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Sukyo Mahikari was established with the goal of enabling people to experience the existence of a higher dimension through the art of True Light. True Light (Mahikari), the Light of the Creator God, can, according to the Sukyo Mahikari organisation, be radiated from the hand by people who complete a three-day introductory course and receive a sacred locket. It claims the Light purifies the spirit, mind and body. This practice can be done anywhere and at any time and is the main activity at Sukyo Mahikari Centres throughout the world.
[[Image:Guardian_Unlimited.gif|thumb|Front page of Guardian Unlimited]]
'''''Guardian Unlimited''''' is a British website owned by the [[Guardian Media Group]]. It contains nearly all of the content of the [[The Guardian]] and [[Observer]] newspapers, as well as a substantial body of web-only work produced by its own staff, including a rolling news service. It is Britain's most popular newspaper website, and one of the most popular news resources on the internet. For example, on 7 July 2005, following the [[7_July_2005_London_bombings|London bombings]], a record 1.3 million unique users visited the site and a total of 7.8 million pages were viewed [http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,1524130,00.html] ''(nb link requires registration)''. Interestingly, there were more visitors from the [[United States|US]] than from the [[UK]].
Sukyo Mahikari teaches that the universal principles (Sukyo) that people apply in their lives enables them to understand aspects of the unseen realm of spirit from their own experience. It claims the Light (Mahikari) enables them to efficaciously follow a God-centred, spiritual way of life. Sukyo Mahikari teaches that fundamental laws (similar to the law of gravity) were established at the foundation of the universe, and that they apply to each person irrespective of their faith or background.
The site, running on the [[Web Crossing]] publishing platform, is made up of a core news site, plus a network of niche websites covering subjects including media, sport, education and the public sector. "Guardian Unlimited" is notable for its engagement with readers, including long-running talkboards and, more recently, a network of weblogs. Most of the site can be viewed for free and without registration, though some services such as the talkboard and some of the online-only news content requires users to register.
Sukyo Mahikari claims to be, among other things, concerned with helping to establish a better world through improving the quality of life for all living creatures and all things. A fundamental viewpoint of the organisation is that the origin of the world is one; the origin of humankind is one; and the origin of all religions is one. Sukyo Mahikari seeks to transcend the limitations and divisions of traditional faiths and religions and invites everyone to worship the single origin of all religions in this holy twenty-first century.
==Ownership==
"Guardian Unlimited" is part of the [[Guardian Media Group]] of newspapers, radio stations, and new media including [[The Guardian]] daily newspaper, [[The Observer]] Sunday newspaper, the ''Manchester Evening News''. All the aforementioned are owned by The [[Scott Trust]], a charitable foundation which aims to ensure the newspaper's editorial independence in perpetuity, maintaining its financial health to ensure it does not become vulnerable to take over by for-profit media groups, and the serious compromise of editorial independence that this often brings.
Mr Kotama Okada established the Mahikari organisation in 1959. Beginning in Japan, he made it possible for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, irrespective of their religion, race or background, to radiate the Light of God from the hand and play an active role in affecting people's lifestyle, the environment and their countries. When he passed away in 1974, he was succeeded by his daughter, Keishu Okada, who is the present spiritual leader of Sukyo Mahikari [http://www.sunrisepress.com.au/pages/03masters.html (holy masters)].
== History ==
Guardian Unlimited was launched in 1999, born of the Guardian New Media Lab. It was designed by a team including celebrated British designer Neville Brody. Its popularity soared after the [[September 11th attack]] in the United States, largely thanks to the diverse range of viewpoints published in the Guardian newspaper. The website won the Best Newspaper category in the [[2005]] [[Webby Awards]], beating the ''[[New York Times]]'', the ''[[Washington Post]]'', the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. [http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php#webby_entry_newspaper].
European and African supporters of the organisation have presented some information on the following site:[http://www.sukyomahikarieurope.org/index.jsp Europe-Africa].
== Talkboard ==
[[Image:Guardian_Unlimited_Talk.gif|thumb|Front page of Guardian Unlimited Talk showing folders and recent threads]]
The network's [[forum]], called '''Guardian Unlimited Talk''' and also '''"GU Talk"''' or even just '''"The Talk"''', is the most popular news & politics discussion site in [[Europe]]. Because of this, and the Guardian's [[left-wing]] political reputation, it receives a lot of attention from [[right-wing]] posters from the [[United States]]. As a result, its discussion topics (divided into folders such as International, Media, UK News, and off-topic folder The Haven) are a diverse and eclectic mix of [[Anglo-American politics]], [[media]] and eccentric British banter.
The Talk utilises the [[Web Crossing]] forum software, and visually resembles a newspaper column, with a spartan black-and-white appearance devoid of [[avatars]] and other [[clutter]] prevalent in other forums. Users may add threads to a "subscriptions list" which enables them to quickly cycle through threads of interest to find new posts.
An Australian neuroscientist who has had thirty years experience with the Mahikari organisation, has presented the aims, practice and progress of Sukyo Mahikari in the book [http://www.sunrisepress.com.au Is the future in our hands?] Many people have reported increased understanding and personal improvement through Sukyo Mahikari - in medicine [http://sunrisepress.com.au/pages/06medicine.html (whole person medicine)], [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=9 (dentist)]; science [http://sunrisepress.com.au/pages/07science.html (future science)], [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=18 (scientist)]; education [http://sunrisepress.com.au/pages/08education.html (complete education)], [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=8 (teacher)]; business [http://sunrisepress.com.au/pages/09economics.html (economics)], [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=17 (businessman)]; and agriculture [http://sunrisepress.com.au/pages/10agriculture.html (agriculture)], [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=5 (farmer)].
===Recurring topics===
* Intense criticism of the [[Tony Blair]] administration, under the perception that the [[Labour Party]] has abandoned its principles in order to court [[Middle England]] to obtain power
* Criticism of the [[George W. Bush]] administration, leading to accusations of [[Anti-Americanism]]
* Analysis and comment of the perceived [[dumbing down]] of the media, particularly the [[BBC]]
* Ridicule of UK [[celebrity|celebrities]] as being cynical and exploitative [[media creation]]s, alongside entire threads devoted to estimating the height of [[Kenneth McKellar (singer)|Kenneth McKellar]] or venerating [[David Hasselhoff]]
* Deconstruction of [[tabloid newspapers]], most frequently the [[Daily Mail]], with a general consensus that the proprietors are immorally influencing British society through the content they publish
* Alleged sporadic and ineffectual [[moderation]] of the site, which is only performed during UK office hours, resulting in timed [[vandalism]] by [[trolls]] with abusive threads which may or may not be deleted
* Debating which are more popular, [[kittens]] or [[penguins]], [[brown sauce]] or [[red sauce]], or indeed [[monkeys]] and [[pigs]]
* Posters playing games with moderators by means of secret threads and catchphrases to see if the moderator notices them. Examples include:
** a thread innocuously titled ''"The Coffee Shop"'', secretly used for [[homosexual]] [[cybersex]] for several months; another, ''Dr Beaky's Academy'', was little more than a cyber S&M dungeon masquerading as a virtual minor public school with the well known poster beaky1 acting as both headmaster and chief 'disciplinarian'. It ran in various guises for over two years.
** Another, ''"[[Eamonn Holmes]]' Ammonia Home"'', used innuendo to imply celebrities secretly abused children via [[water sports]]
** Referring to [[Pikey]]s (a phrase deemed offensive by moderators due to its connection to the [[Roma]]) as ''"freshwater fish"''
* [[The War on Terror]], the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]], and related military situations
*[[Conspiracy theory|Conspiracy theories]] are fairly common in the International folder, and are often ridiculed with cries of ''Where are the wings?'' - in reference to conspiracies regarding the "missing" wings of the September 11 planes.
* Alleged invasion by right-wing American posters from [[Free Republic]] with an agenda to disrupt the site. For several periods since the [[September 11th attack]]s, entire folders were effectively unusable due to the low [[signal-to-noise ratio]]
* "Capitalist Money Madness", a series of heavily-ridiculed threads started by one particular poster endlessly trying to promote [[World Socialism]]
Clearly, positive experiences of many people inspired through this organisation have been documented [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/ (see other experiences)].
===Folklore and traditions===
There are also many digruntled former members and accusations have been made for example of financial impropriety (deceptive use of $150 asked for introductory courses and pressure to pay montly fees) and 'brainwashing'. A link to a number of articles relating to [http://members.ozemail.com.au/~skyaxe/wareports.htm controversy regarding the sect]
As with any such 'community', GU has a wealth of shared anecdotes and experiences, which are often discussed. Some are quite scurrilous, others merely whimsical.
According to some former members and media reports, the organisation has also been found to be dangerous by the Belgian parliament, and has been investigated by several other European nations.However, concerning these and other allegations, please see [http://www.mysukyomahikari.com/news.asp?id=13 allegations refuted]. For example, it has been alleged that Sukyo Mahikari is anti-Semitic, but this is not true [http://mhproj.blogspot.com/ (anti-Semitic?)].
* Folders have a fixed number of [[thread]]s - when new threads are created, an equal number are deleted in order of the oldest most recent comment. This is supposedly to ensure discussions are topical, but to also reduce server load and (unoffically) to remove [[libel]]ous comments by users, for which the Guardian is liable. As a result threads are often given extremely stupid names in the knowledge that they are not permanent. In some folders, threads can languish for months - in the Haven however, threads not posted to vanish in about three days. Threads created by moderators, though, are immortal, and are often vandalised. In [[2001]], one such immortal thread, about [[Flat Eric]], became the site of a game of 'chicken' in which posters made remarks of increasing profanity and obscenity until the moderators finally had to step in and delete it.
* The GU servers sometimes experience what is referred to as 'A Great Crash'. When this happens, the GU boards start to behave oddly. Links suddenly take users to unexpected places, posts appears in the wrong order, threads appear and disappear without warning. During this period, GU users become disorientated and a sort of communal hysteria manifests in which people make references to the end of the world, or make doom-laden posts along the lines of: "The engines cannae take it!" This escalates until the entire board crashes and it can be weeks before it is repaired. The last 'Great Crash' was in [[May]] [[2002]].
* To prevent Great Crashes, large threads (of several thousand posts or more) are often deleted with litle warning. This leads to multiple replacement threads, often with silly names, in the mistaken belief the thread will not last.
* The differing cultures between the Haven and the International folders provide confusion and amusement in equal measure. The "Havenites" consider many "Internationalistas" to be wild-eyed, mentally unstable "[[nutter]]s" obsessed with racism, Israel, and other controversial American topics; International posters see the "Euros" as shallow and vacous due to living in Tony Blair's socialist [[dystopia]].
* Genoa has great resonance in the GU experience. Some years back, a handful of posters, most frequently seen hanging around in The Haven, used a thread in the Travel section of the board - simply entitled '''Genoa''' - to pour great scorn upon other users of The Haven. In order to keep this 'secret' from other users who might use the search facility to see if they were being discussed the use of asterisks was employed. This went on for some time until a Genoan spilt the beans and the whole thing came out into the open. The unveiling of Genoa was met with varying degrees of rage and amusement. Posters who had been accused of being in possession of a '[[Wizard's sleeve]]', for example, were not pleased. The repercussions of this little escapade are still abroad - although no longer in Genoa.
* GU meets frequently occur. Numbers of users get together in real life, usually in a pub, and more often than not in London ('ThatLondon') to see how they get on without electronic intermediation. These meets are friendly affairs, at which newcomers are welcome (traditionally, attendees should display a copy of the Guardian newspaper to aid identification). However, these meets are also a regular source of gossip and scandal, discussed on GU afterwards with varying degrees of diplomacy.
* Due to the inherent pseudonymity of GU use, many users are alleged to be fakes and/or 'robots'. At least one user is suspected of being an employee or agent of the [[Labour Party]], due to his frequent pronouncements in favour of Tony Blair's policies and attempts to celebrate the government's achievements in the face of sullen ridicule. Another user claimed to be a 17-year-old French lesbian, but her postings were so confusing that no-one believed her. She is still discussed.
* Token [[Conservative|Tories]]. Although perhaps inevitably a predominantly left-wing Talkboard, there do exist a handful of very visible posters who make regular remarks - with varying degrees of irony - in support of Mrs Thatcher, private education, fox hunting, lowering income tax at the expense of public services etc. Not [[troll]]s in the strict sense, their antics are met with responses varying from indulgent bemusement to naked hostility depending on the audience at the time.
Sukyo Mahikari is officially registered and recognised by the governments of dozens of countries throughout the world.
===Catchphrases, shibboleths and memes===
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has featured Sukyo Mahikari in their Religion and Ethics radio program ‘Encounter’ [http://www.abc.net.au/religion/stories/s1203981.htm ABC Radio National].
As with any discussion board, GU has fostered a number of [[in-joke]]s, the origins of which are often unknown. Nevertheless, these stock responses and predictable comments form a part of the shared language of the talkboard's users and can often be baffling for newcomers.
Also, it was investigated by the 'West Australian' newspaper, with regards to the controversy of a former West Australian premier (Richard Court) and his family's revealed involvement with the organisation.
* ''"Won't someone please think of the children?"'' - an all-purpose plea issued in the event of any supposed moral outrage. Believed to originate in a ''Daily Mail'' article, circa [[2003]]. The word "children" is often replaced with other words, depending on the context: one variant -- ''"Won't someone please think of the kittens?"'' -- is almost established in its own right.
* ''"This thread will now be deleted"'' - the inevitable last line of any response from the moderators when a thread has overstepped the mark.
* ''"[X]: Where is it now?"'' -- standard formula for a thread title, where [X] is a little-remembered subject from yesteryear, ripe for nostalgic exploitation. This can range from the simple (''"Pots shaped like crying onions: Where are they now?"'') to the esoteric (example collected 19 August 2005: ''"Soothing, dreamy daytime TV about pipe-smoking rural eccentrics pottering around on canal boats : Where is it now?"'').
* Tenuous puns on the word ''Lost'' - the folder known as ''The Haven'' was formerly known as ''Lost People'', but renamed by moderators in 2001. Various 'old timers' therefore make elliptical references to this by creating threads with titles such as ''We're Drinking at the Lost Chance Saloon'' or ''Weeping for Lost Babylon'' (both examples collected 19 August 2005). These threads contain nothing but chatter, much to the annoyance of the moderators who make frequent threats concerning the site's purported purpose of discussing news.
* ''"Users who do not wish to discuss current events can feel free to go and join one of the countless other discussion groups on the internet"'' - the standard line uttered by moderators in response to the above.
* ''"Not[X]"'' (where [X] is a defunct username) -- the standard way of referring to a poster who has been banned and has returned with a new username.
* In contrast, a shorthand way of referring to particular users, places, concepts, is to prefix them with ''That'', e.g. ''"ThatLondon"''.
* ''"LOL! ACK! let's all work together on this one, gang!"'' (and variations) - the frequent exclamation of a poster called '''MyCatSmells''', which has since become common currency.
* ''Carrots/Duck Tape'' (sic) ''/Robert Fripp/Yoko Ono/John Lennon/Attack prostitutes'' - these terms are used to refer to a bizarre conspiracy theory held by one (apparently former) user, a deaf and mentally ill man from America, who believed that he was being persecuted by a cabal of rock musicians who were somehow involved in the assassination of John Lennon and the spread of AIDS. Much loved by the GU community, who treated his ideas with gentle indulgence.
* ''Swears''. There is a feeling among many members of the GU community that swears are big and clever and that everybody is laughing. They are probably right. One of the favourite swears is the word 'cunt', and whilst using it in its unadorned state can be creditworthy in itself, greater kudos can be gained from - to paraphrase Rachmaninov - Rhapsodising on a Theme of Cunt. Favourite variations include: cuntosity, cuntish (as in 'he seems a bit cuntish', i.e. 'he's a bit of a rotter/idiot/fool'), cuntastic (which can be used to celebrate or denigrate), cunted (as in 'my computer isn't working, it appears to be cunted') and cunting (this can be used as both an adverb and adjective and may well have first been used in the phrase 'it's cunting it down outside', i.e., 'it's raining rather heavily'). The word can also be used in conjunction with other more innocuous words to create a new phrase - a favourite in the GU community being 'cunt soup' - meaning (to employ another swear) 'a bunch of arse', or 'really not very good at all'. Fuck and all its variations is also a GU favourite, but in recent years has had to bow to the greater power of cunt. Many thread titles are simply at attempt to get as many swear words as possible in thread titles (e.g. ''"Can you get away with "Cunt" in polite conversation now?"''
* ''"Fuck Off, Cunt".'' One of the most cunt infested "threads" on GUT is "What Are You Wearing" which is believed to be a bunch of self obsessed London based fuckups talking bollocks to each other, however is in fact a bunch of self obsessed fuckups talking bollocks to each other from around the UK. A notoriously unfriendly thread, any time a new poster attempts to engage them in conversation, they are met with a hearty succession of "Fuck off, cunt" until the poor cunt either leaves, or realises they must also become a self obsessed fuckup and talk bollocks. The latter very rarely happens. All know each other in real life, and meet up very regularly to talk bollocks with alcohol. None of them are important in a GU sense.
* Frequent references to the sexual practice of [[wolfbagging]] and the [[ mellotron ]] , a cult 1960s electric instrument
* '' "Poor Old Gladders" '' . A persistently recurring reference to JackGladny, an erstwhile GU poster.
* '' "HavenMutton" '' . A collective term for the ladies of a certain age who post on the Haven, aggressively detailing their failure to land a man.
Sukyo Mahikari is a community organisation that cooperates with other organisations [http://iffact.tripod.com (Interfaith Forum National Multicultural Festival)] and individuals in community projects, and also states that it welcomes people from the community to participate in functions at its own centres. [http://www.communitiesonline.org.au/sukyomahikaricanberra/index.html (Canberra, Australia's Capital)].
===Prominent Posters===
The Sukyo Mahikari organisation questions the accuracy and validity of most of the following statements.
*'''Callidice''' - an infamous troll who described her herself as a ''"race realist"'', starting threads like "Why can't we discuss how Blacks smell?" on Friday evenings (so the thread would last all weekend). Claimed to be a [[Jewish]] admirer of [[Oswald Mosely]], and to live in [[Chelsea]]. Repeatedly banned only to resurface under another username, often similar to another user's name to sow confusion (e.g. "garr1ck92")
The notion of transmitting light from the hands can be found in many new age relegions. In ''Ōmoto'' sect there is a belief in ''Shinki/Reiki'' (Divine spirit). In ''Sekai Kyūseikyō'', light is given via ''jōrei'' (spirit cleaning). The founder was undoubtedly influenced by these old sects. ''SM'' believes that Su god (The highest deity) revealed first the ''manate'' (purification by laying of hands), as was performed for example by Jesus or Buddha, and later ''maibuki'' (purification by breath) and finally ''mahikari'' (Divine light), which makes it superior to the early versions.
*'''CentreRight/Bryan Hinnen'''
*'''garrick92'''
The teachings of ''SM'' (Sukyo Mahikari) is presented in a three day seminar course (Kenshu), and in three levels for an ordinary person, the primary, intermedite and the advanced. A fourth type of Kenshu is also said to exist. Most of the teachings given in these three courses is said to increase in their nationalistic content, including that the Christ died in Japan (Ref Mahikari: Thank God for the Answers at Last by Dr A.K.Tebecis, the now deleted section in the old edition) that the Emperor of Japan is to rule the world ultimately (Ref: Kami Muki Sanji, p. 485. Japanese only edition and Mahikari Advanced Kenshu Reference Textbook. 1989 Chapter 7),and that all languages on earth stems from the Japanese language (kamiyomoji).
*'''horserider''' - a [[Scottish]] poster obsessed with devolution who would turn any thread he posted on into a rant about the acheivements of [[Scotland]]
Also refer to P Knecht - Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1995.
*'''Iblis''' - A tedious urban homosexual. Notorious for posting links to pictures of himself having receptive anal sex, thus earning the soubriquet ''Wizard's Sleeve'' .
*'''jani2''' - A truly fearsome woman. Known for flashing her breasts at meets, and encouraging others to do likewise. Violent when drunk. Once brought a chocolate fudge cake ("CFC") to a meet.
*'''JohnKnox/JohnKnoxLives''' - long time poster affectionately know as ''the padre''. Slatwart of the ''N & Q Club''.
*'''Twemlow/Spontu''' - Liverpool correspondent and stalwart of the ''N & Q Club''.
*'''Shadrack22''' - our man in the North
*'''Hankinshaw''' - in no way related to a former poster, the vile, libelling cunt '''rickytmbg'''.
*'''Lawlsie''' OverUSES capital letters in an ATTEMPT to make her OPINIONS noted and AGREED with. Middle aged. MAD.
*'''Leftie26''' - formerly known as LeftieB. A stalwart of GU, Leftie is known for posting at great length about her friend who hasn't phoned since 1997, the price of chips and the problem of people who don't say what they mean. Leftie lives in Newcastle.
*'''logos''' - suspected to be holocaust revisionist [[David Irving]]
*'''mycatsmells'''
*'''RankBajin/mickey73''' - likes to drink lighter fuel and perform TheWrong
*'''patrick1971''' - A long-time poster, patrick1971 represents possibly the best example of a shallow existence attempting to find meaning through insulting others on the Internet. His caustic wit makes him loved by some and loathed by more. Reviled as one of the ringleaders of Genoa (q.v.).
*'''policywatcher'''
*'''slacker'''
*'''TheMiddleMan''' - If banality were an Olympic sport, this poster would win. Generally slags off the Daily Mail, one of the most controversial things one can do on a left-wing talkboard!
''SM'' also believes that pyramids in Egypt are divine testimonies built to commemorate the stem family in Japan as revealed by the kotodama (Spirit of the word) of pyramid, ''piramido'', which should be written with the characters "sun-coming-spirit-hall."
==The "Barefoot Doctor" Incident==
The character of GU Talk was particularly well demonstrated by the [http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?50@barefoot@.77468140/314 live online appearance] of "The Barefoot Doctor", a proponent of alternative therapies whose work appeared, until recently, in [[The Observer]].
The teachings are said to be delivered according to the teaching of the "rising sun" where subjects are to be exposed to "higher truths" in a subtle manner. It is said that "hidden" teachings are usually given via ministers in the "dojo" (A ''SM'' temple) and could be very frightening and terrifying, though this is never explicitly mention in their pamphlets or brochures for obvious reasons (for example, one should stricty admonish their children or even the female partner, maybe even using force!).
The "Doctor" is strongly disliked by many of the GU Talk community, not least for what they see as his unjustified use of the title "Doctor". His online appearance lurched between outright aggression and farce, as posters asked him such questions as "Given that 95% of what you preach is superstitious nonsense, [...] how do you sleep at night? ", "I know two people with Multiple Sclerosis. Should they massage their kidneys clockwise or anticlockwise?" and "How far are you from the nearest lemon?".
''SM'' promotes the idea of a Japan that has a history that can be traced to the paleolitic period (1.2 million years ago), contrary to the established view of some 35 thousand years.
The incident was simply another amusing in-joke, until the satirical [[Private Eye]] magazine claimed that the Observer had asked their staff to pad the forum with less combative posts, quoting an internal memo:
Refer to the teachings of Oshienushisama "A Major Turning-Point in the History of Humankind" 5 October 1996. Also refer to the Japan early hoax theory in this context http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinichi_Fujimura which debunks the claims.
Numerous studies have been conducted on the alleged spirt movements and manifestations (''Glossolalia'' and altered state of conciousness ) that occur during the transmission of light and conclude that they could be attributed to personality disorders. From a study by Susan Kwilecki, ''Religion and Coping: A Contribution from Religious Studies'',''Journal for the scientific study of relegion'', Volume 43 Issue 4 Page 477 - December 2004, which also includes Sukyo Mahikari, states, “God Experiences are precipitated by personal crisis, such as the loss of a loved one (real or imagined) or the confrontation of an insoluble problem. The God Experience is followed by a remarkable anxiety reduction and a positive anticipation of the future” .
:The Barefoot Doctor is online on Tuesday to answer questions of healing and health. Safe to say, he isn't proving wildly popular and the questions are just a tad aggressive. [...] If some of you could take time out to ask a rather more benign question, then you'll probably feel better for it.
Also refer to the work by T Fjtzgerald et.al in the ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 1995'' on the psychology of such experiences in ''SM''.
The detection of Guardian and Observer staff making surreptitious appearances in the guise of regular posters is of course another favourite hobby of the GU Talk community.
A session of divine light starts with chanting a beautiful prayer called as "Amatsu Norigoto" and radiating the energy to the pineal gland through the palms. Both the performer as well as the receiver are asked to sit in the traditional Japanese way (''seiza'').
''Dōjōs'' (A mahikari temple) range from the smallest to the largest in four levels. In all the dojos the calligraphy ''shinki mandō'' is hung, which means that this place is filled with Gods spiritual energy. ''Dōjōs'' contain sacred places called as ''goshinden'' (from shintoism), the most sacred part of the church. It is where the ''goshintai'' (Shinto meaning body of God) is placed, though which communion with the holy spirit is supposed to take place. No one is permitted to stand/walk at a higher level than the ''goshintai''. ''SM'' uses scientific terms like vibrations, energy fields etc liberally to allow members visualize the effects that supposedly occur during prayers.
==External links==
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/ Guardian Unlimited]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/rssfeed/0,,1,00.xml Guardian Front Page RSS feed] (in XML; use a [[news aggregator]])
* [http://digital.guardian.co.uk/ Digital Guardian]
* [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/ Guardian Unlimited blogs]
* [http://talk.guardian.co.uk The Guardian Unlimited Talk Board]
The ''goshintai'' contains a golden disc and in it is the physiognomy of the divine deity called as the ''chon''. It is also the first sound of the 48 Japanese words, supposedly marking the begining of all existence.
[[Category:News]]
Su god is supposed to be the a personal entity who is the source of this divine energy. ''SM'' believes that monotheism, polytheism, as well as pantheism are true and false at the same time (Sunkyo,Okada page 12 1984). Su god is said to possess both great mercy (''Daiji'' ) as well as great strictness (''Daihi''), and this basic philosophy is expressed in the feeling of ministers who can switch between these two basic characters of strictness and mercy, resulting in strange feelings and paradoxical situations. Su god is also believed to have a a spiritual body and a soul(''Kamutama'') like a human. Light is both believed to be diffused (through the Main world shrine in Takayama, churches etc) and also directed (focused by the hands). ''Kōatsu'' (Light pressure) is believed to vary from objects and from material things and according to the ranking of people, and establishing undeniable superiority for the higher ranking ministers. (Brian MCVEIGH-1992)
[[de:Guardian Unlimited]]
Members are asked to behave cheerfully (''akarui ki''), obedient (''sunao na ki''), to be united (''ittai na ki''), and to burn with passsion (''moesakaruki''). These philosophies albeit subtle, controls the day to day life activities of a member.
[[fi:Guardian Unlimited]]
The teachings of ''SM'' are usually justified by connecting it with other major/provincial relegions and drawing parallelisms. Moreover it supports pseudo-science as well (like the water memory [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Benveniste] or anti gravity for clean energy) and encourages members who are in scientific circles to do research on such areas.
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[[id:Guardian Unlimited]]
The cross is a fundamental entity inscribed in ''SM'', through the ''shinmon'', the most revered symbol of ''SM'' as well as ''SMBK'' (Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan-The organization that split from SM after the death of Mr Okada). While ''SMBK'' retains the original design of Mr Okada, which is a sixteen wheeled spoke with a cross, ''SM'' surrounds it with the star of David. The cross contains a blue horizonatl line (''mizu'') and a red vertical line (''hi'').
[[no:Guardian Unlimited]]
[[pl:Guardian Unlimited]]
As a policy ''SM'' does not support charity and services to the society. Members are encouraged to financially support the society and the poor during public meetings, but are discouraged in private meetings or during personal guidances, since it believes that financial assistance will hamper the souls training in the physical world. Instead they are asked to donate money to the Dōjō. ''SM'' spends most of its money in building mega structures for ex the Suza ( in Takayama, built by spending a staggering 300 million yen), Hikaru Shinden, museums etc. Recently ''SM'' donated a huge amount of money to the Hebrew Univeristy. On January 10-2005, the university inaugurated the Japanese Culture Center in Israel (JCCI) to serve as a bridge between Japan and Israel through the promotion of Japanese culture in that country. ''SM'' donated a huge amount of 12 million yen for this venture. But this has been marred by criticisms. See for example
[[pt:Guardian Unlimited]]
http://mhproj.blogspot.com/2005/06/open-letter-to-prof-magidor.html
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