was a Japanese religious leader, writer and founder of GLA, a religious organization established in Japan in 1969.
Takahashi taught that the essential nature of human beings is the soul.He further asserted that life is sustained by a transcendent divine existence that surpasses human intellect, and that individuals are born with the purpose of establishing themselves and contributing to the harmony of the world.
Biography
Early life Born in 1927 in Nagano Prefecture, Takahashi repeatedly experienced what he described as an “other self” that separated from his “physical self” at the age of ten. He spent his life pursuing the question of who this “other self” might be, and this inquiry would later become a major turning point that led him toward a religious path.
Takahashi entered the Army Cadet School and later, reportedly experiencing firsthand the harsh realities and tragedies of war. After the war, Takahashi went on to study electronics, physics, astronomy, and medicine, experiencing both the world of reality and that of the other world as he continued his efforts to elucidate the relationship of the human soul to the physical body.
Philosophy and Teachings Takahashi later stated that he had reached the divine truth that humans have eternal life as souls that undergo transmigration in the form of an endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth. While managing a computer company, he continued to write and give lectures. His publications include Kokoro no Genten (The Origin of the Mind; 3 volumes) and Ningen Shaka (Human Buddha; 4 volumes) and he taught that humans are not only a physical existence but at essence are souls that are made to live by the grace of a Great Existence transcending human knowledge. He also taught that all humans are born to establish their self and world harmony.
While operating a computer-related business, Takahashi authored numerous books and conducted lectures across Japan. Takahashi led GLA and was involved with a network of business leaders who participated in the organization’s teachings and activities.
Later years According to followers, Takahashi predicted his own death seven years before it occurred. He died on June 25, 1976, at the age of 48. After his death, leadership of GLA continued under his daughter, Keiko Takahashi.
GLA
GLA is a religious corporation in Japan. It was founded on April 8, 1969 (Showa 44) by Shinji Takahashi and certified as a religious corporation in 1973. Keiko Takahashi has served as its leader since 1976. Its headquarters are located in Taito Ward, Tokyo. GLA is an initialism formed from the words "God Light Association."
Philosophy The philosophy of GLA is that each member aims for “self-realization” and “world harmony,” embodying the light of God in this world. Based on a view of humanity and the world that sees humans as beings composed of “soul, mind, and body,” GLA holds the position that humans are eternal soul beings and that life has a mission and purpose. Therefore, members engage in activities aiming for spiritual growth and practical harmony through practical learning referred to as “the study of the soul.”
GLA offers generation-specific educational programs for children, youth, and middle-aged/elderly adults, as well as specialized learning opportunities in fields like business management, healthcare, and education, placing strong emphasis on practical application in daily life.
Doctrines The doctrines shared by Shinji Takahashi and Keiko Takahashi are as follows:
Return to the eternal and universal divine truth (GLA's origin) The great universe is the body of God, permeated by the law of circulation (Cosmology) Human beings are eternal souls possessing purpose and mission (Humanism) Nothing in life is meaningless (Phenomenology) Fulfill life's purpose through self-exploration (Practical Doctrine)
Shinji Takahashi is said to have outlined GLA's doctrines in his work ‘Shin'gyo’. He taught that “human beings are not merely physical entities; their essence is the soul, sustained by a great existence beyond human understanding—God and Buddha,” and further that “all humans are born for the establishment of the self and the harmony of the world.” In an era dominated by materialistic economic supremacy, he approached the dignity of the heart from various angles, showing the correct way for humans to live—to live the true path.
Keiko Takahashi asserts that the root of modern society's various challenges lies in the hollowing out of human existence, stemming from the loss of the “origin of the soul” as eternal life. She states that through continuous study and practice, each individual can awaken to their true self, fulfill their soul's purpose and mission (mission work), and reclaim a more radiant life. She states that GLA's aspiration is to support members in practicing the “the study of the soul” thereby harmonizing their families, workplaces, and society, and contributing to the world.
Practical activities as a religious leader Takahashi referred to the law that he preached, and practiced, as shoubou (proper Buddhist law). It has been said that when he held lectures in the provincial regions, he would spend several hours afterwards "self-reflecting", based on the hasshoudo, as to whether there was any wrongness in his role and whether there were any inaccuracies in the "law" that he preached. It has also been said that Takahashi possessed all of the capabilities of the six spiritual powers (tengantsu, tenjitsu, tashintsu, shukumeitsu, jinsokutsu, and rojintsu.)see Takahashi's web page for elaboration on these six powers.
Takahashi took in people such as elderly people who were homeless, a woman who had intellectual disabilities and no relatives, and people who had difficulty living independently in society, such as gangsters. He supported these people with the profits that he made as a company owner.
Takahashi criticized blind faith and fanatical belief in religion and consciousness, and paraphrasing Karl Marx, he also believed that religion based on blind faith is like opium. In his teachings he insisted that one should always doubt, and should believe only what cannot be doubted any further.
Takahashi believed that religion should not be turned into the sustenance of life, so he lived off of the profits that he earned as the corporate manager of Koden Industry Co., Ltd., without taking any profits from his religious activities. Takahashi allotted the profits he made as a corporate manager to fund missionary activities and regular administrative expenses for his religious organization.
Principles that Takahashi preached Takahashi advocated shinri (laws of nature prescribed by God, also called hou), which does not change even if the times change. Specifically, he stressed going back to the teachings of Buddha and Jesus Christ, and based on his own experiences, Takahashi preached the existence of souls and the great beyond. He stated that after death, the soul of each person goes off to a world that corresponds to that person's character (reflected through the amount of the soul's light; a greater amount of light represents a higher degree of harmony with God). Takahashi also advocated the practice of the hasshoudo (Noble Eightfold Path) that Buddha preached, as a method for harmonization on earth and for growth of each person's soul. He preached self-reflection as a means to do away with the cloudiness in one's soul (said to be created by humans' disharmonic ideas and actions) and to receive God's light, which the soul is said to originally receive. Takahashi then emphasized the practice of ideas and actions after self-reflection.
The essence of the universe According to Takahashi, the universe that we live in is the source of banshou (all beings) and banbutsu (all things), and follows various principles, starting with the principle of samsara (cycle). The macrocosm is controlled by one large "cosmic consciousness" that harmonizes the universe. This consciousness itself is a God (the "Great God of the Macrocosm") and this universe is the body of God. The Solar System in this world is merely one of the small organs of the body of the macrocosm, and Earth is a small cell. As the Earth is a cell in the body of the universe, it possesses a consciousness. In such a way, banbutsu represents all things, and is a mass of energy. Since the macrocosm is a divine body, the Earth, as a cell in this macrocosm, is also a divine body, or a temple. All things, starting with human beings, continue repeating the process of samsara in order to make this Earth into a harmonious "Buddha land", or utopia, that follows divine will. Takahashi referred to the attainment of enlightenment based on becoming one with the macrocosm at the apogee of the rise in the degree of harmony of the soul with God as uchu sokuware (the mindset where one can understand all truths in an instant upon expanding their other self to the scale of the universe, through self-reflective meditation).
Past life, present life, and afterlife Takahashi referred to the material world that we live in as the "phenomenal world" and the non-material world where the soul returns after death as the "actual world". He believed in evolution through the course of samsara. Growth was indicative of a rise in harmony with the gods, becoming closer to the existence of compassion and love. Based on this degree of harmony with the gods, stages of consciousness would arise in the soul of each human being. Those that are particularly harmonious are considered as the world above (fourth dimension to the ninth dimension; a larger number indicates a higher degree of harmony), whereas the most disharmonious are considered to be in hell. Thus, the living circumstances in the real world after death change depending on the degree of harmony one had achieved. Through this cycle, human beings become closer to the existence of compassion and love.
With regard to samsara, Takahashi compared the physical body to being just a boat for traveling through life, and life to a route for the soul, which is the essence of human beings. The physical body is only given by the gods and by one's parents as a virtual boat for traveling through life.
With the 3rd dimension as the origin, each dimension is referred to by name, such as the “astral world” of the fourth dimension and the “spiritual world” of the fifth dimension, but according to Takahashi, the numbers are merely appellations; in reality, these stages are considered as existing inexorably, confirmed when the third eye is open.
Plan of the world above According to Takahashi, gods are light, they are the energy that fills the macrocosm, they are the dharma, they are unlimited will, and they are all compassion and love. In the world above, gods are also considered to be symbolized as a spiritual second sun. In relation to this, buddhas in Buddhism, and the Messiah in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is a person that has realized "uchu soku ware”, the concept of Brahman and the self as one. Human beings are all equally the children of God, and can reach the stage of buddha by making their soul grow through numerous transmigrations. As of 1971, there were 423 people on earth (425 following death) who had become a Buddha. In addition, there are also bodhisattvas who are of the previous stage. The stage preceding that consists of shoten-zenjin. According to Takahashi, the specific method for attaining Buddhahood is to actually incorporate the “hasshoudou” that was preached by Gotama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, as well as self-reflection based on this hasshoudou into daily life (a method that Takahashi called “gyou soku hikari”). By practicing this, human beings can increase their degree of harmony with gods and Buddha, and as a result, attain “uchu sokuware”.