[Zoom Prayer Meeting Japan: 00034] 250412_Video Prayer Gathering_Yuka-sensei, Maki-sensei, Rika-sensei
To all participants
Thank you, as always, for joining us.
I am sending you the transcript of the April 12 (Saturday) Video Prayer Gathering.
250412_Video Prayer Gathering_Yuka-sensei, Maki-sensei, Rika-sensei
[All Three Together]
Good morning, everyone.
[Rika-sensei]
Today is April 12th.
[Yuka-sensei]
Thank you all for joining us for this Prayer Gathering via Video. It’s been a while since the three of us gathered together, so I’m truly happy. We’ll be delivering today’s program together from here.
Today’s main program is something that really allows us to deepen our understanding of ourselves. As the new school year begins, many people are doing their best in new environments, like entrance ceremonies or fresh starts. At such times of effort, I feel it's especially important to allow ourselves a moment of emotional rest—a moment of healing. I hope we can deepen that together with you all today.
So now, let us begin with our prayer.
<Prayer for World Peace>
[Rika-sensei]
Thank you. Maki-sensei, could you explain today’s program?
<Exercise: Deepening and Understanding Ourselves Through Our Own Answers>
[Maki-sensei]
Let us now begin today’s special program. In this program, we would like to deepen our exploration of who we truly are—together with everyone.
Here’s how it will proceed: I’d like all of you to ask yourselves the question, “Who am I?”
To do this, imagine that an alien appears in front of you right now. The alien looks directly at you and asks, “Who are you?”
How would you answer?
There are many possible answers. For example, you might say your name, your country of origin, your occupation, your relationships—like being a mother or a child. You might answer with aspects of your personality, such as “a kind person,” “someone who makes many mistakes,” or “someone who can’t forgive themselves.” You might also answer with what’s in your heart—perhaps “someone who loves peace,” “someone who values others,” or “someone who seeks the divine.”
There is no right or wrong answer. When someone unfamiliar suddenly asks, “Who are you?”, what would you respond?
Whatever arises in you now in response to “Who am I?”—that is your answer for today.
Through this practice, we will be deepening and understanding ourselves through our own answers. To help illustrate the process, Yuka-sensei and Rika-sensei will now demonstrate a simulation of how it’s done.
This exercise consists of 7 rounds of Q&A. Each time you are asked, “Who are you?” and you respond, you will then declare “That answer soku-Kami-nari” (meaning “That answer is Divine”) and perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari once.
For example, if an alien appeared before me and asked, “Who are you?”, I might first answer, “I am Maki Kawamura.” Then I would declare, “Maki Kawamura soku-Kami-nari” and perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
After completing the IN, the alien asks again, “Maki Kawamura, who are you?” Then I might say, “I am a mother.” This time, I declare, “Mother soku-Kami-nari,” and again perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
This is repeated seven times.
For those who are unable to perform the IN, please continuously chant your answer followed by “soku-Kami-nari,” like:
“My answer soku-Kami-nari, My answer soku-Kami-nari, My answer soku-Kami-nari...”
Since it may be difficult to understand in words, Yuka-sensei and Rika-sensei will now show how the process flows.
[Yuka-sensei]
I’ll play the role of the alien. Let’s begin.
An alien arrives and asks, “Who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am Byakko Hanako.
[Yuka-sensei]
In response, the alien says, “Then let us perform the IN for ‘Byakko Hanako soku-Kami-nari’ together,” and they perform the IN together.
After completing the IN, the alien asks again, “Byakko Hanako, who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am Japanese.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then we say, “Let’s perform the IN for ‘Japanese soku-Kami-nari’ together,” and perform the IN.
Once the IN is completed:
“You, who are Japanese—who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am a mother.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then: “Let’s perform the IN for ‘Mother soku-Kami-nari’ together.”
“You, who are a mother—who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am someone filled with anxiety.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then: “Let’s perform the IN for ‘One filled with anxiety soku-Kami-nari’ together.”
After the IN:
“You, who are one filled with anxiety—who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am one who prays.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then: “Let’s perform the IN for ‘One who prays soku-Kami-nari’ together.”
“You, who are one who prays—who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I don’t know.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then: “Let’s perform the IN for ‘One who does not know soku-Kami-nari’ together.”
“You, who do not know—who are you?”
[Rika-sensei]
I am one who offers total apology.
[Yuka-sensei]
Then: “Let’s perform the IN for ‘One who offers total apology soku-Kami-nari’ together.”
This is how you will engage in seven rounds of dialogue with the alien.
[Maki-sensei]
Thank you very much. Through this repeated Q&A process, I hope we can explore together the question: “What are we, truly?”
Now then, everyone, let us begin by taking a few moments of quiet. As we prepare to enter this exercise, please gently close your eyes and quietly bring your awareness to the question: “Who am I?” Let us take this time to prepare our hearts for the inner exploration ahead.
<Time to Quietly Face Yourself>
As I have mentioned many times, there is no “right” or “wrong” answer to this question. So as the question is asked, simply use the first words that arise in your mind.
There’s no need to judge whether it is good or bad. Cherish the word that came to you, and say: “That word soku-Kami-nari,” and perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
Now, slowly open your eyes and respond to my question:
“Who are you?”
Did words such as “Japanese,” “a woman,” or your name arise in your mind?
Now, please take your answer and declare: “That answer soku-Kami-nari,” and perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
For me, the answer that arose was “Maki Kawamura,” so I declare: “Maki Kawamura soku-Kami-nari,” and perform the IN.
Please do the same with the answer that came to you.
If you’re not familiar with the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari, please keep chanting your answer repeatedly, such as:
“Maki Kawamura soku-Kami-nari, Maki Kawamura soku-Kami-nari...” until we complete the IN.
Now, please say your declaration: “My answer soku-Kami-nari,” and let us perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 1>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
Once again, the alien appears before you. Looking directly into your eyes, it asks:
“Who are you?”
Please honor whatever word just surfaced in your heart. Every answer is precious—it is your answer. Add “soku-Kami-nari” to that word and perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 2>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
Once again, the alien appears and asks you:
“Who are you?”
Please treasure the words that have risen in your heart and add “soku-Kami-nari” to them as you perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari.
Since I’m hearing that some would like a bit more time, let’s take a little longer.
“Who are you?”
Hold that answer in your heart, and after declaring “That word soku-Kami-nari,” perform the IN.
Let us begin.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 3>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
Once again, the same alien appears and asks:
“Who are you?”
Your answer might now be related to your role—teacher, nurse, student—or to your relationships, like parent and child, or coworkers. It may relate to your qualities—kindness, quick temper, persistent sadness, a tendency to complain. Or it may express an intention—such as a wish to be kind to others, a desire to become important, or to be well-known.
There are many ways to describe yourself.
As the alien now asks you for the fourth time:
“Who are you?”
What words come to mind?
Please don’t judge those thoughts as good or bad. Instead, hold the answer that came to you with care, declare “That answer soku-Kami-nari,” and perform the IN.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 4>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
The alien returns once more and asks you:
“Who are you?”
This is the fifth question. What will your answer be?
Now, please declare: “The word in your heart soku-Kami-nari,” and perform the IN.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 5>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
Once again, the alien arrives.
“Who are you?”
We’ve already offered many answers—“I am Japanese,” “I am Maki Kawamura,” “I am a woman,” “I am a mother,” “One who loves peace,” “Someone who forgets things easily.” But now the alien asks again:
“Who are you?”
What do you say?
Whatever answer arises, treasure it, add “soku-Kami-nari,” and declare it as you perform the IN.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 6>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
And once more, the alien returns and says,
“This will be the final question. Please answer.”
It looks into your eyes and asks:
“Who are you?”
How will you respond to this alien’s final question?
Now, let us take the word that arises in your heart, add “soku-Kami-nari,” and declare it as we perform the final IN.
<IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari – Round 7>
Yes. “XXXX soku-Kami-nari.” (Performing the IN.) Thank you.
Through this journey of asking “Who am I?”, I believe each of you encountered various expressions of your Self.
And by performing the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari, I believe we created a space where each version of ourselves could be returned to the Divine—merged into Light.
Now, I will read from Sensei Goi’s book Eternal Life. I will read from the very first chapter titled “Know Thyself.”
As this lecture spans around 30 pages, I will read selected passages as usual.
If you have time, I encourage you to read the full chapter “Know Thyself” when you can.
Now, please listen.
<Reading from Goi-sensei’s Dharma Talk>
Know Thyself
From Eternal Life by Masahisa Goi
The most fundamental and important matter is, as has been said since the time of Socrates—“Know thyself”—to understand what it means to be human.
[omitted passage]
◎ Where Does Our Sense of Self Reside?
Why is this physical self alive and moving? I am speaking now. Where do these spoken words come from? The sound is created by the vibration of the vocal cords. But where do the meanings of the words come from? Are they stored in the folds of the brain and released sequentially? If so, what moves those folds? What created the brain? What created the nervous system?
[omitted passage]
Even though we live in this way, it was not we ourselves who created our heads, our hands, or our feet. Nor did the physical human being plan such things. And yet, lungs were formed naturally, the heart was formed, and various organs came into existence.
[omitted passage]
It’s mysterious how a baby enters the womb, isn’t it?
[omitted passage]
As the baby grows, it becomes a human being with the ability to think and an incredible power of creation. Where is that power when the baby is born? It gradually develops, yet the talents and abilities that appear are different for each individual. So where do those talents or wisdom come from? In that case, even before the physical body is born—even before the brain, heart, and lungs are formed—there must be a force somewhere greater than those organs, a force that gives rise to them.
[omitted passage]
Life appears through the parents as a medium. What’s important is the original source of the life that has emerged. The physical body is something that has appeared, a temporary form. And yet that physical body is alive each day. The heart beats, the lungs move, and the mind turns freely in thought. At night, we go to sleep. While we sleep, we’re not conscious. There is no awareness. And yet the heart, lungs, and digestive organs continue to function.
[omitted passage]
So then, where does our true identity lie? Is it inside the physical body? Or is it in something beyond what the eyes can see? Clearly, our true self is not in the physical body. It resides in a realm of invisible, subtle vibrations. This is what we commonly refer to as “soul” or “God” in religious terms.
[omitted passage]
◎ The First Step of Religious Awareness
Now, let’s look at this from the other side: What does a human being need to survive alone? Food is necessary. Air is necessary. Water is necessary. And these things are all given to us by the outer world. Food and air, too, are provided externally. Therefore, without relying on the outer world, the physical body cannot survive.
[omitted passage]
So even if someone arrogantly declares, “There’s no God or Buddha—I’ve done everything on my own,” in truth, we cannot live without borrowing power from the external world. We live solely by what is given to us from outside. That realization becomes: “Ah... the inner and outer worlds have become one to keep me alive. How grateful I am...”
That is the foundation of religion. From there, the first step into religion begins.
[omitted passage]
People pray to God when they get sick and want to be healed. Or when they’re in poverty and want to be saved. That may be an entry point into religion, but it is not true religion.
The core of religion is this: Life, just as it is, is precious. How blessed we are simply to be alive. Life exists because the One—God—and the outer world have joined to sustain it.
When you reach that point, for the first time, you begin to understand what it means to be human.
A human being contains within them various forms of life. Those forms absorb what is needed and allow the person to continue living. The life force within us is always granted from the outside, constantly being metabolized to sustain us. In that sense, the physical body is not truly “mine.”
[omitted passage]
This body isn’t really mine—it belongs to the universe. A piece of the Great Life has temporarily manifested here in the form of what I call “me.”
Yes, I am being sustained by the Great Life.
I am being lived by God.
I am kept alive by the Great Life.
How thankful I am.
Thank you, Great Life.
Thank you, God.
Thank you to all things of the universe.
[omitted passage]
◎ The Practical Method for Knowing the Self
Of course, it is an act of love to wish that people do not suffer or experience misfortune in this worldly life. But even more important than that is to help them come to know their eternal life—connected to the Divine Source—and to help them recognize their true self. The greatest love is to let others know what their true self really is.
To teach this to children, parents must first know it themselves. To share it with others, you must realize it yourself. It cannot be done through logic alone. It is not enough to understand it intellectually. You must know it from the depths of your heart and soul—“Ah, so this is the truth.”
We are often told, “Human beings are children of God.” And we might think, “That could be true,” in our heads—but we do not really believe it. Our thoughts and actions do not align. Some people may have their heads full of religious knowledge, knowing all kinds of things, and yet they are unable to live by what they know. Intellectually, they understand that “God is the Great Light, perfect, complete, and radiant,” but their expressions are often dark and gloomy.
So then, what can we actually do?
It is to let go of the habitual thoughts we have carried through many lifetimes as physical human beings. We must eliminate, completely—not just mentally—the belief that “I am this body.”
In Buddhist terms, this is called “becoming empty.”
In the words of Lao Tzu, it is “Act through non-action.”
But it’s not easy to become empty, is it?
That’s why I say: “I am a disappearing form.” All the thoughts that arise, all our actions—whether good or bad—are all simply manifestations of karma (habits) from past lives, appearing now in order to disappear.
Even good things are just the appearance of habit. Even bad things are likewise the appearance of habit. So do not cling to either good or bad. Do not get trapped in a single form. Let them all be simply “disappearing forms.”
What truly exists is only the Life of the Divine—only your true heart, your true essence.
That essence is life itself, overflowing throughout the universe.
It’s not the “you” that’s five feet something tall. It is a brilliant body of light, shining like the sun, filling all of space, moving anywhere instantly with great speed.
You are light.
But we forget that. Because we’ve become habituated to this body, we start to believe: “I am this body.”
Everyone thinks, “This is what I am.” But I do not believe that.
◎ We Must Not Be Moved by Habitual Thought
From your perspective, I may appear to be a person about five feet tall, looking like this.
But deep, deep, deep—far deeper within—I am the Great Light.
I clearly know that this physical form is merely a temporary appearance of that Great Light, for convenience.
[omitted passage]
And yet, instead of manifesting the light of God, we end up cycling through habitual thoughts—“I like this,” “I don’t like that,” “I want to do this,” “I want to do that.” Those habits just keep spinning and spinning. Even brilliant ideas and negative thoughts are merely habitual thoughts in the process of disappearing.
So where do we send these disappearing forms? We place them into prayer:
“May peace prevail on Earth. Let me be used for that purpose. May our missions be accomplished.”
Then the Great Light of World Peace flows in and steadily dissolves those bad habits.
[omitted passage]
◎ We Are All Children of God
Looking back now, I realize: Everything is a disappearing form.
Good thoughts, bad thoughts, resentment, love—they are all just disappearing forms.
What truly exists is the stream of life that flows through Heaven and Earth.
Within that flow lies our divine mission.
So just follow it as it is.
In other words, whenever thoughts arise—whether light or dark—place them all into the Prayer for World Peace. From there, take your next step forward in life.
Then everything will unfold naturally. That is “Acting through non-action.”
So, the practice of placing disappearing forms into the Prayer for World Peace becomes the very embodiment of Lao Tzu’s teaching: “Act through non-action.”
[omitted passage]
(October 1963)
[Maki-sensei]
Thank you all for listening.
Today, we connected the earlier self-inquiry exercise with Goi-sensei’s teaching “Know Thyself.” The reason I chose to make that connection is because I wanted each of you to reflect on yourselves in a way that leads your awareness toward the truth that, as Goi-sensei said, “Human beings are not the physical body but individual rays of God.”
Whether it’s a good habit or a bad one, or thoughts like “This is who I am,” or whatever identities arise from the question “Who am I?”—when we realize, as written in Eternal Life, that “all these are forms that appear and then vanish, passing from the past into the present,” it naturally leads us to acts of thought and prayer that manifest our divine consciousness.
I felt that the process of asking ourselves “Who am I?” could be directly connected to what Goi-sensei says: “It’s not enough to know it as knowledge—true religion is to embody and practice it.”
That’s why I posed the question to you all today.
You can share your reflections on the exercise or your thoughts after listening to Goi-sensei’s words. Yuka-sensei, Rika-sensei, what did you feel?
[Yuka-sensei]
While listening to the reading from Goi-sensei’s book, I felt a very clear re-confirmation between my desperate effort to live as a physical being and the true life within me that sustains that physical existence.
I believe that this clarity is thanks to the accumulation of having performed the Divine Spark IN over time, and also due to how much Masami-sensei has helped us grow. Compared to the people who were listening to these teachings back in Goi-sensei’s time, I feel that we are able to naturally grasp what he meant by “the life that is being lived” and “the divine light that shines”—almost effortlessly. I imagine many of you feel the same.
And because of that, when I listened to the parts about the way we think and feel as physical beings, I strongly felt—through today’s exercise too—that both the self that stands on the side of the physical mind, and the self that stands on the side of the divine, are equally embraced in the truth of “Ware-soku-Kami-nari.”
Because we are practicing the Divine Spark IN every day to bring down the light of the Universal God, I believe we’re deeply aware that we ourselves are the very light of the life being lived. So, when I performed the IN from the standpoint of the self trying hard to live as a physical being, it was with the consciousness of fully embracing that self, saying “Even this is Ware-soku-Kami-nari.”
In my own case, I hadn’t had many opportunities to perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari in daily life recently. So today, performing it after some time reminded me—while feeling the truth that I am being lived—that even the self striving to live as a physical being is completely included in “Ware-soku-Kami-nari.”
And with that, I arrived at the conclusion that both the divine side of myself and the physical side of myself are equally precious.
Thank you.
[Maki-sensei]
Yes, exactly.
There are times when the phrase “Ware-soku-Kami-nari” wells up from within me especially when I don’t understand something or when I can’t accept myself.
But even that is part of “That very form is also Kami-nari.”
Because what’s happening there is the divine expressing itself through the appearance of a disappearing form.
There’s no need to deny it—rather, that form is the divine taking shape in a moment of dissolution.
I felt that I am being allowed to experience many aspects of God’s nature through each of these forms.
[Rika-sensei]
As it’s written in Goi-sensei’s books, when divine light descends into this dimension, it manifests as various forms of light.
This appearance of the “One becoming the Many” connects all the way through every stage until it reaches the physical body.
That’s why our very existence is not only “Ware-soku-Kami-nari,” connected to the Universal God, but also “Kami-soku-Ware-nari”—God Himself enters into us as His manifestation, and evolves and creates through our physical experiences.
This process is not a one-way path. It’s mutual—a circulation, a movement of both descent and return.
And that’s why we are beings capable of creative evolution—capable of drawing down divine harmony into the world we inhabit, and evolving through all dimensions.
Therefore, every disappearing form that manifests in this world can truly be called: “That disappearing form is Kami-nari.”
Also, when the Universal God enters into our lives—even if it’s just for an instant (and from the perspective of the Divine, our entire lives are just an instant)—He descends through the dimensions and temporarily dwells within our finite bodies. That work alone is deeply precious.
If we can feel that, then when we look at all kinds of beings—animals, plants, anything—we’ll see the life, spirit, and divinity dwelling in them in many forms.
This perspective also aligns with a beautiful poem written by Barbara, someone we are close to.
I love that poem, and I’ve received so much wisdom from it. That’s what I’m expressing now.
I hope to share that poem with you all someday.
And I truly feel that the Universal God rejoices in this mutual movement—of descent and return.
Through that divine way of being, I feel that Goi-sensei gave us a simple prayer that integrates both “the form of mutual interaction” and “the disappearing form placed in the Prayer for World Peace”—a prayer that allows each of us to embody the will of the Universal God.
[Maki-sensei]
Yes. When we engage in such inquiry like this, what Goi-sensei said begins to reveal the essence of many truths.
Today, we read together the chapter “Know Thyself” from his book Eternal Life.
I hope each of you will read it again with fresh eyes, and pose the question to yourselves: “Who am I?”
And through your own answer to that question, I hope you experience a beautiful time of connection—between your own truth and the truth expressed by Goi-sensei.
What I really wanted to convey today is this:
There is not a single wasted experience in the things we go through each day.
Everything is already perfect, lacking nothing, and destined for great fulfillment.
When things are going well, and even when they’re not going so well—
If we remember that everything is an expression of Kami,
(that the Universal God is experiencing various forms of Himself through us),
and if we return to the truth that “we physical humans are beings who are being lived,”
then, just as Goi-sensei said:
“Yes, that’s right. What I call myself is something brought forth and sustained by the Great Life. I am being lived by God. I am being lived by the Great Life. How grateful I am—Thank you, Great Life. Thank you, God. Thank you to all things in the universe.”
—this feeling naturally arises within us.
[Maki-sensei]
When we look at things from that perspective, we realize that within, we are connected to God, and outwardly, we are connected to others. We are who we are today because of the support we receive from the outside. And this existence we call “ourselves” was not created by us. We return to the origin—being born as babies into the flow of divine life.
In that origin, there is nothing that is “me.” And yet, within that state of “nothing yet existing,” we witness the manifestation of God’s life.
One opportunity to realize this in daily life often comes in the form of thoughts like, “I’m a failure,” or “I’m such a hopeless person.” At that very moment, we should return to the question posed today: “Who am I?”
When you ask yourself this question—especially in those moments—you begin to reconnect with the essence of your own being. If you keep digging deeper from the surface answer of “This is who I am,” you will eventually reach what Goi-sensei calls “the self that is being lived.” From there, you will move even deeper toward your true heart that sustains you, and finally draw closer to the Divine Will of the Universal God.
This sense of “Who am I?”—the source of our own subjectivity—is not something you understand with your head. It’s something you feel from deep within your life, something that may arise as an intuitive realization through lived experience.
So today, I created this space for you, believing that continuing to ask yourself “Who am I?” will bring you such moments of insight. That’s why we offered today’s special program.
Thank you very much.
[Yuka-sensei]
Just to add a note:
In today’s exercise, we practiced placing different aspects of ourselves into the “I” in Ware-soku-Kami-nari. However, that approach was specific to this exercise only. In normal practice, please perform the IN of Ware-soku-Kami-nari in its standard form. That’s all—thank you.
Now, to conclude, let us perform the Divine Spark IN once together.
Everyone, please join us.
From an objective point of view, as we perform this Divine Spark IN, I feel we are deepening our certainty in the Divine aspect of Ware-soku-Kami-nari and Kami-soku-Ware-nari—the parts that are both light and life.
And through that, we come to realize once again, “Ah, we are truly with God.”
The more this conviction strengthens, the more we find that our relationship with “the disappearing form,” as the others mentioned, changes in a deeply loving and transformative way.
As Masami-sensei always reminds us, this Divine Spark IN not only delivers divine light to all things, but the spiritual effects of the INs performed by so many members truly return to each of us. I feel strongly that we are here, gathered together, immersed simultaneously in this divine light and resonance.
So today again, by performing the Divine Spark IN with over a thousand participants, we send the divine light to all living beings, to the Earth, to the plates beneath us, to the plants and animals, to humanity—and to ourselves who are part of all of it.
Let us now perform the IN together. Thank you.
<Divine Spark IN once>
Please close your eyes and visualize the light of the Divine Spark IN just performed spreading to every corner of the world.
Yes. Thank you very much.
[Rika-sensei]
Finally, I have some joyful news and a request to share with you.
<The three teachers explain the YUMI Project and ask for support in the film festival>
[Maki-sensei]
Thank you all so much for joining us today.
We look forward to seeing you again in two weeks.
May you have a wonderful day.
[All Three Together]
Thank you very much.
The End.