April 2009

Izunome Kyodan United Kingdom
Issue no. 02 - April / 2009
A pleasant
person
(Teaching of Meishu-sama)
P
erhaps there is no word
that sounds more agreeable than "pleasant." Think
about it. To get along in the world,
being pleasant toward others is more
important than we may realise, for, it
has a very great influence on the
society in which we live, to say nothing
of personal fortune.
For example, when a person comes
into contact with another individual
who has a pleasing personality, that
person begins to feel pleasant, and this
can happen over and over until a very
amiable society can be brought about.
The result can be that all the deplorable
problems, especially those involving
conflict and crime, steadily decrease.
Naturally, this means that a spiritual
paradise can then be realised. And, to
achieve this we do not have to spend a
penny; no effort is required; we can
begin to do it right now. What could
be better?
This may sound very easy, but it
clearly is not, as I think everybody
realises. I say this because the mere
external appearance of being pleasant
is not enough to achieve it; it must be
something that emanates from sincere
love within. So, everything depends on
the spiritual and mental attitude of the
individual. In other words, the spirit of
love for others is what is of primary rejoicing, that feeling of joy reflect on
importance.
me and I begin to feel happy, too.
Let me write a little about myself
Though my disposition has
in this regard. It may sound rather odd occasionally caused personal hardship,
for me to say it, but, since my youth I it has helped me in advancing the
have seldom been disliked or resented construction work of prototypes of
by others; most people have been Paradise on Earth and especially of art
attracted to me wherever I have gone. museums. So, I believe God has given
One reason for this especially me this kind of nature for a specific
strikes me. I am always careful to try purpose. Whenever I find a wonderful
to do first only what satisfies others, art object or come across a place of
what makes them happy, taking care superb scenic beauty, I cannot enjoy it
of my own interests or pleasures later. by myself. The desire begins to well
I don't do this to uphold some standard up within me to share the pleasure with
or spiritual viewpoint; it all happens as many people as possible so they are
quite naturally. Perhaps it is simply happy as well.
because it is in my nature to act in this
In this way it gives me the greatest
way. I really enjoy being kind to others joy and satisfaction to be with other
and trying to make them happy. People people and watch them also enjoying
have often told me how lucky I was to those things and feeling happy, rather
have such a disposition.
than appreciating nice things all by
Since I became a spiritual leader, myself.
Meishu-Sama, April 21st, 1954
this quality has grown more prominent,
of course. Whenever
I see a sick person
suffering, the desire
to help and heal is so
Meishu-Sama’s Biography - part 2
♦
strong I cannot
Guidance
from
Kyoshu-sama
refrain from doing
♦
something. I give
The Three Pillars of Salvation
Johrei, and when I
♦
see that person
Faith Testimonial (Practice of Sonen)
recovering
and
See inside…
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IZUNOME KYODAN - UNITED KINGDOM (Registered Charity no. 1114568)
London Johrei Centre
465-B Hornsey Rd
London N19 4DR
Tel/Fax: 02072811532
Email: johrei@btconnect.com
Mobile: 07771722369
www.johreicentre.org.uk
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IZUNOME NEWS
April 2009
MEISHU-SAMA - THE LORD OF LIGHT
A short Biography of Meishu-sama
(...)
Business Success
W
hen Meishu-Sama
(then Okada) was in
his early twenties his
father passed away and left him a small
business. Due to his honesty and great
commercial and artistic
abilities,
Okada’s
business soon became
prosperous. In his early
thirties, he was a very
successful designer of
fashion accessories and
had some of his designs
patented in several
countries. His health,
however, was still being
uninterruptedly affected
by a series of illnesses.
Philanthropy and
Sense of Justice
As a successful businessman,
Mokichi Okada would always
contribute to charities such as the
Salvation Army and others. It is
interesting to observe that at that point
he was an atheist and had no spiritual
beliefs. He used to say that he liked to
contribute to charities simply because
he did appreciate the work they were
doing for society. His concern for the
welfare of others and his
willingness to make others happy were
the driving forces
behind his philanthropic generosity.
Part 2
Mokichi Okada was also especially
concerned with injustice and
We publish this month the second
dishonesty. His sense of justice was
part of the series A Short Biography
strong and corruption and injustice
of Meishu-Sama. This text is a
were absolutely abhorrent to him,
continuation of Part 1 presented in
the previous issue of Izunome
particularly with regard to positions
News.
The series will be continued
of leadership, such as politicians and
in the forthcoming issues.
businessmen. By 1918
Mokichi
Okada
decided to start a
newspaper. He wanted it cases of juvenile delinquency have
to be an instrument to become so great that they cannot be
denounce injustice and ignored any longer (...) All of these
contribute to improve [problems] stem from a lack of social
society. However, a sense of justice to some degree (...)
(...) the most unmistakable way by
major financial crisis in
Japan in 1919 led his which to determine the worth of a
main business into person is by observing the amount of
bankruptcy and forced indignation he feels toward evil (...)
him to abandon the idea. Since my young days I have had a
This strong sense of strong sense of justice and have had
justice is expressed in some of
Meishu-Sama’s Teachings,
such as:
“(...) [in the world today]
people in general do not seem
to feel nearly enough indignation over injustice. (...)
Perhaps they think that however indignant they may become about evil, it will not
change the situation; (...)
People speak of poor governMeishu-Sama with His wife, Nidai-sama (who later
ment administration and of
became
the second Spiritual Leader of our Church).
corrupt practices among
politicians and public officials. (...) The rate of an extraordinary feeling of abhorrence
crime is rising toward the injustices of the world. I
rapidly and the have felt indignation whenever I have
seen or heard of this kind of wrong, so
much so that I have had to make great
efforts to control that feeling. (...)
Ideally speaking, you will not be of
real use to the world if you are a
person who does not feel indignation
toward injustice. But the manner in
which you express that indignation
requires consideration. (...) You should
always act sensibly, keeping the spirit
of love and friendship in your heart (...)
To be continued
Asakusa, Tokyo (place where Meishu-Sama had spent his childhood and His father used to
sell small goods at times of financial hardship)
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GUIDANCE FROM KYOSHU-SAMA
April 2009
IZUNOME NEWS
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Become a Person Who Wishes
for the Happiness of Others
Message by Kyoshu-sama (our current spiritual leader)
Annual Ancestor Service, July 1 & 2, 2008.
Hall of Worship, Atami Sacred Grounds, Japan.
reetings to everyone at
today’s Annual Ancestor
Service.
With a deep sense of awe, I realize that
God, Who is our true parent, has lived from
the beginning of time, is living now, and
is living for all eternity. God is making us
alive, and is raising and nurturing us with
His breath of eternal life, with His
consciousness and with His soul.
Meishu-sama was not only born as a
child of human parents – as a child of
parents with physical bodies – but he was
also newly born as a child who fulfilled
God’s Will, as the Messiah. I believe that
this Will of God, which was fulfilled in
Meishu-sama, is the one that should be
fulfilled in all humanity, too.
The reason we have been born on Earth
with our consciousness is so that we can
attain the consciousness of Heaven and
then be newly born as true children of God.
For that purpose, God connected us to
Meishu-sama, and is guiding us to grow
and progress in God’s eternal nurturing.
During today’s Annual Ancestor
service, I offered my sincere gratitude to
Meishu-sama the Messiah for this fact, and
offered my praise to God, Who is with
Meishu-sama. And I prayed that God’s
wish be accomplished, together with our
ancestors through our father’s lineage and
through our mother’s lineage – who are
all alive in the consciousness of the cells
of our bodies.
You members of the Izunome Kyodan
are doing your best to give service in the
three pillars of our activities, namely,
Johrei, nature farming and health food, as
well as salvation through art and beauty,
and also in the construction and
beautification of the Kyoto Sacred
Grounds. You are doing so with the
intention of cultivating faith in Meishusama as the Messiah and also of building
paradise within your own minds and
hearts. I am grateful for, and respect, your
efforts in these areas.
I understand that you are putting much
effort into the practice of Sonen in order
to cultivate gratitude within yourself, and
G
Meishu-sama, I can feel how
generous and humble God is. I
hope that I would like to become
such a person who wishes for the
happiness of others as much as
possible. However, in reality,
most of the time I tend to think of
my own welfare first, such as
wanting to become more
fortunate, to receive more
blessings, and to be liked by
others. Most of the time I do not
have such generosity within me as
Kyoshu-sama, the 4th Spiritual Leader of our Church
to be able to wish for the happiness
from this practice, circles of salvation are of many people or for blessings for others
being produced. I have received many before my own happiness and blessings.
written testimonials and faith experiences When a difficult problem for me is solved,
from members in Japan and throughout the I feel happy; and I am satisfied with that,
world. By reading these written and that is the end of the story. I am usually
testimonials I am learning a lot, and also I preoccupied with my own situation and do
can share in your joy and gratitude.
not have much room within my mind to
Serving God is the essential idea of think of the fate of other people.
Sonen Practice. So, many of you, instead
I hope I can become the kind of person
of just being satisfied with your personal who wishes to share God’s blessings with
joy and gratitude, seek to understand the others, but I am not sure if I am able to
core meaning of love for others as taught generate naturally that kind of love.
by Meishu-sama, and to start to bring Probably I do not have that kind of strong
happiness to others, with a fresh mind. I love within myself yet. Probably I have
really appreciate your sincere search for given up pursuing such generous thoughts
spiritual growth. I am happy that these from the beginning, that somebody like
efforts are bringing about circles of me, who has many attachments and a
happiness, and I pray that you will receive strong ego – and is full of shortcomings –
spiritual strength from Meishu-sama and cannot possibly become such a loving
will be guided by him in your endeavors. person to wish for God’s blessings for
As members of Sekai Kyusei Kyo, we others.
would like to be used in God’s work of
In this way, I try to provide many
the salvation of humanity and the building excuses to deny myself, to limit myself,
of Paradise on Earth, and we wish to serve and to give up making efforts to serve God.
God and share God’s blessings with many Properly speaking, I should free myself
people and thus practice love for others.
from these negative thoughts and look
On this point, Meishu-sama composed forward with a more broad and generous
many verses, such as, “How big and attitude. But when I reflect on myself, I
beautiful are the hearts of those who put realize that I am preventing my
the welfare and happiness of others first, development and am consciously limiting
even before their own,” and “Strive to the divine energy and guidance from God
become the kind of person who wishes for for my growth and progress, restricting my
the happiness of others always; because own spiritual advancement.
God loves such a person best!” [Prayer
In this respect, recently I came to
Book, page 41 or 43, and Prayer Book, realize one important element in our being
page 42 or 44]
raised and nurtured by God.
Whenever I read these verses by
Meishu-sama teaches us that we human
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IZUNOME NEWS
beings are God’s agents and
representatives. God is the creator of the
universe, and is giving His boundless
blessings to all His creations. If we are
God’s representatives and agents, then our
duty is to serve in this work of God: that
of extending these boundless blessings of
God to everything and everybody.
For this purpose, God prepared us in
Heaven as individualized souls of God, as
potential true children of God, and then
sent us to Earth, making us alive in order
to raise us and nurture us to become God’s
true agents and representatives to help in
this divine work.
We humans differentiate what is
private from what is public in our world.
However, God created the universe and is
now governing the whole of the world in
total impartiality; so, everything God does
in His work is official and public. Naturally we human beings cannot be separated
from everything in the universe. Moreover, God is using us constantly and is
training us so that we can become His own
children. We usually think that we are
doing something on our own, personally,
with our human efforts and intention. But
it is better for us to think that we are always
being used, serving in God’s official and
public work. Probably I did not think
about this point seriously in the past.
We believe that we need God’s help,
and that God does not need help from us,
but in reality, I think that God is telling us
He needs our help, too.
God is wishing to use us human beings
April 2009
GUIDANCE FROM KYOSHU-SAMA
as His means and instruments through
which to extend His blessing to everything.
We should understand and accept this duty
of ours; but since our minds and hearts are
still undeveloped and not advanced
enough, we are not aware of our Godassigned mission or of God’s way of
thinking. We need to confirm that we have
this important mission, that we already had
been given such an assignment while still
in Heaven, and reply to God affirmatively
that we are aware of our own mission. This
should become the basic attitude in our life.
We do not perform our mission with
our own human power, but we are simply
being used by God in God’s official and
public work. There is a verse by Meishusama that says, “Once you realize that
human power is limited, you begin to
understand that God’s power is limitless.”
As this verse indicates, when you realize
that you are putting too much trust in your
own human power, you really begin to
know God’s great power. This realization
is not easy to attain. Therefore, we should
always wish and pray that we may be used
freely by God so that God’s Will be
accomplished, that we may be raised and
nurtured to become useful instruments and
agents of God.
Instead of thinking in many different
ways on a human level, we can simply
hope and pray that God’s wish for people
manifest itself in accord with God’s Will,
and that we may be used freely to relay
God’s blessings and power to those people.
We are not the ones who give blessings;
they come from God. With this attitude,
Kyoshu-Sama with The Most Rev. Watanabe
(President of our Church)
we can be used in God’s work most
effectively.
Through such a mental attitude, we can
surrender everything to God’s hands and
we can have true gratitude. By trying to
serve in God’s work with such an attitude,
we can be guided and used by God in a
most harmonious manner, in spite of our
human shortcomings and imbalances.
The change from darkness to light,
from night to day, occurred in Heaven
already, and this change is now being
reflected to the Earth plane. We can pray
that this new phase of God’s work of
creation may appear in our present world.
There is another important point that I
want to stress at this time. This physical,
visible world in which we now live is the
final world in God’s creation. This
physical world consists not only of our
thoughts and feelings, but also of the words
that we utter, that come out of our thoughts,
and these words can find expressions in
this world. In this physical and material
world, we exchange words, including greetings such as “good
morning” or “how are you.”
Our thoughts are the most
essential function of human
beings and are directly
connected with God’s thought,
which is said to be God’s Will
or the fundamental universal
consciousness
of
God.
However, if we want to achieve
more spiritual growth and
advancement, and to serve God
more effectively, it is not enough
just to think and project
thoughts. God needs not only
our thoughts and feelings but
also the words that we utter.
Usually we are using words
freely, as if they are ours, but
essentially, words belong to God
and are the expressions of God’s
Atami Sacred Grounds Will. Meishu-sama taught us
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GUIDANCE FROM KYOSHU-SAMA
that words are very important because the
spiritual vibrations of words have a big
influence. Meishu-sama composed many
verses on this subject, such as, “No matter
how clouded the present world may be, it
can be cleansed and purified if people
begin to utter words of love and Makoto,”
and, “The positive vibrations of words do
not have much influence unless these
words are uttered by pure souls.”
In our everyday living, we usually utter
our words as expressions of our thoughts
and feelings. But instead, if we can return
these words to God as God’s words, and
utter them as words coming from our
internal divine essence, then these words
can convey God’s Light and can have the
power to forgive and purify everything.
Although Meishu-sama taught us about the
importance of the spiritual vibrations of
words, I myself did not realize it strongly,
and I took this teaching of Meishu-sama
lightly.
Everything in the universe has a name,
and that means everything in the universe
is connected to God through the spiritual
vibrations of the name. The words we use
in our everyday life are all connected to
God through their spiritual vibrations.
Instead of indiscriminately using
negative words, such as words of
resentment or hatred, or those accusing and
attacking others for their seeming mistakes
or shortcomings, we can use heavenly
words – that is, words of joy, gratitude and
benevolence. By uttering positive and
loving words, their spiritual vibrations will
resonate strongly in this material world and
will revive and activate our world
spiritually, and change it to heavenly state.
I am not saying that we have to use
polite, diplomatic words. Even if there are
any elements or people that seem negative,
only the blessings from Heaven can
change them to positive. So we can always
say, “Through Meishu-sama the Messiah.”
Then we can wish for that person, “May
happiness come to you,” or, “May God
bless you,” or, “May
you find peace.”
April 2009
And then finally we can wish, “May both
you and I be used in God’s work.” We
can make it a habit to say phrases like these
to anybody.
But if we say these words to
somebody’s face, the other party may be
offended. So we can say it after we see
somebody. Or, ever better, say these words
of blessings many times in advance,
secretly, before meeting somebody, and in
this way we can fill the room or the place
where we are going to see somebody with
positive and heavenly spiritual energy. The
same can be true when we exchange Johrei
with others. We can say those benevolent
words before meeting people and giving
Johrei.
The most precious things that I can
share with other people are the spiritual
vibrations of the words from God – the
words that make me exist with God’s love
and truth, giving life and energy to
everybody and everything. But I feel I
keep them to myself, and am not sharing
them sufficiently with others. If we really
want God’s power to appear, we can be
grateful for the spiritual power of words
from God, and wish that this power be
extended to many people instead of
wanting to keep it to ourselves. Such an
attitude would be more in harmony with
God’s wish.
Last month, we had our Paradise on
Earth Service here. On June 15, 1931, 77
years ago, Meishu-sama received the
revelation regarding the transition from the
age of darkness to the age of light. For a
long time humanity neglected and
disregarded God, but in spite of this fact,
God made the change-over from the age
of night, where human thinking took
precedence, to the daylight age, where God
should take precedence. I believe this is
because of God’s profound love and
forgiveness.
Many of us assume that we live solely
in this world; and we believe that the only
standard and yardstick for life is good and
evil from a worldly point of view, good
and bad in this
IZUNOME NEWS
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material world. Therefore, we do not
easily understand where, in which areas,
we are disregarding and neglecting God.
Even if we do not exactly understand
where we are ignoring God, we can
humbly accept God’s forgiveness, and we
can put total trust in the love of God, Who
already accomplished the transformation
in Heaven from night to day. In this way,
we can accept God’s wish inside ourselves
right now, even though belatedly, and we
can honestly expose our small and limited
mind in front of God as it is, instead of
trying to defend ourselves that we are right
and justified. Meishu-sama called it the
treasure of honesty. I believe firmly that
to accumulate the treasure of honesty in
Heaven in this way, and face God with
honesty, is the only way to receive the
forgiveness of God that God has already
prepared in Heaven, not the punishment
of God.
Meishu-sama composed this verse:
“God recognizes sincere, honest people
above all others, and grants them boundless, limitless blessings.” [Prayer Book
page 58 or 60] As this verse says, we can
be more honest and true to ourselves, and
humbly face God while serving in this
spiritual path to share God’s blessings and
love with as many people as possible. I
believe this is the way for us to be raised
and nurtured by God as His children, and
I am happy and glad that I am taking this
spiritual path together with all of you.
In concluding my message today for
this Annual Ancestor Service, I offer my
sincere gratitude to God, Who
accomplished this change from the age of
night, where our minds were covered with
darkness, to the age of bright light, of
totally new activities, together with all of
humanity and their ancestors. I pray that
each one of you be blessed within right
now by God’s light and power, and that
God’s breath of life, and Meishu-sama’s
blessings as the Messiah, remain with all
of you.
Thank you very much.
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IZUNOME NEWS
THE THREE PILLARS OF SALVATION
April 2009
Truth, Virtue and Beauty
God is Light
Where there is Light,
Peace, happiness and delight Shall prevail,
In the darkness, there shall thrive conflict, want and disease.
Those who seek for the Light and prosperity,
Come to me.
Meishu-Sama
aradise on earth is a
"world free from
disease, poverty and
conflict. It is a world of the highest
level of culture, where truth, virtue and
beauty are manifested in a perfect
manner. In such a world , fine arts will
flourish above all.
According to Meishu-Sama's
Teachings, for many years along,
humanity has been drifting away from
the Laws of Nature, which is God's
Will, the Truth.
Compelled by materialism and
selfishness, individuals have become
prisoners of excessive and inappropriate ambitions and have been
destroying the balance of the planet
giving rise to countless problems and
great unhappiness to themselves. The
consequences of ignoring these natural
laws may be seen in every aspect of
human activities such as agriculture;
health; education; politics; economy;
social affairs; the arts and the environment, among others. The situation
has now come to its limit. It if persists,
people will inevitably destroy
themselves as well as the planet.
The purpose of our church is to
awaken and warn humanity about this
unfortunate state of affairs. Through its
emphasis on spirituality and unselfish
love for others, Meishu-Sama shows
us the crucial importance of the
invisible Spiritual World and
demonstrates that spirit and feelings
exist not only within human beings but
also within animals, plants, soil and
inorganic substances.
WHAT IS JOHREI?
reestablishment of the balance of the
natural processes of cell regeneration,
fight against fatigue and stress. Johrei
uses God's Divine Light and therefore
can be channelled limitlessly. The more
Light is channelled the more Light is
received.
Johrei can be channelled to anyone,
anywhere at any time.
P
J
ohrei is a service to help others.
It is a method of channelling
Divine Light in order to promote spiritual evolution of
individuals. In other
words, it is a Way of
Life. In Japanese,
Johrei
means
"purification of the
spirit".
An invisible but
powerful energy is
channelled and
radiated during the
Johrei session. The Johrei
Light cleanses the toxins
built up in the human body
as well as the clouds
accumulated in the spiritual
body, thus promoting the
The expansion of the
three pillars of our church Johrei - channelling of
Divine Light; the development of Nature Farming and
Ikebana - awakening of
our Divine Particle
through Beauty, are
fundamental practical
aspects of MeishuSama's Teachings. These
activities carry the power to
transform materialistic and selfcentred individuals into spiritual and
unselfish ones. They are meant to lead
humanity towards a life in harmony
with the Laws of Nature giving birth to an ideal civilisation based on True Health,
Prosperity and Peace.
IKEBANA
M
okichi Okada
(later Meishu-Sama),
idealized the Sanguetsu Academy
by teaching us simplicity, respect for
nature and the sincerity of feelings
(makoto)
through
flower
arrangings. He said that we can
grow and evolve each day by
observing nature.
The word Ikebana is
generally accepted as meaning
"flower arrangement" but in
Japanese
it
means
"arrangement of life-giving
plant material" - ike means give
life and bana means flower.
The style of Sangetsu
respects harmony not only
between the flower and the
vase but also their harmony
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POEMS BY MEISHU-SAMA
within the atmosphere of the room.
It embodies Mokichi Okada's idea
of creating a paradise on earth with
flowers and bring beauty into our
daily lives. " I just arrange them to
bring out the individuality of each
flower and I respect the movement
of the flowers"
Those who deeply love
And appreciate flowers,
Their grace, their beauty
Have hearts which truly must be
Equally as beautiful
Meishu-Sama
April 2009
NATURE FARMING
T
he purpose of Nature Farming
is to produce food without
destroying the natural ecosystem,
without the use of chemical pesticides
and fertilizers. Nature Farming techniques use natural regional ecosystems
to produce pure food, preserve energy
and reduce production costs. It optimises the use of natural resources and
revitalises farming in the rural areas.
The products of Nature Farming
contain true energizing nutrition,
whereas crops contaminated by
artificial fertilizers and insecticides
lose their natural nutritional elements.
According to the law of purification,
insects appear to devour the impurities
in the products. The purer the seed and
the soil become, the greater the
nutritional value of the produce as well
as the taste. After some years of
continuous natural cultivation, the
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farm will be completely free of insect
pests.
Therefore, the principal factor in
a good harvest is the soil condition,
which is improved by clearing it to
be pure for the development of the
plants and the strenghtening of its
energy . To practice Nature Farming
is to respect and follow the Laws of
Nature as a basic rule.
Meishu-Sama first publicly
advocated the natural cultivation
method in 1949. According to the
revelation He received, natural soil
is permeated with a spiritual energy
which He calls "the spirit of soil."
Just to be alive,
In good health, without mishaps,
Is far more precious
And brings greater happiness
Than all the wealth in the world.
Meishu-sama
Though the road is hard,
Though steep, I can walk onward
With happiness and ease
If I have with me the staff
Of true love to lean upon.
Meishu-sama
Paradise on earth
Will be a world of beauty,
Where the inner hearts
Of all its inhabitants
Will be as beautiful also.
Meishu-sama
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IZUNOME NEWS
April 2009
FAITH TESTIMONIAL
A Life was saved by the
Practice of Sonen
M
y name is
Renata Oioli
Guardiano. I
became a Johrei member in
October 2004 at the London
Johrei
Centre.
The
experience I would like to
share with you here is related
to the Practice of Sonen and
took place in early 2008.
At that time, I had moved from
London to Eastbourne and since then, I
had been missing my dedications a lot.
While in London, I used to dedicate
regularly as a Youth Group Leader at
the London Johrei Centre, but after
moving I was only able to visit the
Johrei Centre once a month due to the
distance and to my hectic working
pattern in Eastbourne.
Under these circumstances, I really
wanted to be more useful to MeishuSama in any possible way. Hence, in
my daily Practice of Sonen, I would
add at the end: "May God's Will and
the feelings of Meishu-Sama be
manifested in my heart. Please MeishuSama, make me useful to Humanity and
to Your Divine Plan here in
Eastbourne."
In Eastbourne, I was working as a
live-in carer for a 92-year-old lady, Mrs
Smith (fictitious name), who suffered
from Alzheimer's disease. As part of my
job, I often used to take Mrs Smith to
the city centre by bus. One
day we left home late and
halfway to the bus stop, we
realized we had missed our
bus. With no other option, I
stood at the bus stop next to
Mrs Smith and waited for the
next one. After a few
minutes, quite unexpectedly,
a 50-year-old lady whom I
had never met before,
approached me and, with no
apparent reason, started a
conversation. At first she
asked me some questions and
then started talking about her
Then, again, she started talking to me.
She asked: "Have you heard of Beachy
Head? (cliffs in Eastbourne). Do you
know that roughly every other week,
one person commits suicide by jumping
off them? This is not known to most
people." I replied saying: "No, I haven't
heard of it." She then continued: "You
know, before I met you today, I had
decided to go to Beachy Head and
commit suicide. Actually, I was on my
way to Beachy Head when I met you at
the bus stop. I don't know why but,
somehow, after talking to you, I
changed my mind and just gave up! I
feel much better now."
I must say I was very surprised shocked to hear what she said. I had
noticed she was suffering, but I hadn't
realized how serious the problem was.
I was now absolutely convinced that
this lady had been guided to me by her
ancestors, who wanted to be saved by
the Messiah. It was crystal clear to me
that the ancestors who manifested
through her depression and suicidal
thoughts were saved through the
Practice of Sonen I did. I was astonished
by the power of the Messiah and the
importance of the Practice of Sonen: A
life was saved just because I did the
Practice of Sonen… and for only a few
minutes!
Then, before she left, I gave her the
copy of the text of the Practice of Sonen
that I always carry with me and
told her: "Please, every time
you feel sad, read this text
aloud. Even if you don't
believe what it says or find it
strange at first, please do it
everyday, several times a day."
After that, we exchanged
contact details and then she
left.
Later that day I went home
and the first thing I did when I
arrived was the Practice of
Sonen, in front of the picture
of Meishu-Sama I had in my
Renata with her husband Raphael and their son Lucas room. I thanked Meishu-Sama
own life. In particular, she
said she was deeply depressed because her boyfriend, of
10 years, had passed away a
few months earlier. Indeed, I
could feel through her
gloomy expression how sad
she was and how deeply she
was suffering. At first, I could
not understand why she came to me like
that but as we talked, it gradually became clear in my mind that her ancestors
had guided her to me and were crying
for help. Then I started doing Practice
of Sonen silently, surrendering to
Meishu-Sama the sufferings of the
ancestors who were manifesting
through her. Interestingly, at some point
in the conversation, she said: "You've
got something good within you. I can
feel something good in you. I don't
know what it is but it's something that
makes me stay by your side."
When the bus arrived, I realized to
my surprise that this lady was waiting
for the same bus as me. Then, we all
got on the bus. I sat in the front seat
with Mrs Smith, but the lady sat in the
back seat, as the bus was full. After a
few stops , as the bus emptied, this lady
left her seat and moved to the front, just
behind me. In the meantime, during the
bus journey, I had carried on doing the
Practice of Sonen for the ancestors
manifesting through her sufferings.
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ACTIVITIES / PROGRAMME
April 2009
from the bottom of my heart for the
permission to be used as His instrument
for the salvation of many ancestors this was something I had been praying
for every single day since I moved to
Eastbourne. Again, I surrendered to
Him, the sufferings of the ancestors
manifesting through this lady.
Two days later, seemingly by
chance, I met this lady again at the same
bus stop. I couldn't believe my eyes. She
looked great. The gloomy expression
of two days before had completely
disappeared and she was in a very good
mood - she was very smiley and lively
and was even wearing make-up. Even
her clothes looked really nice; she was
dressed in white - completely different
from the first time we met. As soon as
she saw me, she came closer and
hugged me. At that moment I really felt
as if her ancestors were hugging me and
thanking me for having guided them to
be saved by Meishu-Sama. She was
very grateful for the conversation we
had had two days before, and said she
had the impression she had known me
for a long time. Interestingly, she said
she was feeling very good now and that
this change happened exactly when she
first met me. She wanted to know what
I had done that day that caused her to
feel so well. Then I told her: "I did
exactly what is in the text I gave you The Practice of Sonen. Through the
Practice of Sonen, the ancestors that
were depressed and whose feelings
were reflecting on you were guided to
and saved by Meishu-Sama, The
Messiah. This is why you feel so good
now. The joy of the ancestors who were
saved is reflecting on you."
After this, I met this lady again a
few times on the street. She was always
IZUNOME NEWS
9
looking well. Later we lost contact. In
any case, this was an amazing
experience to me. It unquestionably
deepened my faith in Meishu-Sama as
the Saviour of Humanity. Even though
she is not receiving Johrei now, I know
for a fact that many of our ancestors
were saved because they manifested
through her the first time we met.
I am deeply grateful to God and
Meishu-Sama for the permission I had
to serve Them through the Practice of
Sonen. This experience has proven to
me that if we sincerely wish to be a
useful instrument in the Divine Light
Programme, we will. We only need to
keep our Sonen constantly focused on
being useful… and to do the Practice
of Sonen everyday, everywhere, all the
time!
Thank you Meishu-Sama!
Programme - London Johrei Centre - April 2009
Activity
Day - date
General cleaning - preparation for Monthly Service
Friday - 3/4/2009
Time
All day
Meeting for Missionaries
Saturday - 4/4/2009
1-3:30pm
Monthly Thanksgiving Service
Saturday - 4/4/2009
6pm
Ohikari Presentation Service
Saturday - 18/4/2009
4pm
Ikebana Sanguetsu class
Saturday - 25/4/2009
3pm
Monthly Prayer for Salvation of the Ancestors
Saturday - 25/4/2009
8pm
Other important information
Regular opening hours:
Monday - Friday
9am - 9:30pm
Saturdays
9am - 8:30pm
For Johrei Assistance (outside the London Johrei Centre) please contact:
• Raphael (North London) - 07521 994544
• Lucia Murphy (South London) - 07966910482 / 02086710664
For emergencies or outside London area:
• Min. Eric - 07771722369 / Min. Eduardo - 07791045662
Altar room - London Johrei Centre
JOHREI CENTRES IN EUROPE
ENGLAND
Izunome Kyodan United Kingdom
Min. Eduardo de Souza
Min. Erico Tavares
465 Hornsey Road, Hornsey Rise
N19 4DR London - UK
Tel.: +44 20 72811532
IRELAND
Home Johrei Dublin
Mr. & Mrs. Joaquim Artero
2 Belvedere Place, apartment 7
Dublin 1 - Ireland
Tel.: +00-353-018943172
ITALY
Associazione Messianica d'Italia
Min. Carlos Eduardo Luciow
Viale Jonio, 317 - Roma - Italy
Tel.: +39-347-484-3725
PORTUGAL
Igreja Messianica Mundial de
Portugal
Min. Nazih Bahury Gerude
Min. Jose Carlos dos Santos Mesquita
Rua Gomes Freire, 143 A/D
CP.: 1150-176, Lisboa - Portugal
Tel.: +351-21-315-6576
FRANCE
Association Johrei
Min. Nazih Bahury Gerude
11, Rue de Belzunce
75010, Paris - France
Tel.: +33-1-5320-9930
GREECE
Politiskos kallitexnikos Syllogos
Mokiti Okada
Min. Evangelos Kreatsoulas
Omiru 25 - Irakleio TK
1421, Athens - Greece
Tel.: +30-2-103-455-766
SPAIN
Johrei Centre Barcelona
Mr. Leonardo Borrelli
Carrer de Sardenya, 259
entlo 4° 08013 - Barcelona
Tel.: +34 687-286-825
GERMANY
Johrei Centre Frankfurt
Min. Marcos Thome de Moura
Musikantenweg 20
60316 Frankfurt/main - Germany
Tel.: +49-69-3899-6923
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