# Seicho-no-Ie

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. By the end of 2010 it had over 1.6 million followers and 442 facilities, mostly located in Japan.

## History

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.
Taniguchi died in a Nagasaki hospital on June 17, 1985, at the age of ninety-one. Today the president of Seichō no Ie is Masanobu Taniguchi [ja] (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

The four holy sūtras (聖経, seikyō) of Seicho-no-Ie are:
* Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines (甘露の法雨, Kanro no Hōu). Taniguchi Masaharu claimed that it was divinely revealed to him by Kannon on December 1, 1930. There are eight sections: God (神), Spirit (霊), Matter (物質), Reality (実在), Wisdom (智慧), Delusion (無明), Sin (罪), and Man (人間). Similar to many Nichiren sects' views of the Lotus Sutra, this sutra is treated as a protective amulet that can be carried, read, or copied for protective benefits. In Uji, Kyoto, there is a hall for followers to copy the sutra.
* Song of the Angel (天使の言葉, Tenshi no Kotoba)
* For Spiritual Healing (続々甘露の法雨, Zoku-zoku Kanro no Hōu) (lit. 'Continuation of the Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines'
* Prayerful Song to Praise and Bless the Holy Missioners (聖使命菩薩讃偈, Kiyoshi Shimei Bosatsu Sange)
Other scriptures include:
* Daily Recitation of the Thirty-Chapter Sutra (日々読誦三十章経, Hibi Dokuju Sanjūshōkei)
* Pure Land Revelation Sutra (顕浄土成仏経, Arawa Jōdo Jōbutsukei)
* Great Japan Divine Nation (大日本神国, Dai Nippon Shinkokukan)
The most important texts in Seicho-no-Ie are:
* Truth of Life (生命の實相, Seimei no jissō), which consists of 40 volumes (main edition, 頭注版) published since 1932; this is the religion's most important doctrinal text. There is also an abridged edition (愛蔵版) with 20 volumes.
* 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 publishes a newspaper called Seishimei "聖使命, Sacred Mission"). It also publishes three magazines:
* Inochi no wa (いのちの環, "Circle of Life") for general readers
* Shirohato (白鳩, "White Dove") for women
* Hidokei 24 (日時計24, "Sundial 24") for young readers

## Beliefs and practices

Seicho-no-Ie is a syncretic religion that incorporates concepts and terminology from Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions. 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).
The Seven Promulgations of Light (七つの燈臺) is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-no-Ie.
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'). There is also the prayer for world peace (世界平和の祈り, sekai heiwa no inori).

## Associations

Some Seicho-no-Ie member associations are:
* Seinen-kai 青年会 (Youth and Young Adult Association), founded in 1948
* Sōai-kai 相愛会 (Brotherhood Association; lit. 'Mutual Love Association'), for middle-aged men
* Shirohato-kai 白鳩会 (women's organization), founded in February 1936
** Shiyū-kai 誌友会, small women's groups that are magazine study groups for discussing Shirohatokai's monthly magazine Shirohato
* Chichi-oya kyōshitsu 父親教室 (fathers' study groups)
* Haha-oya kyōshitsu 母親教室 (mothers' study groups)

## Education

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.

## Locations

Seicho-no-Ie has centers in:
* Japan
** The Office in the Forest (森の中のオフィス, Mori no naka no ofisu) is Seicho-no-Ie's international headquarters, located in Hokuto, Yamanashi near Kai-Ōizumi Station at the foot of Mount Aka.
** Sōhonzan Shrine (生長の家総本山) in Saikai, Nagasaki
** Uji Bekkaku Honzan (宇治別格本山), a special head temple located next to Hōzō Shrine (宝蔵神社, Hōzo Jinja) in Uji, Kyoto. Every August, the Memorial Festival (盂蘭盆供養大祭, Urabon kuyō taisai) (annual ancestor ceremony) is held at this temple.
* United States: Gardena, California (US headquarters)
* Canada: Toronto and Vancouver
* Brazil: São Paulo (Brazil headquarters)
* Germany: Frankfurt
* Taiwan: Taipei
* Hong Kong