Download Agon Shu strengthens friendship with Israel

tokyo police began a trial of the system in april, in which officers monitored internet message boards and contacted minors when they found questionable posts that could lead to juvenile remote islands amid a territorial spat with china.
the war games, which will include live firing, come as tokyo putes with beijing and Seoul.
the air-sea-land drill from Nov. 1 to 18 will involve amphibious landings on the uninhabited will also be conducted, he said.
the island is a considerable distance from the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which on ishigaki island, which lies 150 km from the Senkakus, the asahi and Fuji tV networks said. both broadcasters said there campaign begins
Hiroshima kyodo
Agon Shu
(publicity)
Agon Shu strengthens friendship with Israel
in the garden of the avenue and Garden of the righteous among the Nations at Jerusalem’s yad Vashem Holocaust memorial there is a small pine tree. it commemorates chiune Sugi hara, who in his capacity as vice consul for Japan in Soviet-occupied Lithuania helped thousands of Jewish refugees from Germanoccupied europe reach safe havens by issuing them with visas. Until recently that pine tree was perhaps the only visible symbol in israel of the relationship between the Jewish people and Japan. but since august there’s been another site in Jerusalem dedicated to the strengthening bonds between israel and Japan: the Peace Memorial Monument — Japanese garden and “dagoba” or stupa — located in the Jerusalem botanical Gardens. the monument was dedicated in a special ceremony in the ancient holy city on aug. 29. a delegation comprising members of the agon Shu faithful traveled to israel to conduct the event. also attending the ceremony were Knesset Speaker yuli edelstein and Jerusalem Mayor Nir barkat. Unfortunately, the rev. Seiyu Kiriyama, the founder and president of the agon Shu buddhist association, was unable to travel to israel for the event. in a statement read out at the ceremony on his behalf, the rev. Kiriyama reminded those in attendance that in September 2008 agon Shu held a dai Saito Gomaku service to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of israel. “it was probably the first buddhist service held in Jerusalem,” the rev. Kiriyama later said. “i again thank all those who supported the holding of the service from the bottom of my heart.” Permanent peace
the rev. Kiriyama’s speech noted that he couldn’t forget what Jerusalem’s then-mayor, Uri Lupolianski, said in his speech at the 2008 ceremony: “israelis deeply wish for peace — not a temporary peace between conflicts but a permanent peace.”
“Japanese don’t think seriously about peace,” the rev. Kiriyama said in the text of his aug. 29 speech in Jerusalem. “they, unlike people in israel, don’t know that there are two kinds of peace — a temporary peace and a permanent peace. i have thought that as a religious leader, i must pray for a permanent peace for israel and the whole world.”
the rev. Kiriyama explained that following the 2008 ceremony, agon Shu received a proposal from its friends in israel that a monument be established in Jerusalem for the purpose of praying for a permanent world peace. the result was the Peace Memorial Monument. at the center of the monument is the stupa — a stone tower containing buddhist relics. Surrounding it are stones at all four points representing buddha, who protects peace, facing the four directions.
“i wish from the bottom of my heart that the monuments will help strengthen the friendship between israel and Japan, and lead all human beings to a permanent peace,” the rev. Kiriyama concluded in the text of his speech. Help from Israel
in a speech at the Jerusalem ceremony, representative of the agon Shu congregations Masateru ikeda thanked the people of israel for their help after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “in March 2011, we experienced an unprecedented disaster,” ikeda said. “Many people died or were injured, and the whole nation was in chaos. it was a rescue team from israel that came first for relief activities. How much their activities encouraged the Japanese people! We will never forget your heartwarming and reassuring support. We appreciate that very much.”
ikeda noted that 2012 marked the 60th anniversary of the start of israel-Japan relations. “in Japan, we think 60 years form one cycle and the next cycle begins in the 61st year,” he explained. “in that sense, this year is the 61st year of the bilateral diplomatic ties, and i hope the two countries’ relations will become even closer.”
to further cement the bonds of friendship between agon Shu and israel and to advance the cause of world peace, a duplicate of the stupa at the Peace Memorial Monument was dedicated at a ceremony in the agon Shu Jerusalem Peace and Friendship Square held at agon Shu’s main temple complex in Kyoto on Sept. 15.
“the two dagobas are made with the same materials and have the same shape,” the rev. Kiriyama noted. “and this commemorative service spiritually unified the two dagobas into one. So, the prayer for the dagoba at the square will reach the other in the botanical garden. We, agon Shu, will pray for peace in the Middle east and peace in the whole world forever through the dagobas.” the dagoba at the Jerusalem botanical Gardens was named “Holy Jerusalem dagoba,” and the other one in Kyoto was named “World Peace Memorial dagoba.”
at the dedication ceremony the square’s colorfully decorated main altar in Kyoto was flanked by Japanese and israeli flags. the rising Sun and the Star of david represent two very different cultures from opposite ends of the eurasian landmass, but here it was as if the sun and the star had formed a new constellation of peace and brotherhood. the rev. Kiriyama noted that the “Goma Hoyo” service held to dedicate the dagoba in Kyoto was conducted in the bhutanese buddhism style. “by adding the alchemy of the Vajrayana to the buddhahood law, i prayed with all my spiritual power for the dagobas and peace in the Middle east,” he told the audience at the ceremony.
Vajrayana is the school of buddhism that predominates in tibet and bhutan. agon Shu, however, takes its main inspiration from the buddhahood law. the law is the oldest lesson of buddhism noted only in agama Sutras, which were the only scriptures Sakyamuni directly taught. becoming buddha is the exclusive goal of buddhism and the law is the system to attain this goal, though the law is not known in the theravada school of buddhism found in Sri Lanka, thailand and other parts of Southeast asia that all worship the same agama Sutras. it can also be said to Mahayana. theravada and Mahayana were both schools made after the buddhist community split off after Sakyamuni’s death. However, since the agama Sutras were not only the teachings but were more about practical as well as particular kinds of training, clergy teaching that training were diminishing after the breakup, according to the rev. Kiriyama.
Now, 2,500 years after Sakyamuni’s death, the rev. Kiriyama starts teaching the buddhahood law found in the agama Sutras to his congregations. the law is to stop the samsara by attaining nirvana.
in that regard it differs from most other Japanese buddhist sects, which are part of the Mahayana tradition that predominates in east asia. Unlike Mahayana sects, agon Shu’s doctrinal foundation is the agama Sutras, which are the most ancient buddhist teachings. it is from them that agon Shu derives its name.
Spiritual truth
agon Shu is a buddhist organization whose mission is to provide spiritual aid and comfort to the suffering souls of the departed because of the buddhahood law, and to help the living advance on the path to self-realization in accordance with buddhist precepts and beliefs. the group was founded in 1978 by the rev. Kiriyama, who had spent several years trying to find the ultimate spiritual truth. He finally realized that what was needed was to return to the roots of buddhism, and it became clear to him the agama Sutras were what he was seeking. but as the Sept. 15 ceremony demonstrated, agon Shu takes an eclectic, syncretic approach. in its teachings and rituals, with a central focus on the buddhahood law, agon Shu draws on the best elements from Mahayana, theravada and Vajrayana buddhism, as well as incorporating elements from other religious traditions such as Japan’s indigenous Shinto faith and taoism from china. agon Shu now comprises a community of buddhist followers with 76 institutes in Japan, 35 ordained priests, and nearly 400,000 followers in Japan, and thousands more overseas. “Who on earth could have imagined that agon Shu, a buddhist group, would hold a Goma Hoyo in Jerusalem?” the rev. Kiriyama continued in his Kyoto speech. “and now we have built a dagoba in Jerusalem. it is amazing that this has happened. “this could have never happened if it had not been for israeli people’s deep understanding of agon Shu and their strong wishes for lasting peace,” the rev. Kiriyama said. “i offer my profound gratitude to the israeli people, and i’m going to do my best to promote friendly relations with people in israel and work with them to realize world peace.”
the rev. Kiriyama’s sentiments were echoed in a speech at the Kyoto ceremony by yigal amedi, former Jerusalem senior deputy mayor as well as head of the center of local government studies, the Hebrew University Magid institute of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“i’m sure the prayers by all An Agon Shu ceremony held in Kyoto on Sept. 15 in front of a statue of a lion, which is a symbol of Jerusalem. Agon Shu
of you and the rev. Kiriyama will advance the cause of world peace,” amedi said as a picture was unveiled of a statue of a lion — the symbol of Jerusalem — made at the Star Festival held in February 2005 in Kyoto. “it is my strong belief that agon Shu and Jerusalem will exist eternally.” Olive branch
amedi then presented agon Shu with an 1,500-year-old olive tree that the israelis brought with them from Jerusalem’s botanical Garden. “this olive tree is from the botanical garden where the dagoba was built,” he said “the olive is the symbol of eternal life and peace and is the national tree of israel. So i am presenting this tree to the rev. Kiriyama and those who are present here. i pray for the rev. Kiriyama’s health and long life.”
after the ceremony, members of the israeli delegation took turns striking a huge bell with a wooden beam suspended by chains. they seemed to enjoy what for them was a novel experience. at a reception held after the dagoba dedication ceremony, live video of the dagoba in Jerusalem as well as the other dagoba in Kyoto were screened at the same time on both sides of the stage, and it showed the firm bond between Jerusalem and agon Shu.
Members of the israeli delegation took part enthusiastically in the time-honored ritual known as “kagami biraki,” in which hosts and their honored guests break open a cask of sake with wooden mallets. in an interview during the reception, amedi again emphasized the importance of the links between israel and Japan. Building a bridge
“We first met agon Shu in Jerusalem six years ago and we’ve done a lot of projects with them, some of them in israel and some of them here in Japan,” amedi said. “We are building a bridge, a relationship, between Japan and israel.”
amedi said he had little knowledge of buddhism before he met members of agon Shu, whose members he described as “wonderful people.”
“there is only one thing they want and that is peace for the world, and we feel the same way,” he said. “We feel that we need this peace in our area, all around israel. So if we find people who pray for peace, they are welcome.” He said that when people visit the Peace Memorial Monument in Jerusalem they naturally ask who made it. “and they begin to learn about the culture of Japan, the culture of agon Shu. and people will come here to Kyoto and see the lion stature and read about israel. and that will make the relationship close.”
amedi said he’s always impressed by Japanese organizational skills. “they do everything perfectly. everything the Japanese do, they do it great. and in israel we have to learn from them.” amedi said he hopes more Japanese will visit israel. “What we are doing here with agon Shu, i believe will make more Japanese want to come to israel.”
the Jewish Passover service, or Seder, traditionally ends with the words “next year in Jerusalem.” but as amedi pointed out, “the rev. Kiriyama said people should go every year to Jerusalem.”