Horizontal and Vertical Truth

Horizontal Truth and Vertical Truth consist of two out of three main points of Seicho-No-Ie teachings.

Horizontal Truth is the statement that everything created in the phenomenal world (world that we can capture through our physical senses) is the reflection of our mind. For example, Mary has a father who drinks all the time, and once he is drunk, he becomes violent and hits her mother and Mary. Due to that, Mary decides to leave home and marry someone. Her husband does not drink at the moment that they get married, but after a while, he starts drinking and behaving in the same way as Mary's father. So Mary gets divorced, and remarries. And this process continues... Mary wonders: "I am so out of luck'". SNI says that this situation happens because in Mary's subconscious mind are recorded the scenes of childhood, and these scenes repeat in her life in the same way that a recorded situation projects the film on the screen over and over again. The "drunk husband' and father", that she captures using her five senses, are projection of her mind, and they will not go away unless she changes her own mind (which creates all these images).

Vertical Truth is the statement that the world, which really exists, is the one created by God or the Grand Life, and is Perfect and Harmonious. Existence in SNI terminology is not the attribute of things that we can perceive with our physical eyes. Existence means the property of never changing, being eternally constant despite the fact that the appearance changes. For instance, water is H2O, We can say that, independently of the form (ice, snow, liquid water, juice, milk, etc), water exists if chemically we found the component of H2O in the observed thing. Let us give another less tangible example: love. Love is the feeling that someone and I are one. This is a real . But we cannot see it with our physical eyes. In the Western world, people express their feelings sometimes by saying to one another that they love each other, or giving them expensive gifts. However, many people from Eastern culture will not demonstrate this feeling explicitly and even though there is no visible sign, love is there.

How to solve any problem in our daily life:

There are three ways to solve problems in our life: a) by using the Horizontal Truth; b) by using the Vertical Truth; c) by mixing the both Truths.

The Horizontal Truth says that everything in our (phenomenal or visible) life is reflection of our mind. If we change our mind, our (visible) life will change. There are some mental laws and if we learn how to use these mental laws appropriately, we can deal with any sort of problem easily. The mental laws are: 1) What you recognize will be manifested. We can clearly understand that when we have plans to buy something. For instance, if you decide to buy a condo, you suddenly start looking only at condo's advertisements (something that you even didn't notice a month ago, when you didn't have this plan in your mind). In the same way, if you recognize that someone is bad, you will only see negative things about that person. 2) What you give is what you receive. If you smile to a person, the person smiles you back. If you have not done many things for others' happiness, you cannot expect to feel happy too. We sow a seed and we harvest it later. 3) What you delineate clearly in your mind will happen. It does not matter if it is a positive or negative thing, if you talk, fear, think about it constantly, that situation that you constantly think will occur in your life.

So if you want to solve your problem using the Horizontal Truth is important that you think only about positive aspects of people, things and circumstances, no matter how bad are them (in the visible sense). Put your mind away from sad news, disasters, negative people, negative environment. Read positive books. Watch inspiring videos. Be surrounded by people who constantly look at the bright side of life. And then, start recognizing aloud the positive aspects of everyone and everything, praise people, say positive things about yourself, and with that, you start changing your mind, and specially your subconscious mind.

The Vertical Truth says that only God (or Grand Life) exists, and only goodness, beauty, harmony, abundance, health exist. But we cannot see this perfect world (or True Image world) with our physical eyes or with another of our five senses. When we close our physical eyes, meditate affirming the existence of this perfect world (the True Image world) and contemplate this perfect world with our spiritual eyes, suddenly this perfect world starts appearing in the world of the five senses (phenomenal world). That is why SNI emphasizes so much the importance of practicing the Shinsokan Meditation. This is the way that we can be in tune with the Grand Life, and forget the limited world of the five senses, and be connected with the unlimited, infinite, boundless world . Then, the infinite and unlimited powerful being, who is each one of us, will appear in this world.

Let me use a metaphor to summarize this idea. In winter days, it is common that the internal part of a car windshield becomes full of water making the visibility bad. We can solve this problem in two ways: 1) by using a cloth to clean the droplets (Horizontal Truth) (i.e. using our own strength) or 2) by using the air conditioner which evaporates the droplets (Vertical Truth) (i.e. making God or Nature do the job for us).

God (or Grand Life) has created this universe. If we observe nature, we can easily see how perfect is the world created by the Grand Life. We should not worry with anything, because the same energy which creates this universe is inside of everyone. If we know how to use properly our mind and if we constantly are connected with God, only positive and bright facts will appear in our daily life. Let us start today by smiling, being grateful to everyone and everything, revering the life existent in all people and in all things, not wasting anything, helping others without receiving anything back with totally unselfish love, and keeping our mind tuned only with positive videos, messages and readings. I am absolutely sure that any life will change for the better.

There is a Brazilian song that I really like: "Tudo é uma questão de manter a mente quieta, a espinha ereta e o coração tranquilo.", i.e. Everything is a question of keeping the mind quiet, the spine straight and the heart tranquil.

May God (the Grand Life) bless you with many 'miracles' in your life. Please do not forget to share them with us! Thank you very much! Thank you for reading the article until here! :)

Sachiko

Remembrance Day

For various decades, every year on Remembrance Day, Seicho-No-Ie Vancouver Centre lays wreath on the cenotaph of Japanese Canadian veterans at Stanley Park. Therefore, tomorrow in the cold morning, we, members of SNI, will be there as usual. Normally who lays the wreath on the cenotaph representing Seicho-No-Ie is Tom. But, exceptionally in this year, he cannot make it. He is on his way to Japan, and I will have the privilege to do it in the formal ceremony.

Life has many mysteries which we cannot explain or understand. And we all need to find meaning in our lives. And Remembrance Day this year has a special meaning for me, because in 2014 I am bringing the wreath to the Japanese Canadian veterans representing SNI, and also this year I became Canadian citizen! I believe that there is a special reason for me to come to Canada and become Canadian, and I will do my best to make my contribution for the betterment of this great country.

"Be grateful to the blessings from your country. (...) Be grateful to those who serve you." (Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, pp. 3-4): this is what we learn at SNI. If we can enjoy this beautiful and united country, Canada, it is due to the lives of many soldiers who sacrifice themselves for something beyond their own interests. This is unselfish love.

We do not want more wars. We hope that we live in peace, and all starts with each one of us. If we see the goodness of every human being, no matter his or her race, religion, sexual orientation, opinions, then we build harmony in this world. If we pray, our prayers will fill up the universe, and the feelings of hatred will disappear. When we change, the world changes. Let us pray for the souls of the many soldiers whose noble lives will be among us tomorrow, for the world peace avoiding that other lives be lost, and for each one of us to see only love, beauty and goodness in every single person who we meet in our daily life.

Thank you very much, Canadian veterans!

Sachiko

Lecture given by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi in Toronto (audio only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8EU5J3A0hI

The perfection existent inside us

The environment that surrounds us is the projection of ourselves. Dogs cannot contemplate the sunset, like humans. We, human beings, are able to appreciate art, poetry, literature, music, nature. And, we can only do that, because the sense of beauty is inside ourselves.

In the same way, we also have the sense of goodness when someone tells us a story of a good deed made by a person. Our hearts are filled with the idea of justice and goodness.

Our true nature is perfection and unity, and that is why we aim to reach this sense. The advertisement  companies are aware of that, and that is why we are bombarded by commercials that show products and services associated with beautiful, happy, rich people. Then, we purchase those products because we are touched by the images.

If we did not have this sense of perfection inside ourselves, we would not be persuaded to search for the acquisition of perfection through the purchase of objects. However, despite the constant consumption of things it seems that this desire for perfection continues and it is insatiable. Why is the reason for that?

Our true nature is spirit, and all the qualities that we search - love, harmony, prosperity and others -  have spiritual nature. We are convinced that all these qualities are outside us but this is not true. We were already born with all we need, and more we extract these qualities from ourselves to be shared with the world, more we maintain a joyful and happy life. We need to recognize more that we are perfect beings in essence. No matter how is the appearance of ourselves - if we feel unhappy, unlucky, unhealthy or unloved, we should not believe that this is our true nature. More we recognize that behind what our eyes see, there is a perfect real self that nobody around us knows yet, there is a well inside us with great qualities and infinite potential, more we can expand our capabilities and make us and others around us happy as well.

In the Canadian news this week, we hear sad stories about abusive relationships. In the end, this type of relationship there is no winner, no matter how are the consequences to the abusive person. The only way that someone can be removed from a sad past is not by acknowledging the bad person and the bad events, but by moving forward to where there is light.

We cannot make a dark room visible by bringing more darkness to it. Only if we bring light to the dark room then we can change the existent place into a brighter one. In the same way, we should cultivate thoughts of love, peace and harmony in our hearts, when we are filled with sadness and hatred. We should read inspiring books that brings us hope and happiness. We can lose material things in life, and we can always get them back; but we should not lose our spiritual self. It is important that we keep control of our mind and make ourselves the perfect being that we really are. Besides reading positive and inspiring books, it is important to practice meditation. This makes us connect with our perfect being and hear our inner voice which is the voice of the Grand Life (God).

Once we are fulfilled with the spiritual food by the 'light' coming from positive readings and meditation, we will face our daily life with optimism and hope, and all our decisions will be thoughtful and positive to everyone, because we will make our perfect self finally manifest in the way he or she is supposed to appear in this world.

Sachiko

Being grateful to our ancestors

Last year, I went to Japan for the first time in my life. I was born in Brazil through Japanese parents and the trip to my ancestors' land came sudden and unexpectedly.

Sometimes, we limit ourselves and think that some trip or dream is unreachable, and we even do not dare to pursue it. In Brazil, Japan seems to be so far away and a such expensive trip to go for a visit. But when we are ready, people, things and circumstances come to us.

My mother passed away when I was just a small child. However, since early age, I learned from Seicho-No-Ie that life is eternal and our ancestors are always taking care of us. In many crucial moments of my life, I am sure that my mother was on my side. In April last year, before my trip to Japan, I was in Brazil looking at old documents. Surprisingly, I found her birth certificate with her birth town: Furano, Hokkaido, extreme north of Japan. The previous resident minister from Seicho-No-Ie in Canada (Rev. Kobayashi) and his wife had just moved from Toronto to Asahikawa, whose distance is only 60 km from Furano.  My father was born in a totally opposite direction, in Tsukumi, Ooita, in the south of Japan.

In May last year, only one month after looking at my mother's document, I was invited to go to the Seicho-No-Ie International Conference in Japan as a translator. I stayed two weeks in Japan, and during this time, I visited the graveyard of my mother's ancestors, and the exact location that my father was born. Rev. Kobayashi and his wife drove me to my maternal ancestor's graveyard, and the person, who works in Tsukumi city hall, offered me to drive to my father's birth place. Without them, with my poor Japanese, I would not be able to do so. I am so grateful to them. 

I have only few pictures of my mother. One of them shows my mom in the Seicho-No-Ie Spiritual Training Centre in Ibiuna, Brazil. This was taken in the late 60s before my birth. Who brought me to Seicho-No-Ie was my stepmother. One of the books written by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi (Licoes para o Cotidiano - Lessons for the daily life) says that from a spiritual perspective, there is no stepmother, that a stepmother is the continuation of our biological mother's idea. In the same way that an almost-dying plant, when its roots are put together with an alive plant, gains new life, a stepmother carries on our biological mother's spiritual work and life. I have always called my stepmother 'mother', and this is also the way I feel. I thank her for having brought me to Seicho-No-Ie and giving me her love, attention and care. She never competed with my deceased mother. She taught me to pray to my biological mother, and to bring fruits and rice to the butsudan (Buddhist altar), location which represents where my ancestors including my mother's souls are. She keeps remind me of how intelligent and skilled was my deceased mother. She always put my brother's and my wishes in higher priority than hers. I am sure that she was chosen by my other mother, and from a different perspective that the limited and so called 'rational' one, these two mothers are one only life, as put it in Seicho-No-Ie's literature. 

My paternal and maternal grandparents immigrate to Brazil in a time that there was nothing there. They had a tough life being in the middle of nowhere, without roads, electricity and proper infrastructure to live well. Besides that, there was the huge difference of cultures and language between the two countries. I emigrate from Brazil to Canada a few years ago, and now I understand better their feelings. I admire their courage and capacity to cope with the difficulties.

In Seicho-No-Ie we have many different ceremonies, Mind Purification Ceremony, Shinsokan Meditation for Mutual Prayer and so on. Among all, the ceremony I like most is the Ancestral Memorial Ceremony. In this ceremony, we write the names of our ancestral families and the names of our family members, call these names and read the holy sutra 'Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines' to them. We also offer them flowers, incense and food and this follows the Shinto ritual, which I found so beautiful. Shinto rituals are based on the old Japanese mythology, and in Japan, they are regarded by many as a neutral ceremony in which both Christians and Buddhists participate. When I read the sutra to my ancestors, I feel their presence and happiness. I also connect with myself, and understand at an emotional level that who I am is who they are. Our lives intertwine with one another and, differently from what our brain conceptualizes, we do not have separated lives. This awareness of unity gives me the sense of completion, which in turn brings me a fulfillment feeling. That is one reason that I look forward to participating in these monthly ancestral memorial ceremonies. When we thank to our ancestors, we thank to our single unique life; we start to naturally praise ourselves and see that no matter where we go, we are not alone. They are always together with us, encouraging us to succeed. Only when we forget them that we feel lonely and hopeless. It is like to shut our eyes to the sun, and negate its existence. To be in the dark is a matter of choice, and is not real.

After this trip to my ancestor's land, I understand better who I am. I feel now very proud of my name, my looks and this beautiful philosophy of life Seicho-No-Ie, which I consider my mother's inheritance. We definitely did not start to exist when we were born a couple of decades ago, and we will never die, despite the disappearance of our bodies. Our life and contributions to the world will follow us throughout the eternity. When we see the unity between all people around us and ourselves and carry a new life paradigm with us, not only intellectually but also emotionally, then our life really blossoms in an unexpected way. Our parents and ancestors are our intermediaries to God. It is always easy to say that we love God, who can be far away as an abstract concept. But when we put into practice this feeling of love and express it with acts of gratitude to our parents, ancestors, friends and 'enemies', then God becomes not only an abstract concept but a real one.  I thank the Grand Life that gave me this deep understanding, and my ancestors to have always protected and guided me in Brazil, in Japan, in Canada and wherever I go. Thank you very much!

Sachiko

New Year Message by rev. Kamino Kusumoto

Greeting the New Year Cerebration of the 21st Century
By Rev. Kamino Kusumoto,
Director in Charge of Seicho-No-Ie Uji TempleRev. Seicho Taniguchi taught us as follows entitled "Japan in 21st Century" in his book, Kanki e no Michi (The Path for Joy).

"We greet each other by exchanging the words "Happy New Year" on New Year's day. This will be in common among everyone regardless of age. Then, why we cerebrate New Year? There would be various answers to this question. One would say, "because we feel as if we were reborn on New Year." Another would say, "because in old days people used to say it is the beginning of the year as if new sprout comes out." Because it is a birth of new life, it is a matter for congratulation. The birth of new baby is a matter for congratulation, too. Anyway, it is a happy and joyous event for good things come to appear in this life. (comitted)

The true creation always comes from the true existence in deep inside. Therefore, we should expand the numbers of people who visualize virtually not horizontally the true existence of kingdom of God by their (mind) eyes. The true existence is the True Image, which is perfect and harmonious, absolute perfection, and never dies nor disappears. This world is the true world where all good things exist and infinite ideas in full of infinite health, abilities and power. Therefore, we need to practice to visualize this.

This "Shinsokan" is the important practice more than anything else. It is of no great consequence whether we are promoted or become rich. The good creation will surely be born if we practice Shinsokan properly and filled with bright hope and true faith. Then we will give full play to our originality, without copying someone else, and original invention, development, research, and work will be created. Hence, the significant and attractive people will be showing up one after another."

Rev. Seicho Taniguchi teaches us that the New Year is a matter for cerebration because new good things that has not shown up yet. The good things come from the world of True Image and by properly practicing Shinsokan the good creation will be surely born.

It is truly a wonderful start to greet the 21st century by taking the spiritual training seminar together with our ancestors under the divine guidance of the guardian spiritual images of the universal God enshrined in the Main shrine.

My first experience at Tobitakyu Spiritual Training Center on New Year's day in 1949 when I practiced Shinsokan in their prayer room was a start of my 50 year service at the training center.

Every year, we practice Shinsokan at 12:00 a.m. on New Year's day at Main Temple and dedicate our prayers at each shrine. Then we begin the start of New Year by the first laughing practice. It has become a tradition of Uji Temple. Many Seicho-No-Ie members wish to come to Uji Temple or Seicho-No-Ie Main Temple in Nagasaki prefecture to cerebrate New Year's Day. We receive a lot of people from neighbor prefectures but we always welcome people from other places, too.

During the New Year Spiritual Training Seminar, Rev. Yoshimitsu Tsuchiya will give a lecture on his experience that his bladder cancer was healed. In our 14th testimonial leaflet, there were 6 people whose cancers were healed. In our 15th testimonial leaflet, there were 18 people whose cancers were healed. One of them was Rev. Tsuchiya's testimony. I hope your will enjoy reading them. Also, I recently received a thank you letter from Mr. Junichi Fujimoto. He is also the one whose bladder cancer was healed. His testimony is also published in our Uji Newsletter. He was healed through realizing the truth, "Man is a Child of God and has no sickness." It is wonderful for his sickness was healed but it is rather supremely wonderful for him to realize the truth of "Man is a Child of God" in his long life. Propagating the realization of the Truth is the true Humanity Enlightenment Movement. Let us dedicate prayer to support "the Will of the Lord of Seicho-No-Ie to pacify this phenomenal world in divine order in cooperation with both phenomenal and spiritual worlds" to receive divine guidance and determine to propagate the Humanity Enlightenment Movement together with our ancestors.

The Nyu Ryugu Yusaiden (The Shrine of Divine Healing) is a sacred place to practice Shinsokan to keep our mind in peace and become one with God. Practicing Shinsokan here deepens our realization of Man is a Child of God.

<Translation from Uji Dayori (Uji Newsletter) January 1, 2001 issue>

Let Us Achieve Happiness Together With Nature

New Year’s Message

Let Us Achieve Happiness Together With Nature

Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, President

Seicho-No-Ie

I would like to wish all Seicho-No-Ie members a very Happy New Year.

I am very grateful to be able to extend my New Year’s greetings to all of you from the Seicho-No-Ie “Office in the Forest,” the completion of which was celebrated and where work began last year.  Both the inherent blessings and severity that nature gives human beings are still found in abundance in this region of Oizumi-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture.  Through our lives, this region provides us with reminders of what the primordial relationship between nature and human beings was like; I am very grateful that you supported International Headquarters’ move here.

Even by world standards, Japan is a rare “green country” where close to 70% of the entire country is forest land.  In this land, the Japanese have, since the ancient Jomon Period (14,000-300 BC.), revered and respected nature, and along with receiving various blessings from her, found value in taking care of and nurturing nature.  On the other hand, however, it is also a fact that they have promoted large scale destruction of nature, particularly after the Meiji Era when they rode on the waves of modernization and even more when they tried to stand at the forefront of that modernization.  While it may be in different degrees, many countries overseas have also had inconsistent attitudes towards nature similar to our country.  However, in today’s global environment that has been greatly disturbed by human activity, it is clear which of these two contradictory ways of life we should adopt.

Humankind must stop destroying nature and shift to a life that prospers and develops with nature.  By no means does this mean a return to life in the Jomon Period.

Last fall, with the goal of demonstrating how human beings can live a modern-day life within nature while keeping the least-fettered functions of the natural forest, incorporating Japan’s cutting edge environmental technology, Seicho-No-Ie built a Zero Energy Building (ZEB) that does not emit any carbon dioxide and operates only on renewable natural energy and began its Headquarters’ work there.  The employees who work there are also striving to mainly use natural energy and changing to a lifestyle that finds more joy in interaction with nature, including growing crops, than in the consumption of material things.

That is by no means a boring life.  Human beings are in essence a part of nature and in their interaction and relationship with organisms such as fungi, animals and plants, they feel joy, realize what life really is and their creative desires and ambitions are aroused by listening to the sounds of the running river, the wind traveling through the forest, and the chirping of the birds.

Last fall I was moved to discover many varieties of edible mushrooms growing on the Office grounds.  The reason I was so moved is because it was evidence that the forest environment where the fungi can grow was not destroyed even by the construction work.  The staff enjoyed and had a wonderful time going into the forest on the office grounds and picking the mushrooms.  They saw deer running through the forest, were able to remember and learned to recognize their cries, and savored the happiness of commuting to work and working in the brilliant reds and yellows, much like a magnificent picture scroll, of the fall foliage.  If human beings do not destroy it with their selfish desires, nature gives all of this to us absolutely free.  There are many other paths besides that of economic development that human beings can take to find happiness.

Seicho-No-Ie is a teaching that realizes happiness through reconciliation with “the whole universe.”  There is no doubt that “the whole universe” includes the world of nature.  It is my sincere hope that you will by all means make this basic of our teachings your creed for this year and along with further advancing, in your family life as well as your social life, the way of life that “grows together with nature” and attaining true happiness, share the message with as many people as possible that nature and human beings are in reality not to conflict but to be in harmony in the True Image of God’s creation.

Thank you very much for your continued support again this year.