[Zoom Prayer Meeting Japan: 00039] A Day to Cultivate the Divine Eyes — Detailed Program for the Evening of Saturday, May 3, 2025

To all participants,

Starting on the evening of Saturday, May 3, 2025, we will begin holding a program titled "A Day to Cultivate the Divine Eyes" once every four weeks. This program was created in connection with the reaffirmation of our 2025 theme: "Divine Awareness – Living with Awareness of the Divine." In light of this theme, it became clear that for each of us in the prayer community, one of our individual tasks is to observe ourselves, others, and the world with consciousness grounded in the Divine perspective, even while living in physical form.

The main program will consist of the following:

1. We will project slides on the screen that include personal situations where we might react with blame, indifference, or avoidance; as well as current social issues, global affairs, and environmental conditions that we tend to look away from.
2. When each image, photo, or phrase appears on the slide, we will observe our inner reaction as a participant, not as a bystander.
   A. If we find that we are reacting from a personal emotional stance rather than a Divine perspective,
    ➡ We will immediately chant a word of Light to cancel that thought and overwrite it with Divine vibration.
   B. If we are able to see the image or phrase from a Divine viewpoint instantly,
    ➡ We will close our eyes, offer gratitude to the Guardian Spirits and Guardian Deities, and pray for world peace.

This practice is an application of the “Thorough Positive Thinking Practice Without Using the IN” that was introduced in March 1992 as a preparation for the major event in May of that year (which corresponds to today’s July Grand Ceremony).

※ About the "Practice Without Using the IN": In daily life, when unholy thoughts, words, or actions arise, we speak words of Light aloud—such as “Infinite Forgiveness”—to nullify and reset them.
※ The 49 Words of Light will be listed at the end of this message.
※ In daily life, we chant words like "Infinite XXX" whenever we realize we’ve strayed from the Divine path—either in thoughts or words—to cancel and redirect.

We are offering this program now because many people who joined this path after 1992 have not been taught how to apply this way of using awareness. Some have also never practiced this form of self-correction. Whether our spontaneous words, thoughts, or actions in daily life align with the Divine depends entirely on whether this “viewpoint rooted in thorough Positive Thinking” has taken root in our hearts.

There is also a version of this practice that involves using the IN hand sign, but that is not always practical in daily life. For instance, performing the IN suddenly in front of family, friends, or coworkers may appear strange. However, chanting the Words of Light in a voiceless whisper—barely audible even to oneself—allows us to correct our inner state in any situation without drawing attention.

The core of this program is to train ourselves to immediately return to the Divine when we react from karmic patterns in sudden everyday moments. Through repetition, we cultivate a perspective that remains unwaveringly Divine no matter what we see, hear, or experience.

For example, if a close friend or family member suddenly tells us, “You always respond by rejecting others’ ideas first—that’s a bad habit,” we will learn to observe how we instinctively react to such a statement. This self-awareness allows us to overwrite those reactions with the Words of Light and advance our Prayer for World Peace through the Disappearance of All That Must Fade.

By continuing this program once every four weeks for the next few months—perhaps six months or even a year—we hope to nurture Divine vision (Divine awareness) in a way that is transparent and unshakable. We sincerely invite you to join us in this process.

Also, since this Saturday night will be our very first session, we will have special features to support the cultivation of this practice, such as:

• How to Read the Heart Sutra to Deepen the Application of Positive Thinking, and
• How to Interpret “Form Is Emptiness, Emptiness Is Form.”

Below, I have included a modern-language interpretation of the difficult classical Chinese text known as the Heart Sutra (般若心経). This version conveys the true meaning as the Buddha would have spoken to his disciple Shariputra, rewritten in a form we can understand today.
While a modern translation can be found in Master Goi’s book “Emptiness Is Form,” this version is even more accessible for contemporary readers.

Through reading this, I believe we will come to realize that all of our daily spiritual efforts—including the Prayer for World Peace through the Disappearance of All That Must Fade—are in fact expressions of the teachings of Prajñā Pāramitā (Perfect Wisdom).

Furthermore, by making the wisdom of Prajñā part of our ongoing awareness, we begin to internalize a non-dualistic viewpoint and integrate it into daily life. I encourage you to read it with that in mind, seeking practical application.

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“A Day Interconnected by Divinity

Date and time:

Saturday, May 3, 2025 (Japan time) 20:55 – 21:35

For Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6980729270?pwd=nW9HgFrjw71kpe38gTNS-rdtnvZ3Rw.1

For YouTube:

https://en-zoom.peace51.net/youtube-url/

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Program for the day:

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[Opening Remarks]

Hello everyone. We will now begin the program “A Day to Cultivate the Divine Eyes.” This is a new program that starts today.

The core of this program is to present various situations—such as moments when we reflexively shift responsibility onto others in our relationships, when we pretend to be indifferent or expressionless and look away, or when we avoid confronting aspects of ourselves that are out of alignment with the Divine—as well as real-time social issues, global affairs, and conditions in the natural world. These will be shown as slides on the screen, and as we view them, we will observe our immediate inner reactions. The practice is to become able to respond appropriately, in the moment, based on those reactions.

So when a new slide appears, please view the image, photo, or text not as a bystander, but as if it were something you yourself have seen, heard, or experienced in your actual life.

If you find that you are unable to observe from a Divine standpoint, and instead react emotionally or from a fixed personal perspective, please immediately chant a Word of Light to cancel that thought and overwrite it with Divine vibration.

On the other hand, if you are able to view the projected image, drawing, or text from the Divine perspective in that instant, please offer your gratitude to the Guardian Spirits and Guardian Deities and pray, “May peace prevail on Earth.”

The main program will consist of repeating this practice. Afterward, we will perform the Divine Spark IN as a step toward realizing oneness with our Divine Self.

Now that it is time, let us begin with the Prayer for World Peace in both Japanese and English.

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1. Prayer for World Peace

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2. About “Form Is Emptiness, Emptiness Is Form”

Thank you very much. Before we begin the time to cultivate Divine responses, I would like to read my paraphrased version of the Heart Sutra once.

Thank you. Within the original text of the Heart Sutra, there is a well-known passage: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.” The first character, “form (色 / shiki),” refers broadly to everything perceived by the five senses. In the Heart Sutra, what we perceive through the five senses and believe to “exist” is viewed not as something essential, but as something fundamentally non-existent. The teaching tells us that when we decisively sever these assumptions—“not this, not this, not this, not this”—what lies beyond is the world of emptiness is form, the realm of true essence.

This is, in fact, the same as perceiving all phenomena as “appearances that are fading away” and offering the Prayer for World Peace. When we truly awaken to this truth, we begin to realize—while still living in the physical world—that what we thought existed never truly did, and what we believed not to exist was, in fact, real. By awakening to this wisdom of truth, we can attain enlightenment. And it is only then that we become residents of the Divine World.

In the Byakko tradition, we say that when we feel a thought arise while living in this world, we must thoroughly entrust that thought to our Guardian Spirit, fully enter the vibration of the Prayer for World Peace, and repeat that practice. As we continue, we naturally come to notice that what we believed to exist is not truly essential, and as the perspective rooted in the Divine is revived within us, we begin to see that everything is an expression of the Divine.

In this way, we are already living and manifesting the truth of “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form,” often without realizing it. In the last “Day to Connect through the Divine,” we introduced the phrase: “The ‘me’ I thought I was, was not the true me.” That too is an application of this truth.

Moreover, in the opening declarations of “The True Way of Human Life” and “The Declaration of Ware-soku-Kami-nari / Jinrui-soku-Kami-nari,” as well as when we chant mantras such as “Divine Resurrection, Great Fulfillment” or “All is perfect, nothing is lacking, great fulfillment,” we are also practicing and manifesting “emptiness is form.” Continually chanting these words is an act of engraving truth into our hearts.

If we don’t take time to reflect in this way, we may get caught up in the busyness of daily life and fall into the belief that everything we see, hear, and experience is solid and real. Then we will struggle to realize that the things we think “exist” are not truly real, and that the invisible world of life is where true reality lies.

That’s why it’s so important to regularly engage in opportunities like this—to awaken the essence of life within us.

As we now move into the practice session for cultivating Divine responses, I invite you to view the upcoming slides with this awareness in mind:

“What I’ve believed to be ‘real’ in this world is not true reality—it’s the karmic past manifesting and fading away. By entrusting this to the Guardian Spirit for purification, the Divinity of the invisible world will eventually rise to the surface, and we will be able to express the Divine through our words, thoughts, and actions.”

Please observe your responses with this in mind.

Our habitual thoughts cannot be suppressed by sheer force. If you are trying to convince yourself that “I’m seeing things from the Divine perspective” while still holding negative ways of thinking or patterns of perception inside, then it is not that the negativity is gone—you are simply deceiving yourself.

As human beings, we may be able to deceive others, but we cannot deceive our own hearts, or the inner Divinity that manifests as our Guardian Spirit or Guardian Deity. That is why it’s essential to look honestly at the state of your own heart and steadily cultivate a habit of Positive Thinking.

One of the central principles of walking the path of Byakko is the “clear distinction between the true self and karmic thought.” Please hold this great principle at the center of your heart, and face these slide practices with an open and honest spirit. At first, negative reactions may arise—but over time, you will shift into a state where you can view all things from the Divine perspective, transcending duality.

So for now, entrust your personal concerns to your Guardian Spirit, and simply observe your reactions as they truly are.

3. Time to Cultivate Divine Responses

Now we will begin the Time to Cultivate Divine Responses.
As I mentioned in the opening, I will explain once more for those who joined later.

This program is a new one that begins today. Its main practice involves presenting a series of real-life scenarios—such as situations in our relationships where we might reflexively shift blame, feign indifference, or avoid facing aspects of ourselves that are disconnected from the Divine—as well as various current social conditions, global events, and environmental realities. These are shown as slides, and we observe our immediate reactions to each one. The goal is to train ourselves to respond appropriately and immediately according to the nature of each reaction.

So when a new slide appears, please view the image, text, or photo not as a bystander, but as if it were something you had actually seen, heard, or experienced in your real life.

If you find that you cannot view it from the Divine standpoint and instead react from personal emotions or a fixed position, please chant a Word of Light on the spot to cancel that thought and overwrite it with Divine vibration.

On the other hand, if you are able to perceive the image, phrase, or picture from the Divine perspective instantly, please offer gratitude to the Guardian Spirits and Guardian Deities, and pray,
“May peace prevail on Earth.”

The main program will proceed with the repetition of this practice. Now, let us begin.

1. The Russian invasion of Ukraine
   Text on screen: Even after three years, Russia continues to attack Ukraine, killing innocent civilians. Ukraine also strikes Russia in defense.
2. Close personal relationships
   Text on screen: “You know, you always start by rejecting what others say. I think that’s a bad habit,” said a close friend.
3. In social life
   Text on screen: While riding the train, someone suddenly stepped on your foot.
4. In the city
   Text on screen: While walking down the street on a rainy day, a speeding car splashed water all over you.
5. The natural environment
   Text on screen: Microplastics—tiny fragments of plastic—are accumulating on the ocean floors around the world.
6. At home
   Text on screen: On TV, you saw a news report that a car had crashed into a group of kindergarten children on a sidewalk, killing and injuring several of them.
7. At home
   Text on screen: The newspaper reported that phone scams targeting elderly people pretending to be their sons are still claiming new victims.
8. In the city
   Text on screen: You went to a restaurant with your family, and a well-dressed man suddenly turned into a loud, angry complainer, yelling at the staff.
9. In the city
   Text on screen: You witnessed a timid-looking boy being extorted by a group of kids who seemed like bullies.
10. At home
    Text on screen: Your partner (husband, wife, etc.) pointed out a delicate aspect of your personality—something you know is a weakness but tend to avoid dealing with.

Thank you. These kinds of situations often bring out reactions that we cannot fully know until we are actually in them.
However, these same reactions also emerge when watching movies, reading novels, listening to music, or looking at art. So I encourage you to carefully observe how you feel in those moments as well.

By continuously observing our own reactions and polishing our awareness so that it is not caught by anything, we will gradually come to see all phenomena as appearances that are fading away, and make the Divine consciousness—unshaken by thoughts or emotions—our own.

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4. Prayer for the Divine Spark of Humanity

Now, to conclude, we will wholeheartedly perform the Divine Spark IN seven times.
After completing the INs, we will take a moment to let the light received through them permeate our body and heart.
So once you have finished performing the INs, please keep your eyes closed and remain in prayer. Let us begin. Hai.