2009 Founding Day Lecture

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

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

　　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

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

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.
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　　　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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

　　　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

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

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

　　　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