top bar

Home > News Release > SNI-Online 20091001

Seicho-No-Ie News

Fall Memorial Service


Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi Urges Attendees to "Seek the Truth" and "Propagate" as if the Two Wheels of a Car

The Souls of 182 Persons Newly Memorialized

The Fall Memorial Service for Deceased Distinguished Propagators was held on September 23, the fall equinox day, at the Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters in Harajuku, Tokyo. Rev. Masanobu Tanigichi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, served as the Chief Priest. Mrs. Junko Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie White Dove Association, was also present. The souls of 182 persons, who devoted themselves to the Humanity Enlightenment Movement, were newly memorialized.

Rev. Taniguchi gave a message at the end of the Service. He started by mentioning that the fall seemed to have arrived quickly this year. He spoke of the two kinds of cluster-amaryllises in his garden—white and red—and said that only the white one began to bloom two weeks earlier, which seemed to indicate a problem in the weather pattern. However, when he visited the Mie Missionary Area for Public Lecture during the equinoctial week, he saw many red cluster-amaryllises blooming along paddy and vegetable fields. Therefore, he thought that the climate change was still under control. He then said that Hokkaido had a lot of rain this year and not enough sunshine, which caused a reduction of 20 percent in the wheat harvest and 40 percent in bean harvest, respectively, compared with normal years. Rev. Taniguchi noted that the phenomenal world undergoes many changes.

Rev. Taniguchi next introduced a portion of the Divine Message of the Return of the Soul to the Spiritual World: “Your physical body is a musical composition performed on the strings of thought.” He explained that what the mind is playing as if a string instrument is our physical body and that illness is a sign that we cannot play it well due to insufficient practice. Therefore, we only need to start over and play the piece again. However, eventually the time will come when the piece ends. He taught that that is a necessary step in order to play a piece of the next level.

Rev. Taniguchi mentioned that since the Seicho-No-Ie faith teaches that the human life is a kind of artistic expression, not many people wear dark expressions on their faces at such events as the Memorial Service. He explained that as a preparation for the next life, we change bodies as if space suits and move on to the next life stage.

The President next spoke of the question that he received at the Public Lecture in the Mie Missionary Area: “If I have a leader’s position in the Seicho-No-Ie organization, I become too busy with various activities. Therefore, I wish to resign from all the posts in order to freely study the Truth.” Rev. Taniguchi said that his answer was that this was a typical dilemma of seeking of the Truth and propagation. He taught that basically what makes a religion a religion is the recognition of the oneness of the self and another.

Rev. Taniguchi explained that although it is correct to seek the Truth, if one’s wish is to capture the Truth only for himself and does not care about others, it is against the purpose of religion. Saying that the basic pillar of a religious movement is to seek the Truth and propagate like the two wheels of a car and stressed the importance of having balance between the two. He explained that the Divine Message of Grand Harmony also teaches that only when one has a harmonious relationship with those around him, can he receive God’s salvation.

In concluding his message, the President acknowledged the dedication of the 182 newly memorialized people, saying that they lived their lives that way. He urged the attendees to follow the example of those people, who studied the Truth while voluntarily working to save others as leaders of the organizations or lecturers, and asked them to vigorously promote the Movement that combines the seeking of the Truth and propagation as if the two wheels of a car.

The Memorial Service was attended by 344 people, including Seicho-No-Ie councilors, officers of affiliated organizations and the family members of the deceased propagators. The Service began at 10:00 a.m. After the purification rite and the Invocation, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi read the supplication and offered a sacred branch. This was followed by the summation of souls.

The Head Priest next read the words of the Fall Memorial Service, which was followed by the offering of a sacred branch by Mrs. Junko Taniguchi. Then, while the attendees read the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, sacred branches were offered by Seicho-No-Ie councilors, officers of affiliated organizations and the newly bereaved family members. Attendees burned incense. Mrs. Atsuko Fujita, the oldest daughter of the late Mrs. Hideko Kudo of Aomori Missionary Area, gave words of appreciation on behalf of the bereaved families.

The number of the souls memorialized since the founding of Seicho-No-Ie totals 11,681.