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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

　　　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.

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

There Is No Such Thing As "Coincidence"

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.

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

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

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)

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

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

　　　　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.
-------------------------------------
　　　　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

　　　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

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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------


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.


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

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

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

　　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

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

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

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

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)

Address(6/15)_3

After the war, Japan was under the control of the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Allied Forces. Dr. Taniguchi taught that the reason for Japan’s defeat was because they started the war. “If Japan had not begun the war, there would have been no defeat. The Japanese people were conceited, arrogant, and against the will of God,” he said. This message also appears in the divine messages. However, Japanese society was heading in the direction where all the traditional values were denied. There prevailed a nihilistic way of thinking in the Japanese society.

Dr. Taniguchi was really disappointed with the situation and established the “Seicho-No-Ie Shakai Jigyodan,” or SNI Community Service Administration (CSA) to encourage the Japanese people and save them from the devastation of the lost war. Unfortunately the plan itself didn’t work due to the reason I will explain, but there was a wonderful by-product. There was a section in the SNI CSA titled, “Translation of Western literature and documents” to show the general public that SNI is teaching the universal truth. One of the young men who was impressed with the plan and was accepted to work at SNI Headquarters was Mr. Seicho Arachi. His enthusiasm, humbleness, and intelligence impressed Dr. Taniguchi. Eventually, Mr. Arachi got married to Dr. Taniguchi’s daughter and became Rev. Seicho 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,.

Since Dr. Taniguchi wrote many articles to manifest his love of Japan, he was temporarily expelled from a public position by GHQ. This is why SNI CSA didn’t work well. However, he could keep on teaching without any title. After his expulsion ended, he could freely preach the central truths through publications and grand lectures. Through his lectures and writings, he provided spiritual awareness, improved people’s destinies and environments, and also taught that all correct religions emanate from one universal
God. He actively communicated with global religious leaders and even met the Pope when he went to Europe. He traveled outside of Japan three times during his lifetime to convey his messages.

However in those days in Japan, as a reaction to losing the war, public opinion was against traditional values including the emperor system, self-hatred historical view was taught in schools, and leftist ideology was spreading. It was Dr. Taniguchi who challenged those trends and encouraged the Japanese people by teaching, “You are a child of God. You don’t have to feel inferior. There are many priceless assets among Japanese traditions. Shintoism has nothing to do with militarism (Note: Shintoism was considered a cause of war),” and so on. This movement was named a movement to manifest the True Image of Japan and continued until Dr. Taniguchi passed away.

Dr. Taniguchi’s wholehearted and tireless efforts had a great impact on various fields of endeavor including politics, business, industry, and religion, and the Japanese people gained confidence in general.

In this way, Dr. Taniguchi focused on disseminating the central truths such as “Man is a child of God,” “Our mind and environment are reflections of our mind,” “All religions emanate from one universal God,” while contributing to solving urgent issues which appeared during his time. A movement to manifest the True Image of Japan was a long-term important issue during Dr. Taniguchi’s life.
(To be continued)

Address(6/15)_4

As we have learned, while Dr. Taniguchi taught and emphasized the basic teachings, he also devoted himself and the SNI organizations to improving the state of society. I would like to ask you to recognize that we promote our movement not because this world is so bad or worsening, but because truth itself is so wonderful and fabulous. If we see evil and impress it in our mind, evil will appear according to the law of mind. We are honored to be given such a wonderful truth from God, therefore, we should share it with as many people as possible rather than monopolize it. Please remember that Rev. Hattori didn’t aim at healing people’s diseases. He only felt sympathy for those suffering from illness, saw their True Image, and talked about the teachings. As a result, it was the disease that ran away and disappeared. This is a very important point, which Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi often pointed out.

Nowadays, the environment, peace and war, and Islam are pressing issues about which people of the world need to unite and work hand in hand. This is why Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of SNI, and the SNI worldwide organizations, take these issues seriously and focus on the central truths. This is perfectly in tune with the path adopted by Dr. Taniguchi.

In this way, Dr. Taniguchi continued to preach the truth for 55 years until he passed away on June 17, 1985.

In 1992 I joined SNI International Headquarters in Tokyo. Since then, I have repeatedly taught that we need to think about what the center of our movement should be. Namely, it is the will of God and the will of Dr. Taniguchi, and to convey His will should be our foremost priority. Before all employees at the Headquarters start their daily work, they offer a prayer such as: “Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi and Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi guide us and all humankind from a high spiritual world.”

This attitude comes from Rev. Seicho Taniguchi and Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi. Rev. Masanobu mentioned in his address at Dr. Taniguchi’s 20th Memorial Service as follows:

It has been 20 years since Dr. Taniguchi passed away, however, I’ve never felt that he has passed away. When I practice Shinsokan Meditation, and read the Holy Sutra and “the Recitation of Truth” in the morning at home, read his books at the work place, or come to the Main Temple in Nagasaki, I feel Dr. Taniguchi’s ideas filling and permeating the atmosphere. When I visit “Okutsuki,” or Dr. and Mrs. Taniguchi’s grave, I feel I can see and talk to him.

In 2005, I was honored to be assigned to give a presentation at the Special Conference held in Japan. The audience consisted of all ordained and assistant ministers, and the President of the Regional Lecturers Society in each Missionary Area in Japan. Rev. Masanobu very kindly gave me his attention and guidance for my article and presentation. When Rev. Masanobu and the presenters had a meeting for the conference, he repeatedly stated Dr. Taniguchi taught this way or that way. I thought there is no one in the world who reads Dr. Taniguchi’s books or who respects Dr. Taniguchi more than Rev. Masanobu.

Rev. Teshigawara mentioned that whenever she offers a new proposal, Rev. Masanobu asks her, “What are the grounds for your proposal? How did Dr. Taniguchi write about that?” If Rev. Teshigawara could not answer the questions, Rev. Masanobu would instruct her to read Dr. Taniguchi’s writings and look for the grounds.

Through her experience, Rev. Teshigawara often tells us ministers as follows:

The main thing that Rev. Masanobu is thinking and focusing on is how we can apply Dr. Taniguchi’s teachings in this day and age. He doesn’t mind how he, himself, is criticized or evaluated. He only wants to bequeath Dr. Taniguchi’s teachings to the next generation and to as many people as possible and contribute to Dr. Taniguchi’s dream of world peace.

On this important day, I am very grateful to have this opportunity to remember how Dr. Taniguchi dedicated himself to the world, and confirm that his teachings have been perfectly passed on to his successors, the center of our movement. So let us move forward cheerfully and enthusiastically in our movement as a family of SNI International and SNI, Inc.

Thank you very much for your kind attention. Thank you very much.
(End)

2008 June Message

　　Thank you very much, everyone. Living here in Hawaii, I sometimes discover the unexpected. I didn't know until I came here that I could experience the four seasons in tropical Hawaii. I never expected the mornings and nights to be cool in the summer and the days short in the winter.

　　Through my everyday life, I am often overwhelmed by the beauty and magnificence of nature. Among my favorite views are the mountains as seen from the intersection between Kahekili and Likelike Highways, the sea from Kualoa beach which is a ten-minute drive from my home, and the splendid rainbows that can be seen here and there. Without living here, I would not be able to appreciate nature to the fullest. I appreciate God for giving me this opportunity.

　　"Change" is a very important principle for the world of natural growth. Through change, we can savor our life and increase our joy and happiness of living. Conversely, it is only natural that things which do not change will decline or be eliminated. Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi taught as follows in his book, For Young People, “Running water does not become stale: water that stagnates putrefies.” (p. 36)

　　In Seicho-No-Ie we consider "change as a chance." When change occurs, we will see person “A” who considers it a good opportunity to grow and person “B” who thinks it uncomfortable or undesirable. It goes without saying which person will progress. Of course, there are things that should never change. The teaching "Man is a child of God" never changes. However, the way to worship God is a peripheral aspect that can be changed according to people, time, and place. Practicing this is in line with the will of God.

　　I believe all of you readers of this newsletter understand this matter clearly; I would like to ask you to take it as a springboard for SNI Hawaii Missionary Area's further development and do your best both in seeking the Truth and propagating the teachings.
In the midst of writing this message, I went to a bank near Matlock Center, where the following words on a white board caught my eyes : “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” As I left the bank, I felt this message by Andre Gide, French Nobel Prize winner in literature, fits our situation well.

　　Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi always had a dream and showed us how to live the Seicho-No-Ie way of life. And this "path" on how to live the SNI way of life in this day and age is being shown by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, and Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, Vice President of Seicho-No-Ie.

　　One of the important teachings that Dr. Taniguchi showed us throughout his entire life is not to speak ill of others. (See Truth of Life, Vol 7, Chapter 4) It also includes not to harbor ill thoughts of others in your mind. I believe you are always smiling, seeing the positive side of others, and praising and blessing those points. The more you practice this principle in your life, the happier you yourself will become and that pleases those around you. It is a good advertisement for Seicho-No-Ie. When those who praise and bless each other come to our Services, the atmosphere of our Services will be cheerful and bright, so that even the man-off-the-street will want to come and join us.

　　We will observe the 23rd Memorial Service for Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi at Jisso Center on June 15th. We invite you all to attend. Thank you very much.