Express Blessings That You Have Received

The following article was introduced in the October 2010 newsletter.

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On October 10, 2010, we observed the second year memorial service for Rev. Seicho Taniguchi since his transition to the angelic world. Seicho-No-Ie was started by the founder, Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi, and Rev. Seicho Taniguchi became the second President of Seicho-No-Ie. Now, Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi is the President of Seicho-No-Ie. Rev. Msaharu Taniguchi, Rev. Seicho Taniguchi and Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi taught us the same truth that we are all children of God and were born in this phenomenal world to express the kingdom of God. We have learned that our lives are eternal, so when our physical bodies die, we still continuously express our divinity in the spiritual world in accordance with the level of our souls. In order to express the divinity we have to arouse God's love within our minds and hearts. It is also important to be grateful to everyone and everything in heaven and earth. In order to do this, first of all we need to recognize the blessings which are given by God. It is explained in the 365 Golden Keys To The Summit Of Fulfillment on page 3 as follows:

"Blessings of Heaven and Earth

Just stop for a few moments and think of the many blessings nature gives us that are essential to our life. Think of how much all that is living provides us without which our existence cannot be sustained. Have we not heretofore been too insensitive to the innumerable gifts accorded us in various forms, both visible and invisible? Indeed, we have taken too little notice of all those blessings. Because we have taken them for granted, we have neglected to be grateful out of ignorance.

Even though they are actually there, nothing comes into existence, so long as you do not recognize them. For example, even if there were a one-million-dollar check in your pocket, unless you are aware of it, it is as if it were not there. So it is with everything. Be it a blessing of nature, love of people, love of parents, or love of country, unless you yourself are perceptive enough to sense and acknowledge it, it is as if it did not exist. To be thus ignorant and unaware of what is actually there is the same as being blind. No matter what, we must never allow ourselves to become blind. It is indeed only when we perceive and recognize all the blessings and gifts provided that they are ours." (end of quote) (p. 3)

As stated in the Words of Wisdom in this book, Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi asked us to think of how many blessings and how much love we have been provided. He also emphasized that we should be awakened to and be grateful to the blessings of nature, to the kindness of others, to the love of parents, and the benefits from your society and country. He said that unless you are perceptive enough to sense and acknowledge them, it is the same as if they did not exist.

Let us recognize our blessings and love that sustain us first even though it's not easily recognized in our daily lives. Then, be grateful to them. Being grateful is not a passive but active action. If you feel gratitude toward something, you should express it. Unless it is expressed, it is the same as if it did not exist. Likewise, we see nature as the expression of God's love, we are grateful to it, and so we should try to protect them as our expression of gratitude.

Seicho-No-Ie United States Missionary Headquarters and the Southern California Missionary Area currently work hard to obtain a certificate of ISO14001. ISO means International Organization for Standardization and 14001 is the Environmental Management System. In other words, it is a global environmental standard. Everything needs a standard. If a product has no standard, it will have trouble. If people don't produce a product by following the standard, a problem will arise. For a very recent example, billions of eggs were recalled because of the threat of salmonella poisoning. So, by receiving an ISO14001 certificate we will be able to prove that SNI USMH and SNI SCMA are approved as organizations that care and protect our environment. The Seicho-No-Ie teachings are to be grateful to our nature and earth as expressions of God's life, and we have to express our gratitude as Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi said. Therefore, Seicho-No-Ie is now trying to express our gratitude through our performance in accordance with ISO14001.

Then, do you know what we are actually doing? We educate members and the public to preserve our nature. We recycle and reuse things as the life of God. To reuse means to reduce our waste; so we weigh our waste every week. We implemented the solar power panels to reduce electric energy consumption which was created by fossil fuel. There are many things that we are trying right now. I would like to explain in detailed information about this in the future again. I ask for your cooperation in order to receive this certificate. We need your cooperation, especially in separating waste in the designated bins. Last time when I checked a recycle paper bin, someone dumped his bento box with a remainder of rice and other food. These papers were not able to be recycled because of the residues from the food and soy source. So, I ask you again for your cooperation.

Although each one's effort may be small, practicing is important. Because in a small thing is indeed where God's love exists. Thus, you have to be careful about a tiny thing, like telling a tiny lie, committing a small evil, and squandering small change, etc. Rev. Seicho Taniguchi taught us that to neglect a tiny thing in one's life is to go against the purpose of one's life. For example, it is of course good to read an entire book, but if you read a line or a paragraph using a short time in a day and continue reading, it sometimes becomes a great inspiration. If every time you go to the bathroom and read the same book, you will finish it before you know it. If you practice a foreign language everyday for ten minutes, you will be able to practice 300 minutes in a a month. Therefore, you would have studied for 5 hours. In a year you would complete 60 hours of study and it will increase your knowledge. Everyone can find 10 minutes in a day. Rev. Seicho Taniguchi said that if someone says, "I don't have time to read such a thick book," it means that the person confesses that he or she does not want to read it. If you separate waste properly and reuse it again, we can preserve our resources.

From April of this year we started a monthly Ancestral Memorial Service in order to memorialize our ancestors as well as our predecessors who devoted themselves to the Humanity Enlightenment Movement in the Southern California Missionary Area. It is impossible for our church to exist without our predecessors' hard work and devotion. Although each donation by one person might be small, the accumulation made it possible to establish this church.

It is the same of our happiness in this phenomenal world. For example, we cannot see the spiritual love and protection from our ancestors, but they are surely there. First we need to recognize them and then be grateful to them. How wonderful it is if everyone can be grateful to their ancestors everyday using 20 minutes or so at home. This is a small effort but the entire family will surely become happy if one continues it. At this present time we have to be considerate to take care of not only our own family's happiness but also nature on earth as our family. It is important to care for every material existence by worshiping the life of God within.

Rev. Seicho Taniguchi taught us as follows:

"In order to efficiently use the resources on earth sooner or later we by no means will end up on cul-de-sacs if we continue using a thing once and then throw it away and increase futile waste. Furthermore, it will cause destruction of the environment by burning resources and realize the phenomenon of a declining birth rate." (Daidowo Ayumu Tameni [means to walk on the broad way], p. 71)

"A camera, a jewel, a watch or a personal computer, etc. is not often recycled. Few people will dump them, but the most precious, detailed machine is a physical body which we are accustomed to use. This physical body is not a real man but a mere tool for our souls. To express greatness as a Child of God Man on the earth by using this tool can be said the purpose of a human life in this world. Therefore, we must use this physical body with great care, never harm or discard it and have to achieve our life's goal." (end of quote)(Ibid., p. 74)

Please take great care of your physical body to express your child of God nature. In order to do this, we have to take care of small details of our daily meals and exercise. Furthermore, expression of the gratitude toward our ancestors or nature using a short time in a day seems to be a small effort, but by continuing and accumulating these small but important efforts, we will become happy. Thank you very much.