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Seicho-No-Ie News

MESSAGE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPIRITUAL TRAINING CENTER


My Faith and the Movement Became One in My Mind

Mrs. Dorothy Nakata, Maui in Hawaii

I am a third-generation Japanese American born on the island of Maui. I was introduced to Seicho-No-Ie in 1946, when I was a student at the University of Hawaii. My boyfriend, who is now my husband, used to come to see me at my place every day. But on Tuesdays he was attending a religious gathering. At the time I was thinking of marrying him, so I wanted to study the faith he liked and went to the gathering with him. It was a Seicho-No-Ie Readers’ Meeting. It was held in English and the teachings, “Man is a wonderful child of God,” and All religions are the same in their essential teaching,” were being taught with powerful words. I was deeply moved.

After that I joined the Holy Mission Fellowship, attended lecture meetings and Readers’ Meetings to study the teachings. One day, the professor who read my psychology thesis praised me, saying “The content of your thesis is wonderful. Where did you learn this?” His words deepened my trust of Seicho-No-Ie. Since then I became a devout believer of the faith and subsequently started to propagate the teachings.

Now my husband and I are over 80 years old and enjoy Seicho-No-Ie activities with local people on Maui. We love the International Spiritual Training Seminar begun in 1995. For old-timers the Seminar is a precious opportunity to re-learn the overall teachings from the basics. There are participants from other parts of the U.S.A. as well as other countries and it is filled with energy. The testimonials of those who have overcome difficulties by practicing the teachings and are propagating with ingenuity make me want to contribute more to the Movement.

At the 44th International Spiritual Training Seminar held at the Hawaii Jisso Center in February of this year, there was a lecture which opened my mind’s eye. It was a lecture by Rev. Yoshiko Teshigawara (Ordained Minister, chairperson of the International Spiritual Training Center), who spoke in detail about the spirit of Seicho-No-Ie’s founding and specific background leading up to today’s Humanity Enlightenment Movement/International Peace by Faith Movement. The current Movement and Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi’s teaching became one in my mind. I wanted to share her lecture with the followers in Maui.

To my surprise, Rev. Teshigawara visited Maui at the end of April and lectured at the Sunday service. She lectured on the Seicho-No-Ie way of life, which worships divinity and Buddhahod, based on the Divine Message of Grand Harmony. We were able to clearly understand the true significance of Seicho-No-Ie’s environmental protection activity. We understood that its aim is basically the same as that of the Seicho-No-Ie Movement at the time of its birth.

My husband and I will devote ourselves to the propagation of the Seicho-No-Ie teachings as long as we live. Especially, we will use ingenuity and creativity in propagating to young people.