Junior Devotional Labor Spiritual Training Seminar in Brazil Attracts 393 people
To Deepen the Awareness of a Child of God and Experience One’s Connection to Nature
In Brazil, a Junior Devotional Labor Spiritual Training Seminar (Portuguese and Japanese) was held from January 12 to 16 at the South American Spiritual Training Center in Ibiuna, Sao Paulo. The number of participants totaled 393, including 111 first-timers.
This Spiritual Training Seminar is held every year for the Junior Group (ages 11-14) under the sponsorship of the Brazil Youth and Young Adult Association. This time, the theme of the Seminar was “Junior’s Identity.” The objective was to help deepen the faith that man’s true identity is a child of God.
The Seminar was guided by Rev. Carlos Alberto da Silva (Assistant Minister, Chief of Brazil Youth and Young Adult Association) and Regional Lecturers. The texts used included Kofuku o Maneku 365-Sho (365 Golden Keys to Invite Happiness) by Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi and Subarashiku Nareru (You Can Be Wonderful) and Shinsokan wa Subarashii (Shinsokan Is Wonderful) by Rev. Seicho Taniguchi. There were lectures, such as “Gratitude to Your Parents and Forgiveness Is the Way to Infinite Growth” and “Let’s Have a Great Dream.” In the lecture, “Environment and Social Activity—I Am Also Actively Involved,” the participants studied the need for environmental protection and the importance of practicing it in their daily life. The Seminar also offered Mind Purification Ceremony and Shinsokan for Mutual Prayer.
Devotional labor was held in the afternoon of the second day. The participants all took part in the weeding in the tea fields and other activities. A quiet time was included before and during the actual work to help with introspection and get a sense of oneness with nature by listening to the sound of wind. In this way they engaged in devotional labor while experiencing the significance of living with nature.
Comments from the participants included: “Something changed within myself—I felt filled with inner joy, love and peace” and “I especially enjoyed lectures and devotional labor. I learned to be grateful to my parents and grandmother, with whom I often used to fight.”
Remarks by Rev. Yoshio Mukai, Bishop of Seicho-No-Ie Latin America
“The Youth and Young Adult Association is focused on the development of successors by asking all the other associations for support. This Seminar was made possible by the cooperation of all the associations. I expect that the participants will become successors of the Movement in the future.”