Make Your First Visit of New Year's Day to Uji Temple by Rev. Kamino Kusumoto, Director in Charge of Seicho-No-Ie Uji Temple (translation from Uji Dayori, December 2001)

It is a Japanese fine custom to make our first visit of New Year's Day to a shrine even those who have no faith in God. No matter what he/she is a Christian or a Buddhist, Japanese people go to a shrine on New Year's Day to make a fresh start of the New Year.

Many Seicho-No-Ie followers may wish to visit Uji Main Temple. Please visit us especially those who live in Kansai region. We will prepare plenty of "zoni", a bawl of rice cake soup - a traditional Japanese New Year's meal.

Many people come to Uji Temple to take New Year Spiritual Training Seminar from December 31 to January 3. We practice Shinsokan meditation at Hozo Shrine (Main Temple) on New Year's Eve. Then we pay a visit to each shrine. There will also be the New Spring Spiritual Training Seminar from January 11 to 20, 2002. Let us make a fresh start of the year 2002 by participating in Spiritual Training Seminar in Uji Temple.

The terrorist attacks in the United States last year gave people in the world a great shock. Every time I watched the news, the dark thoughts of anger, hatred, fear and sadness covered up the entire world. Only given such news without thinking, most of people would rather feel desperate as if there were nothing they could do.

We, Seicho-No-Ie members have been taught to offer "A Prayer for World Peace" during Shinsokan meditation by Dr. Masahru Taniguchi. Everything appears in the phenomenal world, no matter if it were terrorism or war, they are reflections of "state of mind." The war is caused at first in our "mind's world." It is what we call self-punishment of sin. The time has now come to earnestly practice "A Prayer for World Peace" that had been considered as an unrelated matter to us.

Starting at midnight of New Year's Day, let us practice "A Prayer for World Peace" at Hozo Shrine (Main Temple) and emanate the "enlightenment thoughts" powerfully in cooperation with phenomenal and spiritual worlds.

The Prayer for World Peace is "God's infinite love flows into me and shines forth from me as a brilliant spiritual light of love. The spiritual light of love grows and grows in intensity, covering the entire world, and filling the hearts of everyone, with thoughts only of Love, Peace, Order, and the Truth of oneness in God."

Now, let me introduce a testimony of Ms. Fusako Iwasetsu, a trainee of New Year Spiritual Training Seminar last year, when she practiced Shinsokan meditation at midnight on New Year's Day:

"As I couldn't forget the real taste of Shinsokan meditation starting at midnight on New Year's Day, I came to the New Year Spiritual Training Seminar this time in commemoration of the first year of the 21st century. During the mid-night Shinsokan, I was lost in contemplating the two graceful cranes flew down in my vision. I was so excited by seeing them and thought this year would be truly the wonderful year of joy for me. I determined myself to distribute 1,000 propagational magazines as acts of love this year, which nurtured my soul. When I got a car accident, my husband was slightly wounded though our car was badly crashed in between a four-wheeled vehicle and a wagon. I was also lightly wounded. By acting love to distribute 1,000 propagational magazines and saving my baby's life for not having an abortion, my husband and I were saved without any serious wound."

Next testimony is from Ms. Sumiko Tanaka, another trainee of New Year Spiritual Training Seminar. She joined 10-day seminar to participate in the memorial service for her husband:

"To come to New Year Spiritual Training Seminar became one of my family's important events. It is a happy event. I came to the seminar with 5 family members this time. At every seminar, I realize the preciousness of being grateful to my ancestors and parents, man is a child of God who is perfect and harmonious and the oneness of life of all living beings. It has taught me to change my view more smoothly from the phenomenal view of life to the spiritual view of life. The Spiritual Training Seminar gives me joy to participate with my ancestors and parents and makes me realize their guidance. Thank you very much, my father and mother. I won a prize at the Laughing Contest with a support and guidance of my ancestors. I will give full play with my infinite power and dedicate myself to the Humanity Enlightenment Movement."