PDF file: 20220204_Beginning of Spring Service_Meishu-sama and Johrei_Masaaki-sama
The parts in bold below are direct quotations from written accounts by Meishu-sama’s close assistants/attendants.
April 18, 1954
Easter (Celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection)
April 19, 1954
Meishu-sama, purification of brain hemorrhage
April 28, 1954
Meishu-sama practices Johrei every day. He does not raise his hand; he does it through sonen. He said, “This purification is related to Christianity in particular.” He said, “From now on, I will do everything with words and sonen.” “Even my wife, when she receives a purification, all she has to do to be healed is to apologize.” He said, “From now on, apology will not be enough—you need to repent. Repent and express this to God through your sonen. Then, you will be forgiven.”
May 13, 1954
Meishu-sama said, “I have discovered a new Johrei through sonen.”
June 2, 1954
Meishu-sama said, “God told me not to practice Johrei on myself. God told me that when the time comes, He will do what is best for me, so don’t do Johrei.”
June 3, 1954
Meishu-sama said, “In the middle of the night, I ended up doing self-Johrei even though God forbade me to do it. Because of that, I wasn’t able to sleep.”
June 5, 1954
Announcement of the birth of the Messiah
June 6, 1954
Pentecost (One of the three major Christian holy days along with Easter and Christmas)
June 15, 1954
Provisional Ceremony to Celebrate the Birth of the Messiah
December 11, 1954
To a member, Meishu-sama performed Johrei using his affected arm for about a minute. Then he said, “Next time, it won’t take even a minute to Johrei a thousand people.”
Johrei. The truth of Johrei. The truth of Meishu-sama.
What is Johrei? What is the truth of Johrei? What is the truth of Meishu-sama?
At last year’s Meishu-sama’s Birthday Service, Kyoshu-sama gave guidance regarding the end of Johrei by the raising of the hand.
How is each one of us understanding this?
Meishu-sama said, “From now on, we enter the world of sonen. Johrei is not so important anymore. Sonen comes first, so pray in your hearts.” But instead, we had made Johrei that was “not so important anymore” the focus of Meishu-sama’s divine work and went against Meishu-sama’s will. But now, through Kyoshu-sama, that will of Meishu-sama can finally be accomplished. For this, I heard that there were members who were deeply moved and cried from great emotion and joy.
On the flip side, I think there were some who thought this did not make sense and could not accept it, thinking things like “Isn’t Meishu-sama the definition of Johrei by the raising of the hand?” or “Meishu-sama did Johrei, so it’s wrong for us not to do it.”
Similarly, I’m sure there are people who think that what Kyoshu-sama is saying is different from what Meishu-sama is saying.
I can understand why people would think this way, but to start with, for many years in Sekai Kyusei Kyo and of course now in World Church of Messiah, it has been established that Kyoshu-sama is the one who inherits and carries out the sacred work of the founder, Meishu-sama.
What does this mean? Nidai-sama says it clearly in her guidance: “What I say is what Meishu-sama says. The direction that I indicate is the direction that Meishu-sama indicates. For anyone who cannot stand listening to it, Meishu-sama has no other choice but to cut their ties. Their fate is to naturally leave the Church. But I earnestly pray that this does not happen.”
She does not say that Kyoshu-sama cuts the ties. She says that Meishu-sama cuts them.
The place where Meishu-sama is, is Meishu-sama’s Church. So she is saying that to leave Kyoshu-sama, who is one with Meishu-sama, means to leave Meishu-sama’s Church, naturally. And she earnestly prays that this does not happen.
It’s not a matter of where in Meishu-sama’s teachings or Sacred Word you can find Kyoshu-sama’s guidance, including putting an end to the Johrei by the raising of the hand. That is because what Kyoshu-sama says is what Meishu-sama says.
This means that Kyoshu-sama’s messages are, without a doubt, Meishu-sama’s teachings, his Sacred Word, the very thing. They are the very will of Meishu-sama. For Kyoshu-sama and Meishu-sama are one.
So essentially, looking at this from the standpoint of our faith, if you think Kyoshu-sama’s messages about Johrei do not make sense and you cannot accept it, Meishu-sama will cut your ties, and it’s all over for you.
Now if you are prepared to deny Nidai-sama and Sandai-sama as well as the path we have walked until today and if you are prepared to deny the will of Meishu-sama who, in his last words, entrusted his divine work to Nidai-sama, that is, if you are prepared to deny Meishu-sama, Nidai-sama, Sandai-sama and everything we have done up until now, then I think it would be okay to deny Kyoshu-sama. Are you really ready for that?
Nidai-sama clearly says, what Kyoshu-sama says is what Meishu-sama says. So essentially, if you cannot accept that the end of Johrei by the raising of the hand came from Meishu-sama, Meishu-sama will cut the ties with you, and that’s the end of it.
Some people might think that while Meishu-sama did indeed emphasize Johrei, a new era has come, so Kyoshu-sama is coming out with something new and different from what Meishu-sama taught, and we are walking on that path. Or there may be some people who clearly believe that Meishu-sama is the definition of Johrei by the raising of the hand, so Kyoshu-sama is totally wrong.
Is Meishu-sama really the definition of Johrei by the raising of the hand? Is that the truth? What did Meishu-sama actually say about Johrei? Today, I’d like to look into this together with all of you.
Let’s turn back the clock 68 years to April 19, 1954. The location is Atami, Japan. As the founder of World Church of Messiah, as the Meishu-sama of World Church of Messiah, as the Kyoshu-sama of World Church of Messiah, Meishu-sama was working hard every day in divine work.
This, already, may actually sound new to us, right? We automatically associate “Meishu-sama” with “Sekai Kyusei Kyo.” But in reality, Meishu-sama was the “Meishu-sama of World Church of Messiah,” the “Kyoshu-sama of World Church of Messiah.”
Within that backdrop, it is recorded that on April 19, at 4 p.m., Meishu-sama collapsed with symptoms of a brain hemorrhage.
That April 19 was a Monday, so the day before, the 18th, was a Sunday. As I have spoken about it before, in 1954, April 18 was Easter, the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Soon after he collapsed, Meishu-sama said, “This purification is related to Christianity in particular.” I am pretty sure that Meishu-sama heard news or some information on the radio or from another media source that the world was celebrating Easter on the 18th.
With Japan being close to the International Date Line and starting its day earlier, there is the possibility that on the 19th, Meishu-sama heard about Easter celebrations around the world happening on the 18th, just before the brain hemorrhage.
In that setting, when Meishu-sama collapsed, I believe he identified what he was feeling and perceiving directly with the resurrection of Jesus, the child of God. And that’s why he said, “This purification is related to Christianity in particular.” What other reason would there be?
Although Meishu-sama collapsed on April 19, from then onward, he spoke about several matters of great weight, including that of Johrei. But as Meishu-sama was in a situation where his right arm and leg were just about immobile, these matters were not left as “official” teachings or Sacred Word.
Nevertheless, these various matters that Meishu-sama spoke about after he came down with the purification of a brain hemorrhage until his ascension the next year were being recorded by Meishu-sama’s close assistants.
Of course, it would be difficult to make all the details public as some matters would encroach upon Meishu-sama’s privacy, but at the very least, there are several matters important to divine work, particularly Johrei, that were recorded. I would like to look at those today, together with all of you.
A little after Meishu-sama collapsed on April 19, he mentioned Noah’s ark from the Old Testament. And almost daily, he would listen to Handel’s Messiah.
In that situation, nine days after April 19, on April 28, 1954, one of the close assistants of Meishu-sama left the following record: “Meishu-sama practices Johrei every day. He does not raise his hand; he does it through sonen.”
Now, everyone, Meishu-sama could use his left hand, remember? His right arm and leg were affected by the stroke, but if he wanted to, he could have raised his left hand to minister Johrei. But he didn’t do that.
I can only imagine how Meishu-sama looked when he was doing Johrei through sonen. I suppose he was in a state of prayer or a similar posture.
On the same day, April 28, according to records, Meishu-sama said, “From now on, I will do everything with words and sonen.”
When we hear this, I think there is a part of us that thinks because Meishu-sama was on a high level, only he was able to achieve that state of awareness in his last years—only he is special. But that isn’t the case.
Immediately after he said that, he spoke about it also in regard to his wife, Nidai-sama: “Even my wife, when she receives a purification, all she has to do to be healed is to apologize.” Everyone, all she has to do is to apologize.
Then he said, “From now on, apology will not be enough—you need to repent.” And, “Repent and express this to God through your sonen. Then, you will be forgiven.” He said this applies to Nidai-sama too. As apology is no longer enough, you have to repent and report it to God through your sonen. Then you can receive God’s forgiveness, and your purification can be healed.
So when Meishu-sama said he would do everything with words and sonen, this did not only apply to him. It wasn’t only about himself. Nidai-sama also had to do the same.
And what kind of person was Nidai-sama at the time? Of course, she later became Nidai-sama, the second spiritual leader, but at that time, as Meishu-sama’s wife, Nidai-sama was the closest person serving Meishu-sama, representing the entire membership.
This means that if a purification can be healed for Nidai-sama by just apologizing, that is, by repenting, through words and sonen, then practically speaking, the same is true for members. All members can serve in that work too.
Having a purification healed by just apologizing, being forgiven by repenting and expressing it through your sonen—Meishu-sama said these things, as they had been recorded.
And now, when you have a mental, emotional or physical purification and your heart is suffering, or when you think things like, “I hate that person,” you can repent and express your apology to God by saying, “This person’s posture is actually my own posture.” Who says this? It is Kyoshu-sama, right? What Meishu-sama said 68 years ago is exactly what Kyoshu-sama is teaching us now.
Everyone, it was not only Meishu-sama who needed to do everything with words and sonen. Meishu-sama said that Nidai-sama also had to do the same. At the time, Nidai-sama was nothing but healthy. She could easily raise her hand to minister Johrei. But Meishu-sama said that all she had to do for a purification to be healed was to repent. Isn’t this the exact same thing that Kyoshu-sama is saying?
There is also an official record of this. In a Church publication, Heaven on Earth (No. 68), published immediately after Meishu-sama’s ascension, an article was printed in which Meishu-sama’s close assistants and attendants talked about their memories of him.
In the article, it is written that after the purification of the brain hemorrhage, Meishu-sama repeatedly said, what you all well know, “From now on, we enter the world of sonen. Johrei is not so important anymore. Sonen comes first, so pray in your hearts.”
If you think about it some more, this is a big turnabout for Johrei, isn’t it? When it comes to doing Johrei, we think of being silent, not thinking about anything. But actually, Meishu-sama said, “Pray in your hearts.”
Pray to God. The word pray indicates that words are involved. Here, I think this means apologizing or repenting, right?
Meishu-sama is presenting a completely different world of Johrei from that of being silent, not thinking about anything and removing all power while ministering Johrei.
Normally, when close assistants or attendants received a purification, they would receive Johrei from Meishu-sama. But one day, after Meishu-sama received the purification of the brain hemorrhage, one of Meishu-sama’s close assistants who was purifying asked Meishu-sama for Johrei. To this assistant, Meishu-sama scolded harshly, saying, “It is different from before. From here on, sonen is particularly important,” without ministering Johrei. This episode was also described in the aforementioned Heaven on Earth.
Until today, when we heard all the things Kyoshu-sama was saying on Johrei, didn’t we think, “Kyoshu-sama is not right. Kyoshu-sama is changing what Meishu-sama taught us”? But look at how Meishu-sama was toward his assistant. It was Meishu-sama who didn’t minister Johrei when others were purifying and asking him for Johrei.
In another episode regarding a close attendant, she suffered a serious burn on her face, to the point that the apron she used as a cover became stuck to the skin of her face. The people around her told her to go receive Johrei from Meishu-sama. This woman, Ms. Tsunoda, whom I was well acquainted with, felt guilty about receiving Johrei from Meishu-sama since it was right after his purification of the brain hemorrhage. In the end, she didn’t receive Johrei from him. But because Meishu-sama was repeatedly saying “Pray in your hearts” and “Repent,” all the close attendants just prayed as Meishu-sama said to.
It was only written that they prayed, so I don’t know what the content of their prayer was. But Meishu-sama said “Repent,” so I’m sure they said something like please forgive us for our sins, we repent or suchlike.
Then the next day, the burn had cleanly healed. Another close attendant went to report the sequence of events to Meishu-sama. When Meishu-sama heard the report regarding the attendant who received the burn, he said, “That’s the only example I am going to leave with you.” This is what is actually written in that issue of Heaven on Earth.
“That’s the only example I am going to leave with you.” What does this mean? In the process, Ms. Tsunoda appeared to have received Johrei by the raising of the hand from one of her colleagues, but if she healed because of the Johrei, Meishu-sama would have never said, “That’s the only example I am going to leave with you.” For there were already plenty of miracles that had happened through Johrei by then.
So what is this example? It can’t be anything else except that you will be healed if you repent and express this to God through your sonen.
Now what could Meishu-sama have meant by saying the only example? Sensing his own ascension, could he have meant that this was the one miracle through words and sonen that he was leaving in his lifetime? Or could he have meant that this would be the only example ever, asking if you would still believe in the Johrei through sonen? I don’t really know which one it was.
As such, after Meishu-sama received the purification of the brain hemorrhage on April 19, he spoke about the importance of this sonen from the end of April on.
Then comes May 13, 1954. One of the close assistants of Meishu-sama left the following record. “Meishu-sama said, ‘I have discovered a new Johrei through sonen.’” Can you believe this? Meishu-sama said that he discovered a new Johrei and it was a Johrei through sonen.
Being a new Johrei, it had to be different from all the Johreis that had come before, right? It had to be different from the Johrei we did when our Church was called Great Japan Kannon Association or Great Japan Health Association or Japan Kannon Church or Japan Miroku Church or anything else. Until today, we didn’t know this, right? But don’t you think that Meishu-sama said something truly extraordinary here? He said, “I have discovered a new Johrei through sonen.” He said that on May 13, 1954.
Then on June 2, 1954, we have the following episode. Since Meishu-sama was suffering from the stroke, he was ministering Johrei to himself. To this Meishu-sama, God said, “When the time comes, I will do what is best for you, so don’t do Johrei.” This was what God said to Meishu-sama.
On the night of June 2, his body must have been in pain with the purification of the brain hemorrhage. I’m not sure if it was by raising his hand or through sonen, but Meishu-sama ended up ministering Johrei to himself even though God had told him not to. It is recorded on June 3 that Meishu-sama said in the morning, “I ended up doing self-Johrei even though God forbade me to do it. Because of that, I wasn’t able to sleep.”
What an unbelievable account this is too! In a nutshell, Meishu-sama was working his hardest to respond to the new direction that God was revealing more and more, but he ended up resisting. By habit, so to speak, he ministered Johrei even though he had been told to stop, and because of that, as a form of God’s disciplining, Meishu-sama was not able to sleep at night.
In the middle of his very painful purification of the brain hemorrhage, Meishu-sama was having a conversation with God. It was recorded that he said to the effect, “Time and time again, I thought about committing suicide—the discipline required by God to become the Messiah is so difficult and painful.” And, “If I cannot get through this disciplining, I cannot become the Messiah.” Truly, I think we are looking at a Meishu-sama who was trying his hardest to respond to God’s will.
Everyone, what I am talking about right now is huge.
I mean, he said, “I have discovered a new Johrei.” He said that all you have to do to be healed is to repent.
Having said all that regarding the new direction, about six months after June 3, that is, December 11, 1954, when the Crystal Hall was completed, Meishu-sama spoke about what we call the three points when thinking about the personnel of the Church.
One is those whose Johrei is exceptional. Two is those who guide many new members to the Church. And lastly, those whose devotion to God is strong, meaning, those who support the Church through material means. Meishu-sama said that we need to think about these three points when considering the personnel of the Church.
Hearing this, we might put everything I have been saying here about Meishu-sama’s wishes to the side and point out, “Aha! Meishu-sama is talking about people whose Johrei is exceptional. With this, sonen is out of the picture. We can Johrei after all.” And this is what actually happened, isn’t it?
But is that really the right course? Listen to this. On the same December 11 that Meishu-sama first made his presence in the Crystal Hall and spoke on the three points, the following record exists.
On that day, Meishu-sama ministered Johrei with his right hand, the hand that was affected, to a member. He ministered a little over a minute. At that time, Meishu-sama said, “Next time, it won’t take even a minute to Johrei a thousand people.” This is recorded.
We have long believed that it is okay to minister Johrei since Meishu-sama said that we had to treasure those whose Johrei was exceptional when thinking about the personnel of the Church. But on the same day he left those words, Meishu-sama ministered Johrei to a member and said that “next time, it won’t take even a minute to Johrei a thousand people.” So that was the definition of Johrei for Meishu-sama at the time, on December 11, 1954.
Why was he able to say that “next time, it won’t take even a minute”? It was because the power of light was increasing, wasn’t it? Before, we needed more time to Johrei a thousand people, but since the power of light was getting stronger and stronger day by day, the next time when Meishu-sama ministered Johrei to a thousand people, he would need only less than a minute. It was not a minute. He said “it won’t take even a minute,” so it was less than a minute. Less than a minute would be needed to Johrei a thousand people.
I thought to myself: if that was the case, then how long did we need to minister Johrei to one person? I did the math on the calculator on my phone. Since one minute consists of sixty seconds, I divided sixty by one thousand. And the number on my screen was 0.06. Zero point zero six. You only needed six hundredths of a second to minister Johrei to one person. We wouldn’t even be able to raise our hand, would we? Can anyone perform the six-hundredths-of-a-second Johrei? The moment you raise your hand, you have to put it down.
A few years ago, when the announcement was made that group Johrei had to be within seven minutes and one-on-one Johrei had to be within three minutes, didn’t many of you complain that the time was too short and question why it had to be so short? You know what? For Meishu-sama, those times were too long. For Meishu-sama, only six hundredths of a second is needed to Johrei one person, but you were doing it for the duration of three minutes. Meishu-sama would tell you, “Why are you raising your hand for such a long time? Aren’t you underestimating my light and power?”
And everyone, Meishu-sama spoke about that 68 years ago. In 1950, Meishu-sama founded World Church of Messiah. And as the light of God grew stronger and stronger, in 1954, just four years after founding World Church of Messiah, God’s light became so strong that you only needed less than a minute to Johrei a thousand people. And already 68 years have passed since then.
Hasn’t the light of God gotten stronger and stronger since June 15, 1931, since the Transition from Night to Day? If the time for Johrei shortened so much in just a few years then, how much shorter would it be now, after all these years, after 68 years? Well, at the very least, it is safe to say that it is definitely not getting any longer.
But haven’t we been saying things like “let’s Johrei for a long time,” “let’s Johrei with many people,” “let’s Johrei with two or three people”? We have been acting as if Meishu-sama’s light were getting weaker and weaker!
Since the Transition from Night to Day, hasn’t the light gotten stronger and stronger? If so, the time for Johrei should be getting shorter and shorter, shouldn’t it? Then, what’s the point of doing things like therapeutic Johrei, touching the body? This definitely was not in the direction that Meishu-sama was going.
In 1954, Meishu-sama already let us know that you only need six hundredths of a second to Johrei one person, that we should do everything with words and sonen and that Johrei is not so important anymore. When you take all these into consideration, the direction that Meishu-sama wants us to take now is all too clear, isn’t it? He wants us to know that now in the year 2022, we have completely entered the world of words and sonen. That, I say, is all too clear.
So even though Kyoshu-sama said at last year’s Meishu-sama’s Birthday Service, “Let us put an end to the Johrei by the raising of the hand,” I believe Meishu-sama is saying, “You are saying this only now? You are so late! I already showed you the path 68 years ago!” Well, what I’m saying could be a little rude to Kyoshu-sama . . .
All you have to do to be healed is to repent. Repent and express this to God through your sonen. Do everything with words and sonen. I have discovered a new Johrei through sonen—Meishu-sama said these things. Aren’t these exactly the kinds of things that Kyoshu-sama has been saying?
Kyoshu-sama said that we have to put an end to the Johrei by the raising of the hand. Upon hearing this, we are saying, “I can’t accept it straightaway” or “It is not what Meishu-sama taught us.” But if the Johrei that Meishu-sama really wanted was the Johrei through sonen, not accepting the words of Kyoshu-sama only means that you, in actuality, are rebelling against Meishu-sama.
You don’t listen to Kyoshu-sama. You don’t listen to Meishu-sama. Who exactly do you serve, then? In my opinion, you are serving the image of Meishu-sama you yourself selfishly invented, that is, the image of “faith in Meishu-sama centered around the Johrei of raising one’s hand.” You are simply serving this image you invented, which is not truth and not what Meishu-sama wanted.
For a long time, Kyoshu-sama has been criticized about the following: The Church will not prosper if we practice surrendering only. Nothing will change even if we just practice surrendering.
Okay. Let’s look at what Meishu-sama said. He said that we need to repent and express this sentiment to God through sonen. And he said that that is all you have to do for a purification to be healed.
So if you have been criticizing Kyoshu-sama, saying that he is focusing too much on surrendering, you in fact are criticizing Meishu-sama. You would be criticizing Meishu-sama like this: “You are going to do everything with words and sonen? Then nothing will change, Meishu-sama.” “All we need to do is to repent? Pray in our hearts rather than Johrei? The Church will not prosper if we do it that way, Meishu-sama.”
When our hearts are in agony, when our hearts are aching, when we want to pass judgment on others—it is at these moments that we should repent of the way we have lived our lives until today. Hasn’t Kyoshu-sama been saying this all along? Hasn’t he been telling us to repent? And didn’t Meishu-sama say that all we have to do for our purification to be healed is to repent?
That is, Kyoshu-sama has been telling us about Johrei all this time. He has been telling us about the true Johrei that Meishu-sama wanted us to know.
But here we are, saying how noble and elevated Kyoshu-sama’s messages are, regarding his words as high level and detached from ourselves. So we end up saying things like we don’t understand them.
Everyone, I am talking about Kyoshu-sama who is prepared by Meishu-sama. There is no way this Kyoshu-sama would not understand our situations and realities.
So why is Kyoshu-sama so precious? He stands right in the middle of our sufferings and worries and gives to us his messages, one by one. That is why Kyoshu-sama is precious.
Still, we go and assume that Kyoshu-sama is on a different level than us, that he is a detached existence from us. Then, of course, we won’t be able to understand his words, right?
I would like for you to listen to Kyoshu-sama’s messages not just for show or appearance’s sake. Rather, listen to his messages with the belief that Kyoshu-sama gives his messages in regard to the very things we carry in our hearts and are suffering over.
Meishu-sama is the one who left for us the words: “I will do everything with words and sonen” and “I have discovered a new Johrei through sonen.” Meishu-sama and Kyoshu-sama are in direct alignment, aren’t they?
It’s true that what I am talking about today is something we did not know until now. But if, indeed, Meishu-sama said that he discovered a new Johrei, isn’t that something huge for us followers of Meishu-sama?
Then how did we come all this way until today not knowing about it? Why was it swept under the rug all this time?
I believe the executives, senior ministers and people in those kinds of positions knew about it, that Meishu-sama spoke about those matters. But those matters were never passed down to the members all the way until today. Why is that?
Well, it is understandable. Once Meishu-sama says that all you have to do to be healed is to repent, I can fully imagine those leaders having thought about how they wouldn’t be able to promote visible activities anymore, how management of the organization would be difficult, how there may not be any growth, how disadvantageous it would be for operations.
Also, after Meishu-sama’s ascension, the true meaning of what he left for us, basically what I am talking about now, was not easy to understand, was it? We now have an idea of what it means through Kyoshu-sama’s guidance, but after Meishu-sama’s ascension, even if we knew about things related to sonen and words, it was hard to understand. We could only think, “In any case, when it comes to Meishu-sama, he is the definition of Johrei by the raising of the hand.” And that’s how it has been until today.
Then for us who know the truth now, what should we do? If what I am saying now were all lies, there would be no point to all this. I, too, almost wish that these things weren’t true, but if there are actual records of this, then there’s no escaping them, right? If Meishu-sama said these things, we can’t run away from them, can we?
When we look at Meishu-sama’s Sacred Word, his teachings, we may simply think that Johrei is unmistakably the focus. But isn’t that all upended by what I am talking about now? We cannot ignore these things that happened in Meishu-sama’s last years, can we? We simply cannot.
Meishu-sama said that “Johrei is not so important anymore,” showing us a new direction. Even so, those who came before us hid that wish of Meishu-sama, rebelling against Meishu-sama.
Even though Meishu-sama said that Johrei is not so important anymore, haven’t we made Johrei the most important matter in our Church? Is this not a complete rebellion against Meishu-sama?
So in that sense, it would only be natural if Meishu-sama said to us, “If you do not follow my wishes, then you are no longer my followers.” But for our sake, Kyoshu-sama has repented our sin of rebelling against the new Johrei through sonen and has offered intercessory prayers to Meishu-sama on our behalf: “Please forgive us, Meishu-sama. I will be sure to guide the members in the direction you are wishing for.” Isn’t this reflected in Kyoshu-sama’s posture? For he is determinedly and consistently explaining the importance of sonen.
Meishu-sama accepted the prayer of Kyoshu-sama who asked Meishu-sama’s forgiveness on our behalf for not following his will. And now, Meishu-sama is permitting us to serve in the work of true Johrei.
What kind of Johrei is it? It is the new Johrei through sonen that Meishu-sama discovered. It is the Johrei where you do everything through words and sonen. It is the Johrei where you can be healed through repentance. It is the Johrei through which you can be forgiven and saved by expressing your repentance to God. Meishu-sama is wishing to impart this true Johrei to each one of us.
Meishu-sama is showing us which way to go. So why don’t you take a leap of faith and dive in?
For all the things that you are really tormented over, why don’t you try to report these to God within your heart, with repentance? It is okay to report the things that you cannot tell other people. Of course, you don’t have to tell anyone else about such matters.
For those things that torment you, try to say to God, “Ah, God, You are trying to teach me through these matters that there is something I need to repent. In the name of Messiah, which is one with Meishu-sama, I would like You to receive them.”
If you do that, God will definitely guide you in the right direction.
How is it that I can say “definitely”? How am I so sure? Well, Meishu-sama is saying this. Kyoshu-sama is saying this. Meishu-sama says that all you have to do to be healed is to repent, doesn’t he?
I simply believe in Meishu-sama. I simply believe in Kyoshu-sama who teaches us the will of this Meishu-sama. That is why I can say that things will definitely get better.
So which one will all of you choose: will you serve in the Johrei by the raising of the hand or serve in what Meishu-sama is teaching us now through Kyoshu-sama, the Johrei advanced by communicating with God through words and sonen, without raising the hand? Which one is it?
Let’s say you choose the Johrei by the raising of the hand. So last year in Japan, the Olympics and Paralympics were held. In the Paralympics, there were many people without hands, right? If you choose the Johrei by the raising of the hand, are you going to tell people without hands, “You cannot Johrei”? Is the Johrei that Meishu-sama left for us on that small a scale? Is it something that only a limited number of people can practice? No, it is not. Those days are now over.
So if you do go with the Johrei by the raising of the hand, then for people without hands, it concludes with “You cannot Johrei.”
You either go with that path, or you can go with the path where you can tell someone without hands, “The truth is, you, too, can serve in the work of Johrei.” Which one will you choose?
Put in another way, you can choose the path where regardless of how much you Johrei, the person does not heal and is close to dying; where many people come to minister Johrei but there is no healing; where you hope for a senior level minister to come Johrei; where you want a miracle to happen; where the person ends up dying without any miracles happening. Or you can choose the path where you can tell that dying person, “You have nothing to worry about. Within you, God’s hand of love exists. That hand envelopes you with light and is now giving you a big hug. Even if you pass on, you will continue to live forever in God’s loving care to become a child of God. I, too, am walking that path. Even if you pass on, let’s continue to walk that path together, okay?”
When we go to visit someone who is purifying, we usually go with the intention to minister Johrei to them, right? The purifying person asks for Johrei, too. But to receive a purification actually means that God is abundantly pouring His light into that person. So perhaps what we really should have done until now is say to that person that we would like to receive their Johrei instead.
We somehow put ourselves on the side of ones who heal, ones who give light, while we put the other on the side of ones who are sick and need to receive Johrei, ones who are miserable. In that case, we make the purifying person think that they are in need of light and are a miserable existence, don’t we?
It is the opposite. What if we say to that person, “May I receive your Johrei, even if it is only a minute”? Then that person would say, “What? Is it all right for me to Johrei while I’m purifying like this?” Our reply, “Well, it is because within you is light.” Then the person would think, “There truly is light within me,” and may perhaps get better.
So now too, when you go visit someone who is purifying, you can say, “Together, let’s serve in the work of Johrei.” Even if the other person says he or she wants you to Johrei, you can say, “It is actually within you that the light of Johrei exists.”
So in this true work of Johrei, anybody, anywhere, any kind of person, whether they have hands or not, whether they are suffering from purification or not, everyone can equally serve. Don’t you think that this is the true work of Johrei that Meishu-sama wanted to entrust to us?
So you need to make a decision. Do you want to serve in a Johrei where light is emitted only when you raise your hand, where people without hands are unable to do it or where we have to say there was no miracle when someone dies even after receiving lots of Johrei? Or do you want to serve in a Johrei that can envelop everything through its abounding light and that leads to eternal life? It is time for you to decide that now.
Well, it’s fine if you decide to leave the Church thinking that the focus of faith in Meishu-sama is Johrei by the raising of the hand. I believe it is still important to make a decision. Even if it were opposition, once you decide, what ultimately awaits you is your encounter with God.
God will say to you, “At first, you came to know the true work of Johrei through the existence of Meishu-sama. Yes? But you went against it, right?” You reply, “Yes, I did.” Then God will say, “After that, I taught you about the true Johrei once again through the existence of Kyoshu-sama. But you went against that too, right?” You will say, “Yes, I did.” God finally will ask, “Will you accept the truth now?” Your answer, “Yes. I repent and accept.” This is the salvation that is waiting for you.
So you can delay your encounter with God, or right now, you can repent of your ways from before and serve in the real work of Johrei that Meishu-sama was truly wishing for. The time to decide this has come, now.
With Kyoshu-sama giving us that kind of message at last year’s Meishu-sama’s Birthday Service, the time to decide has come.
In truth, this is a huge blessing. If Meishu-sama had not received the purification of the brain hemorrhage and instead lived a very long life and never left us with this true work of Johrei, there wouldn’t be any salvation for us, would there? There wouldn’t be any salvation for people who pass away from illness or who have incurable diseases, would there? The story ends with “There were no miracles of Johrei,” and that’s it.
So that we don’t lose all hope like that, God gave Meishu-sama the purification of the brain hemorrhage and taught us the true Johrei.
What is Johrei? What is the truth of Johrei? What is the truth of Meishu-sama?
Kyoshu-sama is the answer to all of these questions, everyone.
What Kyoshu-sama is guiding us on now is the answer.
Until today, we have been trying to build a paradise on earth through the Johrei by the raising of the hand. Now, the time has come for us to do that through the true Johrei of sonen.
Everyone is suffering from something. Hatred, jealousy, worry of whether your illness will heal or not, holding a grudge against someone—everyone is carrying a burden in their heart.
But now you can say, “God, in the name of Messiah, which is one with Meishu-sama, I offer You the thoughts and feelings that I am suffering from right now.” You can do this by yourself, right? You can do this anywhere, right? If all of humanity can awaken to this salvation, that will be a paradise on earth.
Meishu-sama suffered and was in pain to the degree that he thought of committing suicide. It was under these circumstances that Meishu-sama left us the true Johrei in his last year on earth. That is, the true Johrei was born through his suffering.
The time to share this with as many people as possible has finally come. The time to build, with our own hands, a world of light, a paradise on earth, that Meishu-sama was wishing for has finally come.
To be able to participate in this work is, truly, an immense honor and privilege.
Through Kyoshu-sama, Meishu-sama is trying to entrust us with his truth, his true salvation. So let us believe in this true Johrei and, with our own hands, construct a paradise on earth.
Thank you very much.
