A day in a Japanese Sect , my comprehensive guide of “Mahikari”

My experience with Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan , one of Japan’s major «Cult» group.

 

a) INTRODUCTION

Today we will talk about «Deep Japan» and a «new religion» movement created within the country in the mid 20th century. Does this so called «new religion» falls into the definition of a «Sect» or a «Cult» ? The word «Cult» can be broadly defined as «formal religious veneration», «great devotion to a person or idea» or «a system of religious beliefs and its body of adherents». These general definitions could potentially include Stars Wars figurine fan to Barbie doll collectors. But the word «Cult» seems to retain a negative conotation therefore such groups are seeking to either eliminate that description or ignore it.

Psychiatrist Robet Jay Lifton, who once taught at Harvard Medical School delineated three primary characteristics which are the most common features shared by «Cults».

1°) A charimastic leader , who increasingly becomes an objet of workship. That is a living leader, who has no meaningful accountability and becomes the single most defining element of the group and its source of power and authority.
2°) A process of indoctrination or education is in use that can be seen as coervice persuasion or thought reform (commonly called «Brainwashing»).
3°) Economic , sexual and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the rulling coterie.

Let’s go on a psycho-social experiement together. I would like to remind that i’m not an expert in Theologie , Psychologie or Sociology , but I will try my best to attempt a comprehensive guide of this Cult. Do feel free to comment and argue what is being said as I’m quite new to such investigation / critical thinking / writing work.

The word Mahikari means «True ( 真, ma) Light» ( 光, hikari). The members of Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan also called «Kumite» are known to be able to «Heal» each others using “miracles”. With endless donations the «Kumite» builded an outstanding and extravagant «church» that looks more like a spaceship coming from another Galaxy. You may wonder what that is. Located on the top of a hill in a remote place named «Holy Land» . I did had a few minutes of confusion when I first saw it. Welcome to the Su-Za , the World Main Shrine* of Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan , the «World Divine Light organization». (*a shrine is a workship place in Japanese Shintoism , it can be compared as a Church from a Christian context)

The massive , World Main Shrine of the Organization.

Quite interesting architecture but it somehow looks like an evil spider from another planet (with that central eye).

  “Badass” Architecture.

«Su-za functions as the Great Lighthouse which emits Divine Light filled with God’s Love toward the entire world. When people get inside, they will be soaked with the Powerful Divine Light». This is the introduction booklet that has been given to me which frankly sounds quite extraordinary and pretentious. It is said that Su-za is the place to enshrine God, the Creator. The construction of the World Main Shrine , Su-za was completed in 1987 (a temporary Main Shrine was used in Tokyo at the early begining of the Cult).

The official booklet of the “Organization” that has been given to me by the members. I used it as a reference for this article.

This is the so called «Holy land» which covers 490 acres of space ! You can spot the “Main Shrine” at the bottom. The picture do not show everything but focuses on the “Main Shrine” only. This land used to belong to JA , a major agricultural organization in Japan. JA apparently sold the land to the World Divine Light organization so that they could have a space to gather , use there magical powers and pray.

The main «Church» is facing Mount Fuji and can be seen on a good day. I must admit these guys picked up a top notch location for their «new religion».

It’s all surrounded by forest with a 360° view of the nearby mountains. Pretty breathtaking (you may spot my small white car in the distance).

The first Spiritual Leader of the Cult did mention that three conditions were required for that land : a fine view of Mt Fuji , a land that had a hot spring and equipped with Japanese Cypress trees. The land meeting all theses conditions was found in Amagi ,Izu (Shizuoka , Japan).

The weather of today was not that good with some rain which did gave a mysterious feel.  Somehow exciting and sureal.

At that point I was really stepping into the unknown. I did’nt do any research prior to visiting the World Main Shrine of «the World Divine light organization». I wanted to avoid potential Biases as much as possible. To benefit from a more neutral vision for the experiment. A vision that is exempts of pre-judgements and pre-conceived ideas. So I putted myself in the position of someone that was interested in joining the «cult», that is , someone that have genuine interest for the group.

 

2) QUESTIONING

Before going further in the article I would like to begin with the postulat : Our Beliefs System shape our Reality.

Beliefs can be seen as wearing different glasses. The way you perceive the world solely depend on the Prism you look it through.

The white light on the left is a view without Beliefs. The central Prism is the “Belief” and the colorful lines on the right are the way we perceveid the world according to that “Belief”. Our Reality is being deformed by a Prism.

The good news is that we can choose the glasses that best suits us. We can always chance glasses as life goes on. So we must learn to take some step back and analyse a given situation to better judge if a beliefs system is worth it or not.

A belief system is an ideology or set of principles that helps us to interpret our everyday reality. This could be in the form of religion, political affiliation, philosophy, or spirituality. The convictions that come from these systems are a way for us to make sense of the world around us and to define our role within it.

Today we will focus essentially on Religious and Spiritual beliefs.

Let me be a little provocative now.

What are your beliefs ?
Why do you believe in them ?
Does theses beliefs bring happiness or sufferring , in , and outside of yourself ?
Does your belief systems are expensive , cheap or free ?

I’m currently questioning myself a lot on theses topics. Before steping inside the main «Church» a Japanese «Cult group» , I had all theses questions in suspension in my head. If i’m going there today it’s not to become a new adept but to challenge my own belief system and to understand better what drives people to believe in the Cult , and why doing so ? What may be the benefits and the dangers ? Also the crazy architectural design of that «Church» really got me curious. I wondered what kind of «God» will build such a provocative «World Shrine» ?

Why do humans need to believe in science , politics , ecologie , religion or «cult organization» ? I’m not against any of theses believes , they do serve a purpose in many ways. I would say that humans are “believer” by nature and that could well be a qualitie inherent to the evolution of our specie. Without believing others we would have to learn and check everything by ourselves. This process will take endless time , some undeniable risks and a lot of energy. This is why , I think , humans are prone to believe what other people say to them. Compared to other animals, Human beings are not strong physically , not good swimmer and cann’t even fly. But what makes Human special is there ability to cooperated as a whole. We humans , created languages and concepts so that we could better communicate and understand each others , ultimately improving the chance of survival of our specie. We created “Imaginary orders” (belief systems) such as Laws , Science and Religions in order to create stronger bonds with our peers. This could certainly be argue to some extend but this is not the topic of today’s article. We may now question : does all our beliefs are useful ?  May some could actually be counterproductive or even dangerous ?   What about questioning them? Are they actually all true and genuine ? Where do they come from ? From which context did they arised in the first place ? What are their fondations ? Are theses solid enough ? Do they benefit you and the people around you ? Let’s go in the fascinating yet slightly twisted world of the «Cult groups».

 

c) MAHIKARI SECT HISTORY

We are in Japan in the Izu Peninsula located nearby the Mount Fuji. I have just drove two hours to see a rather special place with rather interesting Beliefs. Let me share with you my experience at Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan (we will call it SMBK) , an influent Japanese cult .

The English name of the “Organization”.

I would like to remind that SMBK is not considered a proper religion but a sectarian group, a cult. Japan’s have seen a boom of «new religions» from the mid to the end of the 20th century. Some of theses «new religions» are still very active in Japan and some even spreaded oversea. There is more than 200 «new religions» in Japan’s only , which is a lot ! Today we can find «Dojo» to workship the «Mahikari Cult» in : France , Luxembourg, Australia , USA , some Africans and South American countries. The Organization accept new followers from any religion background and are welcome to keep it. This is quite a clever way to attract more people. They aren’t known to use proselytism (imposing ideas with the force) and remain fairly discreet. Nevertheless there members keep on growing , especially in Africa. We may mention «Soft Power» which is regarded as «an indirect influence of the comportement through non coercitive means».

SMBK was created in 1959 by a certain Mr Kotama Okada, the so called «First Spiritual Leader». It is said that this man received a «Divine Revelation from the creator God of the Universe» (said to happened on February 27, 1959, at 5:am).

Mr Kotama, the founder of SMBK.

Mr Kotama was born into a wealthy family as the son of a major general of the Imperial Japanese army. He himself graduated from the Japanese Imperial Guard school in 1922 and was commissioned Lieutenant.

Mr Kotama before the creation of SMBK.

After coming back from military compaigns in China and Indochina , Mr Kotama retired in 1941 due to a back injury from a bad horse fall. Back in Japan Mr Kotama was diagnosed with tubercolis , the doctors said his vital prognostic was engaged. A lot of “drive” surely came out from this situation and therefore he did not wanted to waste the precious time he had left (he ended up living much longer than he expected).

In the historical context , Mahikari is one of the multiple small Sect and religions that started blooming after the fall of the Shintoist Cult of the Japanese Emperor. This was caused by the difficult defeat in 1945 of Japan in the war with all the associated social misery that followed. But some Cults remains active and keep flourishing even today so it appears evident that they didn’t only act as an «anasthesis in period of crise». The Cult groups address the very meaning of the «Pathetic human condition» hence there popularity even to nowadays.

After receiving his «revelation from God» in 1959 , Mr Kotama created the Organization and later one in 1963 registered it as a «Religious Organization». Mr Kotama believed he was himself a Prophet and had a mission to accomplish on earth. He therefore started his «missionary activity to help people following the order he received from God». It is said that «God created SMBK as a forerunner to take humanity on a path which it is supposed to follow».

Su-Za , World Main Shrine.

So here we are. We have retired Japanese Lieutenant (with a life threatening health condition) that supposively heard God telling him he was the choosen one. Afterward creating is own «religion» and spreading it in Japan and later on oversea. Maybe Mr Kotama actually understood something very crucial , essential , very important and usefull for the wellbeing of the whole human kind … ? Which sounds great. But , did he really … ? Sounds a little bit questionable right ? This is time to unravel some of thoses mysteries.

We may first question a person coming up with such a BIG statement , but somehow , the SMBK managed to gather more and more adepts. There must be something about it that magnetize the adepts namely , the «Kumite» , otherwise «Kumite» there won’t be. People are prone to believe as we said earlier. It provides us a sense of direction, answers, a meaning to our life , a community where we can relate with , and also may counteract our bordomness. How great is that ?

But we may also ask , are we going in the right direction ? Does our belief systems is genuine and does his foundations are solid enough ? We can talk about “Dogma” here which means ; « a Truth that cann’t be disproved , that is ultimate , irrevocable and defined by competent authority». When people follow such belief system (a Dogma) , they are not allowed to question the very fondation of the beliefs because it is the way it has been designed. This dynamic creates more room for believing and less room to think criticaly using analysing thoughts … using our own brain.

For desesperate people It could be an anwer. It may feel much easier to give off their powers to a structure that is presumabilly Perfect in essence (the concept of irrevocable Truth) . What a relief that can be to forget about our «dark sides» , our problems and struggles and simply surrender to the Magical world of a Cult group. We forget about our responsibilities and let someone else «Dogma» do the trick for us. The group is taking us on a colorful ride but no one is really driving the damn Bus.

Is Mahikari Cult “The Bus of Salvation” ?

It may seem like a good solution for some but it can also be dangerous as well because in such a case we rely completely on JUST ONE person’s belief system , the driver. This ONE person is the ONE driver of that Bus and WE the followers are just passengers. A sensible question to ask will be : can we trust the driver ?

Well , certainly many did trust the “driver” ! ^^

 

d) MY EXPERIENCE INSIDE MAHIKARI

With all that curiousity I infiltrated the Su-Za Church and pretended to be a potential new follower for the SMBK. Just like a reporter, a spy or a mind scientist. But I have never done such thing before. Therefore I created a new identity with a new name , a different home country and background. To be able to act better and to take more distance with the experience. An orchestrated piece of theatre.

I’m arriving by car toward a huge land through a large gate with a camera. This moment of stress when you are about to step into a new world.

Many parkings were present but not a single car around. I had a bit of a strange feeling. Could that be that Corona Virus situation ?

I counted six big parking but all were empty.

After going up the hill for a good minute I finally stopped the car in the middle of a silent parking.

Alone. The stress levels are going up a little. Questioning myself about my hobbies … ^^

«Stairway to Heaven» , anyone ?

This is the main entrance throught an endless stairway. They even have a fountain you see. All of it is meant to express the «Grandeur» of the Cult , and the effect surely is there. From that point I realised that this organization was surely getting a lot of money from their worldwide «donations». Enough to create such a place.

Around the “Main Shrine” , within the “Holy Land” , I could see more constructions from the Cult.

From the distance you can spot the Miroku Shrine finished in 1983 , 4 year before the inauguration of “Su-za World main Shrine”.  This was probably the “temporary” Shrine for the Cult.

Miroku Shrine. I could only see a few cars in front.

Let’s go back to the “World Main Shrine”

 

Time to go in the “belly of the Beast”.

The only two persons I have seen outside were gardeners. One of them saw me walking around the «World Main Shrine» , I must have looked a bit lost looking for an entrance , so he kindly helped me to find the way to the main hall of Su Za. They were no way back at that point , I had to play the game seriously, even though I was a bit agitated inside (and super excited).

So I stepped in.

…

I could easily meet an English speaker inside the Church. Let’s call him KS for the sake of privacy. KS was a friendly Japanese guy in his early 40’s and said he was the prime minister of the organization (to become so you need to study two years in the «School» of the group within the premise). He used to live in California for a while and worked there as a member of SMBK , so he spooked perfect English which was lucky for me. He did mention at the begining of our conversation that the organization wasn’t trying to influence people to come to the Cult. It seemed pretty genuine at that stage and made me feel more confortable.

We entered the main hall which as expected was very spacious. I could noticed few people spreaded around the main hall doing some sort of massage to each other. KS started to explain me a little more about what they were doing here. I obviously had to ask a lot of questions while remaining unsuspicious about my real intentions. So the fondation of the Cult is what we call a Synchretism ; a fusion of many ideas and many religions. So here we have Shintoism , Judaism , a strong influence of New Age beliefs , Occultism (alchemy , magic), some bits of Buddhism (karma and reincarnation) , Chritianism and some manual pressure point which ressemble like Shiatsu. Sounds like a big Smoothie right ? The good aspect of Synchretism it that it is easier to convert people of other religions as you will inevitabely find some crossover. According to he SMBK Cult every living being is made of three elements. The highest part is the Spiritual body , then the Mental Body and finally the Physical body. It is said that we are all born as God’s in Spiritual bodies but our afflictions and materialistic desires made us stucked as a Physical Body on Earth. Therefore it make sense that we all should Heal ourselves and go back to our so called God state.

Inside Su-za. You can spot the “Golden Shrine” (100 % gold made) which is the main workship artefact of the World Main Shrine. The adepts or “Kumite” will pray the “Spiritual Leader” that is believed to be enshrined just there.

The SMBK did mentioned that «People have started to understand that material things or money will not give us real happiness. Now we need a New Value and start living in different way». This sounds good on the paper isn’t ? Who wouldn’t identify with such progressive punchlines ? Most people surely will. There is a Cognitive Biais called «the Barnum effect» which induct people to accept a vague description which they perceive to specificaly apply to themselves. This make people feel more special about the text. That it is written to them almost personally. The Horoscope is a perfect example of «the Barnum effect». If you read all the astrological signs of the Horoscope , you will alway be able to identify yourself in some ways to all of them. Therefore it sounds like a smooth and easy way to attract our attention toward the organization and probably toward the donations box too. After researching testimonials on internet I have found «Charle’s story» (from «Mahikari Exposed» website , for reference) , an Australian , ex «Kumite» which used to workship Mahikari in a Dojo in Canberra. Charle’s did shared : «the Mahikari message that we must save the world before it’s too late was attractive…»

 

e) MAHIKARI “INITIATION” RITUAL

Back to Su-Za World Shrine now where KS showed me a book with many esoteric drawings with very questionable explanations about how our bodies were actually working. I wanted to take pictures of the different drawings but KS mentioned that I must first attend a three days Seminar in order to get the book and receive the associated «knowledges» and «skills» to become a «Divine Light Practitioner» myself. It seems like at SMBK you don’t need to “meditate” all your life or actually put any effort to find inner peace or Bliss. A three days seminar is apparently enough to do the trick ! how great.

Having studied the human body for four year for my Osteopath degree I had some knowledge about the human body let’s say. KS was claiming that the «SOUL» was located 4 cm above the eyebrow and 10 cm inside the head (near the pineal gland as he mentionned).

Picture from “Mahikari” website.

These guys at SMBK must be genius ! How can we not know about such an important discovery ? The word Esoteric means «a doctrine that only take place inside a small group of iniated people». In Esoterism there is a sense of privacy and secret. The members of Esoteric groups may feel they are getting some special knowledge where in reality they may not get anything serious at all. The «way» we present informations may impact the beliefs and distort what we perceive as real. A good analogie that comes to my mind is the wrapping around a present or the «icing around the cake». The way we share some informations could blind what really lies underneath which may lead in cognitive dissonance.

After KS explained me some principles about their doctrine he offered me to do an «initiation» with him.
This got me a little nervous I must admit. I was in a complete unknown environment and alone. But I wanted to give it a try. I have made all this effort to come here today so I had to play the game and see what this «Healing stuff» and “Soul” was about.
He told me I could make a donation in exchange. I did replied that I didn’t had any money with me and he said it was fine. I told him a second time so that we understood each others before starting the «initiation».
So we started with a small prayer toward the golden shrine : one bow , three clap and one more bow (which did ressemble the Shintoist gestures). Then we faced each others in a seated position and he singed a Japanese melodie which ressemble some sort of incantion. We then claped our hands three times together and I closed my eyes for about ten long minutes. This is when he started the «Art of Light». His right hand was in the air pointing toward my head. He told me prior to start that the «Art of divine light»is meant to restore the original statue of our soul as God’s Children by purifying our souls. I must admit that I didn’t felt anything .

This is how it looked like.

For the second part I turned around and he was now sitting behind me , this time he applied some pressure points around my neck and upper back. This felt like Shiatsu but again I could’nt feel anything at all. Between each pressure point there were long minutes of complete silence in the Main Shrine. Just me and him in this huge space.
For the last part I was lying on my stomach and he pretty much continued his pressure points but in the lower back.

After a good 30 minutes of «Healing» he asked me with a genuine smile if I liked it ? I smiled back but did not reply anything. This so called «Art of Divine Light» therapy seemed like bullshit to me. I’m guessing that it was very hard for me to benefit from the Placebo effect as I did’nt really believed in it in the first place.

Some well needed “science-based” facts about the “Art of Giving Light”

Ritual in Africa , Senegal.

I have heard that the Litterature and the advertisments of SMBK are full of images and stories describing with many details the behaviors of the persons receiving the «treatment». This tells us that some processes of indirect Hypnosis could be part in the very fondation of the practice. The «Kumite» could well influence each others to recreate «fantastic sensations» , just like Hypnosis work.

After the session I asked KS what was the next step for me to become a «Divine Light practitioner». He then explained me about the three levels of «Kenshu» or Seminar classes. A seminar last three days and is meant to teach you the «magic» of the «Divine Light» so that you can start healing people yourself. He mentioned a price around 12000 yen (around 100 euro) which is fairly cheap for three days but they could be some «hidden fees». My bet is that the more you are getting involved in the Sect , the more donations there is.
Another last point that is important to mention is that you’ll get a special pendant called «Omitama» after your first seminar. It is said that this pendant is able to «Channel the energy of the whole universe and concentrate it in yourself» resulting in endless benefits such as removing «spiritual impurities» (“toxins”). Members are told that it is more precious than their own life !

“Omitama” , the priceless Pendant of SMBK that is meant to bring Salvation in your life. I heard it came with three different kind of protective layers.

Some ex member of the Sect did report having psychosis when they did not wear the pendant and some having nightmare about loosing it. This could be explained because of the Brainwashing they have went through. The idea of using something “material” and “external” to yourself for your own purification seems wrong. This could be a mean to manipulate people better by bringing more confusion. How can a pendant be more important than a Human life ? The Sect did said earlier that “Materialistic things” was a danger for humanity hence all this blabla about purifaction. The remedy for that is … a “magical pendant” (being another “material”) ? I’m not convinced.

The members of the SMBK Cult seems to believe in their ability to heal each others. This insistance to prove the existence of Spirits using an Empirique method ,through experiences of «Miracles» give them a strong sense that their «Belief» is stronger than any others.

 

f) HOW PEOPLE USUALLY STEP INSIDE THE CULT.

The mom of KS was part of the organization when he was still a young boy. He got interested in it much later on in his life when he was around 25 years old. What triggered him to become a «follower» came from is prior anxiety. He did mentioned that he was struggling with people looking at him. Somehow he was a little paranoiac and therefore was seeking for a remedy to end his problems. So an underlying reason was there. He needed a place to feel safe and empowered. It was from a position of weakness that KS joined the organization. Just like KS just mentioned , Charle’s story from «Mahikari Revealed» website , also shared the same ideas. Charle said «..in many situations Mahikari was a staff for some people facing devastating circumstances» and also a place for «Misfits».
I will never make fun of people to do what they are doing because it is what they managed to find what works best for them in that exact time. It’s good to remember that our life conditions are all different and we are not all born equal. Therefore I wouldn’t judge others. I wouldn’t judge the man in front of me but I could argue his belief system if it’s counterproductive or dangerous for him or others.

SMBK symbol.

I could see a suffering man in the first place and then I could see an adept of a rather questionable esoteric organization with too much money. He did mentioned at the end of our meeting that the SMBK did changed him for the best and I believe him. I’m not in his position. It may help some people which is a good thing but If I look at the bigger picture , it’s telling me that the fondation of this Cult is a lie , that the Organization is exploiting people weaknesses. This seems like bullshit. The adepts could be completly Biaised thinking that they are «magical healers» where they is absolutely no evidence to support that. It sounds appropriate to talk about the «confirmation Biaise» here , which is a cognitive Biaise were people are confirming their own beliefs system because they only relate with like minded people. A good example will be Facebook and which people we choose as friends or not. Therefore our vision of the reality is merely dependant on who we choose to relate with. The people that do not confort our belief system are kicked out of our social sphere. You can understand now why the «confirmation Biaise» is pernicious and may create a powerful illusion of our «reality». Blinding ourselves to the totality.

 

g) PEOPLE TESTIMONIALS

I have found a website (Mahikari revealed) regrouping some stories about people that left the Sect and wanted to speak out some truth once «on the other side» of it. It seems appropriate to share some of their experiences.

Fiona is an Australian woman that stayed 14 years in SMBK (in an Australian center). She reported having issues getting out of the Cult and said «.. Kept in this deceptive group by fear of what would happen to me if I left , and guilt for just everything». She added «I never felt that I was good enough». She finally left the Cult with a long depression phase but managed to get over it with months of concelling and some books. She finally said «this group is deceptive and skillfuly uses subtle mind control methods. You will be happier out of it».

Loyda from Spain reported similiar issues with the method used to keep people in the sect. According to her , SMBK “concepts” are persuading members that they are possessed with a demon and that only the Sect have the right treatment for them. This ultimatily becomes an addiction and therefore a mean to control the members.

Charle from Australia mentioned SMBK being «elitist while professing not to be». He described the Cult being like a Pyramidal model where «only the Japanese leaders could permit events and activities» which felt «inflexible» and «very unfriendly». Lastly he said «It was a closed society run by the top brass with a culture of secrecy».

 

It’s time for me to leave this place !

Bye bye “World Divine Light Organization”. I won’t be back.

CONCLUSION

I have never been part of a Sect before.  My point of view is only based on my short experience inside the “World Main Shrine” and all the researches done that followed. My experience inside the World Main Shrine within the “Mahikari” Cult was quite disturbing at first. After leaving the “Holy Land” I was not sure if all of this was a dream or not. This turned out to be very interesting. My conclusion is : stay critical with your beliefs, challenge them once in a while to see if they still benefit you and others. YES the Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan is a Cult group , there is no doubt on that. And YES theses groups can leave you with serious issues if don’t pay attention. They may also be a temporary “shelter” for some but at the end , the fondation of this cult is not reliable enought to bring satisfaction and lasting joy. I would stay away from it. The SMBK Cult is a counterproductive “Prism” to look life through. It’s represent a “Reality” that is overly constrained , unreliable and pernicious.

Your Belief System shape your Reality. It’s essential to remember that. You are the Architect of your Experience.
Life is precious and rather short. 
I hope you enjoyed this adventure in the «Deep Japan» and that you could learn a few things along the way.

Stay critical my friends !