Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi's Message at New Year's Celebration
Let's Practice the Four Immeasurable Minds Toward Nature as Well
On January 1, 2010, the New Year’s Celebration was held at the Seicho-No-Ie Headquarters in Harajuku, Tokyo. Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, President of Seicho-No-Ie, addressed 487 attendees for about 20 minutes in the capacity of the Superintendent.
In association with the fact that this is the “Year of the Tiger,” Rev. Taniguchi introduced proverbs, such as “Wings for the Tiger,” which means “excellent” and expressed his hope that we will make further progress and this year will become a year of giant leap.
Rev. Taniguchi next said that although human beings identify themselves with nature and love it, as can be seen in the use of animals in proverbs, they create problems on the other hand, such as extinction of species and destruction of nature.
He cautioned us by saying that this results from the fact that human beings treat nature with “love that deprives,” or “love of attachment.” He stressed that it is important to practice love of a higher level, which is “love that gives,” or “love that releases,” namely, Buddha’s four immeasurable minds and God’s infinite love.
The President next introduced the ideal lay believer Yuima’s words, “practice of Buddha’s unconditional benevolence,” from the Yuima-kyo Kaishaku (Explanation of the Yuima Sutra) by Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi. He explained that the practice of the four immeasurable minds is to love another being without making him identical to us or binding him. He called upon the attendees to try not to change nature to suit one’s convenience but practice the four immeasurable minds as believers of the faith in God’s infinite love.
In concluding his address, Rev. Taniguchi introduced a new version of “Shinsokan to Practice the Four Immeasurable Minds,” to which he recently added new words. He asked the attendees to practice this Shinsokan and nurture Buddha’s unconditional benevolence.
The New Year’s Celebration started at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi serving as the Superintendent. Mrs. Junko Taniguchi was also present. The Ceremony began with a deep bow to the Imperial Palace and the singing of the national anthem, which was followed by the New Year’s message by Rev. Kazuo Isobe, Chairman and CEO of Seicho-No-Ie. The celebration ended at 10:40 after Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi’s address.