is a syncretic,

monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...

, New Thought Japanese new religion that has spread since the end of World War II in Asia. It emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family, ancestors and, above all, religious faith in one universal

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

. Seichō no Ie is the world's largest New Thought group. By the end of 2010 it had over 1.6 million followers and 442 facilities, mostly located in Japan, Brazil, and the United States.

History

In 1930, Masaharu Taniguchi, working as an English translator, published the first issue of what he called his "non- denominational

truth Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...

movement magazine", which he named ''Seichō no Ie'' to help teach others of his beliefs. This was followed by forty volumes of his "Truth of Life" philosophy by 1932. Over the next forty years, he published an additional four hundred–odd books and toured many countries in

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, and

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with his wife Teruko, to lecture on his beliefs personally. Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, and his brother Fenwicke were of great assistance to Taniguchi. Fenwicke traveled to Japan and co-authored several books, with one called ''The Science of Faith'' becoming a cornerstone of the denomination. Taniguchi died in a Nagasaki hospital on June 17, 1985, at the age of 91. Today the president of Seichō no Ie is (谷口雅宣). In the 2000s, the Seicho-No-Ie Fundamental Movement ( 生長の家本流運動) seceded from the headquarters. As of 2017, there are three factions of the original movement. The two largest factions are led by Masanobu Taniguchi, the president of Seichō no Ie; a group of elder teachers of Seichō no Ie known as Manabushi leads the other faction.

Scriptures and publications

The four holy of Seicho-No-Ie are: *. Taniguchi Masaharu claimed that it was divinely revealed to him by Kannon on December 1, 1930. There are eight sections: God (神), Spirit (霊), Matter (物質), Reality (実在), Wisdom (智慧), Delusion (無明), Sin (罪), and Man (人間). Similar to many Nichiren sects' views of the Lotus Sutra, this sutra is treated as a protective amulet that can be carried, read, or copied for protective benefits. In Uji, Kyoto, there is a hall for followers to copy the sutra. *: consists of the Divine Messages of Eternal Life and the Holy Sutra itself (two sections: Song of the Angel and Song of Eternal Life) * (): consists of the Divine Messages of Repentance and the Holy Sutra itself ("For Spiritual Healing") * The following two prayers are typically placed before and after compilations of the four sutras, respectively: * * Other scriptures include: * * * The most important texts in Seicho-No-Ie are: *, which consists of 40 volumes (main edition, 頭注版) published since 1932; this is the religion's most important doctrinal text. There is also an abridged edition (愛蔵版) with 20 volumes. *, which consists of 11 volumes, was initially published from 1954 to 1958. It summaries key doctrines mentioned in the ''Truth of Life''. Seicho-No-Ie publishes a newspaper called ''Seishimei'' "聖使命, Sacred Mission"). It also publishes three magazines: *''Inochi no wa'' ( いのちの環, "Circle of Life") for general readers *''Shirohato'' ( 白鳩, "White Dove") for women *''Hidokei 24'' (日時計24, "Sundial 24") for young readers

Beliefs and practices

Seicho-No-Ie is a syncretic religion that incorporates concepts and terminology from Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions. The religion teaches belief in the . One of their proverbs is . Seicho-No-Ie's other basic teachings are: * * (a key tenet of New Thought denominations) * The is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-No-Ie. At Seicho-No-Ie's Sōhonzan head temple in Saikai, Nagasaki, there are seven stone lanterns representing the Seven Promulgations of Light.

''Shinsōkan'' meditation

Meditation in Seicho-No-Ie is called ''shinsōkan'' (神想観), of which one type is ''inori-ai shinsōkan '' (祈り合い神想観, ). There is also the . ''Shinsōkan'' meditation originates from a type of meditative technique called , which was widely practiced in the Oomoto religion from 1916 to 1921.

Associations

Some Seicho-No-Ie member associations are: *Seinen-kai 青年会 (Youth and Young Adult Association), founded in 1948 *Sōai-kai 相愛会 (Brotherhood Association; ), for middle-aged men *Shirohato-kai 白鳩会 (women's organization), founded in February 1936 **Shiyū-kai 誌友会, small women's groups that are magazine study groups for discussing Shirohatokai's monthly magazine ''Shirohato'' *Chichi-oya kyōshitsu 父親教室 (fathers' study groups) *Haha-oya kyōshitsu 母親教室 (mothers' study groups)

Education

Higher educational institutions include Seichō no Ie Yōshin Joshi Gakuen (生長の家養心女子学園), a tertiary young women's boarding school in Yamanashi Prefecture that was founded in 1954.

Locations

Seicho-No-Ie has centers in the following locations. * **The is Seicho-No-Ie's international administrative headquarters, located in Hokuto, Yamanashi near Kai-Ōizumi Station at the foot of Mount Aka. **, Seicho-No-Ie's spiritual headquarters in Saikai, Nagasaki, hosts Ryūgū Sumiyoshi Hongū (龍宮住吉本宮), the religion's head temple where ancestral rites are performed. Established on November 21, 1978, the temple enshrines Sumiyoshi Daijin (住吉大神) and other Shinto

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

. Prominent members of the Taniguchi family are also buried at Sōhonzan. **, a special head temple (or additional main temple) in Uji, Kyoto. is located inside the temple complex. Every August, the (annual ancestor ceremony) is held at this temple. *: Gardena, California (US headquarters); Manhattan, New York; North Miami Beach; Fort Lauderdale; Denver; Seattle; Honolulu. In Florida, Seicho-No-Ie members are mainly from the Brazilian community. *:

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and

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*: Jabaquara,

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(Brazil and Latin America headquarters) *:

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References

External links

*
Seicho-No-Ie books
* (selections from the Japanese original series ''Seimei no Jissō'' 生命の實相) by Masaharu Taniguchi (1961 English edition) {{Authority control Japanese new religions Monotheistic religions New Thought denominations Religious organizations based in Japan Religious syncretism in Japan Shinto new religious movements Religious organizations established in 1930 1930 establishments in Japan Organizations based in Yamanashi Prefecture Organizations based in Nagasaki Prefecture Panentheism Hokuto, Yamanashi Religions derived from Oomoto New religious movements established in the 1930s