Seicho-No-Ie
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Seicho-No-Ie (生長の家, Seichō no ie) is a syncretic, monotheistic, and panentheistic religion of Japanese origin. It emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family and the ancestors and, above all, religious faith in God. Despite some common misunderstandings that even exists amongst many of its own practitioners, it inherits most of its characteristics from Shinto rather than from Buddhism.
History
Seicho-No-Ie was founded in Japan in 1930 by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi. Distraught over the many contradictions in life, he studied many religions and philosophies, such as Buddhism Christianity and Shinto. One day, whilst in deep meditation, he received a divine revelation. From that day onward he started to spread the teachings he had received.
Beliefs
In Seicho-No-Ie, every human being considered to be a child of God. Because of this, all human beings are also believed to have the creative power of God. The material world and the disease, poverty and natural disasters within it are seen as largely illusionary. Misfortune can only befall humans because they have willfully separated themselves from God. The true world is the Kingdom of God, the spiritual world in which there unlimited creativity, wealth, health and joy. Through optimism, kindness, and prayerful meditation each human being can come to realise their true nature as a child of God, and so enter the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, in this life.
There are about 2 million adherents of Seicho-No-Ie, most of them in Japan and in Brazil.
Seicho-No-Ie can be compared to the new religious interpretations that were the result of the New Thought Movement in the USA.
External links
- Official Page (http://www.seicho-no-ie.org/)
- Official Page (USA) (http://www.snitruth.org/)
- Official Page (Canada) (http://www.snitoronto.ca/)