he passed away in 1985. Rev. Seicho Taniguchi carried out Founder Taniguchi's will as it was and dedicated himself to this movement until he passed away last October.

　　Under the guidance of Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, current President of Seicho-No-Ie, we are now trying to show the "philosophy, thinking, and faith" that are necessary for the current people in the world and to demonstrate that we can lead a life based upon them. However, we have learned at the Special Conference that this philosophy, thinking, and faith are not what Seicho-No-Ie discovered for the first time but they are part of the wisdom of Native Americans and major traditional world religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

　　One of the things that impressed me most about Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's guidance was that the religious viewpoint that a human being is a part of nature is common among the major world religions and we can agree that that viewpoint is a central part of the religious truths with many religions. It is very significant that we have been taught that our movement which emphasizes the commonality among religions can be promoted by disseminating the following ideas: Nature is a unique figure of God; Nature is a manifestation of the infinite benevolence of Buddha; and Nature is what provides us with a place to express a child-of-God nature. As a whole, I thought I was given a priceless opportunity to think deeply about how we should put into practice the teachings such as "God's creation is perfect and absolute goodness" and "a phenomenal world is a manifestation of our mind" in our lives and how we, as an organization, can contribute to our current society by making the best use of the teachings.

　　President Taniguchi spent all of the time allocated to Lecture One answering all the questions that had been submitted to him in advance. One of the questions was from Irene Revilla of Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii. Her question was as follows: "As a parent of two young adults, this generation of youth has a sense of doom surrounding them as the world is full of economic problems and natural changes. Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, as the President of SNI, do you believe that our movement can progress realistically to create more positively in this 21st century and why do you feel this way? Thank you very much."

　　The answer Rev. Taniguchi gave to the question was "YES." The outline of his full answer will appear in a couple of months in the SNI-ONLINE electronic newspaper published by International Headquarters for leaders living outside of Japan.

　　All of President Taniguchi's lectures were so profound and covered so much that my note-taking could not keep up. I was seated with leaders from Europe and Canada as well as the United States. I was very moved when I looked over at them during the President's lectures because all the participants from the United Kingdom, all Brazilians, were taking notes with their whole hearts.

　　Mrs. Junko Taniguchi, President of SNI White Dove Association, disclosed the significance of practicing the "Sundial Way of Life" in modern times in her lecture and generated religious exultation among all the attendees. More than that, she spoke as if she were talking to every participant individually, and applause followed almost every word she spoke.

　　Regarding the leaders in Brazil, I was overwhelmed by their passionate, bright and cheerful, and sincere personalities. Whenever Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi entered the hall, and before and after their lectures and remarks, all the participants showed their appreciation with big applause. They were like supporters cheering for their country in a soccer stadium. They clapped and said with their hands stretched high, "Eooooo, eoooooo, eoo eoo eoo Sosai!" Sosai means President in Japanese.

　　After the Conference, a welcome party for Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi sponsored by SNI Brazil Headquarters was held at its annex. There seemed to be about 400 people present. After President Taniguchi made opening remarks, everyone toasted. We enjoyed dinner, then all participants stood in line, shook hands and talked with Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi in turn. You can easily imagine how their generosity pleased all the attendees. Seeing Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi blessing them, I thought how wonderful it is to be a SNI member.

　　Incidentally, Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi left Sao Paulo early the next morning for Belem, a city in northern Brazil whose port lies in the vast Amazon River delta. There, they conducted a public lecture at which about 1,000 people gathered. Then they flew back to Sao Paulo where they also conducted the National Convention, which about 6,200 attended.

　　In the SNI Hawaii Missionary Area, we would like to move forward the "Movement That Grows with Nature" in accordance with the guidance we received from President Masanobu Taniguchi.
　

Manami's Fifth Birthday

2009-08-31T17:43:00.002+09:00

Today is Manami's birthday. She became five years old. Today's service was called Family Sunday Service, at which both Japanese group and English group attend, which is held once or twice a year and we have some fun after the Service. Normally, we have three Sunday services; English and Japanese services at Matlock Center, English service at Jisso Center. After the service finished, all of the attendees sang "Happy Birthday to You" to Manami, and she was supposed to blow off all the five candles in the cake we specially ordered. However, she was too shy to do that in front of people, therefore, we, parents, did that. She was given heartfelt gifts from some of the attendees. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for all the kind deeds they did for Manami. Thank you very much.

　　By the way, Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide victory in the general election in Japan. It is the first time for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to be away from the dominant party since its founding in 1955. I hope the next government will deal with an environment issue more sincerely and seriously and turn Japan to a right direction.

Tetsuya Abe
　

Mothers' Study Class and Manami's Kindergarten Life

2009-08-29T16:29:00.001+09:00

August Japanese Mothers' Study Class was held at Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Matlock Center with 5 participants including my wife and myself today. A number of participants was not so big, that is why we could share what we were into lately and our impressions on material distributed and a lecture provided. We truly enjoyed our company and learned an important mindset as a mother based upon the SNI teachings. Thank you very much everyone who came and made this class so meaningful!

　　Time really flies fast. It has been a year since this Mothers' Study Class started in last year's August. Outstanding is growth of children who have constantly been attending. A boy and a girl of two years old who attended today are quite different from who they were one year ago. This is not only true for the children but also for their moms. I firmly felt that we, as a parent, are also being grown through child-raring.

　　By the way, it has been about three weeks since my daughter, Manami, started to go to a nearby kindergarten. She seems really to enjoy her kindergarten life with two former preschool's class mates and one Japanese boy who came from Japan just one month ago. However, she seems very tired every day; she takes a nap for a couple of hours, sometimes for FOUR hours! Nevertheless, after she wakes up, she has a dinner, does her homework with mom and dad, takes a shower, and watchs TV and has some fun for a short time, then, she goes to bed and falls asleep soon.

　　To our surprise, despite the fact that she is still four years old, she already had homework to be done at home. She cannot understand what for and what she should do, however, she starts to practice to write her own name, ABC..., and numbers. More than that parents have to record a title of the books they read and how many minutes for reading with parents initials every day. It is an unbelievable thing for a Japanese! We are also fed up with so many handouts for parents to be read because, to do so, we have to take much more time than native speakers do. We need to have Manami favor doing homework, we give her chocolate after she has done the homework. So far it works well. Every time we finish a dinner, she said, "Let's start homework!"

　　A Japanese boy I mentioned above is Calvin Nishihara, as same old boy as Manami, and Ian, 7 years old boy. After school hours, the kindergarten prepared an ESL class for Japanese students. However, if Manami attends the ESL class, she cannot afford to do her homework. Then, I asked the ESL teacher whether she has to attend the class. Her answer is she doesn't have to because she can communicate with teachers and friends without any problem. Therefore, Manami will attend the class once or twice a week in accord with her condition. But, to tell the truth, she wants to participant in the class because the teacher gives them some snacks in the end of class, which attracts Manami so much, and she is very looking forward to playing with those boys after the ESL class.

　　A dad of the boys was born and raised in Hawaii, however, he speaks very fluent Japanese. He stayed in Japan for 9 years and taught English at a high school there. Their mom, Kazue, was born and raised in Kobe, in Kansai area, and speaks with a Kansai accent. She is kind and friendly and frequently contacts with my wife by e-mail.

Tetsuya Abe
　

An Impression on the Conference by a SNI HI leader

2009-08-25T11:57:00.002+09:00

Hi everyone,

With her permission, I would like to share an impression on the Special Conference for World Peace by Irene Revilla, one of SNI Hawaii leaders. It is concisely written but I believe you would feel energy and enthusiasm through her experience.

Tetsuya Abe

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My impressions of the Brazil Special Conference
By Irene Revilla, Hawaii Missionary Area

Thank you very much. I was one of the US participants who attended the 2009 Brazil Special Conference. Rev. Tetsuya Abe and myself were the two representatives from Hawaii. I was truly blessed to be apart of this conference as it has been a wish of mine to attend a conference in Brazil. Since the first conference held there several years ago I had always hoped someday I would go. This year my wish came true. It was all that and more than I had expected. The greatest emotion that I experienced during the 2 day conference was the joy I felt when all of the attendees rose to their feet and cheered joyfully with love and admiration for Rev. Masanobu and Mrs. Junko Taniguchi as they entered the huge convention hall. All 3,000 supporters clapped and cheered for them in unison with such emotional energy that I could feel the vibrations throughout my whole body. It was an experience indescribable with words. The lectures were very informative and gave a great deal of historical background leading up to how our environment, nature and human beings have been affected by industrialization both in North America, Central and South America. The relationship of all this to our current situation with global warming and depletion of resources was very evident in all the lectures. As an organization, Seicho-No Ie is clearly a proponent in supporting ways to correct and preserve Mother Nature and mankind for future generations. Listening to ways to promote these positive changes and bring peace to the world truly makes me proud to be a Holy fellowship member of SNI. I hope one day all of you will get an opportunity to attend a special conference and feel the gratitude and joy I had experienced.
　

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

2009-08-24T17:13:00.002+09:00

The other day, I saw an article in The New York Times and TIME magazine that say "Ponyo on the cliff by the sea" would be released in about 1,000 theaters in the United States on August 14. "Ponyo" is a Japanese animation movie written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's master in that field, Academy Award winner for his last work, "Spirited Away," in 2001. I looked for a theater at which the movie is being shown by the Internet, I found. My wife and daughter once or twice watched that movie in the original Japanese version, but I haven't. It is one of my daughter's most favorite movie, therefore, I took her to a nearby theater yesterday.

　　The show time we watched started 6:50 p.m. Many of the audience came with family. According to the August 24 issue of TIME magazine, Miyazaki made a movie in 2-D, hand-drawn animation and created a frame-by-frame storyboard -- 180,000 drawings for Ponyo with minimal help from PC. Asian viewers may recall the devastation wreaked by the December 2004 Indian Ocean disaster, but Miyazaki's intention is different. "Rather than the tsunami destroying the town," Miyazaki says, "I took it as her own sense of life overflowing, and that helped to revitalize the town. None of the buildings were destroyed in the flood. You can see them all beneath the water. That's magic." ("TIME" Aug. 24th, 2009 issue)

　　My impression on the movie is the pictures shown on the screen were terrific and they are just the nature of Japan as it is. I have never returned to Japan during two years and three month while staying here, I missed Japan very much. Of course, I am grateful for our life here; we can learn and experience various kinds of new things and savor beautiful nature. However, my thought on my home country is very special. One of the things that impressed me most is there is no "evil" in the movie. That is why I think it appropriate to have show it to children. My daughter has concentrated on the movie for one hour and forty minutes.

　　Coming back home, while talking with my wife about the movie, I realized that there are many lines that only the English version has but the Japanese one doesn't. According to a Japanese site for the movie, Miyazaki seems to cut as many lines as possible so that the theater audience themselves think about hidden messages. However, it is possible only in Japanese because "silence" is highly valued in the Japanese culture. If you want the movie seen in a country of western culture, in which to express themselves is valued, you have to make adjustments in many ways.

　　As a whole, the movie made me feel very comfortable and reminded me a Japanese sense toward nature. I hope my daughters' friends watch it.

　　You can see the movie's trailer by clicking the following addresses:

　　http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BfNtYF94cQ（brief one）

　　http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALsYgbxOZuI&NR=1（long one）

　Tetsuya Abe
　　

Meeting at a Kindergarten

2009-08-12T17:18:00.004+09:00

There was a meeting today for parents at a kindergarten my daughter is going from August 10th. At first, principle provided his greetings and there was a workshop with which parents and children together dealt. We heard a good reputation of the school, Ahuimanu school, from preschool teachers and others. My impression to the school was what we've just imagined with a good support system and friendly teachers and atmospheres.

　　Attending the two-hour meeting, I saw their will that they want to develop children's creativity and personality and cope with whatever problem taken place. According to the school, three Japanese children joined the school including my daughter and they will provide a supplementary class after school.

　　My daughter attended a preschool for a year and seven months, I don't think there is any problem with her communication skills in English, however, it is good for her to be followed in such a way because she still has less time to speak and hear English compared to local children. If I point out further good points:

　　1. There are two preschool classmates whom my daughter gets along well
　　2. Since my daughter's home room teacher is a Japanese-American, she
　　　　understands about adjustment in a inter-cultural situation
　　3. There is a fluent Japanese speaker who had studied for Waseda
　　　　University in Japan among parents. To my surprise, she is a complete
　　　　Caucasian. More than that, a principal is person who loves Japan,
　　　　have been there so many times, and can speak daily conversation
　　　　in Japanese

　　My wife was very relieved to see she has a new friend who speaks in Japanese in Kaneohe. Incidentally, my wife's communication skills in English has rapidly been improving and she came to be able to read the material distributed by the school. It is a great pleasure for both of us.

　　A school system here and in Japan is quite different. Japan does not have a system equivalent of kindergarten. They go to a preschool until 6 years old and then enroll an elementary school. That means that their mandatory education starts one or two years later than children here.

With her Hawaiian friend Taish

Three of us enjoyed the workshop

Tetsuya Abe
　

2009 August Message

2009-08-06T05:27:00.003+09:00

To Convey the Seicho-No-Ie Teachings Today Is the Greatest Deed of Love
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

Thank you very much.
　　I have wonderful and pleasant news for you. Mrs. Carol Perreida, Oahu propagator, passed the Regional Lecturer's Examination that was held last year. Congratulations Carol! Her success is attributed not only to her tireless daily efforts to learn the teachings but also to guidance from Rev. Leslie Iwatani and support by our senior members and colleagues. I extend my sincere gratitude to all of those concerned, and would like to share the joy of her success with all Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii members. Thank you very much.

　　Regional Lecturer is a very important and responsible position appointed by the President of Seicho-No-Ie. I hope Carol and all other Regional Lecturers carry out this noble responsibility by practicing the three important religious practices―Shinsokan meditation, reading the Holy Sutras and SNI books, and practicing Deeds of Love―while understanding the Movement Policy which is a written guideline that all of the SNI members in the world should follow throughout the year, engaging in propagation activities based upon the will and policy of the International Headquarters. It surely leads our movement to grow in the right direction that is in accordance with God's divine will.

　　On June 28, I visited SNI Maui center to share this wonderful teaching with SNI Maui members. After the Sunday service there, all participants and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at a restaurant near a beach and we enjoyed each others' company. I strongly felt that we can count on those members, including President Neil Masuoka and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Nakata, because they are bright, cheerful, and passionate about propagation.

　　With this visit, I finished my first visitation to all four neighbor island centers this year. My transportation costs are covered by the SNI Hawaii Holy Mission Fund, which consists of past Holy Mission Fellowship dues which should have been sent to SNI International Headquarters but were held in Hawaii due to some federal regulations. That is why we need approval by the SNI Hawaii Board of Directors, SNI, Inc. BOD, and International Headquarters before we use it. I will make every effort to meet expectations of our neighbor island members, as well as those who approved this expenditure. And I also want to share the importance of our activities as holy missioners in my second visiation this year.

　　By the way, we are going to hold the annual Public Lecture on September 20 at the Ala Moana Hotel. It is usually held in November, but due to some reasons, the Lecture will be two months ahead. The following is basic information:

[English Program]
　Date: Sunday, Sept. 20, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
　Place: Ala Moana Hotel
　Speaker:
　Rev. Hiei Ando,
　　U.S. National Ordained Minister
　Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara,
　　Bishop, U.S. Missionary Headquarters

[Japanese Program]
　Date: Sunday, Sept. 20, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
　Place: Ala Moana Hotel
　Speaker: Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara
　　　　　Rev. Hiei Ando

　　The theme of English lecture is "A Bright Mind ― A Healthy and Prosperous Life" and the Japanese theme is "Hogarakana Kokoro―Kenko to Hanei wo Anatani."（朗らかな心―健康と繁栄をあなたに）

　　The price of gas has begun surging again, and health issues including the H1N1 flu is everybody's concern. With the depletion of fossil energy impacting world economies, the global environment declining, unemployment rate at a record high, and uncertainty and anxiety spreading throughout society, people are seeking guidance for their lives. Now is Seicho-No-Ie's time to respond. Nothing is a more precious deed of love than to convey the Seicho-No-Ie teachings in this troubled time, because you can solve all problems by knowing that there is a perfect and harmonious world created by God, the True Image world, and believing and envisioning that perfect world and what is positive and already granted to you, and constantly carrying out that practice in your daily life. I would like to ask you to invite as many people as possible including your family, relatives, friends, neighbors and others to the Public Lecture. Thank you very much.
　

2009 Sepcial Conference in Brazil (4)

2009-08-03T18:52:00.011+09:00

Today was the second day of Special Conference which consisted of two presentations by ordained ministers, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's concluding lecture, words of encouragement by Mrs. Junko Taniguchi. We also had an ordained (assistant) ministers' meeting, and welcome party for Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi at Brazil Headquarters' annex.

　　In the lecture provided by the President, there were so many inspiring, deep, and profound messages that I could not catch up with ..... We learned that how important to hold a religious point of view that "A human being is a part of Nature," and it is firmly existed in the Native North, Central, and South American culture, and also in the traditional major religions' teachings such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and to have a consensus that it is one of the essence of all correct religions should contribute to world peace in this day and age.

　　Mrs. Junko Taniguchi's popularity was outstanding here in Brazil. Her deeply loving messages which were simmering into people's hearts brought about religious exultation, therefore, every time she spoke a sentence the site was surrounded with applause.

　　Whenever Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi entered the hall, and before and after their guidance, all the participants showed their welcome with big applause and claps. They were like a supporter who cheer their own country in the soccer stadium. They said with their hands outstretched high and clapped, "Eooooo, eoooooo, eoo eoo eoo Sosai!" Sosai means President in Japanese.

　　Not only during the lecturers provided by Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi, but during all the presentation delivered, applause took place frequently. It is Brazil!

　　Throughout the Special Conference, as a whole, I was given an opportunity to think deeply about how our SNI leaders should put the teachings such as "God's creation is only good, perfect, and harmonious" and "This phenomenal world is a reflection of mind" into our daily life as an individual, and how we should contribute to our society by those teachings. More than that, we learned that one of the central parts that all the correct religions should be shared is that a human being is a part of Nature.

　　Regarding a reception, held at the annex of SNI Brazil Headquarters, at a glance, there seemed 400 people invited. After President Masanobu Taniguchi made opening remarks, everyone cheered. We enjoyed dinner, then, all participants stood in line, shook hands and talked with Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi in turn. You could take a photo of them.

　　I will fly to LA tomorrow night and come back to Hawaii in the late night of Tuesday.

Since we cannot take a photo during the event, it is a break time.

With Irene and Cassandra Revilla

With Alessandro da Silva from Scotland, who seated next to me.

With Rev. Enio Masaci Hara. He is a former President of SNI Brazil Youth and Young Adult Association. He came to Japan to study about how to run a SNI organization in early 1990 and I took him various places for his study.

At the reception

Tetsuya Abe
　

2009 Special Conference in Brazil (3)

2009-08-02T17:50:00.004+09:00

Today was the first day of "2009 Special Conference for World Peace" which was held at Fanchal Lecture Hall in Sao Paulo that was from 1 to 7 p.m. According to my memory, there were 2,965 attendees from 16 countries.

　　The participants from the United States were allotted a relatively front seat with participants from Europe and Canada. A person next to me was a very nice man and propagator from Scotland and he shared his impressive story about how he was introduced to Seicho-No-Ie when his family members in Brazil were also introduced to SNI.

　　I was able to meet very familiar people whom I was concerned about including Rev. Akinori Jo, a former stationed minister in Europe whom I constantly contacted with when I was at International Headquarters, a woman who was in London, whom I once interviewed for a Japanese magazine, and Rev. Enio Masaki Hara, a former President of Youth and Young Adult Association of SNI Brazil.

　　The theme of Special Conference was as follows:

　　 Learning from the Natural World View of Native Americans
　　　　　　　　(1) North America
　　　　　　　　(2) Central and South America

　　 Learning from the Natural World View of
　　　　　　　　　the Major Traditional World Religions
　　　　　　　　(1) Judaic and Christianity
　　　　　　　　(2) Islam
　　　　　　　　(3) Buddhism and Hinduism

　　Today, we studied the three themes from above, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's lecture, which was consisted of his answers to the questions submitted beforehand, and Mrs. Junko Taniguchi's lecture.

　　One of the four questions submitted to President Masanobu Taniguchi was Irene Revilla's following questions:
---------------------------------------------------
As a parent of two young adults I listen to them discussing events that are happening around them. This generation of youth have a sense of doom surrounding them as the world is full of economic problems and natural changes. As the President of SNI do you believe that our movement can progress realistically to create more positively in this 21st century and why do you feel this way?
----------------------------------------------------

　　　You will have a summary of Rev. Taniguchi's answer in the SNI-Online which will be sent out about two month's later.

　　　The primary language at this Conference was Portuguese. Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi's lectures and presentations done by other than Portuguese, consecutive interpretation was conducted. When presenters speak Portuguese, they were simultaneously interpreted into Japanese, English, and Spanish.

　　　Material for each presentation was distributed in advance, I was able to listen to the English presentations without Japanese interpretation. When presented in Portuguese, I chose a Japanese interpretation in some case and a English interpretation in other case.

　　　Those who were engaged in interpretation are not professional translators, nevertheless all of their performance were excellent! I understand that how challenging to interpret those material and to prepare that in a short time, they've definitely done wonderful jobs.

　　　I was overwhelmed by their impassioned, cheerful, sincere, and honest atmosphere. All of them are the great SNI leaders. Especially, I was so impressed by the participants from Britain but all Brazilians who surrounded writing down memos all the while Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi's lectures. Of course, I jotted down their lecturers as much as possible because I am responsible to conveying what they taught us.

　　　Tomorrow, we will have the second day program, ordained (assistant) ministers meeting led by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, and welcome party for the President sponsored by SNI Brazil Headquarters.

Tetsuya Abe
　
　

2009 Special Conference in Brazil (2)

2009-07-31T17:35:00.004+09:00

Our tour group visited Ibiuna Spiritual Training Center (STC), the biggest STC outside of Japan, and Japanese town yesterday, and we attended a leaders meeting held at SNI Brazil Headquarters today.

　　Ibiuna STC has a big hall in which about 1,000 people can be accommodated and also Hozo Shrine, where the ancestors of Central and Southern American countries' members are shrined.

　　While Seicho-No-Ie Brazil has now been making an every effort to obtain an ISO14001 qualification which is "a standard for environmental management systems to be implemented in any business, regardless of size, location or income," (Wikipedia) Ibiuna STC has been renovated. Other than a main hall, Hozo Shrine, they have a tower to memorialize miscarried children, senior citizens' homes, which is run by SNI Brazil in which 28 people can be accommodated at a maximum. One of what impressed me most is a design gap between a tower to memorialize miscarried children in Japan and here in Brazil. The Japanese tower is an image of a mother who carries a child, on the contrary, Brazil's one is consisted of two curving lines and a ball. According to the responsible person of the STC, Rev. Paulo Fujinaga, those two lines express a man and woman, and the ball symbolizes a soul.

　　It took an hour and half by drive to Ibiuna STC from our hotel, what I concerned about was rough road and the way they drive a car. It means that it is very dangerous! Despite that streets there are very narrow, they drive at a high speed and came close to our bus. Although it is meaningless, I found myself trying to fend off those coming up cars in a bus seat.

　　Today, we had a leaders' meeting which was held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. 79 leaders from 13 countries attended the meeting under the guidance from Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi. All remarks were translated into the following four languages; English, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. It was truly an International Meeting! Those leaders had a hot discussion about how to realize "Carbon-neutral Movement," "Internet Lecturer," and "Afforestation."

　　Today's dinner was a Japanese course meal. It was very satisfactory and so delicious! I'll show you some pictures I took.

There are lots of graffiti on the wall in the city. But isn't it artistic?

A freeway taken from a bridge nearby Japanese town

Group photo at Ibiuna STC. There were 27 participants from United States, they are a part of them.

Tower memorializing miscarried children

Recycled bins

Brazil Headquarters' building

There are plenty of Portuguese books available at a book store in the building

"Masaharu Taniguchi Street" is five-minute walk from the Headquarters

Tetsuya Abe
　

2009 Special Conference in Brazil (1)

2009-07-30T18:28:00.003+09:00

I left my home at 5:30 in the yesterday morning (on 28th), get aboard a flight from Honolulu to LA, change a flight from LA to Sao Paulo, and checked in the hotel which is located in the center of the town around 4 o'clock on 29th. It seems to take 34 hours and hafl, however, due to 7 hours time difference, it actually took 27 hours and half. It is still a long time!

　　It is winter because Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere. Local people said that the weather there has been unusual and they had a lot of rain. I felt very cold when I went outside the airport building.

　　I joined the particpants of Southern and Northern California Missionary Area, therefore, I didn't have to worry about how I would get through custom and go to the hotel.

　　Seeing thick trees and feeling a relaxed atmosphere, I thought this city a little looks like Hawaii.

At the airport

A photo from a bus window

These young man and woman are highly promising leaders who came from Southern California

Tetsuya Abe

　　

Address at Bon Memorial Service

2009-07-20T18:33:00.008+09:00

The following is a draft of my address at Bon Memorial Service conducted at SNI Hawaii Jisso Center on July 19th, 2009.

--------------------------------------------------------

　　Thank you very much for coming to 2009 Bon Memorial Service. Especially, I believe those families who have the first Bon have a special feeling.

　　In this season, I sometimes see words of "Bon" or "Bon Dance" written in a sign at a Buddhist temple. Or I saw the words in the newspaper or flyer. I suppose there are many people who know the existence of "Bon" other than SNI members and Japanese descendants.

　　Bon is originally a Buddhist custom, however, "Bon" conducted here is different from the original one. "Bon" conducted here is that we welcome deceased spirits, memorialize them, and see them off. This custom is based upon a combination of Buddhist custom and Japanese ancient custom that is believed ancestors come to this earthly world and leave to a spiritual world back and forth.

　　Incidentally, let me explain an original Buddhist custom of "Bon." Bon is a shortened form of the legendary Urabonne or Ullambanna. It is Sanskrit for "hanging upside down" and implies great suffering. Then, that people started to try to alleviate the suffering of the "Urabanna" is the origin of "Bon."

　　One day, one of the top ten disciples of Buddha, Mokuren, who is considered as NO. 1 in terms of supernatural power, remembered his loving deceased mother. When he saw his mother with clairvoyance, he found her suffering. She was falling into the world of hungry ghosts. He felt so sorry for her and gave her some food with his supernatural power, however, when the food was about to enter her mouth, it burned. The disciple was shocked, shed tears, and got impelled to save her with at all cost, and asked Shakyamuni how he can save her. Shakyamuni instructed him to do this way; "You must try to save all the people in the hell of starvation as well as your mother."

　　Mokuren followed his advice and cooked and made lots of delicious food, and offered those foods to the monks who read the Sutras to those who in the world of hungry ghost on July 15. The reason such a loving mother had to fall into the hell is because she loved and took care of only her son and ignored others' happiness.

　　Please pay attention the following point in an original Buddhist context, they offered foods to monks, not to the spirits. However, when the customs came into Japan, it was combined with a Japanese tradition, the spirits are invited, memorialized, and seen off by their descendants.

　　In this way, a form was changed when the ritual was transferred to a place of another culture. However, the essence, namely a desire to help our ancestors have never changed. This shows that when a religion is conveyed in a distant land, while the essence and core remain the same, the outward elements of that religions like the rituals, ceremonies, and others should be changed in accordance with the situations of time, place, races, cultures, and others. In other words, when a religion is conveyed in a far place, if it doesn't change its formality, it has to be faded away.

　　In Buddhism, Buddhism that was originally believed in India at a time of founding and Buddhism that was believed in China and Japan are quite different. To put it simply, the Buddhism originally believed in India is called Hinayana Buddhism and the Buddhism believed in China and Japan is called Mahayana Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism has a tendency to view Shakyamuni Buddha as a historical figure with a physical body, and disciples tried to follow that model of devotion and pursuit of faith by purifying themselves, studying the teachings, and trying to free themselves from the bondage of this world. It was believed and monopolized by the elite or socially and economically blessed minority. It is called "Lesser Vehicle" by the other party, namely, Mahayana Buddhism because Hinayana Buddhism tend to concentrate on their own enlightenment.

　　However, 700 years after the death of Shakyamuni, Mahanaya Buddhism was born and supported by the ordinary people and the newly emerging merchant class. In that Buddhism, the Buddha is not limited to being a historical mortal person, but is seen as the ideal superhuman transcending bodily existence.
In order to bring about salvation beyond individuals, the spirit of "altruism" and "mercy" were emphasized. The attitude of Mahayana Buddhism is that efforts should be made not only for personal salvation, but what Buddha truly desires is for the salvation of all human beings and all living beings.

　　It is not my intention that which is worthwhile to believe in. My intention is to let you know that the original Buddhism and the Buddhism believed in China, Japan, and even in the United States are quite different. I hope it is a good tip to understand that for a religion to survive in a global arena, it has to change its outer elements in accordance with time, place, and people. The same applies to Christmas. I will not talk about it in detail, but how to celebrate Christmas is very different from country to country.

　　In this respect, there is a possibility that Bon Memorial Service in the United States can be changed in the future. The Founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi taught as follows:

　　 "Enlightenment" or vibrant and flowing life cannot be captured by shape or form. However, it can be provisionally given form. When enlightenment is expressed in form it already begins to be confined to a set form. This causes the mistaken thinking that a set form is religion. While in religion life is expressed and understood through a particular form of expression, enlightenment itself is found deep beyond that form of expression. To express life a form is always necessary, however at the same time we must throw away that form of expression. The same applies to Seicho-No-Ie. While one manner of explanation was used in the past, on another occasion an entirely different method is used. The manner of explanation is form; therefore it must constantly change. A religion that does not change on its own will be reduced to a lifeless shell and be replaced by another religion. This is happening to religions of the past with the advent of new religions and religious revolution. A religion that can progress while revolutionizing itself from within is a religion that will continue eternally. Should a form of expression once decided continue on forever that religion will degenerate into a kind of explanation when that form must be changed. Life that is reduced to form cannot be expressed.(Masaharu Taniguchi, Truth of Life, vol. 33, p53)
　
　　By the way, the Founder Masaharu Taniguchi placed the importance of Ancestors Memorial Service as follows:

　God is the earth,　
　The ancestors are the roots,
　Parents are trunk,
　The descendants are the branches and leaves.
　To bloom and bear good fruits
　　in your family tree,
　Be good and kind to your parents
　　and memorialize your ancestors

　　As shown here, what is important as well as Ancestors Memorial Service is to be grateful to your parents. God says in "Divine Message of Grand Harmony" that "Those who are grateful to God but cannot be grateful to their parents are against the Divine Will." How strong message it is! Even if you practice Shinsokan meditation every day, read the Sutras and SNI books, and show your sincere respect to God, if you cannot be grateful to your parents, God said that it goes against His will.

　　You can be grateful to your parents if they are good and kind enough to be being grateful to, however, what if your parents are not those who are deserved to be grateful to? Your father may be a person who behaves like a dictator at your home and the rest of your family members are in serious trouble everyday. In that case, do we have to be grateful to him and if we cannot, can't we be happy?

　　I believe you don't think so, but it is quite natural that a beginner of Seicho-No-Ie or non member of Seicho-No-Ie thinks so. Because apparently it is very unfair. If we think that this earthly life is only our life, in other words, if we don't consider reincarnation, it is truly unfair. However, we can think that our life is a sort of life's school. By reincarnating so many times, we are able to learn our life's assignments given each time. An assignment for Mr. A may be learning politics as a politician, but Ms. B's assignment may be living as a pianist. But Mrs. C's assignment may be to be grateful to her father whom it is difficult to be grateful to. That is because by overcoming that situation, both Mrs. C and her father can grow spiritually.

　　We are no doubt given life. Where our life comes from is our parents. There is no exceptional on that. Our life is connected with our ancestors without fail for millions of years. Our life never choose our parents by coincidence. There is a strong spiritual tie between our parents and us. By that relationship, we can develop our life and our parents can also develop their lives most appropriately. It gives us mutual benefit. This is a world of Life of God and the workings of nature.

　　That you cannot be grateful to your parents right now is not necessarily to blame. This means that you are given an important assignment in life's school. When you become grateful to your parents whom the ordinary people cannot be grateful to, it means that you graduate from high-level life's assignment.

　　There is a woman named A who has various problems. She doesn't like herself, breaks up soon after she falls in love, gives up her job easily, and on and on. Then, she went to Seicho-No-Ie Uji temple to attend 10-day Spiritual Training Seminar. At the seminar, almost every day, the lecturers taught that be grateful to your parents, be grateful to your parents. She got bored to listen to those lecturers. When she was about to leave the temple by saying to a minister, "Thank you very much. Since I understood that to be grateful your parents is very important, I am now leaving here." However, the minister who talked with her sensed that she was strongly rebellious against the teaching that be reconciled with and grateful to your parents.

　　Then, the minister suggested her that if you understand that it is important to be grateful to your parents, why don't you go back home with peace of mind after you would actually be grateful to them. He finally persuaded her to pray with him and took her to a prayer room. They started to pray, "Dear father, thank you very much. Dear father, thank you very much."

　　Her father is usually kind and descent person, however, once he drinks, he completely changes to be violent and out of control. The rest of the family members patiently have to wait until he goes to sleep once he starts to drink. However, she once watched a disgusting and infuriating scene. Her father teared her mother's valuable kimono by sword. That kimono was a memento from her mother's mother who passed away way ago. When she saw the scene and her mother screaming, she made up her mind that she would never forgive her father.

　　The minister and A recited "Dear father, thank you very much, dear father, thank you very much," for half an hour in the prayer room, that disgusting scene that her father was going on a rampage and her mother was crying came to her mind and tears of sadness came down. Then, she kept on "dear father, thank you very much" chanting, then, an image of her father sitting helplessly came to her mind. He was scolded by his wife because he could not keep working for his job at one place and had to change his job quite often. Japan is a society where changing job too often is not considered decent. Since A's mother spoke ill of her father constantly, Miss A conceived ill feelings against her father and though she didn't speak ill of him in his presence. Now Miss A finally understood how he felt misery by being ridiculed by his wife, family, bosses, colleagues, and others. And Miss A could share the same loneliness, disappointment, and other negative feelings that her father conceived.

　　This time, a sense of repentance bubbled forth from her mind and she sincerely apologized him saying, "I am so sorry, dear dad, for looking down on, holding a grudge, and ignoring you. You must have been so lonely and disconsolate. I am sorry, dad." She started to sob convulsively. It was as if tears never stopped. When she stopped crying, their prayer also finished. The minister told he gently, "Now you are able to be grateful to your father. Go back home." But she said, "No, I would like to stay here and take the rest of the seminar programs."

　　Our love and sense of gratitude to our parents are our real nature like a appetite and need for sleep. However, when that honest feeling is clouded by some reasons such as hatred and other ill feelings, people encounter various kinds of challengings. In many cases, the source of the problems we face in our life is complaint against our parents.

　　One day, there was a participant for a SNI STS who had evil eyes. Actually, he was a seven-time convict. All of the attendees, receptionists, and others were afraid of his looking. A minister asked him why he came to a STS, and he answered that my son has been suffering from a severe illness. I've heard that many difficult illnesses were healed at this place." No matter noble a neighbor man would be, he will not come to STS for neighbor's child is suffering from a serious illness.
Even if a several-time convict, a mind that he will go to any places if his son can be saved is a mind of parent and mind of God. The Founder Masaharu Taniguchi taught in this respect as follows:

　　It is because there are roots that there are branches and leaves. It is because of parents that there are children. Since parents are the roots and their descendants are the branches and leaves, those who want to prosper must take good care of their parents. The mind that treasures one's parents cultivates the roots and, in turn, it becomes the source for our life to grow. Parental love far exceeds any child's feelings for his parents. (Masaharu Taniguchi, OPEN THE DOOR OF YOUR LIFE, vol. 4, p. 161)

　　In this good opportunity, I would like you to deepen your sense of gratitude to your parents and ancestors, and lead a bright and productive life. Thank you very much for your attention.
　

A Bright Mind - A Healthy and Prosperous Life

2009-07-12T06:27:00.003+09:00

The following is an article I wrote for Starbulletin, Hawaii's local Newspater, which appeared on July 11, 2009.

A Bright Mind - A Healthy and Prosperous Life
Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　Don't you want to lead a healthy and prosperous life? To tell you the truth, there is a secret to that. You can sow the seeds of such a life without any cost at any time by being grateful to the blessings that are granted now, and expressing your gratitude in your words, countenance, and attitude. That is because there is a law of mind in this world that what you envision is realized.
　　　You may claim that you don't have anything to be grateful for because you are sick in bed, or unemployed, or have lots of anxieties. However, think again of your surroundings -– you have a home to live in, have drinkable tap water, have a family with whom you can laugh, are living in Hawaii which people elsewhere in the world call an "earthly paradise," -- there are many positive, beautiful, and wonderful things that you are not aware of but you should be grateful for. No matter how hard your situation may be, you can create a bright future as long as you allow bright and cheerful thoughts to guide you.
　　　Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii will present a wonderful opportunity to learn more about leading a healthy and prosperous life at our annual Public Lecture at the Ala Moana Hotel on September 20th. Your attendance is most welcome.
　　　Thank you very much.

　

2009 July Message

2009-07-02T05:27:00.002+09:00

Practicing Deeds Of Love In Modern Times
Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　Seicho-No-Ie members and followers are encouraged to practice daily the three important religious practices as a person of faith in God. The three practices are practicing Shinsokan meditation, reading the Holy Sutras and Seicho-No-Ie books, and practicing deeds of love. I will explain about deeds of love at this time.

　　Deeds of love are actions of giving love to others. For example, picking up garbage on the street, being kind to elderly or disabled people, using your "stuff" with great care, volunteering, and propagating the SNI teachings - all of these are wonderful and priceless deeds of love. Some of these actions may seem secular. However, if you carry out these deeds while worshiping the divinity of others' "children of God" True Image or revering matter as a manifestation of the Life of God, your deeds no doubt become a religious practice.

　　Some of you might install a solar water heater or solar panels on your roof, or purchase a hybrid car out of concern for the earth's future. You can say that those who purchase an eco-friendly product in spite of a higher price are practitioners of deeds of love. Many people are reluctant to buy an environment-friendly product because of its cost, even if they can afford to pay extra for such a product. However, if you buy those products, you can earn much more rewards because of a principle of "God's Universal Bank," namely, "Give and you shall be given."

　　This is not only the case of expensive goods, but also other consumer items such as bath tissue paper, stationery, and other products. To buy "green products" seems to incur a loss in the short run. However, from God's standpoint, such a deed accumulates your virtues in heaven, and the rewards will surely return to you. More than that, if you stop using disposable chopsticks, dishes, and cups, and begin to use plastic or ceramic ones, it will also bring you wonderful merits in the long run.

　　The founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi, taught that "Wealth, in the first place, does not simply mean a condition in which there is a large amount of matter. To be wealthy means one has a large amount of something with which to do work that would benefit others." (See page 1 of this newsletter.) If you apply this teaching to this day and age, it can be said that to avoid purchasing eco-unfriendly and disposable products and to voluntarily buy eco-friendly products makes us abundant both spiritually and physically.

　　I've recently learned that the amount of junk mail in the United States is huge. According to a report by ForestEthics, a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 2000 whose mission is to protect endangered forests and wild places, wildlife, and human wellbeing, American mailboxes are inundated with more than 100,000,000,000 pieces of junk mail each year - that's more than 800 pieces per household. To my surprise, junk mail in the United States accounts for one-third of all the mail delivered worldwide, the organization said. The 51,548,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases created each year by junk mail in the U.S. are the annual equivalent of:

　・9,372,000 average passenger cars.
　・11 coal-fired power plants.
　・The COMBINED emissions of Maine, Vermont, Alaska, South Dakota,
　　Montana, Rhode Is　land, and Hawaii
　・Heating 12.9 million homes.
　・Nearly 85,000 international flights of a 747-400.
　・2.4 million cars, idling 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

　　If you send back junk mails to the sender by writing, "I don't need this mail, thank you," you will not receive the mail any more, or you can get more helpful information on how to reduce wasted paper in this month's "Environmental Thoughts & Tips" on page 5. It may take a little time, but this small action is also a kind of deed of love.

　　Since you are a loving person filled with wisdom, let us practice our own deeds of love and strive to make an effort to bequeath this beautiful earth to the next generation from a religious perspective. Thank you very much.
　

My Address at the founder's Memorial Service

2009-06-15T11:39:00.003+09:00

The following is my address at 24th Memorial Service for the founder of Seicho-No-e, Masaharu Taniguchi, at SNI Hawaii Jisso Center on June 14th, 2009.

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　　Thank you very much. Thank you very much for coming the founder of Seicho-No-Ie, Masaharu Taniguchi's 24th Memorial Service today. Today, I would like to review how our founder Masaharu Taniguchi thought and experienced before he received the revelation of the "True Image," the most important concept of the SNI teachings with you.

　　The founder Masaharu Taniguchi was born in Kobe, Japan, November 22, 1893. He said that he was born being protected by Sun and moon at 6 o'clock in the morning, when the moon was still shining and the Sun already started to shine in the eastern sky.

　　He had a brother and four younger sisters, however, only he didn't look like with other siblings, he said. When he was 4 years old, his aunt came his home and asked his mother to borrow him for one day when they went out shopping because he was so cute. There was no child with his uncle and aunt. However, they didn't bring him home even the following day. When his mother visited his aunt to bring him back, the aunt refused to pass him over them. It may be a unbelievable thing but it is what it was happened to them. He was raised by his aunt and uncle since then.

　　Our founder Masaharu Taniguchi felt missing his parents, but his parents were not wealthy, therefore, if he had been raised by his biological parents, he could not have taken a good education and Seicho-No-Ie would not have appeared in this world. It means that Founder Taniguchi's subconscious mind knew his destiny and mission so well and guided him to a proper course.

　　Since he felt lonely when he was a child, he cried easily. But he was a possessor of a kind mind. One day, at an examination of arithmetic, there was a question that 6 multiplies 3. He knew the answer is 18, but he wrote 21 as an answer because he thought that adding 3 to the right answer would please the teacher. He said that he confused a concept of calculation with deeds of love.

　　Having said that, as a whole, his grade was terrific. He often argued with his teacher and sometimes defeated him. Founder Taniguchi mentioned that his memory is so great that he could remember all the pages of the text books if he once flipped through them before the examinations.

　　When he joined middle school, he started to ponder why human beings are born and why we have to be good to our parents. That is because he was not satisfied with his family life. Anyway, he likes argument and contemplation and tends to mull over whatever to the finish. He thought that the more you suffer the more you lead a meaningful life at that time.

　　Later, he came to realize the wonderfulness of art and love. He entered a college on a scholarship. In Japan, a very limited number of people who had a great score is granted a scholarship. While he was studying at Waseda University, he provided a shelter to an ex-convict girl at his dormitory. He thought that if you cannot save the socially vulnerable, where there is a meaning of education?

　　The founder Taniguchi made an every effort to save the girl, despite all his efforts, she was arrested by a petty crime. The newspaper reported that a college student who was played with by a juvenile delinquent against his intention. After that accident, Founder Taniguchi's parents didn't pay for his school fees, he could not help but leave the school without diploma.

　　Then, he started to work at a spinning factory by an introduction of his friends as an intern at a very low wage. Then, he promoted to be a position to monitor female young workers. Then, he realized that those female employees had to work in a terrible environment for a long time filled with dusts all day long including night shift. In other words, they were exploited by the managers who were lazy and slept in the day time and enjoyed a party after a party in the night. He argued with a factory manager and quit that company by thinking, "I don't have to live if I cannot live without exploiting the vulnerable.

　　After that happened, he was attracted by a thought that love out of pity is not accomplish but only beauty perceived with five senses can be achieved in this world. To pursuit beauty with physical senses, he had relation with women. As a result of that, he agonized physically and mentally. Especially, mental agony was serious. His intention was not to play with women but to try to experience romance as an art, but as a consequence, his sense of repentance deepened and he had to spend a sleepless night after night.

　　Someday, a magazine was sent to him from a person of a Shinto related religion. In that magazine, there was a description that the time has come when all sins and sinners will be destroyed and the immaculate new Heaven and Earth will arrive." It was just what he sought because he agonized by a sense of guilty and sought a way to vanish all the sins he had accumulated. But at the same time, it gave him fear because he can be destroyed by God's power.

　　He joined the branch of Shinto, named Omotokyo, and became an unchallenged leader. He theorized their tenet and published a book on that. But his spirit was not refreshed. To purify himself, he tried to minimize his possessions as much as possible. All he carried at that time was a piece of kimono and a tooth brush. He poured very cold water upon himself to purify him, which is a Shinto ritual and believed to cleanse oneself, and also tried fasting.

　　Around that time, at Omotokyo, they believed that rebuilding of the world would take place in 1922 and that the members of that organization would be saved and the others would be destroyed by God's hell fire. However, what Founder Taniguchi saw in the dining room was people, who should be saved by God, took away rice from rice cooker pushing aside the others. It was a completely mess. He was truly disappointed to see the scene and thought that they must be destroyed. He also hated himself who thinks so.

　　Those days, there is a beautiful woman with a dark outlook on her countenance who sought God in Omotokyo. Founder Taniguchi was attracted by the woman and she never disappeared from his mind. She was Teruko Emori, later Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi.

　　Goddess of destiny, drew them together and they celebrated their weddings. However, Founder Taniguchi came to be suspicious about the way they collect the donation from members, how they run that organization, and even the God they believed in. Seeing her husband lapsing from faith, fear bubbled forth from her mind, Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi got serious heart attack. Seeing his new wed wife severely suffering from the symptom, Founder Taniguchi was so upset, wept bitter, and prayed to God. To be helpful to her as much as possible, he looked through the medical books and encyclopedia of medicine, and he came to become a well-informed about disease and medicine than doctor. Although his knowledge was not helpful at that time because he feared disease too much, plenty of medical knowledge enabled him to guide a sick person well after he founded SNI.

　　After that, our founder Taniguchi quit that Shinto branch. He started to learn and research various eastern and western religions, philosophies, literature, and others in the world. He once followed a well-revered religious person of Japan, Rev. Tenko Nishida, and pondered what is life, what is God, and what is a human being. He theorized his ideas and published a book. In his book, he denied the omnipotent creator of goodness that created this world, ---- this world means a phenomenal world in a SNI term, and he described that this world is created by delusion. The perfect existence that is already saved exists within us, however, since this existence is only a possibility that can be developed after a great amount of efforts and spiritual trainings in the far-distant future, that idea is not dependable and reliable in your actual life, he said. Reflecting upon his anxiety, his health condition was constantly bad.

　　His contemplation kept on and on and on. Next, he came up with a notion that denies the creator of this phenomenal world. If God created this world, a world of scramble, filled with contradictions and killing, it is God who is to blame. He should not be deserved to be called God, the founder Taniguchi thought. He wrote a noble titled, "Judging God." However, just before the book was published, Kanto Great Earthquake happened, and all the books were burned as if they were annihilated by God. It was August 25, 1922. All his efforts seemed in vain.

　　The founder and Mrs. Taniguchi managed to survive from that calamity, they stayed at Mrs. Teruko's home in Toyama, an area along Japan Sea and then moved to Founder Taniguchi's parents' home. (Parents here means adopted parents. He called them as parents.)Their lives were filled with conflictions. He wanted to be a strict vegetarian, but to his parents, it was ridiculous to behave so in such an urgent situation. More than that, Founder Taniguchi's income was a very small. Since he only could earn a little income by writing some articles to a magazine for psychic research he had to ask financial support to his parents. His parents were very frustrated. They raised him from when he was 4 years old, invested him so much, and expected him to take a good education and to be a decent man of good profession. However, he caused a love affair while studying at college and quit, and he could not earn his own bread and while talked about a ideal world. To them, he is like Don Quixote. Their mental conflicts took form as disease of their new born baby, Mrs. Emiko Taniguchi.

　　Being squeezed between an ideal and actual life, he further continued contemplation on God, life, human beings, and others. One day, an English book, titled "The Law of Mind in Action" caught his eyes at a secondhand bookstore. It was one cent and he bought and read it at once. In that book, Hen wick Holmes wrote that the creator of this world is our mind, and the creator God is a creative energy. He was very delighted to find the Creator again because he once denied the existence of creator and didn't gain peace of mind.

　　He had still a hard time at that time. His parents' frustrations mounted more than ever and kept on complaining about his laziness. But he thought there should be a good way for both of them to lead a happy life. According to the book he read, since this physical world is a reflection of our mind, he thought that he should be given a good profession if he envisions that hope. He sat quietly, contemplated, and envisioned that an appropriate profession is already given.

　　After one month passed, he found a piece of newspaper. His parents never subscribed to newspaper for the sake of economy, it was there by accident. Since he entrusted all to God, he didn't try to see a job introduction page instead read a novel in the paper. Then, he coincidentally found Wanted ad for well-paid translation job. He applied and was employed by that comany at a higher salary than he expected.

　　Everything went well except for the health of his family. His daughter suffered from pneumonia and his wife severe colon disease. He understood that their diseases are a reflection of his mind, however, even if he knew that principle, he could not help but worry about his wife's and daughter's severe illness. Can you remain unperturbed when other family members suffer from serious illnesses and it is human nature, he thought. He kept on contemplation. One day, he sat and put his hands together quietly and meditated to receive a revelation of truth. Let me quote his writing:

One day, I was meditating with eyes closed and hands held in prayer in the hope of receiving a revelation of the Truth. Perhaps it was coincidence or perhaps it was God's guidance, but at that time I happened to think of the words, "matter is at once emptiness," which is a phrase out of the Buddhist scriptures. Then out of nowhere, a voice like a huge wave, low but intense, soft and yet overpowering, came to me:

"Matter does not exist!" the voice said.
Then, I wondered whether my mind existed.
Instantly the voice replied, "The mind also does not exist!"
"If there is no mind, does that mean that there is nothing?"
I asked the owner of the voice once again.
"There is the True Image!" the voice replied clearly.
"Then what is the True Image?" I asked.
"The True Image is God. What exists is only God... only the Mind of God
and the manifestation of the Mind of God. This is the Truth."

　　I believe you know how he got enlightened and started our movement. I will not touch upon that today. What I want to tell you is that the Truth he disclosed is not a product of coincidence. It is a result of all his experiences and studies with all his might, and providence of God. When his contemplation reached the climax, revelation of Truth inundated to him and he emphatically declared, "Man is a child of God," "There is no sins," "Disease does not exist," and "All religions emanate from one universal source."

　　Needless to say, after he recieved God's revelation and started the SNI movement, illnesses and misfortunes never came close to his family and their parents - children relationship truly improved. Especially, his father, actually father-in-law became a admired Regional Lecturer and healed peoples' illnesses and solved their problems. He called his son, actually son-in-law, as sensei, sensei, and was said that he read Truth of Live series more than 77 times.

　　Please read the founder Masaharu Taniguchi's books over and over again, and also read Rev. Seicho's and Rev. Masanobu's books and articles, which are another forms of Truth revealed by the founder Taniguchi. By doing so, we can understand the greatest teachings we believe in the world correctly. Thank you very much for your attention.
　

2009 June Message

2009-06-02T11:31:00.001+09:00

Let Us Lead Many People To Be Holy Missioners

　　I recently feel that time flies so quickly. June is the month in which our loving Founder Masaharu Taniguchi's Memorial Service will be held. It has already been 24 years since he was transferred to a high spiritual world. Last October, we had a heartbreaking farewell with our second President, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, who carried the flame of Seicho-No-Ie lit by Founder Masaharu Taniguchi; however, we had an auspicious occasion where Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi became the third President in March 2009. In this memorable year, the way for us to express our sense of gratitude to them is to strive to extend our joy of touching and savoring the eternal Truth throughout Hawaii.

　　After Seicho-No-Ie's founding in 1930, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi had been running the organization with his pocket money. As the subscribers to SNI magazines and members increased, readers' meetings grew, and the expenses to purchase the Headquarters facilities and others became huge, it was no longer possible for him to defray all the necessary costs. Then, in the same way that stock companies are supported by stockholders, Founder Taniguchi established a system, the Holy Mission Fellowship, which is supported by donations from members called holy missioners.

　　The Holy Mission Fellowship is a system to sincerely support the Humanity Enlightenment and International Peace by Faith Movements; however, the merits of being a member are invaluable. When you become a holy missioner, you are supposed to write your name by yourself on the two pieces of paper called Sacred Soul. One piece of Sacred Soul is enshrined at the U.S. Missionary Headquarters and the other is enshrined at the SNI Main Temple in Japan. Since Shinsokan meditation is practiced and the Holy Sutras are read at both the U.S. Headquarters and the Main Temple, holy missioners are blessed by words and vibration of Truth through the Sacred Souls. Furthermore, those who are saved and have merits by the teachings release a vibration of a sense of gratitude, joy, and happiness. Since these are the merits of Seicho-No-Ie, which is financed by donations from holy missioners, the holy missioners themselves receive these vibrations, which generate dividends, not in money but in spiritual virtues. I would like you to understand this point well and to invite people to become Holy Mission Fellowship members. Founder Masaharu Taniguchi explained these points as follows:

　　Since our souls grow by absorbing loving thoughts sent by others, our own bright thoughts, and words of Truth, those whose Sacred Souls are worshiped have a merit and can grow spiritually. That you have a merit by receiving loving thoughts and words of Truth is proven by the fact that distant healing of illness is possible by sending words of Truth with loving thoughts. In this instance, you can see a merit that comes from loving thoughts and words of Truth by seeing the healing. On the other hand, in the case of elevating our souls, we cannot see the merits of receiving good vibrations; however, since those merits are accumulated in the vault of Heaven as a hidden virtue, those virtues will appear concretely someday.
　　In this way, those whose Sacred Souls are enshrined in the Enshrinement as a holy missioner at the Headquarters are always receiving words of Truth through the reading the Sutras, so they are accumulating those merits. That is why I believe you are holy missioners, and I hope you lead many people to become holy missioners and share those merits with them.
(Masaharu Taniguchi, "Bosatsu wa nani wo nasubekika,"
or "What Holy Missioners Should Do"

　　By the way, holy missioners can have much more merits when they know that they are holy missioners, as in the case where someone else is paying for their Holy Mission shares. It would be even better for one to pay for himself or herself. That is because of the principle of "Give and you shall be given," and that their mind is in tune with God's vibration.

　　You can also have a future spouse or future baby join the Holy Mission Fellowship, even though you do not know exactly who they are right now. There are countless examples of happy marriages realized and childless couples blessed with a healthy baby thanks to enrolling a future loved one in the Holy Mission Fellowship.

　　Let us savor the happiness enjoyed by holy missioners and invite as many people as possible to become holy missioners. Thank you very much.

2009 May Message

2009-05-02T10:15:00.000+09:00

Let Us Read and Understand The Importance of "Movement Policy"
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Hawaii Missionary Area

　　On a beautiful day on March 21, a special Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii State Association Meeting was held at Jisso Center under the guidance of Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Bishop of the United States Missionary Headquarters. 29 cheerful, enthusiastic, and distinguished leaders, including representatives of Kona, Kauai, Maui, and Hilo came together for the meeting. This meeting was conducted for our leaders to understand the 2009 Movement Policy. (Note: see p. 5 for the 2009 Movement Policy.) I would like to give some explanation of what the Movement Policy is and why it is necessary, because some of you may wonder why it is so important.

　　Seicho-No-Ie deals with diversified issues, from our outlook on life, education, disease, and prosperity to the environment, world peace, and doctrines of other major religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and others. We can say that SNI goes with everything. There are so many ways in which the SNI teachings can be applied in this day and age. That is why International Headquarters studies the current world situations and decides what points we should focus on year by year. As a result of that, the Movement Policy is formulated and shared with our leaders and members throughout the world. This practice was initiated under the guidance of Founder Masaharu Taniguchi, and Rev. Seicho Taniguchi and current President Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi has continued it.

　　Let's me use a metaphor. The sunlight is showering down on the ground. What happens if we collect the sunlight with a magnifying glass and put it on a piece of black paper? After a while, the paper starts to burn. This sunlight originally has power within to burn the paper; however, the power does not manifest unless you concentrate it. In this way, if we make a little effort to concentrate the power we already have, we can make a big difference. In this respect, every year's Movement Policy plays a very important role to unite our energy and have our enthusiasm go in the same direction to be helpful to solve the problems we are facing now. Therefore, when we fully understand the Movement Policy and concentrate our efforts in the direction the policy shows, our activities should be very helpful not only to SNI Hawaii, but also to all SNI, all humanity, and the whole universe. This is the way that pleases our loving Founder Masaharu Taniguchi, who constantly guides us from a high spiritual world with Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi and Rev. Seicho Taniguchi. That is why Bishop Teshigawara comes all the way to Hawaii every year for this meeting despite her extremely busy schedule.

　　2009 is the third year of the "Movement That Grows with Nature." The significance of our environmental preservation activities as a practice of the basic tenets of the SNI teachings such as "Be grateful to the whole universe" and "Everything is a manifestation of the life of God and Buddha's nature" is growing.

　　Touching upon the impact of "Movement that Grows with Nature," including Carbon Neutral Movement, on the global environment, Bishop Teshigawara, who led the meeting, made the following points:

1. There is no mistake in God's plan.
2. Live to the fullest extent in accord with the God's divine will.
3. Vitalize our movement by focusing on grass-roots activities.
4. Cultivate people who are not attached to an increase or a decrease of material possessions.
5. When we set high goals, we are following the guidance from our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi.
　　As usual, thanks to Pat Wada's accurate and wholehearted interpretation, all English speakers could fully understand the guidance from the Bishop.

　　Based upon the basic principles of the Movement Policy, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii is focusing on expanding and improving our membership throughout this year. Through this movement, we will develop and improve our grass-roots activities such as holding readers' meetings, and so on. To carry out those efforts, we continually encourage our members to practice the three important religious practices - Shinsokan meditation, reading the Sutras and SNI books, and practicing deeds of love - and thereby expand our joy of faith in God.

　　Last but not least, I have an important announcement. Rev. Leslie Iwatani, who has totally devoted himself to this movement for a long time as chief of SNI Hawaii Missionary Area (1995-2004), editor of Truth of Life magazine (1997-2007), and other offices, retired as an employee of the United States Missionary Headquarters on March 31. In accordance with the retirement, his appointment as ordained minister also came to an end. I extend my sincere gratitude to him for his dedication to our movement, as well as to his wife Shirley Iwatani, and ask him to continue to support our movement in retirement. Thank you very much, Rev. and Mrs. Iwatani.

Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi's 20th Memorial Service

2009-04-20T16:48:00.002+09:00

The following is my lecture draft for 20th Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi's Memorial Service at SNI Hawaii Jisso Center on April 19th.

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Thank you very much for coming today to memorialize Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi, who is commonly called Holy Sister by Seicho-No-Ie members. It has been 21 years since Mrs. Taniguchi passed away.

　　It was in 1963 when Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi got aboard an airplane for the first time with her husband, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi and they came to Hawaii as the first venue for their world lecture tour in that year. Mrs. Taniguchi wrote her impression at that time as follows:

　　During our three weeks stay in Hawaii, we visited the biggest four islands of the Hawaii archipelago where my husband conducted Public Lectures, White Dove meeting was held, and we enjoyed sightseeing. Almost all people whom I met in Hawaii were Japanese Americans, however, there are African American and Caucasian children who attended Sunday school. Air was pure, the green of the trees was brilliant, the sea and sky were thick blue as they were dyed. People there were very relaxed and birds that lived in a nature came close to our feet. (Teruko Taniguchi, "Mezameyuku Tamashii," or "Awakening Soul," pp. 247-248)

　　According to the article, Mrs. Taniguchi enjoyed company of our members in Hawaii and seemed impressed with Grand nature of Hawaii.

　　By the way, one of the characteristics of Seicho-No-Ie organization is woman's activities are outstanding. This does not mean that men are lazy or goof around, however, it is true that many of those who are proactively and enthusiastically engaged in propagation activities are woman.

　　The day before yesterday, we had a Japanese Mother's Study Class. This time, we had twelve attendees including 4 new comers as well as 11 children. In other words, 23 young mothers and very young children less than three years old had a wonderful opportunity to learn the SNI teachings. This attributed to a woman who are constantly proactively inviting her friends, however, if we have a father's class, I suppose we will not able to hold such a productive and fruitful class. In Japan, they both have Mother's and Father's Study Class, but the number of Mother's Study Class is overwhelmingly more than Father's one. And in any SNI events, I guess, 70 or even 80% of propagation activities is contributed by women.

　　Let me show you another example. Bishop of US Missionary HQs, Chairman, the first and second Vice Chairman of SNI Inc., those four are all women. Incidentally, Chiefs of four Missionary Areas are all men. In SNI Hawaii, as we see the ratio of male and female in the Board of Directors, in 2007 -- 2008 period, women were three in eight Directors, however, in 2009 -- 2010 period, the ratio becomes 50 to 50. It is what we are now. Furthermore, when asked the reason you came to SNI, many of them answered that they were enthusiastically recommended by their moms or grandmas or neighborhood ladies. As long as I know, in terms of amount of propagation, I think women is superior to men. I suppose many men have no objection on that.

　　In this way, that women's performances are outstanding is one of the characteristics of Seicho-No-Ie organization. One of the reason, I suppose, is Founder Masaharu Taniguchi provided a wholehearted and thorough guidance aimed at women's way of life. There are some SNI books intended specifically for women, on the contrary, there are no books for men. Founder Masaharu Taniguchi described the reason why SNI put a high value on women's education in the preface of Truth of Life, vol. 29 as follows. Incidentally, Truth of Life vol. 29 is called book for women:

Since human beings consists of men and women, when women cannot demonstrate their natural gifts, all human beings become unhappy and dark. To guide them to demonstrate their gifts is a great work of humanity enlightenment. (Partial Omission) Women are excellent in terms of love, beauty, graciousness, and immaculacy. In this respect, "white dove" is a symbol of women. I don't want to have this women's movement end up giving women knowledge and intelligence or making women rebellious to men as a counter reaction. (Partial Omission) I want to have "white dove" a symbol of expansion of women's natural gifts that are love, beauty, harmony, peace, and graciousness. (Masaharu Taniguchi, Truth of Life, vol. 29, preface)

　　It was Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi who played a central role in a movement that expands women's natural gifts. Founder Masaharu Taniguchi called her wife as a halve of his soul, but also called her a halve of SNI Humanity Enlightenment Movement. He often manifested his sense of gratitude in front of congregation as Lillian Sugita mentioned in her opening remarks.

　　Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, President of SNI, mentioned about Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi, his grandmother, at the 19th Memorial Service 2 years ago as follows:

　　Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi guided our movement with deep love and wisdom as wife of Founder Masaharu Taniguchi and also as the first President of SNI White Dove Association. I think it's all right we call her "mother of our movement," however, since Mrs. Teruko was not only a loving mother but she said clearly "No" to what is wrong and unfair, and she showed a stern attitude. I really respect her in this point.

　　I would like to share an episode what Rev. Masanobu told us. The following story was written by Mrs. Teruko to "Seicho-No-Ie 50th History" book.

　　It was Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, in Kansai area in Japan, where Founder and Mrs. Masaharu Taniguchi started Seicho-No-Ie in 1930. As SNI members increased and readers' meetings flourished, Founder and Mrs. Taniguchi went up to Tokyo, the capital of Japan for seeking further expansion of our movement. It was August 30 in 1934, just four years after its founding. They still held a readers' meeting at their home, there was K who often attended the meeting and gave them argumentative questions. One day he wrote to Founder Taniguchi and said, "If you say that a physical body does not exist, don't you die even if you take poison?"

　　A few days later, K brought sushi to the Taniguchi's family. Then, all the family members who ate sushi vomited. They smelled something like chemicals, but any way, they ate all the sushi. Fortunately, other than all of them vomited, there was no problem with their health. As a matter of fact, K put poison in the sushi he delivered. This is what they knew afterward, K was a criminal who was imprisoned even 10 times by robbery, rape, and others.

　　At that time SNI Headquarters had bought a school facility for their office and hall and just remodeled and renovated. They started to hire some new employees and some construction workers were there, that is why there was an unsettled atmosphere. It was when two cameras and a trouser were stolen. Then, a person in charge of general affairs reported their damage to the police nearby. The police soon caught a perpetrator. It was K. K piled crime on crime, as a result of that, he was given a 4-year-and-several-month unsuspended prison sentence.

　　Just after K came out of prison, Mrs. Teruko received a suspicious letter that there was no sender's name on the envelop. It was a letter from K and written that "If your subordinate didn't report the damage to the police, I didn't have to be imprisoned and suffer there. You'd better to be responsible for that. You husband is the most responsible person in your organization, therefore, I require you to pay me some amount of yen per day, a total of 15,000 yen compensation for 4 year's and several months poisoned period. Otherwise, I will beat all of the family to death." I think 15,000 yen at that time is about 150 thousand dollars as the present currency.

　　Receiving a threatening letter for the first time, Mrs. Teruko felt truly scary. However, she immediately thought that "That can't be true. Our family members did nothing to deserve that" and led an ordinary life with a peace of mind.

　　However, four or five days later, she received another letter from K and it was written that "I believe you prepared that money I required. I will get the money soon." This time, Mrs. Teruko was upset and thought that she should prepared that amount of money. If she tried to collect all the money which includes operation funds of the organization, it was not impossible to pay. However, there was no reason to pay. She was not stingy but she made up her mind not to pay even if whatever happened.

　　A few days passed, when Mrs. Teruko was checking all the doors inside her house around 9 o'clock, a big sound came from a glass door on the porch. Can you imagine a traditional Japanese house that has a porch between the house room and garden? Anyway, K was standing on the porch with a bat. Mrs. Teruko walked to K and grabbed him by the collar and pushed him away to the garden. It was K who was taken aback with his mouth open. Then, she said that you should not enter the room from such a place with your muddy shoes on. Strangely, fear never came to her mind, rather she felt very pity for him and said to him kindly as if she were his mother, "Mr. K, I wonder your mother who lives in your home town must feel sorry if she knows you entered someone's home not from an entrance but from a porch..." K was standing with a tearful look. Then, the policemen came and brought him to the police station because some a maid called the police.

　　The following day, Mrs. Teruko was asked to go to the police station to help them make a record of investigation. The chief detective was really moved and told Mrs. Taniguchi that "You are a brave lady, aren't you?" "Why do you think of me a brave lady?" "You gave him a pat on the head, right" "No, I didn't do at all. I only grabbed him by the collar." The detective said that "K said that you gently gave him a pat on the head."

　　Since all Mrs. Teruko did was to grab him by the collar and push him away to the garden, it seems strange. However, we can think like that; Because Mrs. Teruko conceived a vibration of deep love like a mother, that vibration gave him an impression that she pat him on the head.

　　In this way, the love Mrs. Taniguchi showed is a stern but a love that enlivens and sustains people. Even if you have a love, if that love spoils a person, that love is not a real and God's love. Let's see, say, there is someone who did something wrong but does not repent. If you think that you have to leave him/her alone because Seicho-No-Ie teaches harmony and reconciliation, your action does not give life to him/her. You must be reconciled with his/her True Image, but you have to say "No!" to him/her false image. This is another expression of God's love. It applies to family life, workplace, and SNI's propagation activities.

　　For example, given you give someone a private counseling, his family situation was very bad, and there are many points to sympathize with the person. However, if you think that you must be friendly to those who are pity and you keep on giving your sympathy to him, you may not be able to save him in a true sense.

　　I once learned that as a matter of fact. One of my wife's friend, named N, have had a very hard time since she was born. Just after she was born, she lived with her father, mother, and her father's affair. She surely deserved to be sympathized. Many challenges happened to her one after another, however, fortunately, she was introduced to SNI when she was around 25 years old. Then she and my wife knew each other and my wife constantly took care of her. Through participating in the SNI activities, she got more cheerful and happier, however, she got Parkinson's disease several years ago. My wife really felt pity for her and took more care of her, sometimes kindly and sometimes sternly. But her situation didn't turn up. Rather she started to grumble about my wife's way of taking care of her and others. My wife and I practiced Shinsokan Meditation and prayed for and blessed her sincerely and asked God how we should do. Then, what we've done is to leave her alone. My wife stopped to contact her unless N calls her, and N never called my wife. It was a very hard decision to my wife who took care of her more than 10 years, but we understand that the real God's love should sometimes be strict and we need to practice that.

　　About one year and half passed since my wife stopped to contact N, but one day, N called her suddenly. N said that she overcame that difficult disease by her own power. There are some material reasons, but the fact is that she got well by herself. She seemed so happy that she was able to overcome such an adversity and started to engage in propagation activities again. In this way, we've learned that true love is not necessarily lenient, sometimes should be stern. And only leaving her alone and giving a blessing is also a kind of love. Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi taught as follows:

　　To give love does not mean to provide everything that another asks of you. Love is not necessarily expressed through kindness. Letting an individual live truly and helping them to open their eyes may sometimes be a harsh lesson given in love, like ice needles in the bitter winter or like painful lashes from a whip. When a child is spoiled throughout his or her life, that child will grow up with no backbone. And when faced with difficulty, he or she will surely cling on to someone else for help. As every individual is a child of God, we must keep expressing our love in a way that will help draw out the infinite potential that we all possess.(Teruko Taniguchi, Inochi wo Ogamu, Worshipping the Life, pp. 202-203)(Truth of Life, April 2009, pp. 25)

　　Let us understand what is true love from the guidance by Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi and strive to promote the Humanity Enlightenment and International Peace by Faith Movements with pouring love that gives life to people. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

2009 April Message

2009-04-02T09:32:00.000+09:00

Let Us Extend Our Deep Love to Our Mother Earth
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　On March 1, Sunday, the celebration ceremony for the 79th Anniversary of Seicho-No-Ie Founding was held filled with brightness and cheerfulness at Jisso Center. Approximately, 70 attendees enjoyed the program and cerebrated this auspicious occasion. I appreciate every single participant and those who support the event from the bottom of my heart. Especially, we also cerebrated the inauguration of the new President of Seicho-No-Ie and President of SNI White Dove Association. We would like to extend our sincere congratulations on Rev. and Mrs. Masanobu Taniguchi. I also appreciate those who wrote their congratulatory messages to them. Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi must be happy to see them.

　　A week before the Founding Day, I went to Kona to attend a study class and Sunday service as a lecturer with my wife and daughter. We savored beautiful Kona and had a wonderful time with warm and enthusiastic Kona members to share the teachings including how we can overcome the recent adversities and "Sundial Way of Life." My 4-year-old daughter was very happy to be kindly taken care by her elder "brothers" and a "sister." Thank you very much Kona members for your hospitalities.

　　This year, I have heard "it is cold" from almost everyone's mouth. Compared to the last year's winter, the first for us in Hawaii, we surely feel "cold" this year. When I led a morning Shinsokan at Kona Center, I felt cold to the extent that I missed a morning coffee despite I wore a long sleeve shirt and jacket. On the contrary, they had very warm days in Japan as warm as the middle of June in February when it should be very cold. In Australia, many people have been suffering from terrible mountain fires. There is no doubt that something is wrong with climate.

　　What the world's leading climate scientists have agreed and warned is if we cannot curb the increase of the earth's average temperature under 3.6 degree Fahrenheit (2 degree Celsius) compared to the pre industrial level, changes in large-scale components of the climate system will be triggered, that will lead the climate system to the irreversible point. To avoid that happens, the next 10 years is critical, those scientists said. "2009 STATE OF THE WORLD," which is considered as top-ranked annual books on climate change and sustainable development, describes this issue as follows:
　　Halting the increase in global warming at far below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F) is possible, and lowering global warming as rapidly as possible to below an increase of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 F) appears critical if there is to be a high probability of preventing dangerous climate change. The emissions reduction actions required to achieve this are massive and appear to be at the outer edge of what is technically and economically feasible. Scenarios that can start to get within reach of these temperature goals require GHG (Green House Gas) emissions to peak before 2020 and then to drop toward 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, with further reductions beyond this time. (Ibid., p29)

　　 What we are asked to address the global warming issue is not an argument but an action. It is time that everyone should do whatever he/she can. Politicians should do what they can/should as politicians, the same thing should be applied to entrepreneurs, environment preservation groups and others. Then, what religious group should do? To truly solve this problem, it is necessary for all citizens to change their life styles. To do so, their ways of thinking should be changed. This is what we religious practitioners are expected.

If a company makes a environment-friendly car, but it is in vain if people do not buy that car. By creating a system that people are easily able to buy such a product, and by educating people to buy a eco-friendly product even if it is a little more expensive than a normal one provided your budget is allowed, all those efforts to preserve environment will be effective for the first time. And what is far more important is to obtain a mindset that since everything is a manifestation of God and Buddha you should use what appears as material carefully and respectfully, that you should be grateful for what is granted. In this respect, there is a meaning that a religious organization should address this environment issue as a practice of deeds of love. We are now in the degree that the Earth cannot exist if we take an immediate action. Furthermore, this lifestyle ― to control your desires and use everything carefully as a manifestation of God's divine life ― is just the way what our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi lived and what Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's family are living.

　　　I believe you fully understand the reason why Seicho-No-Ie has been addressing the environment issue. However, if someone who do not understand it ask you that why SNI is doing this movement and if they wonder isn't it derailing the teachings of Founder Masaharu Taniguchi, please answer them that by addressing this issue, for the first time, we can follow the spirit of our loving Founder.

　　　Since its Founding, Seicho-No-Ie has consistently contributed to the welfare and the well-being of the societies, nations, and the world. This attitude never changes. Now that people in the world are at the tipping point where we cannot bequeath the beautiful earth to the next generation unless people unite, gather intelligence, and take a strong action. Based on the recognition, SNI International Headquarters started "Carbon Neutral Movement" that they offset all the carbon dioxide discharged accompanied with our activities and are carrying out effective measures with all members worldwide every year.

　　　Special Conference for World Peace in Brazil in August will be held upon this viewpoint. That is why we cover the environment issue in this Newsletter. Your understanding and your actions --- which is as is the practice of the teachings ---- are highly appreciated.

　　　To those who use the Internet or e-mail, I recommend you to subscribe to an online newsletter published by Earth Policy Institute. The latest report and analysis for the sustainable development by Mr. Lester Brown, an American prominent environmentalist, should be read by those take care of our Mother Earth. Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi also recommends it. You can register for the subscription from the following address: "http://www.earthpolicy.org/Subscribe/index.htm"

2009 Founding Day Lecture

2009-03-02T16:40:00.000+09:00

The following is my lecture at Founding Day Celebration Ceremony at SNI Hawaii Jisso Center, on March 1, 2009.
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　　Today is the Founding Day of Seicho-No-Ie. I would like to extend to all of you my sincere congratulations on this occasion of the founding of Seicho-No-Ie. Thank you very much.

　　It has been 79 years since Seicho-No-Ie's Founding and more than that, we have one more auspicious thing today. As MC mentioned in his opening remarks, at Nagasaki Main Temple in Japan, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi was inaugurated as President of Seicho-No-Ie on March 1st. Due to the time difference from Hawaii, the inauguration ceremony was conducted yesterday. Rev. Taniguchi ascended to Ryugu Sumiyoshi Hongu, the main shrine at SNI Main Temple where Sumiyoshi no Ookami, whose role is to pure the universe, is shrined, and succeeded the Seicho-No-Ie Presidency. Incidentally, Founder Taniguchi taught that the name of "Sumiyoshi no Ookami" is another name of "the Lighter of the Seven Golden Candlesticks." Furthermore, Mrs. Junko Taniguchi became President of SNI White Dove Association on the same day. Let us extend our heartfelt congratulations on their inauguration and vow to promote God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement - International Peace by Faith Movement with all SNI members throughout the world under the guidance from the New President.

　　SNI Inc. prepared special sheets so that every Missionary Area member can write their sincere congratulations on the inauguration. I hope everyone who attends this ceremony will write some message with your name to them. SNI Inc. compiled all the Missionary Area's sheets and sent them to Rev. and Mrs. Taniguchi.

　　As you know well, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi started Seicho-No-Ie by publishing the first issue of "Seicho-No-Ie" magazine on March 1, 1930. Seicho-No-Ie is a Japanese name and is translated into English as "The Home of Infinite Life, Wisdom, and Abundance." However, this translation is not a literal translation. If you translate "Seicho-No-Ie" as it is, it should be "House of growth," because "Seicho" means "growth," "No" means "of," and "Ie" means "Home or House." But this translation does not represent the deep hidden meaning, therefore, we usually say, "The Home of Infinite Life, Wisdom, and Abundance."

　　I think this translation is very good and enough to convey the deep meaning, however, I would like to show you furthermore the deeper meaning that Founder Taniguchi originally intended. To tell the Truth, our New President of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi expounded the true and deep meaning of Seicho-No-Ie at his first Public Lectures in the United States when he visited four U.S. cities in 1992. It was 17 years ago. Unfortunately, he didn't come to Hawaii at that time. But his lecture at that time was compiled and published as "WHAT IS SEICHO-NO-IE?" therefore, some of you might read that. Be that as it may, you may forget the content because the publication was made many years ago, so I want to learn the deep meaning of "Seicho-No-Ie" with you by reviewing the Rev. Masanobu's lecture.

　　Please look on the left side of the screen. "sei" of "Seicho-No-Ie" is written in Kanji, or Chinese Character in this way. On the right side, the screen shows the ancient form of the pictograph from which the character derives. In this case, the Kanji "sei" derives from the image of a young cactus-shaped plant growing from the earth. A plant grows vertically. From its seed, a sprout grows upward, and the root extends downward. Growth also involves time. In this way, the word "sei" represents time. Please remember that.

　　Let's move on "cho." The left side of the screen is Kanji and the right side is the ancient form of the character. This pictograph represents a person with long hair who has a hoe on his shoulder. His long hair is being blown in the wind. In this way, "cho" means length. Length is a measurement of space. We are living in the three-dimensional world which consists of height, width, and depth. All of them are measured by length. Therefore, "cho" represents space.

　　From the above mentioned, I believe you understand that "sei" and "cho" are "time" and "space" respectively. Then, let's move on to "ie." "Ie" means house. House is a shelter where a family lives. On the right half of the screen, there is a pictograph of "ie," you can see an upside-down U- or V-shaped line half-encircling a funny figure with a curly tail. This figure represents a hog.

　　In pre-modern China, a hog was raised inside the house. You may wonder why you raise a hog in a house, however, a hog was so highly valued for sustenance by a family that it was protected and carefully raised in a house. So, the word "ie" means a place in which something valuable is kept and raised. In addition to that, a house is a place where every member of a family interacts. It is also a place where different members gather to interact. Therefore, it is an intersection, namely, a place of meeting and interaction.

　　Putting all those things together, "Seicho-No-Ie" means the intersection or encapsulation of time and space. It means a point from which time and space emanate. You may wonder if there is actually such a point.

　　Here, please think of seed. The seed is a point from which a plant's life grows through time and space. In other words, the seed is a point from which the plant's time and space extend themselves. However, you cannot see anything like flowers, or stems, or leaves in the seed. Nevertheless, we can say there is the source of those shapes or functions of the plant in the seed. It is invisible, but it surely exists, and we can say that everything is in the seed. Therefore, you can say that there is everything in "Seicho-No-Ie" and Founder Taniguchi taught that "Seicho-No-Ie" is another name for the great universe. Rev. Seicho Taniguchi taught that "All teachings are comprehended in Seicho-No-Ie" in his book, "Messages of Wisdom and Love."

　　I believe you understand the deep meaning of Seicho-No-Ie that Founder Taniguchi intended and realize that the name manifests the Truth itself. That is why when we propagate and publicize our teachings, we should use and tell the name of "Seicho-No-Ie" as many times as possible with understanding the deep meaning. It means the more we say "Seicho-No-Ie," the more we disseminate the Truth.

　　When I was a college student, Rev. Jun Okada just arrived in the Missionary Area I belonged to as Chief of that MA. At the first greetings he encouraged all the members gathered as follows: "Let us increase the number of people who think or who say 'Seicho-No-Ie' is wonderful. Let us fill all the prefecture with people who say 'Seicho-No-Ie is wonderful." Please pay attention. He never said to let us increase Holy Mission Fellowship Members. He didn't say that at all. Instead of that, he proposed to increase the number of people who love and appreciate Seicho-No-Ie. Every member liked the idea and started to say "Seicho-No-Ie is wonderful" whenever they met and they had a meeting and seminar with joy and happiness. By just practicing this, a sense of joy bubbled forth to those who said that and the joy prevailed to every nook and cranny in that MA. Then, what do you think happened as a result of it? To everyone's astonishment, in onlye year, another 10,000 people added to the 30,000 existing members at that time as Holy Mission Fellowship Members. Up to that time, they had increased less than 10,000 members in 10 years.

　　Because of this, Rev. Okada did various things, but the main thing he did was to recruit who desire to make new members because to be a member means to have a ticket for eternal happiness. As you already know, a member can receive a wavelength of blessings from all over the world as long as you have a good antenna. To have a good antenna means to tune your mind to God. Rev. Okada told those who desire to make new members as follows: All you have to do is rejoice. If you have a mind that you want to make new members, it means that you are a Bodhisattva, or Goddess of Mercy. Dr. Taniguchi taught that God already prepared 10 people and more in your surroundings who want to be Holy Mission Fellowship Members. As you rejoice, the more people want to join us through you. Then, Rev. Okada asked the staff of the Missionary Office to make a name plate for Bodhisattvas who desire to make new members and hang those plates on the wall and be blessed. And he encouraged members to bless them by reading the Holy Sutras.

　　What do you think had happened? One member, who could not have recruited a single member, said that "One of my friends whom I keep on giving a magazine asked me "When I read that magazine, I often found "Holy Mission Fellowship Member." What is it? Is it something I can join?" According to him, his friend became the HMF member with 4 family members." To our surprise, this kind of reports came to the Missionary Center one after another after that movement began, as I mentioned, and they had 10,000 new members in only one year without any special efforts other than rejoicing. How wonderful the power of joy is!

　　Sometimes, I receive a kind of suggestion saying, "Why don't you think the reason why the number of our members declined?" I appreciate those suggestions every time, however, since we are taught to lead the "Sundial Way of Life" from our Founder Taniguchi and President Taniguchi, I want to put this way of life into our movement. By thinking that I am a child of God, there are many people who want to be a member in my surroundings, but because we have not yet opened our minds' eyes we could not find those people, Oh God, please guide me to find those people who want to join us, I believe we can move forward our movement without any special efforts. Since what we are promoting is God's movement, therefore, we should believe God guides and leads us as He wants.

　　Since last August, we started a Japanese Mothers' Class at Matlock Center. We had the study class the day before yesterday with 8 attendees and 7 children, a total of 15 people attended the class. Among them, three women were completely newcomers to SNI. Other than my wife and I, none of the participants attended any SNI events before last August. Since my wife Terumi came here in July 2007, she sincerely prayed to God to give us women who want to attend our mothers' class in her morning Shinsokan Meditation every single day. She created her own prayer for the success of her mothers' class. However, nothing happened for a year. But then there appeared a woman who has a one-year-old boy whom Mrs. Kusaka propagated the teachings. She is Mrs. Miho. Mrs. Miho called my wife to attend our mothers' class and attended last August. Since then, she told many friends of her that SNI mothers' class is wonderful, SNI mothers' class is wonderful. Therefore, every time we have a class, we have a newcomer that Mrs. Miho invited to attend. I learned from this case that we have lots of invisible advocates and supporters even though they are not yet members, and sincere prayers are always answered.

　　Since I came here, I've felt that we have wonderful leaders and members. And if we can successfully uncover the cap which prevents your infinite abilities from coming forth, I believe tremendous power will be coming into existence. I feel there are still some covers that cap your abilities. However, which direction we are going in is very important. We need to go in the same direction that the President shows and SNI Inc. and other all SNI members worldwide will follow. If we do so, and we move forward with God, we are able to look forward to a bright future for SNI Hawaii. This concludes my address. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

2009 March Message

2009-03-02T14:03:00.003+09:00

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

　　　March is a blessed month for Seicho-No-Ie members because we celebrate Seicho-No-Ie's Founding Day on the first day of the month. It has been 79 years since its founding and this is the 80th Founding Day. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on this auspicious occasion with all of you. And I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Founder Masaharu Taniguchi for providing us wonderful teachings to bring about world peace, and Rev. Seicho Taniguchi for devoting himself to propagation activities over the course of his life.

　　　We have one more propitious event on March 1 this year. Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi will become the third President of Seicho-No-Ie, and the ceremony of the succession to the Seicho-No-Ie Presidency will be celebrated at the Seicho-No-Ie Main Temple in Nagasaki, Japan. Together with all Seicho-No-Ie members throughout the world, let us send our best wishes and congratulations on his inauguration, enthusiastically study the teachings disseminated by the new President as well as Founder Taniguchi and the late Rev. Taniguchi, and promote our movement with confidence and brightness.

　　　What I've recently been thinking is that the Truth taught by Founder Taniguchi is illuminating the world more brightly as time goes by. Let me show you some of his remarkable articles from a book newly published last year in Japan.

Jan. 16: Don't Be Stuck In a Habitual Stable Situation

　　　There is no progress for those who cannot accept a new idea, resist when change is necessary, and refuse a new experience to come to their life. These resistances come from the fear for the future. That is because they are obsessed with a foolish fixed idea that things they did in the past are the safest and best. If people had been ruled by such a fixed idea, they could not have made any progress in the world. It seems to be disappointing to see current situations collapsing, but be that as it may, it is a springboard for progress and happiness.

Jan. 17: Filled With a Refreshing Feeling of Vitality

　　　A new environment bears a new development. Without new developments, life cannot be refreshing and invigorating. In a new environment a new dream is cherished, a new experience starts, new things are brought about, and new happiness and new culture are established. Open your mind now and deal with the new world. Don't refuse what is new. What is new is an angel from God who sustains you in a new way. No matter what changes may happen and no matter how hard a cold wintry wind blows, spring is sure to come before very long. Within a situation where all nature looks bleak and desolate, spring with cherry blossoms in all their glory is already prepared. (Masaharu Taniguchi, Shinpan Komyo Hogo: Michi no Maki, "Sermon on Light: Volume on the Way," new edition)

　　　The article above, written more than 60 years ago, sends a wake-up call to people who live in this age. Among Founder Taniguchi's books there are many articles that are of increasing significance. This proves that the Truth transcends time and borders. Let us read Founder Taniguchi's books every day and strive to grasp the essence of the teachings as much as possible.

　　　Rev. Seicho Taniguchi clearly showed us about how we, who are provided the precious teachings, should act on Founding Day:

　　　Founder Masaharu Taniguchi started this movement by publishing the inaugural issue of "Seicho-No-Ie" magazine in March 1930. If you are a SNI member, you should not be lazy on this memorable day of Founding. The Seicho-No-Ie movement is nothing less than a movement to convey the truth of Seicho-No-Ie. The inaugural issue of Seicho-No-Ie magazine was published not just for research or favorite pursuit but for propagation purposes. If Founder Taniguchi only wanted to seek the truth for himself, there was no need for the magazine to be issued and he should have confined himself at a temple or shrine for prayer. However, he didn't do so and propagated and expanded the truth to as many people as possible. (Seicho Taniguchi, Riso Sekai, "Ideal World," March 1986)

　　　Fortunately, we have many wonderful leaders and members who sincerely accept the changes in a new era and strive to expand propagation in the Hawaii Missionary Area. It is truly wonderful. There is no doubt that when we unite and follow the guidance from the new President of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, and advance this movement with open minds, the will of God will appear and newcomers and young people will join us one after another. Thank you very much for your support and participation in our movement.

Our Visitation to Kona

2009-02-23T17:48:00.003+09:00

My family and I visited Kona to share the SNI teachings with SNI Kona members at a study class on Feb. 21, Saturday, and Sunday service on Feb. 22. It was the first time for my wife and our daughter to go to a neighbor island and its center, therefore, they were too excited to sleep the night before.

　　Mr. Gordon Ogi, President of SNI Kona Center, prepared all the programs, encouraged their members to attend those events, and took care of us during our stay. Thanks to his dedication, we were able to spend a meaningful and fruitful time to share the teachings and a very good time to exchange each other. We enjoyed our company with about 15 participants on Saturday and about 20 participants on Sunday.

　　I was in charge of a 45-minute English lecture respectively on Saturday and Sunday. I talked about my spiritual journey on how I was engaged in SNI movement and on how to deal with this economical adversities by introducing the teachings by Founder Taniguchi on this topic and a testimony of a president of car repair company who had once faced an economical and mental challenging but got recovery by putting "Sundial Way of Life" into practice in his life. The next day, I talked about "Sundial Way of Life" in more detail and Rev. Seicho Taniguchi's accomplishment because he was an excellent role model of Sundial way of life.

　　There are some "brothers" and a "sister" to my 4-year-old daughter in Kona who attended the events. Since they kindly took care of my daughter during the service and class, my wife was able to attend the events without worrying about our daughter. More than that, since she has recently been attending ESL (English as Second Language) class at an adult school in Kailua Oahu, she enjoyed communication with their members.

　　I will extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. Gordon Ogi's family and all of the members we met from the bottom of my heart for their heartfelt hospitality.

　　Let me share some pictures I took...

From SNI Kona Center. Sunset from this center is magnificent, though we missed this beautiful scene this time....

With Sunday service attendees

Trees of coffee at SNI Kona Center

At Hilton Hotel. Mr. Ogi kindly took us to the hotel to amuse our daughter. She was very excited and enjoyed everything she experienced. With Mr. Akinori Imai, a winner of Overseas' Double Ring Award. His smile is fantastic!

Beautiful singing of birds. About 6:30 in the morning at Mr. Ogi's residence

-TA

2009 February Message

2009-02-02T01:22:00.000+09:00

Change is Chance
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　On January 20, Mr. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Let us extend our congratulation to him, the first Hawaii -born and African-American President in history. He described how much he loves Hawaii and how Hawaii made him what he is today in the January 3rd issue of "The Honolulu Advertiser."

　　　No place else could have provided me with the environment, the climate, in which I could not only grow but also get a sense of being loved. There is no doubt that the residue of Hawaii will always stay with me, and that it is a part of my core, and that what's best in me, and what's best in my message, is consistent with the tradition of Hawaii.

　　　Some of the major factors contributing his land-slide victory were said to be as follows: He realized what is necessary in this day and age, promised ways to meet those expectations, clearly expressing them in concise and inspiring words, and made use of cutting-edge technologies, and encouraged great interest in the election. His key word was, is, and probably will be "change."

　　　We should not apply all those factors to the world of religion, although some of them might be helpful to our movement. It is a fact that there is unchangeable truth in religion. "Man is a child of God" is the absolute truth that should not or can not be changed no matter how many years pass since the founding. And the truth should be unshakable and eternal not only in the U.S. but also in South America, Europe, China, and North Korea. This is what the central part of religious truth is.

　　　On the contrary, the way to express our reverence to God and memorialize our ancestors, and the clothing worn at those ceremonies should be changed in accordance with people, time, and the place. From this respect, we changed the way to worship God since last June. The two-bows, two-handclaps, and halfway-bow style was replaced with a brief prayer to worship God. I think it is not easy to change a traditional way, but thanks to your understanding and cooperation, we haven't had any major problems or confusion along with this change. I appreciate you for that from the bottom of my heart.

　　　Following this, change will be made in the manual for Ancestor Memorial Service from this January. Some may feel uncomfortable when a familiar style is changed, however, it is inevitable in order for the SNI teachings including Ancestor Memorial Service, which is unfamiliar in Christian culture, to be accepted in a natural way by the average American. This will definitely help contribute to the development of our movement. Your continuous support and understanding are highly appreciated. I gave a detail explanation on it at the memorial service on Sunday, January 4, and I will put a draft of this lecture on my own blog, http://make-peace-by-faith.blogspot.com/. Upon request, I can mail you.

　　　We have two other major changes in Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii. One is our officers. We elected 2009-2010 officers in November and the installation ceremony will be conducted on January 25. I extend my sincere gratitude to all of the 2007-2008 officers and hope the new officers will fulfill their mission in accordance with the will of God.

　　　Another change is the Newsletter editing staff. Rev. and Mrs. Leslie Iwatani, who have been editing our Newsletter for 16 years, have retired and it was decided that I take over assisted by Mr. Clifford Nishimura. Mrs. Shirley Iwatani will continue to edit my article as she has done. I extend my sincere gratitude to Rev. and Mrs. Iwatani for their long dedication and I would like to make this Newsletter more widely read and loved by our members. Thank you very much.

2009 New Year Message

2009-01-02T15:48:00.002+09:00

This is a draft of my New Year Message delivered at SNI Hawaii Jisso Center on January 1, 2009. I hope you will find it interesting.

Rev. Tetsuya Abe

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　　　A happy New Year! Thank you very much. I wish all of you will have a meaningful and blessed 2009 to realize the will of God as much as possible. First of all, I will introduce you to an article by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi that is perfect for a new year. That comes from "Messages of Wisdom and Love."

　　A new sun has risen. This is the start of a new day. But that sun is old. What is new about this? Man's mind has been renewed. When man's mind recognizes something as new, all things become new. When man's mind thinks that something is old, all things become old.

　　Man's mind is the creator of all things. In addition, both hope and despair have been created by man's mind.

　　Then let us create hope, freshness and joy. Now, just as you are, with your mind, with your face, with your body you can always create hope and joy -- that is, only if you wish to.

　　What is it that moves your mind? It is your own resolve and not that of another. Your mind becomes your freedom. Why? Your mind is your possession.

　　Therefore resolve now to be happy for whatever the circumstances you can always be happy. Resolve to be grateful. Then you will be able to be grateful to all people, things and circumstances in the universe. (Partial Omission)

　　You are always the master. You are the ruler of your destiny. You are not the slave of another. So you must not think that your unhappiness is the responsibility of another. You are solely responsible for your happiness and unhappiness.

　　If you desire to rejoice and if you desire to become grateful, you will soon become happy. A small happiness calls forth a medium-size happiness. A medium-size happiness calls forth an even larger happiness. An even larger happiness infinitely summons up greater and greater happiness for us.
　　　　　　　　　（Messages of Wisdom and Love, pp. 68-69）

　　　The book "Messages of Wisdom and Love" is a wonderful book. It was published in 1993 in Japanese and the English translation was published in 1995. Whenever I go to our neighbor island centers to attend their Sunday Services or seminars, I am supposed to bring some SNI books. When I went to Hilo 2 years ago, I gave them some copies of this book. Then, when I went to Hilo again in the end of last year, Ms. Joan Yoshioka told me that "This book is marvelous. What is written is perfect in this day and age." If you haven't tried, please read it. You can purchase this book at Matlock Center.

　　　Well, today, I want to talk about Shinsokan. I believe Shinsokan is one of the greatest inventions in the world that Dr. Taniguchi made. Because if you never fail to practice Shinsokan every day, I can guarantee that everything will go well with you. Everything means without exception. What Rev. Seicho Taniguchi kept on telling us was to practice Shinsokan every day. It is very easy to say but may be difficult when it comes to putting it into practice. But unless Shinsokan is practiced Shinsokan by as many members as possible, we cannot forward our movement. There are very few "Musts" we should do. Seicho-No-Ie respects freedom very much, therefore, we don't say, you must do or you must that. However, Shinsokan is exceptional. In the "Seicho-No-Ie Article of Faith," item 8 said, "Practice Shinsokan Meditation as least once a day to enlighten yourself. Incidentally, a title of Rev. Seicho's first article was "Shinsokan as a source of culture."

　　　I wrote an article about Rev. Seicho Taniguchi in the December issue of Newsletter. In the article I shared my experience when I attended a central committee meeting of Youth and Young Adult Association. Let me quote from the article

---------- (Quatation from SNI Hawaii Dec. Newsletter)-------
　　　At the end of the meeting, Rev. Seicho gave his concluding remarks. We were supposed to record his message by writing in the minutes so that we could share it with other YYAA leaders. For that purpose, four members were assigned to write down his speech, and later we were supposed to check with each other and wrap up the minutes.

　　　At the Central Committee Meeting in January 1994, Rev. Seicho earnestly gave us inspiring guidance on Shinsokan Meditation as follows: "Please give guidance to leaders in the Missionary Area to have even elementary school children practice Shinsokan Meditation. Even if they are very young, it is not enough for them to do only prayers at Spiritual Training Seminars, etc. For example, when learning to play the piano, they use a real piano, don't they? They cannot improve their skill by playing on a toy piano. In this way, to practice Shinsokan is necessary...." He wholeheartedly taught us the importance of Shinsokan for about twenty minutes or so. I felt it was just what a soul-stirring guidance should be. Although 15 years have passed since then, I can clearly remember that day.

　　　This incident took place just after the meeting. When the four attendees assigned to write down Rev. Seicho's message checked their writings with each other, one of them wrote almost nothing. According to him, Rev. Takashi Koseki, he was so impressed with Rev. Seicho's message that he completely forgot his assignment and unconsciously concentrated on listening by placing his hands together in prayer. This example shows how much the attendees were moved by the message.
---------------------------------------------------------------

　　　Based upon Rev. Seicho's guidance, when I conducted an STS for elementary school students I tried to practice Shinsokan with them. Before the seminar, all the leaders in the Missionary Area were hesitant to practice Shinsokan with elementary school children because when they had tried in the previous seminars they had failed. After that they didn't try and they only did a brief prayer instead. Things were same at all other Missionary Areas in Japan.

　　　At a staff meeting of the STS, I told them that Rev. Seicho guided us in the central committee meeting to teach elementary school children Shinsokan and I would conduct Shinsokan with them. At my lecture, I explained Shisokan as easily as possible, although it was painstaking, and then started to practice. After Invocation, I told them to join me reciting, "God's sea of infinite wisdom, God's sea of infinite wisdom, God's sea of Infinite love......" Every attendee sincerely joined me reciting those difficult words to them. After that, I took time to meditate on these thoughts even if for a short time. To my surprise, every single attendee sat well and concentrated on Shinsokan pretty well. Not only myself, but all the staff members were very impressed to see the scene. And we all were also moved that what Rev. Seicho taught us was really true.

　　　Those words, "God's sea of infinite wisdom, love, life, abundance, joy, and harmony," may be difficult for school children to understand, however, those kids can grasp the truth intuitively. Even my daughter once remembered those words when she was three years old. As Jesus Christ and Founder Taniguchi indicated, "a mind of a little child" is important when it comes to true faith. Incidentally, Jesus taught in Gospel According to Luke chapter 18 as follows: "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

　　　There is a book titled, ”Ai to Inori wo Jitsugen Suruniwa" or "To realize Love and Prayer" written by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi. You can see so many examples of how a prayer is wonderful and works in the book. Let me introduce a piece of them:

　　　There was a young man named "I" in Hokkaido, northern part of Japan. His uncle had an affair with a widow and in no time she carried a child. Then the uncle conspired with the woman by having the young man become close to the woman. She tempted him and they finally had a physical relationship. Then, the woman intimidated him by telling him that "I carried your child. How should you do?"

　　　The young man was working at a farm of his uncle. He agonized so much, but he heard from someone that the baby the woman carried is not his but his uncle's. In other words, he knew that he was deceived by his uncle. He hated and even detested his uncle to the extent he wanted to kill him.

　　　At that moment, Mr. K, a leader of SNI Youth and Young Adult Association in Hokkaido, led him to worship the divinity of his uncle and the woman. Mr. K's explanation followed: There is no single evil person in the world. Everyone is a child of God. He/She must be a manifestation of Goddess of Mercy that corrects your mistakes in your mind. Therefore pray for and bless them thoroughly.

　　　The young man "I" was extremely frustrated but followed his advice and practiced Shinsokan every day and prayed for and blessed them during Shinsokan. He also prayed for the happiness and prosperity of all human beings.

　　　In a little while, she gave birth to a baby. However, half of the baby's face was covered by a black birthmark. The baby passed away several days after she was born as if she finished her earthly duties. The uncle and the woman reflected upon themselves and deeply repented.

　　　Since the young man "I" was completely able to forgive his uncle and the woman, he felt refreshed and worked sincerely at his uncle's farm. Seeing how hard he is working, the really wanted to do whatever he could for him. The uncle gave him a large land and a lot of healthy livestock.

　　　After a while, the young man "I" got married to a beautiful and wonderful woman. Even thought the woman knew that young man "I" had a relationship with a widow, but she believed in him. By practicing Shinsokan he was able to enter the True Image world and practiced love and forgiveness. As a result of that, he was given a wonderful spouse and children, a large land, and a lot of livestock. Then he was giving love by propagating the teachings.

　　　After Rev. Seicho introduced this story, he taught as follows:

　　　You can say that he is a person of a real practitioner of God's love and prayed for people to the end. He didn't prayed for those who favored him. He even prayed for those who persecuted him by a plot. By so doing, for the first time, his environment changed entirely, a mask of apparent evil people was taken off, and an earthly paradise came into being. Love turns hatred into delight. Love is not just an emotion. Love is correctly guided by will. Don't think of biological instinct as true love. That does not show the sublimity of a human being. True human love should be heavenly that goes beyond people's like and dislike. There is value of love where you transcend the world of five senses.　

　　　The power of prayer is so great and Shinsokan is inevitable to deeply understand and savor the truth that "Man is a child of God." Founder Taniguchi taught that Shinsokan is as essential a nourishment for your mind as rice and bread is vital for our physical body. Therefore, I hope you make a resolution that you practice Shinsokan at least once a every single day this year, savor the profound teachings as much as possible, and share the joy of happiness that bubbles from the bottom of your heart. This is the basic of our propagation activities.

　　　This concludes my New Year remarks. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

2009 January Message

2009-01-02T07:53:00.001+09:00

To Realize the Will of God in 2009
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　Happy New Year! I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you for your attendance and for the activities you have done last year. This year let us learn the Seicho-No-Ie teachings more deeply and propagate them enthusiastically with a cheerful and bright mind.

　　Nowadays, great changes are taking place in various ways. Since the Industrial Revolution, human beings have gotten energy by burning fossil fuels and pursued a better and more convenient life. However, as we have seen global environment deteriorating, it is high time to change our lifestyle. These days, human beings have also become conscious of the importance of "life with nature" by respecting nature and using energy that comes from nature. This life is nothing less than practicing a way of life of being reconciled with and grateful for the whole universe, as taught in the Divine Message of Grand Harmony. Fortunately, since President-elect Barack Obama has declared to deal with the environmental issue proactively as soon as possible, we can expect our country to lead the world in this field.

　　Last year, we received the sad news that Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, passed away. SNI Hawaii conducted a Memorial Service for the late Rev. Seicho Taniguchi on December 7 with approximately 60 people in attendance. It was a heartfelt solemn service and I appreciate all of you who attended and made the service so meaningful. International Headquarters officially conducted a service to memorialize the late Rev. Seicho on December 17 (JST), which was recorded on DVD with English translation to be shared with each U.S. Missionary Area. At Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii, we will view it at the 100-day service for the late Rev. Seicho on February 1 at Matlock Center. I appreciate your understanding and attendance.

　　The only way to repay the guidance we have received is to spread and propagate the SNI teachings by following the guidance from the next President, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi.

　　Since last August, we have been conducting a Japanese Mothers' Study Class aimed at young mothers. At the class, Mrs. M, who received the Japanese “White Dove” magazine from Mrs. Kusaka (a long-time Propagator in Hawaii), has been inviting her friends so we have newcomers at every class. She e-mailed me (Abe) and expressed her joy of attending the class: "I am happy to attend the Mothers' Study Class with my friends. It’s wonderful to be able to share valuable time with good friends, isn't it? I am so happy!" Don't you think this feeling should be a source of our propagation?

　　We all should have had an experience being impressed with the teachings and having a desire to share them from the bottom of our hearts. Those feelings must still exist in your heart. However, they do not bloom and bear fruit unless expressed. To express the joy of knowing the teachings and your desire to share them are what our beloved Founder Masaharu Taniguchi and President/Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie and International Headquarters, whose mission is to spread the will of Founder Taniguchi, desire.

　　I wish all of you will have a meaningful year to realize the will of God as much as possible. Thank you very much.

Lecture on Grand Purification Ceremony

2008-12-29T16:40:00.000+09:00

The following is my lecture draft on Grand Purification Ceremony conducted at SNI Hawaii Matlock Center on December 28, 2008.

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　　　This Grand Purification Ceremony is the last event for SNI Hawaii this year. Thank you very much for coming at the busy end of the year. The Grand Purification Ceremony is originally a Japanese Shinto ritual. From ancient times, we have had the ceremony of Oharai or purification in English. However, the original meaning of Oharai is to clear away or brush away. I mean, if you have a dust on your clothing, what do you do? You should brush it away.

　　　In Shintoism, sin is considered to be a state of being wrapped or covered. It is originally non-existence, therefore, it will disappear when cleaned up or brushed away. Among the Oharai, the most biggest one is Ooharai, or Grand Purification. This way of thinking is in accordance with what Founder Taniguchi taught us, therefore, in Seicho-No-Ie, we conduct this ceremony as an SNI ceremony.

　　　Listening to this explanation, you may be surprised to see that sin is considered to be something light or not serious that can be brushed away in Shintoism. Because in the context of Christianity, sin is deemed to be more heavy or serious. According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia sin is described as follows:

　　　Christian theologians divide sin into actual and original sin. Actual sin, consisting of evil acts, words, and deeds, is in turn divided into mortal sin, in which the perpetrator deliberately turns away from God, and venial sin, a less serious transgression committed without full awareness of wrong doing.

　　　Regarding original sin, because I think you know about it well, I won't mention it now. To put it simply, Adam, the progenitor of human beings, disobeyed God's order, and his guilt was transmitted to his descendants. This is commonly taught in Christianity and Judaism.

　　　Founder Taniguchi studied the holy Bible very well and he totally understood the heaviness and seriousness of sin in the Christian context. After all things were considered, Founder Taniguchi bravely declared, "There is no sin in the world created by God."

　　　Among all the 33 divine messages, do you know which divine message appeared first? It is the Divine Message of Seicho-No-Ie meals. Do you think it was because Founder Taniguchi was very hungry and he wanted to eat a meal as soon as possible? No that isn't true. I don't know the reason actually, however, there is a very important message in it.

　　　The message is that "taking a meal is really the most solemn ceremony." If we have the most solemn ceremonies too much, we may have lots of weight. Putting aside a joke, this divine message touches upon an issue of sin. There is a reason for that Founder Taniguchi was agonized and suffered with a sense of guilt before he got enlightened. He felt guilt for we cannot live without sacrificing other creatures. At that time, he didn't eat animal meat, however, he sincerely felt sorry for the fact that when he drank water, he had to kill some germs which were in the water. When he ate rice, he thought he killed the life of the rice because it is a living being. When he walked, he thought he killed microorganisms. He even thought to kill himself, however, that would also mean he killed an important life that is given by God. So he couldn't. It may sound funny but he worried about that very seriously.

　　　He hated the fact that we cannot live without any sacrifice and prayed to God seeking for a world without any sacrifice and a world of coexistence. After his sincere and desperate prayer and contemplation, he finally received a revelation from God that "Matter does not exist." "Our physical body does not exist." "Our mind also does not exist," and he found a world without any sacrifice. Before the revelation, for Founder Taniguchi, to eat a meal was a cause of guilt. However, after he found the True Image world, to eat a meal became the most solemn ceremony that we offer to God who dwells within us. As you know, plants and fruits can pass on their life to the next generation only by being eaten by human beings and other animals. Therefore, if a grain of wheat or rice seems to die, it is not a real death. In the bible, According to John, Jesus taught that "unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." In this case, a grain of wheat does not really die but lives eternally by giving its life. However, things are different between plants and animals. Because animals have a sense of pain, they do not want to be killed. When they get caught they try running away. Therefore, to eat plants and to eat animals are very different from a religious perspective. Founder Taniguchi awakened the fact that when you eat plants, it enlivens the life of those plants in the end.

　　　In this way, our Founder Taniguchi not only studied Christian theology but also pondered over sin and meals and agonized over a sense of guilt. He even once denied God, saying that He does not deserve to be called God. However, in the end, he arrived at the truth that "There is no sin in the True Image world." Therefore, the declaration that "there is no sin" should be the greatest achievement in the world of religion. It is too great and too wonderful, so a few people can understand and savor this profound truth so far.

　　　At today's ceremony, we purify our sins, delusions, and impurities. However, what we should pay attention to when we conduct this ceremony is not that there are sins, delusions, and impurities to bother our True Image, but that they are only wrapping and covering the True Image and they will disappear when illuminated by God's light. Furthermore, we need to be aware that "matter does not exist" because when you believe "matter exists," sins and delusions appear. Founder Taniguchi taught as follows:

　　　To purify and eradicate all delusions and to manifest the perfect and harmonious world of the True Image is the Grand Purification Ceremony. This is the practice to purify and eradicate completely from our thought that this world is a world of matter and to become enlightened to the fundamental truths that "Matter does not originally exist." This indeed is the significance of the Grand Purification Ceremony.

　　　What Founder Taniguchi taught here is not only a matter for the individual, but a matter for all human beings. In other words, the purpose of the ceremony is to remove the materialistic viewpoint that claims "Matter exists." As you already know, the materialistic viewpoint is the cause of all unhappiness. To think that happiness comes from matter or excessive attachment to matter are grounds for sickness, domestic problems, even wars and environmental problems.

　　　Therefore, today's Grand Purification Ceremony will not only purify our individual sins or delusions but will purify all human beings' sins and delusions. Lastly, let me read a part of "Recitation of the Truth," "Prayer to become aware of my indestructible true body."

Prayer to Become Aware of My Indestructible True Body

　　　God is the one and only reality. God is the one and only Creator. He is good. Since evil cannot possibly from that which is good, everything created by God is good. Since everything is good, there is no evil. Since disease is evil, it does not exist. Since sin is evil, it does not exist. If it seems that evil causes and evil effects exist, they are no more than dreams. If disease, senility, poverty, misfortune and the like appear to exist, they are no more than illusions. Dreamers, awaken! Illusions, begone. The light of Truth is already illuminating your mind. When you awaken from your dream and your illusions have vanished, what remains is only the truly perfect and good ultimate realities created by God.

　　　God is the only reality. God is the only Creator. All existence comes from God. That which maintains all existence is God's wisdom which lies behind every manifestation. It is through God's wisdom that every existence was designed, ordered, put in its proper place, brought into harmony with everything else, and maintained. There cannot be any imperfection, inadequacy, or contradiction in God's wisdom. There is only perfect harmony between everyone and everything in this world created by God. There is no conflict between countries. All races of the world are in harmony with each other. They do not discriminate against one another because of skin color but see only the True Image of each other as children of God and thus have nothing but respect and love for each other. Furthermore, there is harmony within the family, and there is absolutely no Jealousy, hatred, or anger among family members.

　　　As we now visualize the True Image of existence, we see that the life of all living things, even to the smallest microorganism, is an outpouring of God's life. As long as they have life, all forms of life are expressions of God. Thus, no virus, bacteria, fungus, or protozoa can ever invade man and cause him to fall ill. The belief that man comes under attack by microorganisms and falls ill is nothing but an illusion. Wake up from such a dream! Cast off such illusion. Wake up and become aware of the Truth that, as a child of God, you possess an eternally indestructible true body that is forever healthy and ageless. As a child of God, man is not matter, a physical body, or a frail existence destined to age and self-destruct. Man is an eternal indestructible, spiritual, ageless, deathless body. Man cannot become senile, fall ill, or die.

　　　We express our heartfelt appreciation to God for imparting this Truth to us. Here and now, we resolve: In order to impress this Truth deeply in our subconscious, we shall practice Shinsokan every day. We are deeply grateful.

(From "Shinri No Ginsho," or "Recitations of the Truth," pp. 283-287)

2008 December Message

2008-12-02T08:08:00.006+09:00

Cherishing the Memory of the Late Rev. Seicho Taniguchi

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

　　I respectfully report to you that Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, peacefully made a transition to a high spiritual world on October 28 at 10:21 (JST). He was 89 years old. At Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii, we are going to hold a memorial service on Sunday, December 7 at 10 a.m. following the Sunday Service. Please come to memorialize him with your Holy Sutra.

　　In 1945, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi joined Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters as translator for the Western literature and documents translation project conceived by Founder Masaharu Taniguchi for the postwar Humanity Enlightenment Movement. Since then, he has dedicated himself throughout his life for the propagation of the Seicho-No-Ie teachings, focusing on Public Lectures and writings for 63 years, which is quite a long time. He conducted 2,221 Public Lectures, surpassing the number by Founder Taniguchi since he started giving guidance in 1948 when he was 28. He wrote a total of 227 books after publishing his first book in 1952 at age 33. He came to Hawaii to disseminate the teachings in 1956 and 1977.

　　After Founder Masaharu Taniguchi passed away in June 1985, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi assumed the post of Seicho-No-Ie President in November of the same year, and expounded the significance of "Succession to the Presidency" at the Succession Ceremony. Since then, he has led the Humanity Enlightenment Movement for 23 years.

　　I am very fond of his articles because they are filled with vivid stories of SNI members whose lives were completely changed by practicing the teachings. As a result, I can learn how to put the teachings into practice in my daily life. When Rev. Seicho wrote a book for the first time, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi praised his book as follows:

　　One of my recent greatest joys is that my son, Seicho, published his first book, "To Realize Love and Prayer." Seicho is very humble and unpretentious, and I am proud of the addition of his book to the world of religion. I am a prolific writer, but Seicho writes articles so fast that I cannot match him. His inspiration comes one after another and so fast to the extent his hand seems unable to keep up. I cannot help but admire him because he writes in an environment with his two children noisily running around the room and his baby crying loudly. Furthermore, as far as his articles are concerned, he had countless number of interviews with those who had life-changing experiences by practicing the teachings and relating them to the SNI doctrines. As a result, all his articles are vivid religious stories imbued with people's souls, so I believe there has never been a writer to match him. Before Seicho started writing such inspiring articles, I was the only person to do so. That's a weight off my mind because I can completely hand over this field of work to him. (Masaharu Taniguchi, "Seicho-No-Ie," May 1952)

　　Furthermore, his lectures, full of humor, inspired me a lot because he preached the profound Truth in a way that we can easily understand it. When he gave a lecture, it was as if he was talking to his own children. I am so sorry to say that I felt very sleepy when I listened to his talk for the first time in 1987, however, as I practiced Shinsokan Meditation everyday and deepened my understanding of the Truth, I came to understand the value of his lectures, and consequently, I was all ears listening to him.

　　I remember an incident that took place during his guidance. It was when I worked for the Youth and Young Adult Association (YYAA) Department at Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters as a staff giving guidance to middle and high school students. I attended a biannual YYAA Central Committee Meeting, the highest decision-making body of the YYAA. There were about 20 attendees at the meeting where we directly received guidance from Rev. Seicho. At that time, I was very young, 25 years old, and the youngest attendee, therefore I was very nervous during the meeting.

　　At the end of the meeting, Rev. Seicho gave his concluding remarks. We were supposed to record his message by writing in the minutes so that we could share it with other YYAA leaders. For that purpose, four members were assigned to write down his speech, and later we were supposed to check with each other and wrap up the minutes.

　　At the Central Committee Meeting in January 1994, Rev. Seicho earnestly gave us inspiring guidance on Shinsokan Meditation as follows: "Please give guidance to leaders in the Missionary Area to have even elementary school children practice Shinsokan Meditation. Even if they are very young, it is not enough for them to do only prayers at Spiritual Training Seminars, etc. For example, when learning to play the piano, they use a real piano, don't they? They cannot improve their skill by playing on a toy piano. In this way, to practice Shinsokan is necessary...." He wholeheartedly taught us the importance of Shinsokan for about twenty minutes or so. I felt it was just what a soul-stirring guidance should be. Although 15 years have passed since then, I can clearly remember that day.

　　This incident took place just after the meeting. When the four attendees assigned to write down Rev. Seicho's message checked their writings with each other, one of them wrote almost nothing. According to him, Rev. Takashi Koseki, he was so impressed with Rev. Seicho's message that he completely forgot his assignment and unconsciously concentrated on listening by placing his hands together in prayer. This example shows how much the attendees were moved by the message.

　　Moreover, Rev. Seicho contributed to the Seicho-No-Ie movement from the perspective of art. Let me introduce a comment on this matter by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie.

In addition to his writings, lectures and organizational management, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi contributed greatly to the growth and development of the Seicho-No-Ie Movement. That is through the lyrics and music he wrote and composed. Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi wrote the lyrics to many wonderful Seicho-No-Ie hymns; however he did not compose music. Rev. Seicho played the violin, piano, and organ, and also composed music. About a third of the Seicho-No-Ie hymns today are Rev. Seicho's compositions. More specifically, of the 68 hymns that are included in the "New Edition, Seicho-No-Ie Hymn Lyrics" published in 2003, 20 are pieces with lyrics by Rev. Seicho, and of those 20, 15 were hymns that he also composed. Rev. Seicho's compositions were not caught up in form, but were filled with religious originality that deeply moved those who sang them. I feel this can be said not only about his lyrics but also about the musical composition themselves. (Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's blog, Let Me Tell You, posted on October 29, 2008)

　　I hope from the bottom of my heart some of those lyrics will be transated into English and sung in the English-speaking countries.

　　Again, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to all of the guidance recieved from Rev. Seicho Taniguchi and resolve to promote God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement - International Peace by Faith Movement enthusiastically under the guidance of Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi who has succeeded Rev. Seicho.

Rev. Seicho Taniguchi's Last Article

2008-11-22T08:12:00.001+09:00

I sincerely and respectfully place the last article of Rev. Seicho which was written on January 10, 2008.

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About True Love
Rev. Seicho Taniguchi

Expression of Love
　　There are various ways to express love in this world. One can say that our life is a place to express our love. God is love. In other words, love transcends like or dislike from the beginning. Love has no boundaries.
　　One day I heard on the radio that Princess Aiko, the daughter of Prince Naruhiko and Princess Masako, went to a sumo match. If I am correct, the radio announcer said Princess Aiko and her mother Princess Masako are fans of Kotomitsuki, a sumo wrestler of the second highest rank, and Hakuho, a Mongolian sumo wrestler of the highest rank. They seemed to enjoy the match. This proves that Princess Masako's condition has stabilized, and there is no need to worry about her. (Editor's note: Princess Masako was reportedly recuperating from sadjustment disorder).

Phenomenal World
　　You must not be attached to the world of false image and phenomena, and forget the eternal infinity of the world of true existence. The "phenomenal world" is imperfect. It's not enough for you to hope that only your own country is safe. If you love only your country, since that love is distorted, it is imperfect. In the same way, love that is given exclusively to the sick is also imperfect. Love cannot be measured materially. It temporarily appears in the world of the five or six senses.
　　There seems to be some who have stopped taking medicine regardless of the fact that Seicho-No-Ie does not teach that you must not take prescribed medication. It is erroneous to think that “all you have to do is practice Shinsokan Meditation and read the Holy Sutras whole-heartedly and avoid taking medicine." Since the "Divine Message of Seicho-No-Ie Meals" says how you should take medicine, I hope you will read it carefully.
　　It is a fact that as I, Seicho Taniguchi, have been getting on in years, my physical body is deteriorating. However, we can say that this physical body is nothing but a temporal instrument borrowed from God.
　　It may not be accurate but I remember among Founder Masaharu Taniguchi's words was the following message: It is wrong to think that Seicho-No-Ie is a narrow-minded, distorted religion that "all you have to do is practice Shinsokan Meditation and read the Holy Sutras whole-heartedly and avoid taking medicine." This may be his handwritten article printed earlier. The great and fundamental Truth of Seicho-No-Ie is unchangeable. I hope you will comprehend the Seicho-No-Ie doctrines.

Seicho-No-Ie's Meal
　　A meal is something very important in our life. You can think of it as the "source" which sustains our physical body to live. The "Divine Message of Seicho-No-Ie Meals," is as follows:

　　It is written in the Holy Bible that when we make offerings at the altar of God, we must first become reconciled with our brothers. We must do the same thing when we take a meal, for taking a meal is really the most solemn ceremony that we undertake in which we make an offering to God who dwells within us. We take the first dish believing that it is an offering to God whereby our past sins of hate and anger, mistakenly committed against others, will be forgiven by God. We take the second dish believing that it is an offering to God whereby the sins of all persons will be forgiven by God. We take the third dish believing that it is an offering to God whereby, under his protection, we will not repeat the sins of hating and becoming angry at our neighbors ever again. And fourthly, we take a drink of water believing that it is an offering to God symbolizing the thorough washing away of the sins of all persons from our mind. If anyone has to take medicine for his illness, he should divide it into four portions and take each portion with the same thoughts as above. He shall then be cured of his disease quickly without fail. When we forgive the sins of all other people, it is because we, too, must be forgiven of all our errors and sins by God, the Grand Life. If we were to close our mind and refuse to forgive others, the healing power of the Grand Life would also be turned off and would not, therefore, flow into us. (Message from the Spirit of the Lord on November 4, 1930)

January 10, 2008

What is Seicho-No-Ie?

2008-11-10T16:36:00.002+09:00

This is my lecture draft on "What is Seicho-No-Ie" presented at 2008 Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Public Lecture at Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu on Noveberm 9.
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　　　Thank you very much. Welcome to this Public Lecture that Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii annually sponsors in the fall. We have been looking forward to seeing you. My name is Rev. Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief of SNI Hawaii Missionary Area, the person responsible for all propagation activities of SNI Hawaii. I am very pleased to see you all. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you. Thank you very much.

　　　Today, we are honored to welcome Rev. Bruce Mallery, Chief of SNI New York Missionary Area, as our guest speaker. Rev. Mallery, I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to you for coming all the way to Hawaii from New York to give us your life-changing and inspiring lecture. Thank you very much.

　　　Now I would like to talk about what Seicho-No-Ie is and how it started. Seicho-No-Ie was founded by Masaharu Taniguchi in March 1930 in Kobe, Japan. He published a monthly private magazine named "Seicho-No-Ie." "Seicho-No-Ie" means "The Home of Infinite Life, Wisdom, and Abundance."

　　　Before publishing the magazine, our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi studied and researched various eastern and western religions and philosophies in the world. He also experienced a position that put him in trouble with capitalists and laborers, and saw lots of vulnerable workers who were exploited by those in power. He meditated and deeply pondered "What is God?" and "What is a human being?" He once belonged to Omotokyo, a branch of Shintoism. In that organization he became a lecturer and lectured on the Last Judgement. However, he gradually lost his faith in God because he thought that God exists in this world, why couldn't He save those who were suffering? Around that period, the stock market crashed, which brought the Great Depression. The Great Depression caused other major financial problems in Japan the following year in 1930. The entire world including the U.S. and Japan saw lots of unemployment, and there was a war beginning in China, which led to World War 2.

　　　Regarding that situation, our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi once denied God because he thought that such a God who could not save people did not deserve to be called God. However, no matter how much he denied God, his deep-rooted desire to seek the real God who cannot help but save people was bubbling forth within, therefore, he continued his meditation and contemplation seeking the "Real God." One day, Our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi had a revelation from God which he himself described as follows:

One day, I was meditating with eyes closed and hands held in prayer in the hope of receiving a revelation of the Truth. Perhaps it was coincidence or perhaps it was God's guidance, but at that time I happened to think of the words, "matter is at once emptiness," which is a phrase out of the Buddhist scriptures. Then out of nowhere, a voice like a huge wave, low but intense, soft and yet overpowering, came to me:

　　 "Matter does not exist!" the voice said.
　　 Then, I wondered whether my mind existed.
　　Instantly the voice replied, "The mind also does not exist!"
　　 "If there is no mind, does that mean that there is nothing?"
　　I asked the owner of the voice once again.
　　"There is the True Image!" the voice replied clearly.
　　"Then what is the True Image?" I asked.
　　"The True Image is God. What exists is only God... only the Mind of God and the manifestation of the Mind of God. This is the Truth."

　　　After he found the true God of absolute goodness and love, he was impelled to share his enlightenment with as many people as possible, and started to write a magazine. He published one thousand copies of the magazine in March 1930 at his own expense, and distributed them to his friends, colleagues, and others free of charge. Since the articles written in the magazine were about the joy of living and the joy of knowing one's own True Image, they inspired many readers; as a result, thank-you letters such as disease healing, family problems resolved, and others were rushed to him.

　　　After publishing the magazines, he continued to issue the magazine and also held a home meeting for the readers. Those people who were impressed with his articles conveyed their joy to people they know one after another. Later Founder Taniguchi established an edification organization for the readers. However, when he tried to register the organization to the Japanese government, they ordered him to register as a religious organization because it brought salvations to many. Since then, Seicho-No-Ie has been registered as a religious organization.

　　　One of the characteristics of our movement is that the phrase, "God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement" was used from the inaugural issue. Founder Taniguchi sincerely desired to deliver his thought to all people worldwide and thereby establish a heaven on earth. He meant to be helpful not only to individuals but also to the nations and all humanity.

　　　As his resolution, he traveled all over Japan and also came to the U.S. including Hawaii and went on to Brazil and other South American countries and European countries to convey the teachings and share the joy of living. His legacy was praised by many people including Rev. Roy Eugene Davis, a New Thought minister. He wrote a book titled, "Miracle Man of Japan" in 1973. His book was revised this year and is now on sale at the reception table.

　　　55 years after the founding of SNI, Founder Masaharu Taniguchi passed away on June 17, 1985, in Nagasaki, Japan. His last words were, "Disease does not exist. Delusion does not exist. Sin does not exist. This is the basic teaching of Seicho-No-Ie. Dear God, I shall now allow myself to rest," which were repeated twice before leaving this physical world.

　　　The flame of Seicho-No-Ie that was lit by Founder Taniguchi was passed to and taken up by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi. As President of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, through his writings and lectures, provided guidance regarding the teachings not only in Japan but also around the world, and dedicated himself daily to the development of the Movement and the Organization. His books, filled with beautiful real stories about people's salvation and improvement in their life, are especially popular throughout the world. You can see and buy some SNI books at the reception table. "Open the Doors of Your Life," vol. 1,2,3, edited by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, Truth of Life, vol. 11 written by Founder Taniguchi, Messages of Wisdom and Love written by Rev. Seicho are designated as today's text books.

　　　Other than writing articles, giving lectures, and managing an organization, Rev. Seicho manifested his inner ability as a child of God by composing songs, taking photos, and writing calligraphy. Even when he was over 80, he used to walk to his office in 20 minutes picking up rubbish along the way. It shows that he not only preached a sermon, but he also practiced what he preached. October 28, about 10 days ago, he completed his 89 year-old life and peacefully made a transition to a high spiritual world.

　　　After Rev. Seicho, the flame of Truth was received by the Acting President/Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi. He is extremely busy with his writings and providing guidance at various events, and also manages to provide guidance at the "Seicho-No-Ie Lecture Meetings" at all fifty-nine missionary areas throughout Japan.

　　　After Rev. Masanobu assumed the post of Vice President of SNI, he's been paying attention to realizing world peace by spreading the truth, which had brought about harmony to individuals and homes since SNI's founding. This movement is called International Peace by Faith Movement and was launched in early 1990.

　　　In 1992, Rev. Masanobu visited the United States and Canada; the following year, 1993, he visited Brazil, returned to the United States again in 1994, and in 1995 traveled to Taiwan and Hong Kong to propagate SNI. He again came to the United States both in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and, in August of last year, he came to New York to provide us with his guidance at an event, in which leaders from nine different countries, including Brazil and other Latin American countries participated.

　　　In the history of humankind it can be said there is a history of war. War in Iraq or Afghanistan was focused on this presidential campaign. Every single person in the world doesn't want war, however, there are still many wars around the world. In Seicho-No-Ie, we are promoting a movement that aims at world peace by disseminating a faith in God of absolute goodness and love, and controlling our mind appropriately.

　　　Furthermore, SNI is now focusing on global environment preservation activities. Based upon our basic principle, every man and woman and everything is a manifestation of the life of God. We consider the key to resolve the problems having to do with our environment is to live a life of faith in gratitude to the blessings of Nature, and to revere the life that is in the mountains, rivers, grasses, trees, minerals, and energy, as manifestations of the life of God, life of Buddha, always keeping in mind that we are all one in life.

　　　In order to do this, Seicho-No-Ie has implemented measures to receive ISO14001 certification which is a barometer of international compliance to resolving environmental issues. Recently, a bimonthly magazine called ISO Management Systems, published by the ISO Headquarters located in Geneva, Switzerland, had an article in the July-August 2008 issue that SNI Japan acquired ISO14001 certification among its 66 missionary centers, spiritual training centers, and other sites in Japan and that SNI in the U.S., Brazil and Taiwan are also trying to acquire that certification by 2011. Now other religions have started to show interest in obtaining this certification. For example, just a few months ago, a SNI minister was invited to the largest Buddhist group in Japan to talk about our activities and they decided to make an effort to get the certification by following us.

　　　Lastly, I would like to introduce Rev. Bruce Mallery. He is the person responsible for the SNI propagation activities in NY. He was born to a Protestant minister's family and discovered SNI through Truth of Life magazine, which is our monthly magazine published by SNI US Missionary Headquarters. He was impressed with SNI because the teachings emphasize bringing the Truth into our daily life and joined the SNI US Headquarters in Gardena, California in 1994. His lecture is so inspiring and soul-stirring, therefore, he was sought after by every SNI Missionary Area in the U.S. If you listen to his lecture carefully and put a thing or two into practice in your daily life, I firmly believe your life will change in the direction you want.

This concludes my lecture. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

2008 November Message

2008-11-02T17:37:00.001+09:00

Let Us Propagate the Teachings Sincerely, Correctly, and Enthusiasitically
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　　Today is October 12, the last day of the Seicho-No-Ie Inc., Board of Directors In-Person Meeting in LA. Before going to LAX, I am writing this article at the U.S. Missionary Headquarters. I suppose you will receive this Newsletter just before the Public Lectures. Let me ask you once again to invite as many people as possible to these wonderful inspiring events.

　　　At this meeting, the Board of Directors of Seicho-No-Ie, Inc. and the ordained ministers assigned to the U.S exchanged ideas proactively for further development of our movement, and I was very impressed with their sincerity and great passion to propagate the teachings based on Seicho-No-Ie, Inc.'s policy. The point, "to propagate the teachings based on Seicho-No-Ie, Inc.'s policy," should be greatly emphasized. The more enthusiasm you have, the more you should be careful about going in the right direction, otherwise you go with the wind.

　　　Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, once taught the following: There is a printing company whose employees work very hard. They worked diligently to the extent they didn't have any rest for three days and nights over a certain printing order. Their efforts paid off and they completed the order on time. After a while, however, all of those employees were arrested. What happened?

　　　To tell the truth, what they were printing for three days and nights without any sleep was fake bills. Although they had the enthusiasm and energy, they were heading in the wrong direction. This is an extreme case, but we can learn from this case in terms of propagation of the teachings.

　　　Since the advent of Seicho-No-Ie, organizations that seemed to expound a similar teaching appeared and disappeared just as when a masterpiece is created, a fake is circulated. This made our Founder Masaharu Taniguchi feel so bewildered that he taught we should not be deceived by an imitation and that there was a difference between being similar and the same.

　　　Certainly, one of the most important pillars of the Seicho-No-Ie teachings is that all religions emanate from one universal God. However, if you think all other religions are the same as Seicho-No-Ie or you can go to any organization without discretion, it is a misunderstanding of the teaching that all religions come from one universal source. Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi clearly taught, "Other than the religions that appeared like mushrooms after a rain and disappeared soon after, the religions that have lasted for several hundred years and failed to cease illuminating people profess the great truth for salvation." ("365 Golden Keys to the Wisdom of Life," p. 54)

　　　As I reiterated on this monthly message, the center of the SNI teachings is the will of God and the will of Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi is the unfoldment of the will of God. That is why as you practice Shinsokan Meditation, read the books of Dr. Taniguchi, Rev. Seicho and Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi who succeeded Dr. Taniguchi's will, learn from and convey those teachings, for the first time, you will feel joy as a member of Seicho-No-Ie and the joy of propagation will bubble forth.

　　　Various organizations including religious ones have their own ideas, purpose, and approach. Some are worthy of respect and others are not. Since its founding, Seicho-No-Ie has carried out its propagation in its own way. We worked together with other groups on one occasion, while we didn’t on other occasions. It sometimes worked and sometimes failed. Now, our policy is to be very careful when doing so.

　　　I would like to ask all of you to keep in mind that the only way that makes Dr. Taniguchi happy is for us to learn, practice, and propagate "the Seicho-No-Ie teachings" wholeheartedly, correctly and enthusiastically everyday. And by doing so, you can experience a spiritual joy that comes from the universal God that also dwells within you. Thank you very much.

My Trip to Vancouver

2008-10-22T16:37:00.000+09:00

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

Terumi Abe's Testimony

2008-10-15T17:38:00.000+09:00

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.

2008 October Message

2008-10-02T06:43:00.004+09:00

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.

Our Trip to Northern California

2008-09-30T17:25:00.003+09:00

My family and I went to San Jose to attend a Japanese Spiritual Training Seminar sponsored by Seicho-No-Ie Northern California Missionary Area from September 26 to 29. I was invited as a guest speaker at that event. About 50 people participated the seminar at which we've got a lot of inspiration and wonderful memories. At the last part of the seminar, there was a time for every participant to make a resolution. That many of them resolved to propagate the teachings more enthusiastically really impressed me. Thank you very much for the hospitalities and kindness that provided us.

　　　Other than the seminar, one of what I noticed was the foods they served at the seminar were very similar to the foods what we ate in Japan. In other words, the Japanese foods we eat in Hawaii are a little bit different from the ones we had in Japan. To tell the truth, just after I came to Hawaii, I was disappointed with the Japanese foods because they were not exactly what I expected. To me, it was even the fly in the ointment. However, as I made an adjustment my life in Hawaii, I came to understand the fact that the Japanese foods are deeply rooted in the culture of Hawaii. That is why a taste is fine-tuned suited to people here. From a perspective of a globalization of the Japanese foods, it should be highly appreciated.

　　　I think a similar thing is applied to religion. Let us consider a case where a religion originated in country A is passed on to country B. If that religion is not changed at all, it means the religion is not taken root in country B. On the contrary, if that religion is fine-tuned and changed in accordance with the needs of people in country B, although their core messages are not changed, it means the religion is appreciated to people of country B. This is the reason why we need to change in rituals and ceremonies, which are the peripheral elements of religion, according to people, time, and places.

　　　By the way, after the seminar, on our way to the Hotel we stayed in San Francisco, Rev. Kawakami, Chief of the Missionary Area at that time, took us to Golden Gate Bridge. It was a windy and cold day.

　　　We appreciate to have such a priceless experience this time.

-TA

There Is No Such Thing As "Coincidence"

2008-09-24T16:12:00.000+09:00

Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Hawaii Missionary Area

I wrote this article more than a year ago, however, since it may be intriguing, I posted today. I hope you will find it interesting.

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　　　Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, the founder of Seicho-No-Ie, once taught that there is no such thing as "coincidence." He also taught that we know SNI teachings today because of the good deeds we accumulated in the past. I truly experienced the teaching Dr. Taniguchi taught that there is no such thing as "coincidence" at "The Seicho-No-Ie 2007 U.S. Special Conference for World Peace with Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi" held in New York in early August.

　　　I left Honolulu in the evening of August 1 and arrived at JFK Airport in New York around noon on Aug. 2 by way of Atlanta. When I visited Seicho-No-Ie New York Center around 2 p.m. on August 3, I met many SNI leaders who came from Brazil, other Latin American countries, Germany, Britain, Japan, and the United States. Some were very familiar and others I met for the first time.

　　　The theme of the Conference was "Islam." It is very rare for Seicho-No-Ie to hold a conference or meeting concentrated on learning about other religions. However, on this special occasion, it was a magnificent attempt that we take Islam very seriously, for it has been giving the world a great impact as well as being number two in terms of number of believers. You also have information on the content of the Conference through Seicho-No-Ie Online, an electronic newsletter edited by Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters and in an article by Rev. Leslie Iwatani in the September newsletter.

　　　The Conference was filled with energy, brightness, warmth and sincerity which emanated from all the leaders. The first day's program began with a keynote lecture by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, a law professor at UCLA with a Ph.D. from Princeton University and Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Pennsylvania and is a highly respected jurist in Egypt, his native country, and Kuwait.

　　　To tell the truth, Dr. El Fadl suffers from brain tumor and is unable to lead an ordinary life including walking by himself. He is supposed to concentrate on meditation and reading spiritual books in his native country around this season and has kept this habit for more than ten years. However, he said in his lecture that he broke this practice to attend the Conference and flew directly to New York from his retreat in Cairo. According to a minister who took care of him at the Conference, when he arrived in NY the day before his lecture, his health seemed extremely bad that the minister wondered whether the doctor could fulfill his responsibility. However, Dr. El Fadl appeared at the podium almost on schedule and preached about Islam vividly and clearly in a standing position despite his condition. I saw from his performance his enthusiasm and a sense of mission that he could convey the true Islam. He focused on the fact that Islam teaches God is love and human beings are born to spread His divine attributes such as justice, mercy, compassion, goodness and beauty, and a jihad does not mean war but a struggle to overcome our ego, and so on. His presence deeply impressed all attendees so that the applause from the congregation continued for 10 minutes or so after his lecture.

　　　The following day, Reverend Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie, also gave an impressive lecture. He mentioned that there are many similar points between Islam and the Seicho-No-Ie teachings. I thought he courageously started to explore the world of Islam in a sincere manner that Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi took toward Christianity, Buddhism, and Shintoism. And Rev. Taniguchi taught that Islam is a very diversified and tolerant religion by quoting the following from the book The Great Theft by Dr. El Fadl.

　　　In Qur'anic usage, the phrase "People of the Book" refers to the followers of the Abrahamic faith, mostly Christians and Jews. (The reason I say mostly Christians and Jews is that the Qur'an mentions Sabians as well, but Muslim jurists extended the People of the Book status to Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Sikhs, and some jurists even added Confucians to the list.)(The Great Theft, p. 115)

　　　At Special Conferences recently held in the U.S. and Brazil in the past few years, Rev. Taniguchi explained that there is a central truth and peripheral truth in religious truth. By listening to his explanation, I am firmly convinced we can shake hands with Islam in terms of the central truth.

　　　In his lecture, Dr. El Fadl expressed over and over his appreciation to the warm hospitality from the Seicho-No-Ie leaders and seemed interested in the Seicho-No-Ie teachings. According to a minister who took care of the doctor, he said that he wants to purchase all the Seicho-No-Ie books available in English.

　　　Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi mentioned in his lecture how he found Dr. El Fadl's book. The following comes from Rev. Taniguchi's blog (available only in Japanese):

By the way, I actually wrote how I came to know Dr. El Fadl in the January 24, 2006, issue of my blog. In the article titled "Buying Books in New York" was a list of books that I purchased at a major bookstore in New York when I dropped by on my way home from the Special Conference held in Brazil. In the list was a book, "The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From the Extremists,"by Khaled Abou El Fadl (New York: Harper-Collins, 2005). If I did not enter the bookshop or find the book from the thousands of books, the theme of the Conference would have been completely different. The Seicho-No-Ie teachings tell us that there is no such thing as "coincidence;" I've never felt the significance of the word as much as I had this time. It reminded me of the story about Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi who discovered a book by Dr. Fenwick Holmes at a bookstore before he founded Seicho-No-Ie.
(Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's blog, "Random Thoughts" Aug 6, 2007)

　　　I myself also experienced an occasion that proves "there is no such thing as coincidence." On my way home from NY, I was scheduled to stop over in LA and fly to Honolulu. However, due to a flight delay from NY to LA, I ended up staying one more night at a hotel that the airline designated in LA. There I met a young man and woman who also had to stay one more night under the same circumstances. We talked and had dinner together at a hotel restaurant. The young woman, Diane, lives somewhere on the mainland but her mother lives in Kaneohe, just a five-minute drive from Jisso Center.

　　　The next day, Diane told me that she had talked about Seicho-No-Ie to her mother on the phone and the mother seemed interested in the teachings. Actually when she came to the Honolulu International Airport to meet Diane, I talked to her about Seicho-No-Ie and was asked whether Seicho-No-Ie has Sunday Services. I gave her the August issue of Truth of Life and some SNI books.

　　　There was another wonderful opportunity for me to convey the teachings of SNI. On my flight from LA to Honolulu, a guy next to me over the aisle talked to me just after I finished reading the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines:

　　　"What is that book? I felt spiritual vibrations coming from it."

　　　I was extremely pleased to hear that and explained the teachings of SNI wholeheartedly. As he seemed to be interested in the teachings, I gave him the Sutra and recommended he read it. He read it in one breath and shouted, "This is what I've been seeking for a long time!" He thanked me for the Sutra over and over again after arriving at Honolulu International Airport.

　　　The Special Conference gave me not only a great opportunity to learn the heart and essence of the SNI teachings but also to learn what it means for me.

Address At Jisso Center 25th Anniversary, Sep. 2008

2008-09-08T16:48:00.002+09:00

September 7, 2008
Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Jisso Center

　　This is my address at the Jisso Center 25th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony titled, "Bright Future Is In Our Hands."

　　As we conclude the Jisso Center 25th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony, I, as Acting Chief of Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area, would like to address about how we can proceed toward a bright future. Throughout the speeches presented at this ceremony, I could understand how the construction of Jisso Center was planned and built, and learned that the loving thoughts of many predecessors including Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, and the fruits of their efforts, sweat, and gratitude led to the construction of Jisso Center and made the Center what it is today. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to every one of them from the bottom of my heart.

　　One of the three major principles of the Seicho-No-Ie teachings is the phenomenal world is a reflection of our mind. It means that our physical body and our destiny are a reflection of our mind and it also means that this building is a reflections of all concerned who worked on its design and construction. Therefore, the loving thoughts of Dr. Taniguchi are resounding, the loving thoughts of International Headquarters are permeating, and a sense of gratitude and joy of all those were enlightened by attending spiritual training seminars and other events held at the Center are resonating throughout the facility. Since the Center is filled with a vibration of joy and gratitude, loving thoughts, everyone who attended an event here is aware of being a child of God, is reborn, and manifests the will of God, which will finally lead to the basics of true world peace.

　　　Throught the dedication of those with a deep awareness of the Truth of Life, and a strong desire to illuminate the life of all humankind, there are many "Seicho-No-Ie" families in Hawaii. Those members sincerely respected and entrusted in Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi, put his teachings into their daily lives, and happily shared the teachings with families, relatives, neighbors, communities, and others.

　　　Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi single-mindedly desired the happiness of all mankind, and the grand harmony of the whole universe, totally devoted himself to God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement, and advanced to a high spiritual world in 1985. His desire was sincerely conveyed to his successor, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, and the desire is now conveyed to Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of SNI. This transition should be worthy of note.

　　　Then, SNI International Headquarters discussed how to realize Dr. Taniguchi's desire, that is to say, to propagate the teachings to all mankind, and reached the following conclusion: to promote the movement to disseminate the teachings throughout the world in English. As you already know the number of English-speaking population is said to be 1 billion or 1.5 billion worldwide and the language is spoken all over the world. On the contrary, Japanese, the language of SNI's birthplace, is only spoken by 130 million people. If we wholeheartedly want to promote God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement ---- this is a movement to brighten the thought of all human beings ---- we must spread the teachings in English. International Headquarters pondered that it is essential to propagate the teachings in the United States, the country that has the greatest impact on world economy, politics, and all fields, and it is the only way to realize the will of God and the will of Dr. Taniguchi. The Headquarters named the movement "International Peace by Faith Movement" and started it in 1993.

　　　Based on its concept, the International Spiritual Training Center was established in New York, and the International Spiritual Training Seminar or ISTS which is aimed mainly at new- comers started in 1995. ISTS is also an opportunity to nurture leaders to shoulder the propagation in English. Among the 44th ISTSs held so far, Jisso Center offered its facility to 6 ISTSs and welcomed attendees from all over the world.

　　　In the ISTS, we are taking unprecedented steps in the history of SNI. One of them is a change in the rituals and ceremonies. Since SNI was founded and spread in Japan, the procedure of rituals and ceremonies were in line with the Japanese cultural background. To put it simply, SNI adopted the Shinto style because it is the least controversial. In this regard, Dr. Taniguchi taught that "there are no so-called Seicho-No-Ie ceremonies." Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi gave further explanation on this matter as follows: "Notwithstanding the worth of these ritualistic manifestations, the Truth ---- God's message to us which lies behind them ---- far surpasses these manifestations in importance."

　　　Shinto style rituals may be favored by some westerners or others who like the Japanese culture; however, they are not favored by people in China and Korea, and they are not necessarily accepted by the average Americans or Europeans. Therefore, to fit the rituals and ceremonies to the American people, leaders in the U.S., purposely excluded Japanese leaders, and fully discussed and decided to remove the bow and clap when worshipping God. This new method was adopted by the ISTS from the beginning and we started to use this method at English seminars, services, and meetings since this June in the Hawaii Missionary Area .

　　　Please note that these changes have been made to have Dr. Taniguchi's magnificent dream come true, the dream ---- to convey the teachings to all human beings. And also to practice the following teaching; "To express life, a form is always necessary; however, at the same time, we must throw away that form of expression. The same applies to Seicho-No-Ie."

　　　Moreover Dr. Taniguchi contributed to our society, nation, and the world by putting the teachings into practice. The same things are being done by the President and Vice President. What humanity has to deal with urgently right now is the issue of global environment. Nowadays, almost everyone raises this issue including presidential candidates; however, Rev. Masanobu started to touch upon this matter more than 15 years ago. What a foresight he has! Furthermore, SNI is not just a global environment preservation group but a religious group to educate everyone that the whole universe is a manifestation of the life of God. By raising an awareness among people that everything is a manifestation of the life of God, and being a role model for religious practitioners, we believe we can contribute to solving this environmental problem and bequeathing this beautiful earth to the next generation.

　　　In this way, what SNI International Headquarters is carrying out is nothing more than the application of what Dr. Taniguchi taught for this day and age, and when we unite together in harmony based upon their policy as an international family of Seicho-No-Ie, I believe our movement will catch a wave and grow and grow in intensity.

　　　The points I would like to address here is to have you understand correctly what is going on now, return to the basics wholeheartedly, and create a new movement in accordance with the guidance from the current leaders. By doing so, I believe our future becomes much brighter and we can change the world as it should be because we have so many wonderful members and friends in Hawaii and we are all children of God with infinite power and potentiial. This concludes my remarks. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

2008 September Message

2008-09-02T16:44:00.002+09:00

To Revere the Center (3)
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　In the July and August issues of this Newsletter, I wrote the articles, "To Revere the Center." This month, I will talk about the Seicho-No-Ie movement in reference to the same title. Reviewing what I mentioned before, the True-Image World created by God has an unshakable center, and when we live life with a mindset to revere the center, our life will be well organized, and a "paradise on earth" ―a manifestation of the True Image World-will appear.

　　As I write this article, it is the opening day of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In the Olympics, there are several kinds of team competitions such as baseball, volleyball, and soccer. One characteristic of the teams is to be well organized with a manager or captain at the center. Since all the team players should be top-notch, they must direct their individual ideas toward their game plans, however once the game plan is decided, they play in perfect coordination by sincerely carrying out their roles which will lead to their triumphs. It goes without saying that their daily efforts will bear a wonderful result.

　　"God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement" is the movement that Seicho-No-Ie has been promoting since its founding. Its goal is magnificent. Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi envisioned a big dream to enlighten all humanity by disseminating the teachings. In other words, both his and the movement's ultimate goal is to realize world peace through true faith. For this reason, we meditate on the "Prayer for World Peace" whenever we practice Shinsokan and in the opening and closing prayers at our events. Please note that the "Affirmation" is originally also a prayer for world peace. It was revealed to Dr. Taniguchi when he sincerely prayed for world peace when a significant incident occurred in Japan in 1936.

　　Then, what is the center of our movement? Needless to say, it is the will of God. This is why we should sincerely listen to "God's will" with our heart by practicing Shinsokan Meditation every day. However, if individual members were to claim that whatever came to their mind was the will of God, we cannot maintain order in our organization. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that we have a central figure. Dr. Taniguchi, in order to ensure orderly succession, made it thoroughly clear that after his demise, Seicho-No-Ie will continue to fulfill its aims without losing the center.

　　"Lord of Seicho-No-Ie ― President/Vice President ― Teachings of Seicho-No-Ie. The members of Seicho-No-Ie should never forget the unfoldment of the will of God uniting and permeating the above three as the immutable center of the Enlightenment Movement."
　　This comes from Article Nine of "A Guideline for the Seicho-No-Ie Humanity Enlightenment Movement." Dr. Taniguchi expounded on its meaning as follows; "You should keep in sight what is at the core of the Enlightenment Movement regardless of its expansion over a wide range and increase in the complexity of the propagational areas. As described in this Article, the "Teachings of Seicho-No-Ie" follows "President/Vice President which in turn follows "Lord of Seicho-No-Ie." This indicates the order in which the teachings are passed down from their original source."

　　Some SNI followers say that the President and Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie are not repeating every word and phrase expounded by Dr. Taniguchi. I have to say that this is a view of the fundamentalists and it is NEVER the will of Dr. Taniguchi or the will of God. Dr. Taniguchi wholeheartedly placed his trust in the next President, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, who inherited the teachings of Seicho-No-Ie, and in the same way, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi has passed them on to his successor, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, the Vice President.

　　As we deepen our awareness that the will of Dr. Taniguchi is being passed on to the President and Vice President, our movement, under the guidance of Dr. Taniguchi from a high spiritual plane, is moving forward in unfolding the International Peace by Faith Movement to bring about true world peace, hand in hand with Seicho-No-Ie U.S. Missionary Headquarters and Seicho-No-Ie International Headquarters.

Manami's school life (Aug. 2008)

2008-09-01T16:53:00.000+09:00

Manami's teacher, Mrs. Amy, sent us further photos that tell me how her life in the school is going on. Photos are very helpful because we can enjoy and share even with my families in Japan. Thank you, Amy!

-TA

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Aloha!
I thought you might like to see some of these- Manami is always very interested in doing the art projects! Enjoy!

This was today at circle time- the children were all showing happy faces when we were talking about feelings.

Experimenting with stamps

This was today- Manami and Taisha using stamps. Each stamp is a face that shows a different feeling.

Manami doing her "Me Collage"- the cut and paste activity where the children looked trough magazines for things they really liked and cut and pasted them on paper. Manami really liked this one!

Manami and Aulani fingerpainting with shaving cream

I couldn't remember if I sent you this one- Manami and Summer were so proud that they traced their names.

Kauai One-day Trip

2008-08-25T14:20:00.008+09:00

Today I went to Kauai island, for the first time, to learn the wonderful SNI teachings, how we should deal with envrionment issue as a practioner of God's love, and so on, with the distinguished members there, and spent a meaningful day.

　　　　This time it was an one-day trip, therefore, I got aboard an airplane that departed 7:15 a.m. Honolulu Airport. That is why I had to leave home 5:30 a.m. A flight time is 15-20 minutes. The island is close to Oahu, however, airplane is only available to come and go to the island. Let me show you some photos.

　　Seicho-No-Ie facility. It is nothing less than "Building in the Green." It was built in 1971.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Grope Photo

　This is a tree of avocado in the garden of Mr. and Mrs. David Hamada, President of SNI Kauai. He quickly took two pieces of them and gave me as a sourvenir.

　Last one is a move of natural water sprout.

　Mrs. Hamada contributed her impression to SNI Hawaii Newsletter on my visit. Thank you very much for your kindness and hospitality! Here is Mrs. Hamada's Message.
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　　　　The members of Seicho-No-Ie Kauai were honored by the presence of Rev. Tetsuya Abe on Sunday, August 24, 2008, his one-day visit to Kauai.
　　　　The day's activities began with our Sunday Service at 9:30 a.m., with Rev. Abe as guest speaker. Rev. Abe briefly spoke about his life raised in a Seicho-No-Ie home. He fondly mentioned how his grandparents and parents, whose devotion to the teachings had a great spiritual influence in his life. Rev. Abe continued to inspire us as he reminded us that, "God is Absolute and all-powerful.” And when we believe in God with sincere faith, all things are possible. We must also express sincere gratitude to all people and all things, for this is the key to happiness.
　　　　After our Sunday Service we all joined in fellowship and enjoyed a delicious lunch that was prepared by our ladies.
　　　　At our afternoon session, Rev. Abe spent time to explain the reason for the (new) changes in the Seicho-No-Ie rituals and ceremonies as well as changes in our Sunday Service procedures. He also mentioned that the "Future Goals of Seicho-No-Ie” is to implement these necessary changes in order to reach out to the young generation as well as other ethnic groups. He mentioned that we must enforce the realization of "World Peace” through our heartfelt gratitude and sincere love for mankind…and in Truth become one with each other and one with God.
　　　　NO one, not even Rev. Abe, leaves our Garden Island before first taking in some of Kauai's scenic spots. So thanks to our "Hawaiian” tour guide, David "Kawika” Hamada, Rev. Abe was able to experience a little bit of "Beautiful Kauai.”
　　　　Our sincere appreciation, Rev. Abe, for your very inspiring visit to our Center. Thank you very much

-TA

Family Reunion

2008-08-23T17:46:00.002+09:00

My younger sister with her husband, 7 year-old, and 3 year-old daughters, came to Hawaii from Japan for sightseeing. We had a very nice time exploring undersea by submarine and dining at a fancy restaurant, and so on.

Though taken against the sun, but this is the only group photo of the day

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Boarding

This is the submarine we took

Everybody was paying attention to the fishes

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Pali Lookout

　　Beacon fire at the restaurant. Whenever I came, I worry about what if those leaves catch the fire...　

Thanks to their visitation, we had a very happy time and enjoyed our company. Thank you! Lastly, let me share a video recorded inside the submarine.

-TA

New Semester

2008-08-09T08:22:00.006+09:00

My daughter, Manami, went back to school after a week vacation. During the week, she seemed to miss the classes, teachers, and friends. The school started a new semester from last week, and Manami got a new teacher, Ms. Amy. She is so great, beautiful and attentive that she sent us parents some photos of Manami at her class. We feel very happy to look at them.

Let me share those photos with her comments.
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Here, Manami is working with Summer, Gianna and Taisha at the writing center.

Manami was interested in the play sushi in the home center. We are trying to incorporate things from the Japanese culture into our class. We have kimono and Japanese style food and dishes. We also have some books with Japanese writing and music with both English and Japanese words in our listening center. We want Manami to know that her culture is important and that she truly belongs in our class.

Manami is trying a puzzle. She was able to complete it, and she can identify numbers in English.

Manami likes to work independently and with friends. She was working on puzzles with Kawehi.

Here is Manami with Jalei. This was taken a few weeks ago in Ms. Lois' class. Jalei is still in the 3-year-olds' class, so we don't get to see her very often. She and Manami got along well and used to sit together at lunch.

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Manami is only the Japanese at the school, however, she now enjoys attending classes in English, which I believe will make her huge benefits in the future.

-TA

2008 August Message

2008-08-02T09:29:00.001+09:00

To Revere the Center (2)
Rev. Tetsuya Abe
　　Acting Chief, Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Missionary Area

　　Mrs. Cindy Murakami was born in 1938 as the eldest daughter among four siblings in Sendai, in northern Japan. Her family ran a bakery, however her father didn't work seriously. He drank from morning till night and was violent to his family. His wife was so fearful that she could do nothing to improve the situation. In this way, Mrs. Murakami had a difficult time as a child.

　　When she was in high school, she fell in love with an American soldier stationed in the city and married him when she was 19. After their marriage, they came to Hawaii, her husband's birthplace and started a new life. She was 9 months pregnant at that time. They dreamed of a happy life here, however that was not meant to be. Her husband spent lonely days when he was a child because his parents passed away very early. On the other hand, Mrs. Murakami spent hell-like days when she was a child; therefore, they didn't know how to create a happy and cheerful life and divorced less than a year after their marriage.

　　After a few years of sadness, she met her current husband at a coffee shop and got married, and they were immediately blessed with a son. However, their happiness didn't last long. Her husband, who was born and raised as the eldest son of a wealthy family, worked with a sincere attitude, but Mrs. Murakami, lived life with a spirit of defiance, so they could not be on good terms with each other. Now she can see him as an unselfish man with a good heart; however, she considered him as sloppy and spineless at that time. As a result of continuing to treat him with contempt, he gradually stopped providing for his family and started womanizing.

　　She was very disappointed with such a terrible marital relationship and another divorce came to her mind; however, she chose not to for some reason. Seeking salvation, she read various religious books. "I remember in my childhood when my grandma often took me to temples and I had a strong feeling that there was something that would save me," said Mrs. Murakami.

　　She once joined a Japanese religion, but it didn't satisfy her. One day, when she listened to a radio program on KZOO, she was captured by spiritually strong words such as "Man is a child of God" and "You can change your destiny by changing your mind." Having felt that this is exactly what she sought, she called Matlock Center and made an appointment for private counseling.

　　After consultation with resident minister, Rev. Mario Kawakami, she immediately joined SNI. By practicing Shinsokan Meditation and reading SNI books, she was able to solve many problems; however, she still could not be reconciled with her husband and another ten years had passed.

　　"I really want to change my destiny at any price," Mrs. Murakami thought and in the middle of February of this year came to me for private counseling. After listening to her life's story, I told her as follows: "Despite any situation you've encountered, your parents have always deeply loved you but they failed to manifest their love which they must have regretted. Since the center of your family is your ancestors and your husband, if you want to solve your problem in accordance with the SNI teachings, the only way is for you to worship the divinity of your husband and see his True Image. In fact, you do LOVE your husband." I concluded our counseling by encouraging her to attend the 44th International Spiritual Training Seminar (ISTS) to be held at Jisso Center at the end of the month.

　　As she listened to the lectures and practiced Shinsokan and other ceremonies at the ISTS, her feelings toward her husband has gradually changed from hatred to love. Among the attendees was the husband of Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara, Bishop, who came to Hawaii as a lecturer. She asked him the following question, "What makes a husband the happiest?" His answer was to be accepted and recognized by his wife. His words had a great impact on Mrs. Murakami.

　　Going back home, she started to practice the prayer of reconciliation to her husband and parents in a sincere manner. After a few days of practice, she unknowingly spoke tender words. It was her husband who was astonished and pleased. When she saw his delightful smile, the accumulated hatred and anger in her mind disappeared. Mr. and Mrs. Murakami are now running their own company making Hawaiian dancing dolls and it is a very prosperous business with rush orders. "Heaven comes to my home," said Mrs. Murakami.

　　Whatever your environment or family situation may be, when you revere and take care of the center, everything goes well harmoniously.

　　Special announcement: We will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Jisso Center on Sunday, September 7. Contemplating the significance of Jisso Center, let us make this the opportunity for our Missionary Area to advance God's Humanity Enlightenment Movement - International Peace by Faith Movement. Thank you very much.
(To be continued)

Unknowing Song

2008-07-28T13:42:00.003+09:00

Manami, my 3-year-old daughter, started to go to preschool from the beginning of this year. She is only the Japanese at the school, therefore, we worried about her and its situation. However, thanks to teachers' appropriate and kind guidance, she's got accustomed to this environment. Nowadays, she sings many English songs, but some of them are not understandable to me. Do you know what song she is singing? Another one she is singing is "Old Mac Donald."

-TA

2008 July Message

2008-07-02T13:37:00.002+09:00

July Message
To Revere Center
Rev. Tetsuya Abe, Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

　　One of the foremost teachings that Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi taught us is to revere the center. What we should place in the center of our life is the "will of God." Dr. Taniguchi taught us Shinsokan Meditation (to visualize God) since the founding of Seicho-No-Ie so that the SNI followers can directly know the will of God and live the life of God.

　　The True-Image World created by God is well organized and in harmony. The world has an unshakable center in that what should be placed on top is up, below is down, and everything is in good order. SNI teaches that there is no evil in the True-Image World, but the so-called “evil” can be defined as the state of being disorganized and in disharmony. Dr. Taniguchi staked his life to manifest the harmonious True-Image World into the phenomenal world by teaching us to revere the center.

　　For each and every one of us to live the life of God by practicing Shinsokan Meditation is important more than anything else; however, if people claim that only the ideas they conceive during Shinsokan are the will of God, chaos will come to our society. Therefore, our father and ancestors should be the center of our family, kings or presidents the center of our country, and this will truly make our homes or organizations function in an orderly and organized way.

　　Let’s suppose there is a family problem. A husband uses offensive language, drinks excessive alcohol outside the home, and seems to be having an affair. Their home is a complete mess. The wife of such a husband comes to Seicho-No-Ie seeking a solution. How should we deal with her?

　　I believe faithful readers of books by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi and Reverends Seicho and Masanobu Taniguchi already know how to solve the problem. First of all, the wife must show her reverence to her husband and visualize his True Image and see him as a perfect and consummate child of God. And she must reflect upon herself, "Did I look down on him or did I try to understand his feelings?" He might feel very lonely if treated coldly by his wife and other family members.

　　From the perspective of common sense, it is the husband who is to blame. However, from the perspective of "Life," we are each a child of God without exception. Therefore, SNI believes that true salvation will come when she changes her mind from seeing him as a "bad husband" to "wonderful child-of-God husband.”

　　You may be able to practice these measures at home, but it is often the case with SNI testimonies that there is a miraculous improvement in their lives by attending a Spiritual Training Seminar where all attendees come together and intensively practice the SNI teachings.

　　Recently, a woman whose relationship with her husband had deteriorated and on the verge of divorce attended the 44th International Spiritual Training Seminar held at Jisso Center in February 2008. After returning home, she wholeheartedly practiced what she had learned at the seminar. After a while, she was perfectly able to be reconciled with her husband and is now leading what she calls "a heavenly happy life." She is Mrs. Cindy Murakami of Hawaii Kai. (To be continued)

Address(6/15) _1

2008-06-16T13:23:00.001+09:00

Hello Everyone!

Thank you very much. Here is my address at Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi's 23rd Memorial Service at Seicho-No-Ie Hawaii Jisso Center on July 15th.

Rev. Tetsuya Abe
Acting Chief, SNI Hawaii Missionary Area

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Thank you very much for coming to Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi’s 23rd Memorial Service in spite of your busy schedules. Today is Father’s Day. It is the perfect opportunity for us to extend our sincere gratitude to our spiritual father, Dr. Taniguchi. Thank you very much.

As you know, Dr. Taniguchi founded Seicho-No-Ie in March 1930 by publishing the inaugural issue of “Seicho-No-Ie” magazine. He was 36 years old and Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi was 33 years old when they founded SNI. It means they were younger than I at that time. Therefore, Dr. Taniguchi’s articles were filled with energy, vitality and vivaciousness as well as inspiration from God.

Although disseminating religious teachings by publishing magazines and books, and even on the internet, is now taken for granted, in those days in Japan, to propagate by publication was considered highly advanced. Moreover, the inaugural issue had many articles which were originally written overseas in English. So for the average Japanese who was not familiar with, or not interested in, foreign affairs, Dr. Taniguchi’s message was not easily understandable. In other words, readers of the magazine needed to be very educated to fully understand his articles.

Therefore, in the early stages of the founding of Seicho-No-Ie, Dr. Taniguchi’s books were mainly read by intellectuals or highly-educated people and spread among them. Especially before World War II, reading of the Truth of Life series was considered proof of a well-cultured Japanese.

Dr. Taniguchi published 1,000 complimentary copies of the “Seicho-No-Ie” magazine and gave 10 or more copies to his friends who seemed to be interested in spiritual affairs or who came to faith meetings sponsored by Dr. Taniguchi, and asked them to distribute those magazines.

After a while, Dr. Taniguchi began receiving some thank-you letters. The people said their diseases were completely healed, or their destinies were really improved, simply by reading the magazine. Dr. Taniguchi was very surprised to see those letters because he had simply written about how we should live with a right outlook on our life. In other words, he published educational magazines for a better life and never dreamed of having such responses.

In addition to publishing the magazines, Dr. Taniguchi opened his home for a reader’s meeting and talked about the SNI way of living. Some of the believers who were impressed by Dr. Taniguchi’s teaching, followed his example and started to hold reader’s meetings in their homes or visited their relatives and friends who suffered from disease or other problems, and talked about Seicho-No-Ie. When they did this, diseases were healed and problems that agonized people were resolved.(To be continued)

Address(6/15)_2

2008-06-16T13:20:00.000+09:00

In the early days of SNI, Rev. Niro Hattori was said to be an expert in healing disease by talking about the teachings. He was a prominent sculptor in Japan. However, a magazine for artists stated that despite his excellence in sculpture, it was unfortunate that he was unable to leave lots of works because he spent so much time in religious activities as a topnotch disciple of Dr. Taniguchi.

Rev. Hattori was once detained on suspicion of healing many people’s diseases without authorization because the police thought it was illegal. The police secretly investigated and collected evidence to determine whether those who met Rev. Hattori were truly healed from their illnesses. However, Rev. Hattori responded to the policeman that he never healed diseases. “Those who listened to my talk spontaneously recovered from illness,” he said. This story spread throughout Japan and resulted in very good publicity for Seicho-No-Ie.

Around that time, a magazine called “Shufu-no-Tomo,” or a friend of housewives, which had a large circulation in Japan, featured Seicho-No-Ie and Dr. Taniguchi in their May 1935 issue. The title of the cover story was “To probe the truth of miraculous spiritual healing – what is Truth of Life that heals difficult diseases simply by telling a story.” Dr. Taniguchi was interviewed by a reporter from the magazine.

According to the Seicho-No-Ie fifty-year history book, from the day following the publication of the issue of that magazine, there were long lines in front of the SNI publication company seeking SNI books and magazines and SNI Headquarters received many calls from all over Japan. At the same time, Dr. Taniguchi and Seicho-No-Ie were criticized by educated people saying that it must be fake. To criticize anything that had a great impact on society is the way the world operates.

However, those good days didn’t last long. Japan was heading into World War II. Censorship was getting strict, and any articles that did not support the Japanese military actions could not be published. Paper was strictly controlled. As a result, SNI ceased to publish any books or articles.

Dr. Taniguchi was still giving lectures. However, as the situation of the war worsened, only lectures that stimulated the war were allowed, and he stopped giving lectures. He devoted himself to agricultural activities and worked all day producing cabbage, pumpkin and other vegetables in his yard. (To be continued)