agon shu ( Publicity)

fullf o hate and division, but a world full of friendship and Agon Shu holds ceremonies to eliminate bad karma happiness.” S Aoon after, gon Shu mem- Over the past few decades, the WWII nearly 30,000 Japanese OnN , ov. 8 Kiriyama and a bers lit torches as other mem- R Sev. eiyu Kiriyama has worked lived on , along with delegation of Agon Shu faithful bers chanted invocations. They tirelesslyo t assuage the souls of nearly 4,000 Chamorro and arrivednS i aipan to tour his- applied the torches to a mod- those who died in World War II C aroline Islanders. torical sites and offer prayers for est-sized “gomadan” pyre onto — soldiers and civilians — as A s Japan’s newly won empire the n dead. O Nov. 9, Kiriyama whichA gon Shu adherents wellso a t pray for world peace, in the Pacific crumbled in the officiatedt a a “Dai Saito Go- threw wooden votive tablets in- with the aim of eliminating the facef o the relentless American maku” service at a memorial at scribed with prayers for the liv- scourge of war forever. onslaught,S aipan became part the f base o “Suicide Cliff.” ing and the dead. Kiriyama, now 93, is the of the last line of defense of the On the evening of Nov. 9, founderf o the Agon Shu Bud- Japanese home islands. It was Prime minister message Kiriyama and the rest of the dhistA ssociation and he has heavily fortified, and nearly A Japanese government official A Sugon h delegation attended said that for as long as he lives, 30,000 troops were stationed on read a message from Prime a t banquet a which people from he will pray for peace and work the island. M S inister hinzo Abe: A Sugon h chapters all over to rid Japan of the bad karma Japanese and American forc- “TodaynS o aipan, I feel a Japan spoke about how moved that has plagued the country es fought fiercely on Saipan deep meaning where all the they y were b the ceremony and since the end of the war. He’s from mid-June 1944 until July people who sacrificed here for the chance to help assuage the also dedicated to praying for 9, when Japanese resistance the last war are going to be wor- souls of the dead. peace throughout the world; ended.A lmost 3,500 Americans shipped. Today’s successful, A Sugon h has held ceremonies Rev. Seiyu Kiriyama, the founder of Agon Shu Agon shu diedn i the fighting; nearly peaceful and prosperous Japan to pray for peace in locations as 30,000 Japanese soldiers — al- was made possible by the su- The next day saw members of diversesN a ew York, Paris, Je- maf o attaining Buddhahood, They believe this is the only way most the entire defending force preme sacrifice of these soldiers the delegation fly to nearby Ti- rusalem,A uschwitz, Guadalca- are needed,” said Kiriyama. for o people t be liberated and — were killed. As many as 4,000 and civilians. I pray for the hap- niano t conduct another “Dai nal Nw and e Guinea. “The most important of them is for o peace t prevail in the world. Japanese soldiers died in a sui- pinessf o the people of Saipan Saito Gomaku” ceremony at Most recently, Kiriyama and ‘the inheritance of thought,’ or There are three core ele- cidal banzai charge, and hun- and Japan.” North Field, the airstrip from membersfA o gon Shu conduct- feeling the vibration of Bud- mentsnA i gon Shu. First is the dredsf o Japanese civilians A priest from Tokyo’s Yasu- where the B-29 that dropped ed prayer services on the Pa- dha’s thought. LordB uddha. He is the ultimate committed suicide by jumping kuniS hrine, where the souls of the atomic bomb on Hiroshi- cific islands of Saipan and “The second condition that objectf o worship for Agon Shu off cliffs that came to be known Japan’s war dead are enshrined, ma, took off. As the flames leapt ,s a well as in Japan’s Fu- must happen is that we must believers.N ext is the dharma, as C “Suicide liff” and “Banzai blessed the site of the ceremo- from the pyre, those present of- kushima Prefecture. change our personal and fam- comprisingB uddha’s teachings C liff,” rather than be captured. ny. Two female dancers in fered fervent prayers at the “Agon Shu is aiming for true ily vicious destinies, and break and training methods. Thirdly Having control of Saipan and beautifully colored costumes placef o karmic significance. world peace, and two condi- ‘the karma of destruction’ that there’s the sangha, the commu- nearby Tinian meant that, for then performed to the sound of OnN ov. 11, Kiriyama and the tions are required to achieve overshadows the country and nityf o believers led by Kiriya- the first time, most cities in “gagaku” ancient court music. restf A o the gon Shu delegation the goal,” explained Kiriyama. the world,” Kiriyama continued. ma.A S gon hu also draws on the Japan were within range of A procession of Agon Shu flew o back t Japan, their mis- “First,e w have to create ‘homo “ Everyone is struggling with best elements of the three main American B-29 Superfortress members led by Kiriyama then sion accomplished. On Nov. 16, excellence,’ which will have su- their own karma. Countries and schoolsfB o uddhism: Thera- bombers. The strategic bomb- entered the site to the sound of a ceremony was held at the or- perior spiritual power and in- the world are also influenced by vada, Mahayana and Tibetan ing campaign that would re- booming orchestral music and ganization’s main temple in Agon Shu conducts a “Dai Saito Gomaku” ceremony on Nov. 9 telligence, and high levels of the ‘karma of destruction,’ B uddhism. Kiriyama has mas- duce many Japanese cities to conch shells blown by adher- Kyotoo t report on the success- at “Suicide Cliff” in Saipan to offer prayers for those who died ethics and morals. Because hu- which causes war, terrorism tered all three. Agon Shu calls rubble began shortly thereafter ents dressed as “yamabushi” ful trip to Saipan and Tinian. in World War II. mans are foolish, they plunder and natural disasters. Only the this integrated belief system asA merica meted out revenge mountain priests. Some of and kill and injure others. If dharmafA o gon Shu’s perfect “perfectB uddhism.” for Pearl Harbor. them then held a “mondo” rit- Karmic connection notes. “Some say that the pos- mans develop a totally new en- they are sufficiently wise, hu- Buddhism can break the “Japans i the only nation to ual question-and-answer ex- Kiriyama sees a direct karmic sible atomic bomb had been ergy, they will follow a path of mans can find joy in giving and karma.” Historical significance have suffered atomic bomb- change which elucidated the connection between those two intendedo t attack Allied Forc- destruction. It is impossible for helping each other. How can To understand how Kiriyama Kiriyama and Agon Shu chose ings,” noted Kiriyama. “On Aug. theme of the Battle of Saipan. Pacific islands and the March es-occupied Saipan. Tinian and old homo sapiens to do that. people develop their spiritual andA S gon hu are working to Saipan and Tinian to hold cer- 6, 1945, for the first time in VariousS hinto-inspired purifi- 11, 2011, meltdown at the Fu- S aipan are the starting point of The deadlock in the intelligence power?” break that cycle of negative emonies aimed at breaking the human history, an atomic cation rituals followed. As is al- kushima No. 1 nuclear power Japan’s karma.” of homo sapiens has created karma, it helps to know just chainf o bad karma because of bomb was dropped, on Hiro- ways the case with Agon Shu, plant. On Oct. 5, Kiriyama of- A t a memorial service in the current situation. The supe- Spiritual power whatA S gon hu is and what its their special historical signifi- shima.e Th city was ruined in a thisiS “Da aito Gomaku” cere- ficiated at a “Dai Saito Go- June,e h said, “There is a close rior intelligence of the new Kiriyama said that in the human adherents believe. cance. The Western Pacific is- momenty b the strong heat and mony was conducted as a com- maku” service in Minamisoma, relationship between the third ‘homo excellence’ can break brain there is a section known Kiriyama founded Agon Shu land of Saipan was under blast. Three days later, on Aug. binedB uddhist-Shinto ritual. Fukushima Prefecture, to offer atomic bomb that I had predict- the deadlock in the situation.” as the “interbrain,” which is re- in 1978 after spending many S panish and later German con- 9, 1945, the second A-bomb was Before the ceremony proper prayers for the souls of those ed would drop on Japan and the Kiriyama and Agon Shu are latedo t spiritual power. That years seeking spiritual truth. trol until 1914, when Japan cap- dropped,n o Nagasaki. began, Jude Hofschneider, who perished in the March 11, FukushimaD aiichi nuclear di- dedicating their spiritual and power,e h says, can be strength- The answer to his quest was the turedtn i i World War I. “ At the time, an estimated Lieutenant Governor of the 2011, earthquake and tsunami saster. I also think this is close- moral power to healing the enedy b developing the inter- A Sgama utras, the only scrip- S aipan became an important 90,000o t 120,000 people were North , ad- and to pray for the recovery of ly o related t Fukushima, Saipan woundsf o the past and chang- brain. The question, then, is tures directly taught by Buddha. overseas protectorate of the killedn i Hiroshima and about dressed those present: “Your the area struck by the disaster. and Tinian.” ing the negative karma that lin- how can that be done? A Sugon h has since grown into JapaneseE mpire. Many people 70,000nN i agasaki. As of 2013, trip to our island is perfect in “ During World War II, re- In his book “1999 Chikyu gers after the tragic events of a community of 300,000 mem- from the home islands of Japan the number of victims stood at timing, as we commemorate search on developing atomic Kaimetsu” (1999 earth destruc- World War II. They’re also using Inheritance of thought bersn i Japan and thousands as s well a Koreans, Taiwanese 286,818n i Hiroshima and the 70th anniversary of the bat- bombs was conducted in Ishi- tion), Kiriyama asserted, “I that power to help Japan and “Various training methods of more around the world. Agon and Okinawans developed 162,083nN i agasaki. Tinian and tlesfS o aipan and Tinian. We kawan i Fukushima because ra- think nuclear energy is the the rest of the world build a ‘perfect’ Buddhism and Agon Shu believers follow the spiri- sugar plantations and refineries S aipan are the starting point of are grateful for your visit and dioactive minerals were karmaf o human beings.” peaceful and prosperous S hu, which center on the dhar- tual path taught by Buddha. onS B aipan. y the beginning of Japan’s karma.” share your vision of a world not produced there,” Kiriyama He also added: “Unless hu- world.

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