Closing

The ceremony concluded with messages from Deputy Chairperson Yuka Saionji, and Vice Chairs Maki and Rika Saionji.

Yuka Saionji

Thank you so much for joining in the 18th Symphony of Peace Prayers. I first want to give my foremost gratitude to the religious prayer leaders who have offered their prayers. Without them, the Symphony of Peace Prayers cannot happen. Because of you, who believe in peace and who believe in coming together beyond religion, when there is so much conflict still happening because of religious division, we thank you so much for your offerings and for your existence.

We also want to thank our special guests who have given us wonderful, inspiring messages, and of course all those who have participated and offered prayers together today, all over the world. When I participated myself this year, as we were bringing out our love and compassion, I realized that we are given so much compassion from the earth. And when we offer our healing to the earth, we realize that we are given so much healing from the earth. And like Rika says, when we offer our prayers, we realize more and more that we are prayed for by this invisible power and energy of the universe.

When we see the world today, sometimes we want to close our eyes and we want to shut down our hearts because of what is going on, and we cannot see hope or a future because of what is happening. But all of this has been created through the minds and thoughts of human beings, and this is not the reality or the truth of humanity, the earth or the universe. At this time, it is so important for us to open our hearts and to connect with the earth energy and this beautiful harmony and love that is there—that allows us to bring out our divine spark—and through that we can change ourselves in order to bring back our true selves to this earth. That would be the biggest offering and service and hope for our future.

When I think of all of you who are participating today, who are offering your prayers, knowing that we are divine sparks, that we do have this amazing power within and that we can connect to this universal energy and through that make a difference—because of you, I believe in the future of humanity and the earth. And I really do hope that one day, every single human being can really pray from their heart, ‘May peace prevail on Earth.’ Until that time comes, let us continue praying for peace for the whole world and for all life and for the universe. And let us keep believing in ourselves, in our divine sparks and in the divine spark of all human beings. Thank you so much.

Maki Saionji

We have the power to create new things, and we also have the power to destroy things. We each have the power to create and destroy within ourselves, and we have a choice as to which energy we choose to create our future. When I look around the world, I think many of us have made a choice to create a new path and a new future. And at the same time, many of us know what kind of power to use—that is, love, kindness, compassion, and peace.

Today, I realized the power of prayer by connecting with every individual around the world. The power of prayer lets us connect deeply with love, kindness, and the divine spark that is within each one of us. And when we connect deeply with the divine spark in ourselves and connect with the divine sparks in the people around us, we are able to use our power to create peace around us and around the world. I hope each one of us makes time and tries to concentrate on which power, quality, and value we use to move forward and create our future. Thank you today, for connecting with us in prayer and trying to open a new path for peace. Thank you very much.

Rika Saionji

Thank you very much for participating in the 2022 SOPP. This is the 18th year, but I really feel that every year has a different feeling, because every year brings different incidents in the world and in our personal life also, and we are facing different experiences and emotions. This year, I strongly felt that we were loving and healing ourselves and giving love and healing to the world.

Maki was saying that we carry the energy of creating through love, but at the same time, of creating new things through corruption. For example through the destruction of atoms we gain energy, but that is not a truly harmonious and peaceful way to create energy. For many years, we have been creating very modern lifestyles by destroying nature and materials to create new things. However, when we look at nature itself, we see life pushing its way out even where the ground is covered in concrete. In the little spaces in the concrete, life lives in the plants and makes them grow.

We all carry this divine essence of life in the love that resides within us. So this year, I really connected with the flow of life within myself, and felt that I healed the world through this energy. Also, I deeply appreciate the guest speakers who sent us their messages and the prayers this year. Thank you very much.

Comments are closed.