Seicho-No-Ie

is a syncretic, monotheistic, New Thought Japanese new religion that has spread since the end of World War II in Asia. It emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family, ancestors and, above all, religious faith in one universal God. Seichō no Ie is the world's largest New Thought group. By the end of 2010 it had over 1.6 million followers and 442 facilities, mostly located in Japan, Brazil, and the United States.

History

In 1930, Masaharu Taniguchi, working as an English translator, published the first issue of what he called his "non-denominational truth movement magazine", which he named Seichō no Ie to help teach others of his beliefs. By 1932, this was followed by forty volumes of his "Truth of Life" philosophy. Over the next forty years, he published an additional four hundred–odd books. He toured many countries in Europe, South America, and North America with his wife, Teruko, to personally lecture on his beliefs. Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, and his brother Fenwicke were of great assistance to Taniguchi. Fenwicke traveled to Japan and co-authored several books, with one called The Science of Faith becoming a cornerstone of the denomination.

Taniguchi died in a Nagasaki hospital on June 17, 1985, at the age of 91. Today, the president of Seichō no Ie is ().

In the 2000s, the Seicho-No-Ie Fundamental Movement () seceded from the headquarters. As of 2017, there are three factions of the original movement. The two largest factions are led by Masanobu Taniguchi, the president of Seichō no Ie, and by a group of elder teachers of Seichō no Ie known as Manabushi.

Scriptures and publications

The four holy of Seicho-No-Ie are:

• . Taniguchi Masaharu claimed that it was divinely revealed to him by Kannon on December 1, 1930. There are eight sections: God (神), Spirit (霊), Matter (物質), Reality (実在), Wisdom (智慧), Delusion (無明), Sin (罪), and Man (人間). Similar to many Nichiren sects' views of the Lotus Sutra, this sutra is treated as a protective amulet that can be carried, read, or copied for protective benefits. In Uji, Kyoto, there is a hall for followers to copy the sutra.
• : consists of the Divine Messages of Eternal Life and the Holy Sutra itself (two sections: Song of the Angel and Song of Eternal Life)
• (): consists of the Divine Messages of Repentance and the Holy Sutra itself ("For Spiritual Healing")

The following two prayers are typically placed before and after compilations of the four sutras, respectively:

Other scriptures include:

The most important texts in Seicho-No-Ie are:

• , which consists of 40 volumes (main edition, 頭注版) published since 1932; this is the religion's most important doctrinal text. There is also an abridged edition (愛蔵版) with 20 volumes.
• , which consists of 11 volumes, was initially published from 1954 to 1958. It summaries key doctrines mentioned in the Truth of Life.

Seicho-No-Ie publishes a newspaper called Seishimei "聖使命, Sacred Mission"). It also publishes three magazines:

• Inochi no wa (, "Circle of Life") for general readers
• Shirohato (, "White Dove") for women
• Hidokei 24 (日時計24, "Sundial 24") for young readers

Beliefs and practices

Seicho-No-Ie is a syncretic religion that incorporates concepts and terminology from Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions. The religion teaches belief in the . One of their proverbs is . Seicho-No-Ie's other basic teachings are:

• (a key tenet of New Thought denominations)

The is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-No-Ie. At Seicho-No-Ie's Sōhonzan head temple in Saikai, Nagasaki, there are seven stone lanterns representing the Seven Promulgations of Light.

Shinsōkan meditation

Meditation in Seicho-No-Ie is called shinsōkan (神想観), of which one type is inori-ai shinsōkan (祈り合い神想観, ). There is also the .

Shinsōkan meditation originates from a type of meditative technique called , which was widely practiced in the Oomoto religion from 1916 to 1921.

Associations

Some Seicho-No-Ie member associations are:

• Seinen-kai 青年会 (Youth and Young Adult Association), founded in 1948
• Sōai-kai 相愛会 (Brotherhood Association; ), for middle-aged men
• Shirohato-kai 白鳩会 (women's organization), founded in February 1936
• ShiyÅ«-kai 誌友会, small women's groups that are magazine study groups for discussing Shirohatokai's monthly magazine Shirohato
• Chichi-oya kyōshitsu 父親教室 (fathers' study groups)
• Haha-oya kyōshitsu 母親教室 (mothers' study groups)

Education

Higher educational institutions include Seichō no Ie Yōshin Joshi Gakuen (生長の家養心女子学園), a tertiary young women's boarding school in Yamanashi Prefecture that was founded in 1954.

Locations

Seicho-No-Ie has centers in the following locations.

• The is Seicho-No-Ie's international administrative headquarters, located in Hokuto, Yamanashi near Kai-Ōizumi Station at the foot of Mount Aka.
• , Seicho-No-Ie's spiritual headquarters in Saikai, Nagasaki, hosts RyÅ«gÅ« Sumiyoshi HongÅ« (龍宮住吉本宮), the religion's head temple where ancestral rites are performed. Established on November 21, 1978, the temple enshrines Sumiyoshi Daijin (住吉大神) and other Shinto kami. Prominent members of the Taniguchi family, including Masaharu Taniguchi, are buried at Sōhonzan. Sōhonzan has a garden, museum, and seven large stone lanterns representing the .
• , a special head temple (or additional main temple) in Uji, Kyoto. It is located just to the southeast of Byōdō-in, within walking distance. is located inside the temple complex. Every August, the (annual ancestor ceremony) is held at this temple.
• : Gardena, California (US headquarters); Manhattan, New York; North Miami Beach; Fort Lauderdale; Denver; Seattle; Honolulu. In Florida, Seicho-No-Ie members are mainly from the Brazilian community.
• : Toronto and Vancouver
• : Jabaquara, São Paulo (Brazil and Latin America headquarters)
• : Frankfurt
• : Taipei

See also

• List of New Thought denominations and independent centers
• List of New Thought writers
• New religious movements

References

Further reading

• Clarke, Peter B. (ed.), A Bibliography of Japanese New Religious Movements: With Annotations and an Introduction to Japanese New Religions at Home and Abroad - Plus an Appendix on Aum Shinrikyo. Surrey, UK: Japan Library/Curzon, 1999. .
• Clarke, Peter B. (ed.). Japanese New Religions: In Global Perspective. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, 2000. .
• Gottlieb, Nanette, and Mark McLelland (eds.). Japanese Cybercultures. London; New York: Routledge, 2003. , .
• "Masaharu Taniguchi". Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.

External links

• Seicho-No-Ie books
• (selections from the Japanese original series Seimei no Jissō 生命の實相) by Masaharu Taniguchi (1961 English edition)