Message at the 35th Memorial Service for Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi

 Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi met Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi when they belonged to the Omoto Sect. Mrs. Teruko was attracted to Rev. Taniguchi’s serious attitude to seek God. As a newlywed couple, they were both totally devoted themselves to the Omoto Sect and lived on the Omoto property. Rev. Taniguchi’s only possessions were a toothbrush, a towel, and a basket to carry them along with a few pieces of clothing. They were young and poor, but they had faith. Mrs. Teruko respected Rev. Taniguchi as a husband and also as her teacher. Her belief in and respect for her husband never changed throughout her life.

Today, I would like to share one of Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi’s articles from her book, Kokoro no Yasuragi [Peacefulness of Mind]. As the White Dove president, she received many letters from members so once she responded to these letters she rarely kept them except for certain letters whose content moved her a lot. Mrs. Teruko happened to come upon one of these old letters and read it again.

The letter from Mrs. K said that her home encountered a severe typhoon, that flood washed away the ground floor of her home, and that all her Seicho-No-Ie books and precious items of her memory vanished. However, instead of clinging to her lost treasured possessions Mrs. K wrote her gratitude and farewell towards her losses.

Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi was deeply moved when she first read this letter because Mrs. K had the similar strong faith as she did: to focus only on the True Image regardless of phenomenal appearance. When Mrs. Teruko read this letter a second time, the feeling of respect and gratitude toward Mrs. K welled up again within her. 

Mrs. K believed that this typhoon and the flood washed away all her past sins and delusions and she was grateful for this disaster. In addition, her pear orchard was destroyed but some of the fruits of pears were left on the trees. She thanked God and courteously wrapped and sent the pears to her acquaintances with prayers. She then planted tangerine trees after the pear orchard the next year.

Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi hoped Mrs. K’s new tangerine trees would grow many tangerines the following year. Mrs. Taniguchi praised Mrs. K’s faith and wrote as follows:

 

When faced with misfortune, some people start to doubt God’s blessings and quickly lose their faith. I am saddened to see how some people have so little faith in God. “Our house burned down in the fire,” “I was injured in a car accident,” “I failed my entrance exam,” “Our marriage ended in failure.” When put in difficult situations such as these, some people go as far as denying the existence of God, brooding on their complains, and feeling discontent. Regardless of what form misfortune may take, the person who meets it calmly and stays grateful with his mind aligned with God’s divine Providence indeed has true faith in God. Even in the midst of what appears to be misfortune, a person of faith does not lose sight of God and can still put his hands together in prayer for everything in this universe under divine guidance. (Truth of Life, February 2008)

 

In the Divine Message of No-Forms, All-Forms Nature of God it states: “My advent is not for the sake of matter but for the sake of life, not for the sake of the flesh, but for the spirit. There are few who have awakened to this. For those attached to the appearance and disappearance of matter, when matter is increased their faith is raised and when matter is decreased they lose their faith. When their bodies become healthy they praise God, and when someone in their family falls ill they lose their faith. Such people have no faith in God but only in matter.” (Excerpt)

Miracles happen when there is a strong faith. If you have witnessed miracles and want to experience them you must nurture your faith. If you came to Seicho-No-Ie only for miracles then your faith is in matter, not in God.

Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi decided to move to Nagasaki, Japan when he was almost 81 years old to build the Seicho-No-Ie Main Temple. The plans for this building was created and under the direction and supervision of Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi, four years later on his 85th birthday, the Main Temple called, Ryugu Sumiyoshi Hongu (enshrined Lord of Sumiyoshi) was completed and the official opening ceremony was held. The main hall can accommodate over 1000 people and there is a training center which can accommodate approximately 200 people.

Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi always had total faith in God and in Rev. Taniguchi. She always visualized the True-Image child of God in Rev. Taniguchi, not a weak 80-year-old man. Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi, at the age of 82 took on huge spiritual, financial, and environmental responsibilities to build the Main Temple. He was a person of faith and Mrs. Teruko was always there supporting him.

A few years after the Main Temple building was established, they acquired some more acres. The Main Temple currently has over 800 acres including mountings and brooks and preserves nature. Rev. Taniguchi also built an additional temple called Ryugu Sumiyoshi Reigu (enshrined Lord of Izanami who governs the spiritual world), the Seven Lighthouses to illuminate the Truth of the world, etc. Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi, who always believed in Rev. Taniguchi, followed him and supported him in his final project for saving the world.

On this special occasion of Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi’s 35th Memorial Service, I would like you to strive for the same faith as Mrs. Teruko Taniguchi. 

“Killing the Cat of Nansen”: The Teaching of Buddhism to Transcend a Form (Phenomena) and Seicho-No-Ie

(This message was delivered on April 16, 2023, at the Seicho-No-Ie New York Center.)

 Today, I will talk about Zen Monk Nansen (Nanquan).

“Killing the Cat of Nansen” is a koan in Zen Buddhism. A koan is a collection of questions and answers used in Zen practice to help practitioners attain enlightenment. Koans are presented by Zen teachers to their students to test their progress.

The book, Gateless Gate, is a collection of 48 koans. Each koan has a Case number, Commentary (analysis) and a Verse (the author’s inspiration).

Founder Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi interpreted this koan, “Killing the Cat of Nansen,” Case 14 of the Gateless Gate, in his book, Mumomkan Kaishaku [Interpretation of Gateless Gate].

Case 14 “Killing the Cat of Nanzen”

The Western and Eastern Halls were competitive opponents and they often argued. They started arguing again and Master Nansen wanted to stop them. So, he showed a cat to them and asked them what was the real nature of the cat. If they answered, he said he would spare the cat’s life. Otherwise, he would kill the cat. Unfortunately, no one was able to answer his question because everyone had different points of view about cats. One thought cats were thieves who steal meals from the kitchen. One thought the cat was good for shamisen guitars. Everyone had different views because they were all different people with different backgrounds and opinions. Therefore, they could not agree on the answer to his question. Master Nansen then killed the cat.

When Joshu, one of the disciples of this Zen temple, returned in the evening, Master Nansen told him what happened and asked him what he would have done. Joshu took off his sandal, put it on his head, and walked off. Nansen said, “If you had been here, the cat would have been saved!”

The following commentary and verse come from the website of Rochester Zen Center as follows:

The Commentary

Just say, what is the real meaning of Joshu’s putting his sandal on his head? If you can give a turning word on this point, you will see that Nansen’s action was not in vain. But if not, beware!

The Verse

Had Joshu only been there, he would have taken charge. He would have snatched away the sword, and Nansen would have begged for his life.

Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi wrote that each student saw the cat from different angles and had different perceptions, so the phenomenal nature of the cat was defined depending on how a person perceived it. All conflicts and arguments originated from different beliefs and perceptions because each person only saw and believed what he knew. We must think beyond appearances and phenomena.

Everyone has different perceptions and backgrounds regarding cats, but there is no real truth in appearances in this phenomenal world. Master Nansen cut the cat and killed its phenomenal appearance to kill the origin of all delusive thoughts. When an appearance disappears, conflicts or fights also disappear.

Joshu realized the truth that there is no Truth in appearances in this phenomenal world so when he put his sandal on his head and walked off he presented his True Nature in his actions. The action of putting sandals on his head instead of his feet was his way of killing the origin of all delusive thoughts. Everyone agrees that sane or ordinary people do not put sandals on their heads so there was no argument. Joshu showed that appearance, form, or phenomena is not what causes conflict. Conflict begins in the mind. When the mind changes, the appearance or form will change.

The verse said, “Joshu would have snatched away the sword, and Nansen would have begged for his life.” If Joshu had been there while Master Nansen tried to kill the cat, Joshu would have taken Nansen’s sword and Nansen might have been injured by this sward.

When you have problems because of appearances, it is your thought or your mind that manifests that appearance. So, when you try to destroy the problem or its appearance, this is but a temporary solution. You must solve the original cause of the problem which is created in your mind.

When you observe current problems in the world such as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, global warming and climate change, school and/or bank shooting incidents, etc. they are all caused by human minds. Although arbitration efforts will help alleviate damages, it is not a fundamental solution. Therefore, Seicho-No-Ie always teaches us about the essence of human beings and our True Image. We also learn that we are the masters of our lives and create our own destinies by using the mind’s power.

Last week I spoke about the real meaning of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection which is that we are all children of God and a sinless existence. Zen Buddhism teaches the same thing. We must use our minds to create a wonderful future because we already have greatness within us, we have Buddha’s nature, and this world is the world of the Boddhisatva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World.

I will read the third day’s prayer of the Thirty Prayers for Daily Recitation and conclude today’s lecture: (omitting the prayer) 

Thank you very much.

The Importance of Adhering to Rules in Achieving Successful Change—Learn from the Life of Jesus Christ

Happy Easter! (This is the lecture delivered on Easter Sunday 4/9/2023) 

Easter represents the day Jesus Christ was resurrected after he had been crucified three days before.

Why was Jesus, a man of Truth, crucified.? It was because he claimed to be the Messiah. Jesus showed the people various miracles and spoke the truth. For example, he said to a paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) He also said to the same paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Mark 5:11)

Many teachers of the law at that time believed that only God had the authority to forgive sins, so they condemned Jesus’ words. In Truth, because God did not create sin in human beings Jesus was able to forgive all sins since sin was not created by God. All people are children of God, not sinners, therefore, from the beginning, there was no sin, therefore, Jesus was able to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” The only way for a human being to be saved is to realize the truth that he is not a child of sin, but a child of God in his heart.

According to the prophecies of the Old Testament, Jesus demonstrated his forgiveness of the sins of all human beings with his physical body by being crucified. Carrying the cross and being crucified were symbols that a human is not matter, not flesh, and not a sinner. It was also a symbol that Jesus accepted the sins of all people. Jesus dared to be hanged on the cross to prove that he accepted the sins of all people in accordance with the prophecies of the Old Testament written in Isaiah.

The Old Testament describes the prophecies of Jesus Christ's death:

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)

When Jesus was resurrected three days later in accordance with the prophecies of the Old Testament, he demonstrated that all humans are spirits and eternal life. This is written in the Acts of the Apostles. The Act quoted Paul who spoke before everyone in the church:

“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.” (Act 13:23)

“We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’” God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God he said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’” (Act 13:32-34)

It is difficult to change people’s beliefs. Successful change does not happen overnight and does not happen unless people change their beliefs. It was important for Jesus to eliminate all humankind’s sense of sin from their minds in accordance with the prophecies of the Old Testament. If sin consciousness had remained in people’s hearts and minds, Christianity, the world’s largest religion, would not have been born through the miracles shown by Jesus.

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ represent such important teachings of truth. It is like acknowledging dirty spots when you do the laundry or wash the dishes. In the beginning, the clothes and dishes were not dirty, but we can wash away the soiled clothes and dirty dishes, just like we can cleanse ourselves by realizing the truth and changing our minds, beliefs, and attitudes that from the beginning we are all sinless children of God.

Without successfully changing people’s beliefs, companies, societies and nations will not truly change. Terrorists claim that the world needs to change and they justify their terrorist acts, but the world does not change through these methods because many people do not support their methods for changing the world. Even if there were some changes through acts of terrorism, the same negative mindset will reappear in the new society because people’s minds, attitudes, and beliefs remain the same.

In order to change people’s beliefs, we must accept the current world’s cultures and backgrounds, change what is wrong, follow the laws, and move forward in accordance with God’s will.

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to speak with you today.