Reading the Teachings
During his lifetime, Meishu-sama left articles, lectures and poems reaching a total of 15,000 pieces. Meishu-sama stated, “The time has finally come for God to clarify the truth. He is using me to inform humanity of truth”; and wrote down the truth in plain writing so that everybody can understand and presented them to the world as “teachings.”
Through the teachings, he has shown the way we should live our lives covering various important fields, such as: the relationship between the spiritual world and the physical world; mechanism of the world we live; the essence of human beings made of spirit and body; the meaning of our birth in this world; topics relating to “salvation” such as Jôrei, Nature Farming, and beauty.
In Toho-no-Hikari, we refer to Meishu-sama’s writings, spoken lectures, and poems as the “Source,” and the compilation of the teachings based on the source as “Guide,” and the Source and the Guide as the “Tenet.” The followers deepen their understanding and increase awareness about the Tenet through the daily reading and practice of the teachings, and we continue our efforts so that every follower and the organization will be united in one with the desire of Meishu-sama who is advancing the salvation of humanity and the construction of paradise on earth.
The teaching is compiled in the categories such as “religion,” “Jôrei,” “Nature Farming, “art,” etc. and published as “Goshinsho.” Please refer to “Introduction of publications” for details.
Prayer (Worship Services)
On prayers (worship services), Meishu-sama said, “Eliminating spiritual clouds of people is the basis of attaining health. The best way for this is to be bathed in Light; therefore, one needs to be in contact with Light. Offering prayers to the Kannon [Divine Scroll] morning and night is the way to be in contact with Light and be lit by the Light. Because we receive Light to our soul, we will be purified,” and on the Divine Scroll, he said, “When you enshrine the Divine Scroll, it brightens the spiritual realm of the household” and “as much as we offer prayers, we receive the Light so we become purified.”
For the followers of Toho no Hikari, it is the most basic and indispensable act. Not only at the Gomenkai at Hakone, we recite the Zengen sanji prayer to the Divine Scroll at the Toho no Hikari centers in each area and in each households, in the morning and evening and at the gratitude service once a month. While we express our gratitude towards the daily blessings, we pray so that we can take part in Meishu-sama’s divine plan of salvation and construction.
We also pray to the ancestors of each household enshrined in the Shibikyu.
*The object of worship (divine scroll) and the name of deity we recite during our prayer has gone through changes with the advancement of the Divine Work and the heightening of Meishu-sama’s divinity. Because of that, though there are some differences in what Meishu-sama described with our present object of worship (Two-in-One Divine Scroll) , the significance of the prayer is same. Therefore, we refer to Meishu-sama’s teachings of those days.
About Gomenkai Services
Services are held every month at the Kômyô sanctuary of Kômyô grounds in Hakone. The origin of this service is the meeting with Meishu-sama (gomenkai) during his lifetime. Even after he ascended to heaven, we believe that he is seated there and we want to continue serving him there. This is the reason why our monthly service in Hakone is called, “Gomenkai.”
At the “Gomenkai,” followers gather from around the nation and the world, and along with expressing gratitude towards the protection and blessings on our daily lives, we study the advancement of Meishu-sama’s Divine Plan and by receiving the power from Meishu-sama, we together renew our pledge to continue our service to him in creating a society free from disease, poverty and conflict and full of wellness, abundance and peace.
Please look at the following for the major Gomenkai dates.
Three Major Enterprises (means of salvation)
What Meishu-sama had shown as the method for solving the issue of illnesses—which is the basis of happiness—and creating “a world free of illness” is the Three Major Enterprises of “Jôrei,” “Nature Farming and Natural Food,” and “Arts and Culture.”
Meishu-sama, who made a crucial decision of devoting himself entirely to the divine work on February 4, 1928, devoted himself in solving the suffering of illnesses along with the research of spiritual phenomena. From the facts he obtained through this research, he discovered that human being is an existence where spiritual body and physical body are closely integrated; the source of all unhappiness including illnesses is the clouding of the spirit; and, furthermore, on the purification process which is the process of the elimination of the clouding. Also, on the structure and order of the universe, he made clear that the spiritual world and the material world are in an inseparable relationship, and they work under the Law of Spiritual Precedes Physical and the Law of Inseparableness of Spirit and Body, and the principles of purification.
Three Major Enterprises are based on such principle and laws based on the spirit. They eliminate the spiritual clouds which is the source of unhappiness and elevates one’s spirituality and the position in the spiritual world. As a result, they will lead people to spiritual and physical health and happiness.
Meishu-sama himself had devoted on administering Jôrei to people suffering from various illnesses such as tuberculosis by sacrificing his own time. By such efforts, he guided many people to happiness. At the same time, he worked on the creation of “new medicine” based on the essence of human being as a spiritual being, by cooperating with doctors who show their understanding.
In addition, wishing for the happiness of many people, not only did he arranged beautiful flowers himself, but he collected art pieces and constructed an art museum and worked on the dissemination of Nature Farming established after his own research on the fertilizer-free cultivation method.
In Toho-no-Hikari, we practice “Three Major Enterprises” including Jôrei. Please refer to the following for the details of “Three Major Enterprises.”
Volunteering/Seminars
The Gomenkai (Service) held during Meishu-sama’s lifetime was for the followers to meet with Meishu-sama in person and listen to his teachings and receive his Jôrei. It was a sacred opportunity from which people received wisdom to solve all kinds of issues and received a power to live in a chaotic society. It was also a time to receive power to save people who are suffering. At the same time, it was an opportunity where his disciples and followers held discussions in order to understand the Divine Plan Meishu-sama was advancing, and an opportunity where they were able to heal themselves by placing themselves in the Sacred Grounds.
Based on such history and legacy, in Hakone, we conduct several Volunteering Seminars, such as Hakone Volunteering Seminar, Gomenkai Volunteering Seminar, Long-term Volunteering Seminar and Honzan Seminar. They are conducted for our efforts of placing ourselves at the Kômyô Grounds—the center of the spiritual world of Japan and the center of the Divine Plan of the world and feel Meishu-sama’s desire for the construction of paradise on earth, while doing our service of volunteering activities such as cleaning and studying the teachings and discussing one’s realizations and experiences.
With regards to our other volunteering services, we practice Jôrei and arranging flowers at Toho-no-Hikari facilities throughout Japan.
Ancestral Services
Meishu-sama said, “There is still another determining factor: the sincerity and thoroughness with which survivors hold memorial services for the spirit of the departed. Moreover, the fervor with which survivors and descendants help others, work for the welfare of society and the nation, and accumulate virtue, stimulates the purification of ancestors.”
In Toho-no-Hikari, based on such teachings of Meishu-sama, we enshrine all the ancestors who wish to take part in Meishu-sama’s Divine Work at “Shibikyu.”
At the Shibikyu, we hold ancestral services including the Service to Enshrine New Spirits, Annual Services, Ancestral Gratitude Prayer Service and Eternal Enshrinement Services. These are all for expressing our gratitude for their protection, wishing for their happiness in the spiritual world, and asking for their further cooperation in constructing a society of happiness together with us.
With this Shibikyu at the Honzan as a prototype, the “Shibikyu” for each district is enshrined at each Toho-no-Hikari facilities inside and outside of Japan. Also, the household “Shibikyu” is enshrined at the house of each follower. By praying to the district and household “Shibikyu” on our daily lives, we can widen our opportunity to serve for the Divine Work together with our ancestors.
As for the ancestral services, Meishu-sama states, “Meshiya Kyô (the present Sekai Kyusei Kyô/Toho no Hikari) is universal, so any spirit can be saved,” indicating that regardless of their religious faith, all spirit can be saved. Therefore, in Toho-no-Hikari, the ancestral services are open not only to the followers, but to the general public as well.
For details, please refer to “Information on ancestral enshrinement, annual services, ancestral gratitude prayer services, etc.”
