is a

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...

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 The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

Japanese new religion Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. In Japanese, they are called or . Japanese scholars classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as "new religions"; thus, the term refe ...

that has spread since the

end of World War II in Asia World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, at 3:24 with the surrender of Japan on the . Before that, the United States Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, and the Soviet–Japanese War, S ...

. 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 was a Japanese New Thought leader who was the founder of Seicho-No-Ie. Biography Taniguchi began studying English literature at the Waseda University, Tokyo. In parallel, he also studied the works of Fenwicke Holmes, and subsequently translate ...

, 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

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

with his wife Teruko, to lecture on his beliefs personally.

Ernest Holmes Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (January 21, 1887 – April 7, 1960) was an American New Thought writer, teacher, and leader. He was the founder of a spiritual movement known as Religious Science, part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spi ...

, founder of

Religious Science The Religious Science movement, or Science of Mind, was established in 1926 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical spiritual movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applie ...

, 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 Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

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 was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher of the Kamakura period. His teachings form the basis of Nichiren Buddhism, a unique branch of Japanese Mahayana Buddhism based on the '' Lotus Sutra''. Nichiren declared that the '' Lotus Sutra ...

sects' views of the

Lotus Sutra The ''Lotus Sūtra'' (Sanskrit: ''Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram'', ''Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma'', zh, p=Fǎhuá jīng, l=Dharma Flower Sutra) is one of the most influential and venerated Buddhist Mahāyāna sūtras. ...

, this sutra is treated as a protective amulet that can be carried, read, or copied for protective benefits. In

Uji, Kyoto is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa ...

, 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

denominations) * The is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-No-Ie. At Seicho-No-Ie's Sōhonzan head temple in

Saikai, Nagasaki 270px, Saikai Bridge is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Population , the city had an estimated population of 25,184 in 12447 households, and a population density of 100 people per km2. The total area of the city is . History Sak ...

, there are seven

stone lantern are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...

s 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 file:Chouseiden.jpg, 200px, ''Chōseiden'' (長生殿) in Ayabe, Kyoto, Ayabe , also known as , is a religion founded in the 1890s by Nao Deguchi, Deguchi Nao (1836–1918) and Onisaburo Deguchi, Deguchi Onisaburō (1871–1948). Oomoto is typ ...

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 is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

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 is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 45,684 in 22,091 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Geography Hokuto is located in far northwest Yamanashi Pref ...

near Kai-Ōizumi Station at the foot of Mount Aka. **, Seicho-No-Ie's spiritual headquarters in

, 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 is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa ...

, Kyoto. is located inside the temple complex. Every August, the (annual ancestor ceremony) is held at this temple. *:

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 census. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the ...

(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. *:

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

*: Jabaquara,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

(Brazil and Latin America headquarters) *:

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

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