Prayers for Peace the World Over
Rika Saionji then introduced the third and final segment of the SOPP, beginning with prayers of Gratitude for All Life on Earth, and followed by Prayers for Peace in Each Country. She added: May those who pray and those who are prayed for intersect and circulate like a Möbius wheel, and may they create a peaceful world together.
Accompanied by gentle music and uplifting scenes of the natural world, the prayers of Gratitude for All Life on Earth were displayed on screen and spoken in both Japanese and English.
Gratitude for All Life on Earth
(prayed by all participants together)
Thank you, dear Oceans.
Thank you, dear Mountains.
Thank you, dear Earth.
Thank you, dear Animals.
Thank you, dear Plants.
Thank you, dear Minerals.
Thank you, dear Water.
Thank you, dear Air.
Thank you, dear Heavenly Phenomena.
Thank you, dear Sun.
Thank you, dear Planet Earth.
Prayers for Peace in Each Country
Over images of the blue planet Earth spinning in space, the subtitles read: “Each of us living on the earth is also a part of great life. Let’s bring love and healing to people all over the world,” inviting participants to join in the Prayers for Peace in Each Country, the second core program of the SOPP.
This year, the Prayers for Peace in Each Country were recorded not only at Fuji Sanctuary, but also by friends of the SOPP in the United States, Scotland, and Nigeria.
The prayers began with captivating images from the continent of Asia, and then continued on to a pre-recorded flag ceremony, where individuals appeared on screen presenting the flags of each country in Asia, one by one, as the country’s name was announced and the word ‘peace’ in that country’s national language(s) was spoken aloud and displayed on screen (in its original script, and with Japanese and Roman alphabet pronunciations), for participants around the world to join in sending out wishes for peace in each nation. When the flags of all Asian nations had been presented, a prayer for all of Asia was offered: May peace be in Asia.
The ceremony continued with images from Africa, followed by prayers for peace in the nations of that continent. The same was done for Europe, North America, South America, and Australia/Oceania, followed by a prayer for peace in “all the other regions of the world” (accompanied by an image of the planet Earth in space). A final prayer, May peace prevail on Earth, was displayed on screen and spoken aloud three times as the video showed a sweeping view of the prayer field at Fuji Sanctuary, with Mount Fuji rising majestically beyond it. The view of the prayer field and Mount Fuji continued for a few moments longer, allowing participants a chance to feel their connection with the divine essence of people all around the world.
Mandala Project
For the final portion of the SOPP, Yuka Saionji introduced two practices that have spread from Fuji Sanctuary to people all around the world: handwritten mandalas and the Divine Spark IN:
Now, we will be sharing with you another type of circulation of prayer. As Masami Saionji said at the very beginning, praying ‘May peace prevail on Earth’ is like spreading a seed, which then lands on the earth and grows. We have seen these seeds of prayer grow and manifest all over the world, and we’d like to show you another example of this kind of circulation of prayer, through our Mandala Project.
A slideshow (with Japanese narration and English subtitles) introduced the Divine Spark Mandala Project, which began at the 2021 SOPP, where participants were asked to create small, handwritten mandala cards containing uplifting messages or stories. Over 3,000 mandala cards were collected in all, and they were sent to various places around the world.
The slideshow identified three groups of people involved in this project: the mandala artists, who created and sent the mandalas, often with their photo included; the ‘divine bridges,’ who received dozens or hundreds of cards and distributed them locally; and the individual ‘friends’ who ultimately received the mandalas. In this way, the love and prayers of the mandala artists are circulating and being passed on to others.
As one example of the project, the slideshow included a video clip sent by Mr. Blake Sinclair, a ‘divine bridge’ in the United States, and featuring Ms. Sue Ann Oxward, who is bedridden in a hospital and received one of the mandalas. In another example, Mr. Fremma Emannuel Kibibi in Uganda delivered 350 mandala cards to local children, people in refugee camps, and others in various locations. His video showed many children in Uganda lined up to receive their cards.
Yuka Saionji reiterated the powerful impact that the Mandala Project has had, and thanked all those who took part in it. Then, she introduced a prayerful practice known as the Divine Spark IN.
First introduced in 2018, the Divine Spark IN (pronounced ‘een’) is like a wordless prayer, comprised of a precise combination of hand and arm movements and deep, peaceful breathing, which helps us to attune ourselves to the divine being that resides within us. It is easy to learn and practice, enabling us to recall and reconnect with our inner divine nature and contribute to building a peaceful world.
The IN was introduced with scenes of people performing it in various locations around the world, accompanied by the following words:
We are divinity itself, love itself.
All living things are full of love.
Each person remembers that all human beings are originally divine.
Let’s perform the Divine Spark IN together.
The performance of the IN (by Yuka, Maki, and Rika Saionji) included subtitles showing the thought, or meaning, that accompanies each movement:
Inhale: our whole being concentrates
Exhale: the mind becomes empty
We invite divinity from heaven
Our true existence radiates light
We receive divinity from heaven
This divinity is within us
The divine masculine and feminine are unified
Our true self emits divinity to humanity
The light spreads to each human being
The divinity in everyone resonates from within
Everyone remembers the divine self
Humanity is divine
Following the IN, a bit of quiet time for reflection was offered, to feel the resonance of all the prayers sent out on that day. The message below appeared on screen, followed by the sound of a bell:
The resonance of our prayers today becomes a symphony of peace prayers, embracing all nations and all living things with the energy of love and healing, and connecting them with divine consciousness. This prayer continues to circulate, and returns to us.