Japanese new religion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seicho-no-Ie (Japanese: 生長の家, Hepburn: Seichō-no-Ie, "House of Growth") is a syncretic, monotheistic, 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. Seichō no Ie is the world's largest New Thought group.[1] By the end of 2010 it had over 1.6 million followers and 442 facilities, mostly located in Japan.[2]
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (May 2013) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Seicho-no-Ie | |
|---|---|
| Seichō no Ie (生長の家) | |
The mon of Seicho-no-ie | |
| Type | Japanese new religion |
| Classification | New Thought |
| Scripture | Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines (甘露の法雨, Kanro no hōu) and others |
| President | Masanobu Taniguchi (谷口雅宣) |
| Headquarters | Hokuto, Yamanashi (international headquarters) Saikai, Nagasaki (Sōhonzan Shrine) |
| Founder | Masaharu Taniguchi |
| Origin | 1930 Japan |
| Separated from | Oomoto |
In 1930, Masaharu Taniguchi, working as an English translator, published the first issue of what he called his "non-denominational truth 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, South America, and North America 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.[3]
Taniguchi died in a Nagasaki hospital on June 17, 1985, at the age of ninety-one.[4] Today the president of Seichō no Ie is Masanobu Taniguchi (谷口雅宣).
In the 2000s, the Seicho-no-Ie Fundamental Movement 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.
The four holy sūtras (聖経, seikyō) of Seicho-no-Ie are:[5]
The most important texts in Seicho-no-Ie are:[7]
Seicho-no-Ie publishes a newspaper called Seishimei "聖使命, Sacred Mission"). It also publishes three magazines:[7]
The religion teaches belief in the "single absolute divinity" (唯一絶対の神, yuiitsu zettai no kami). One of their proverbs is "Be grateful for everything in the world" (天地の万物に感謝せよ, tenchi no manbutsu ni kansha seyo).[7]
The Seven Promulgations of Light (七つの燈臺) is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-no-Ie.[8]
Meditation in Seicho-no-Ie is called shinsōkan (神想観),[9][10] of which one type is inori-ai shinsōkan (祈り合い神想観, lit. 'shinsōkan as prayer for one another'). There is also prayer for world peace (世界平和の祈り, sekai heiwa no inori).[7]
Some Seicho-no-Ie member associations are:[7]
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.[7]
Seicho-no-Ie has centers in:[11]
Japan: Hokuto, Yamanashi (international headquarters, located near Kai-Ōizumi Station at the foot of Mount Aka)
United States: Gardena, California (US headquarters)
Canada: Toronto and Vancouver
Brazil: São Paulo (Brazil headquarters)
Germany: Frankfurt
Taiwan: Taipei
Hong KongSeamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.