Seicho-no-Ie
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| 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 |
| Part of a series of articles on |
| New Thought |
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Seichō no Ie (Japanese: 生長の家, "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]
History
[edit]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.
Scriptures and publications
[edit]
The four holy sūtras (聖経, seikyō) of Seicho-no-Ie are:[5]
- Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines (甘露の法雨). Taniguchi Masaharu claimed that it was was divinely revealed to him by Kannon on December 1, 1930.
- Song of the Angel (天使の言葉)
- For Spiritual Healing
- Prayerful Song to Praise and Bless the Holy Missioners
The most important texts in Seicho-no-Ie are:[6]
- Truth of Life (生命の實相, Seimei no jissō), which consists of 40 volumes published since 1932; this is the religion's most important doctrinal text.
- The Truth (真理, Shinri), 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 also publishes Seishimei "聖使命, Sacred Mission") newspaper and three magazines:[6]
- Inochi no wa (いのちの環, "Circle of Life") for a general readership
- Shirohato (白鳩, "White Dove") for female
- Hidokei 24 (日時計24, "Sundial 24") for young readers
Beliefs and practices
[edit]The religion teaches belief in the "single absolute divinity" (唯一絶対の神, yuiitsu zettai no kami).
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, lit. 'shinsōkan as prayer for one another').[6]
Associations
[edit]Some Seicho-no-Ie member associations are:[6]
- Shirohatokai 白鳩会 (women's organization), founded in February 1936
- Sōaikai 相愛会 (Brotherhood Association; lit. 'Mutual Love Association'), for middle-aged men
- Chichioya kyōshitsu 父親教室 (fathers' study groups)
- Seinenkai 青年会 (Youth and Young Adult Association), founded in 1948
Education
[edit]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.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Masaharu Taniguchi." Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.
- ^ "What's SNI: Summary". EICHO-NO-IE International. December 31, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ Science of Mind magazine, Dec 2008, volume 81, number 12, pages 17–18
- ^ "Religious leader Taniguchi". The Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 1985-06-18. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ "Holy Sutras". Seicho-No-Ie. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e Staemmler, Birgit (2018). "6: Seichō no Ie". Handbook of East Asian New Religious Movements. Leiden: Brill. p. 88–108. doi:10.1163/9789004362970_007. ISBN 978-90-04-36297-0.
Further reading
[edit]- Clarke, Peter B. (ed.), A Bibliography of Japanese New Religious Movements: With Annotations and an Introduction to Japanese New Religions at Home and Abroad - Plus an Appendix on Aum Shinrikyo. Surrey, UK: Japan Library/Curzon, 1999. ISBN 1-873410-80-8.
- Clarke, Peter B. (ed.). Japanese New Religions: In Global Perspective. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7007-1185-6.
- Gottlieb, Nanette, and Mark McLelland (eds.). Japanese Cybercultures. London; New York: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 0-415-27918-6, ISBN 0-415-27919-4.
- Masaharu Taniguchi. Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.
External links
[edit]| Founder |  | |
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| Notable ministers | ||
| Largest groups | ||
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| National | |
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- 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