Brazil's Lectures/Enlightenment Leaders Devotional Labor Spiritual Training Seminar Draws 1,341 People
Simultaneously held at Five Locations Across Brazil
In Brazil, a Divinity Development Lecturers/Enlightenment Leaders Devotional Labor Spiritual Training Seminar was held at five spiritual training centers from June 3 to 6. The number of participants was 1,341, which was an increase of 85 percent from the previous time.
The breakdown of participants by spiritual training center was 729 for the South American Spiritual Training Center, 178 for the Santa Tecla Spiritual Training Center, 234 for the Santa Fe Spiritual Training Center, 146 for the Curitiba Spiritual Training Center, and 54 for the Amazonia Spiritual Training Center.
This Spiritual Training Seminar is held every year under the sponsorship of the Brazil Missionary Headquarters Lecturers Office in order that Regional Lecturers and Enlightenment Leaders study the Truth. This year’s theme was “The Way—In Order to Manifest God.”
The lecturers included Rev. Elenor Ichikawa (Assistant Minister, Chief of Brazil White Dove Association), Rev. Carlos Albert da Silva (Assistant Minister, Chief of Brazil Youth and Young Adult Association), and five other Assistant Ministers and Regional Lecturers. The texts used were Portuguese versions of Seimei no Jisso (Truth of Life), Volumes 4, 14 and 20 and Kenzen no Shinri (Sound Truth) by Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi.
At the South American Spiritual Training Center, which had the largest number of participants, the Seminar program included such lectures as “Significance of Devotional Labor,” “The Way to Put Faith to Work in the Home,” “The Way to Know the Mission Given by God,” and “Seicho-No-Ie, Way of Harmony” as well as devotional labor, Mind Purification Ceremony, Ancestor Memorial Service, and Shinsokan for Mutual Prayer.
Also the environmental protection rules to be followed during the stay at the Spiritual Training Center were distributed. A video was shown on the Brazil Missionary Headquarters’ Environmental Policy, which was designed to explain the Policy in an easy-to-understand fashion.
At the South American Spiritual Training Center, all the participants brought used clothes for a recycling purpose and donated winter clothes and other clothing to the “Used Clothes Campaign” which the federal government and state governments are promoting.
Joyous comments were received from the participants, including: “The lecturers and the theme were both wonderful. I studied in an atmosphere that participants were brothers to one another.
Remarks by Rev. Yoshio Mukai, Bishop of Seicho-No-Ie Latin America
“For this Seminar, the Brazil Missionary Headquarters and Spiritual Training Centers partially subsidized the fee for the Regional Lecturers and Enlightenment Leaders who worked actively throughout the year. As a result, more than 1,300 lecturers, which was almost double last year’s number, participated and studied the Truth. They made up for the reduced fee by buying texts to help the Enlightenment Movement. I would like to continue to hold this Spiritual Training Seminar for the purpose of improving communications among the lecturers and the study of the Truth."