Happy New Year! 

Dear U.S. Seicho-No-Ie Holy Mission Fellowship Members, 

Thank you very much. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your dedication to spreading the Seicho-No-Ie teachings throughout the past year. As we enter 2026, I look forward to continuing to share these teachings with as many people as possible–cheerfully and joyfully–while working together with you all. 

We do not live alone. We are supported by our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and members of our community. In addition, we are sustained by nature–by mountains and rivers that provide us with clean air and water. Animals and plants also nourish and support our lives. Human beings cannot survive alone; we exist only because of nature, the Earth, the solar system, the galaxy, and the universe. In the new year, let us live our lives in gratitude for all people, things, and circumstances. 

In his message "Blessings of Heaven and Earth" from "365 Golden Keys to the Summit of Fulfillment," Seicho-No-Ie Founder Rev. Masaharu Taniguchi wrote: 

Just stop for a few moments and think of how many blessings nature gives us that are essential to our lives. Think of how much all that is provided to us without which our existence cannot be sustained. Have we been too insensitive to the innumerable gifts accorded us in various forms, both visible and invisible? Indeed, we have taken too little notice of all those blessings. Because we have taken them for granted, we have neglected to be grateful out of ignorance. (p. 3) 

Let's begin the new year by giving thanks to nature, the blessings of heaven and earth, and all people. To be grateful is to actively express our gratitude. When we express gratitude to others, we often do so through words, letters, or gifts. When choosing a gift, we consider what will bring joy to the recipient. The same principle applies when expressing gratitude to nature. Feel gratitude from the bottom of your heart, express it in words, and then express it through your actions. Do what makes nature happy. Polluting forests and lakes, dumping waste into rivers, throwing plastic bottles into the ocean, and harming animals, birds, and fish are actions that oppose gratitude and go against the blessings of heaven and earth. 

PBS (Project-Based Organization) activities in Seicho-No-Ie are initiatives that promote lifestyles based on a "no-meat, low-carbon dietary life," a "resource-saving, low-carbon way of life," and a "nature emphasis, low-carbon way of expression." Promoting PBS activities is Seicho-No-Ie's way of expressing gratitude to nature. We sincerely ask all members to continue advancing these activities in 2026. 

Mother Nature embodies tolerance and acceptance. Rain purifies the air, and the oceans absorb and cleanse it. Edward Wilson referred to these processes as ecosystem services, which include: "the regulation of the atmosphere and climate; the purification and retention of fresh water; the formation and enrichment of the soil; nutrient cycling; the detoxification and recirculation of waste; the pollination of crops; and the production of lumber, fodder, and biomass fuel” (The Future of Life). The fact that we receive these services from nature free of charge is not only something to be grateful for–it is the very foundation that sustains our lives. 

Let's practice the Humanity Enlightenment Movement and the International Peace by Faith Movement together in 2026 with a positive and grateful mind.