What is I= ttoen?

Tenko Nishida

        &= nbsp; Ittoen was founded by Tenko Nishida in 1904.
       &= nbsp; It is a community of people who seek to live a life of having no possessions t= ogether with service, in a spirit of penitence. At the foundation of this community= is the faith that when human beings live in accordance with the way of nature,= we are accepted and enabled to live, even without owning things, and even with= out converting labor into money.
       &= nbsp; At Ittoen, the life necessities that are provided by the Light (God, Buddha, Mother Nature) for practical life are entrusted to “senkosha”. = This is a management of goods in such a way that they serve people, and do not become a source of social conflict. Kosenrin, in the Yamashina district of Kyoto, is our social community embodying the way of Ittoen. It is one form = of “senkosha”—alternative institutions based upon percei= ved workings of Light—

Foundation of Ittoen Life
      &= nbsp;   Enabled to Live, We Are Accepted and Sanctioned to Live.
       &= nbsp; It is said that human beings eat to live, and that in order to eat, we do our work. Underlying this is a view of human beings and of human life which hol= ds that the purpose of human beings is to work with the aim of eating.
       &= nbsp; Tenko-san turned this around 180 degrees, and held that this life is provided to us so that we are enabled to live without having to strive to survive. And precis= ely because we are accepted and enabled to live by Light, we therefore should w= ork as a way of thanksgiving. And thus we are provided with the food that is necessary for life. Tenko-san himself lived on the basis of this faith, and Ittoen is founded on, this view of human beings and this way of living.
       &= nbsp; When we look back on human history and the development of human society, we find that the competition for survival has often led to conflict in society, with resultant endless disputes and struggles across the centuries.
       &= nbsp; Can human beings survive on any other basis? Is it possible for us to live with= out asserting and insisting on our domineering rights for self-survival?
       &= nbsp; Tenko-san founded a way of life which can never create a seed for conflict, precisely= by totally renouncing one's claim to this right to self-survival. <= /span>

          In 1892,Tenko-san led one hundred farming households to emigrate to Hokkaido, = to clear 500 hectares of land. He was 20 years old. Soon he was caught between= the investors on one hand, and tenant farmers on the other, regarding the inter= est payments on the investment. The group was also hit with the recession follo= wing the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. In this crisis, Tenko-san fell into = an abyss of spiritual torment: why must human beings oppose and hate one anoth= er and fight among themselves?
       &= nbsp; Is there not away of life where one does not have to fight to survive? After g= oing through much questioning and thinking, he withdrew from the Hokkaido projec= t. Setting off with no possessions of his own, he returned to his hometown of Nagahama to meditate and fast in a small temple there. He made up his mind = to sit there without taking any food, until he found the answer—even if he were to starve = to death.
       &= nbsp; In the early morning of the fourth day (April 29, 1904, when he was 32 years o= ld), Tenko-san heard a baby crying nearby; and when the baby suddenly stopped crying, a scene of the baby drinking its mother's milk in her arms came to = his mind, which moved him deeply. The mother and child are the provider and recipient of nourishment, which are complimentary roles. Far from being in conflict, the two of them are mutually fulfilled and contented, and fusing = into one in peace. While their positions are different, at two opposite sides of= a process (an interdependent relationship), they are fundamentally in harmony= . Is this not the essential and primordial circumstance of life? Our nourishment,too, is nothing other than a natural blessing provided us by Nature.
       &= nbsp; Human beings are not born by intending to be born. Life is given by Something (Nature, God, Buddha) which transcends us, and we live in the same manner. = Here is the true picture of all forms of life being born, and hence the actual m= ode of all forms of human life and survival. And thus does the world of harmony= and sharing emerge to our understanding. All that we need to do is to trust that Greater Being for everything, and live in the way we are then enabled = to live. Such is the fountain of a world without conflicts, and here we find a world where we can live and share our joy without conflict.
       &= nbsp; Tenko-san came to understand profoundly that this was the answer that he had been searching for.
       &= nbsp; And this profound awakening (satiric) became the starting point and basis of It= toen life.

&nbs= p;

Life of Being on the Road (Roto) and Service (Takuhatsu)
        &= nbsp; Practice of thanksgiving and returning kindness
       &= nbsp; Ittoen life is a way of believing that if human beings go back to the original mod= e of life and live in accordance with the way of nature, we are accepted and ena= bled to live, even if we have no possessions, and even if we do not exchange our labor for money. It is a possessionless life, in the street at all times, t= o be of servce to others.
       &= nbsp; When human beings are born, we come into the world with no possessions, and our = very life has been granted to us. There is nothing that we can truly claim is our own, and we are in no position to insist on any rights. Thus, having nothin= g, with no property or ownership, is the original state of human beings.
       &= nbsp; “Roto”, being on the roadside and serving, away from one’s home and even with= out a home, is the foundation and true picture of this state of having nothing = and of non-possession. At the root of all conflicts among men is desire (greed)= and self-centeredness. Humans become attached to their property, to social position, to fame, and so on. It is necessary to cut off this kind of attachment and possessiveness, to cleanse one's heart of selfishness and get back to our starting point. This is called the practice of “roto”, going back on the roadside. We need to dispose of all t= he things that have gathered around us, to return them to the Light from which= we received them, and get back out on the road having nothing—not to merely go adrift, b= ut to get back to our original mode and Source.
       &= nbsp; “Takuhatsu” (service and mendicancy) also emerged out of Tenko-san's reflection upon his experiences in Hokkaido, For, in the course of leading the pioneering proje= ct there, he saw how ugly human beings can become when engulfed in disputes ov= er money, and how much baseness can come out of us in a struggle for survival.=
       &= nbsp; Money is what puts people in opposing sides, and induces us to engage in such ugly conflicts. Is there a way of living without money? If there is such a way, = then it must be possible for us to work without converting labor into money. For example, when a family are united into one with true love, then each member= can work and contribute to the well-being of the others without calculating and converting their own labor into money. In short, working and labor is not properly for money-making or even simply surviving, but devoting our heart = and strength for others’ welfare. That is indeed to do “takuhatsu” (service and mendicancy) with prayer on behalf of others.
       &= nbsp; We start by doing takuhatsu ourselves. We count ourselves as nothing, and give everything to others. Only by so doing,can we become one with others.<= /o:p>

To pray is negate and acce= pt ourselves into nothingness.

When we ourselves become nothing, then,we become the whole. (Tenko-san)
Such is the life of being on the road (“roto”), and of service = and mendicancy (“takuhatsu”).
To go beyond self-concern and work for other's well-being:This is what human beings are called upon to practice. (Emperor Meiji)

Life of Sange (Penitence) and Geza (Sitting at = the Lower End)
      &= nbsp;   Being penitent to one another, and praying (being reverent) to one another.
       &= nbsp; Human beings tend to be self-centered, and our selfish desires can be practically limitless. Our hearts seek comfort and pleasure, as well as to be superior = to others. Even without our being aware of it, we often hurt others, giving ri= se to all sorts of negativity such as jealousy, hatred, and desire for revenge.
       &= nbsp; In the final analysis, human beings have no grounds to insist their supposed rights. On the contrary, the only meaningful practice is to reject the egotistical feelings that are within us, to ask for forgiveness and be peni= tent for our shortcomings which create negativity and impediments for others. I have searched for the root
of all the troubles of the whole wide world,
and I have found that it lay within my own heart.
From this knowledge sprang this act of worship.

It is vital not only to find the cause of one’s own troubles within ones= elf, but also to accept that even the root of various troubles and conflicts in = the larger society and world exists within our individual selves. This leads to having a heart filled with deep sange (penitence).
&= nbsp; In all spheres and matters of life, we must look at our own shortcomings first= and foremost, rather than blaming or criticizing others. We should place oursel= ves at a lower position than others, and live according to the perspective of t= he suffering and weak at all times. This is the life of sitting at the lo= wer end (“geza”). When people live their lives and engage in their day-to-day work with this kind of mutual spirit, encouraging and supporting= one another, then there is no chance for conflicts ever to emerge.

The Hope = of Ittoen Life
Achieving fulfillment and enlightenment by everyone. True world peace in the future.
       &= nbsp; The ultimate objective of the Ittoen life is not merely “absence of conflict” (precious as that is), but moreover to build a genuine peac= e in our hearts which will help root out all causes of conflicts of various type= s, hatred, vengeance, and disputes. We pray for every family and household to = come together, for every country to be justly-governed, and for the world to rea= lize a true and lasting peace.
       &= nbsp; When we take up the spirit of being on the road having nothing (“roto), exactly like when we were born, then we come to realize that all the things in this world (goods, positions, etc.) are only things that we have = been entrusted with provisionally, for the time being. Strictly to ask ourselves= how to accept in trust such things as goods, properties, position, food, shelter and clothing, and even our knowledge and our very bodies, and how to use th= ese gifts for the good of the whole: such the path of “senkosha”.        &= nbsp; Thus our life has both “Ittoen”, based on our relative nothingness by renouncing worldly things, and “senkosha”, based on our holding= all things in trust. Thus these two aspects work like two wheels which move the cart in unity.
       &= nbsp; Achievement of fulfillment and enlightenment of everyone. To have everyone on this globe att= ain true self-awareness is perhaps a goal to be attained only in a distant futu= re. Nevertheless, we walk on the path of prayer and practice unceasingly for the realization of this goal.
       &= nbsp; Building true world peace in the future. We believe in this goal, and believe th= at by persevering in prayer and practice for true peace, without falling into either pessimism or undue optimism, we can work for the dignity, glory and future of human beings.

Ittoen: Life at Kosenrin

&= nbsp; At Kosenrin about three hundred persons in one hundred families live communall= y. The fundamental principle governing the life in this village is “Komyo Kigan” (The Five Prayers); there are no other community rules. People young and old work and study in various areas, in accordance with their abi= lity and interests. The products and proceeds from everyone’s work (“takuhatsu”) are all offered to the Light. Since we work as a = way of thanksgiving to the Light and Nature for giving us life itself, there is nothing that we can truly call our own, so that the goods and services that= are necessary for our day-to-day life are provided for by the Light. Those who = live this life are called “donin” (fellow members).

        &= nbsp; The responsible person for Kosenrin at Ittoen is called the “Toban” (Director, literally, “staff on duty”). And just as various work areas are “senkosha” (organs entrusted with the practical management of goods and work on behalf of the Light), Kosenri= n as a whole is a “senkosha” as well.
       &= nbsp; Morning and Evening Services
      &nb= sp;   Ittoen is not a religion, and there is no single object of worship. Rather, Ittoen members and friends of the Light pay homage to.the essence of all great religions. The front of the Worship Hall has a circular window from which we can worship Nature. It is the Ultimate, God, the gods, Buddha, which we in Ittoen refer to as the Light, one and indivisible.
       &= nbsp; The morning service consists of prayer and reading aloud of selected Buddhist sutras and Tenko-san's “One Fact of Life”, while the evening service consists mainly of reading the selected sutras.
　Yuima (Vilamakirti) Sutra is by Yuima (Vilamakirti), a lay Buddhist teacher who can be regarded as a forerunner of the Ittoen way, while Hanna (Prajna-Paramita-sutra) is a short sutra which sums up the essence of Buddha's teachings very concisely., “One Fact of Life” is a sho= rt excerpt from Tenko's inner account of reaching a new life, which expresses the Itto= en way in a succinct way.
       &= nbsp; Work (Takuhatsu and Labor)
      &nb= sp;   Every member in Kosenrin village engages in work such as cooking, boiling ba= th water, cleaning, working at the nursery and day care center, teaching at It= toen schools, lecturing, forestry work, farming, and various business divisions.= Work is called “samu” (work as service). When called upon, memb= ers also go out of the community to work. All the proceeds, both inside and out= side, are contributed to the common pool of the Light.
       &= nbsp; Education
       &= nbsp; When children reach three years of age, they enter Ittoen's Izumi Kindergarten, along with other children from the surrounding communities. When they reach school age, they enroll in Ittoen Elementary School, followed by Ittoen Jun= ior High School and Ittoen High School.
       &= nbsp; While pupils at the elementary and junior high schools go to school fulltime like pupils at other schools, the high school and college-level Daigakurin have a system of integrating study and work. Thus, high school students work during the morning hours and study in the afterno= on and evening, while students at Daigakurin do “takuhatsu” and “samu” (labor as service) in various areas, and study at night time.
       &= nbsp; Meals
       &= nbsp; Ittoen members, non-member residents and non-member staff of the business divisions join together for meals, sitting together on the wooden floor of the dining hall. After prayers and reading aloud of short excerpts from Hannya sutra (Prajna-paramita-sutra), they share a simple and nutritiously balanced meal= in silence. After finishing, everyone recites in unison Emperor Meiji's poem: =
"To go beyond self concern and work for other's well-being:
This is what human beings are called upon to practice."

Activity of Ittoen
        &= nbsp; Rokuman Gyogan
       &= nbsp; When the League of Nations was formed in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War, Tenko-san was deeply struck with the realization that work of building toward true world peace must begin with resolving and removing seeds of dis= pute from the hearts of individual men and women. With this realization and determination, he set the vow of Rokuman Gyogan.
       &= nbsp; Rokuman Gyogan is a practice of nurturing and strengthening of the heart of taking = the lower position (“geza”) within us, through being allowed to cle= an the toilets of other families. As we do this work, we pray and make a vow f= or the future of the world without conflict. Embodied in this practice are six interrelated prayers of praying (paying homage): “geza” (taking= the lower position, humility), service, consolation, “sange” (penitence), and “gyokotsu” (to do mendicant labor). And since 10,000 households were counted as a basic unit of this service, it was named “Rokuman Gyogan” (six prayers practice for 10,000).
       &= nbsp; This has been continued and spread through “gyogan” in Kyoto and Shi= ga, the annual New Year's “gyogan” throughout the country, November “gyogan”, and “gyogan” by participants in Ittoen's training Program, which is carried out every year.
       &= nbsp; This activity of spreading circles and rings of peace through “gyogan̶= 1; is called the LPC movement (Life of Peace—Creative movement).
       &= nbsp; Light—Gammadion-Cross Movement
       &= nbsp; The ultimate hope of Ittoen life is the achievement of true peace in the world,= based upon the realization that true peace can be built only by setting our hearts right and by straightening out our own personal conduct and life. Therefore Ittoen established the vow for “the Light—Gammadion-Cross” mov= ement in 1930, in order to work actively for peace. In the same spirit, after the Second World War, Ittoen has been cooperating fully from their incepti= on with the Japanese Association for the United Nations, the UNESCO movement, Kokusai Shukyo Doshikai (International Religious Fellowship Association), t= he World Congress of Religion and Peace (WCRP). Moreover, we take part in the International Association for Religious Freedom (IRA). Throughout these activities, we strive to take the lower position (“geza”), going beyond the boundaries of different religions and denominations, and actively take part in prayers for world peace. Light—Gammadion-Cross is the sym= bol of this.
       &= nbsp; Based upon this activity, we have had a significant number of visitors from overs= eas, and there are always several friends from other countries who live in the community.
       &= nbsp; Educational Activity
      &nb= sp;   Ittoen life, based upon the principle of “living without seeds of dispute”, has established educational organs within Kosenrin with the hope of training successors. While most of the pupils are children of Ittoen members, the schools are open to those who share our ideal. Ittoen Elementa= ry School was opened in 1933; afterwards Toei Gakuen was established as a school foundation, running Izumi Kindergarten, Ittoen Elementary School, It= toen Junior High School, Ittoen High School, and Ittoen Daigakurin. These schools base their education on Confucius’ teaching on “integrating practice with study”. The Kindergarten was founded from the out= set to accept young children from the local community.
       &= nbsp; Chitoku Training Sessions
       This short-term training program on Ittoen life was started in 1941, with the ai= m of enabling people to train themselves in wisdom (chi) and virtue (toku), from which its name is derived. The two-day training program is held in the first half of each month. The training consists of morning and evening prayer service, together with lectures on Tenko-san's teachings and Ittoen Life. Central activities are Rokuman Gyogan (toilet training as a form of religio= us service and practice) and “takuhatsu” service on “roto= 221; (out on the streets). Each month, this training program focuses on a broad range of areas: individual spiritual training, as a part of corporate train= ing program, and as a form of training of recruits (new employees of various business enterprises).
       &= nbsp; Friends of Light and Friends of Light Association
      &nb= sp;   There are a large number of persons who live outside of Kosenrin, and who do not directly take part in the collective life of the community, but who are inspired and share in the ideal of Ittoen Life. They are called “Koyu” (literally Friends of Light), and they have formed Koyuk= ai (Friends of Light Associations) throughout Japan. As such, they engage in Gyogan, takuhatsu activities, events, and lecture meetings. The headquarter= s of the Friends of Light organization is located in Kosenrin Village. The Frien= ds of Light Association started with Tenko-san's prayer at the time of the Gre= at Kanto Earthquake (1922). The day-to-day norms observed and encouraged by the Friends of Light include:
      &nbs= p;   Let us leave our footwear in a neat way [with toes pointing outside] when enter= ing a building.
       &= nbsp; Let us pray and give thanks for the food that is provided us.
       &= nbsp; Let us engage in work in a spirit of service.
       &= nbsp; When you engage in the service of toilet cleaning (gyogan), all of these become quite easy to practice.
　These points have been agreed upon, but there are no other rules and there are no membership dues or even a membership list. Any and all persons= who read the organs “Hikari” (Light) and “Koyu” (Friend= s of Light), and who aspire to walk on the same path, are all “Koyu-san”.

<= ![endif]>

The Development of Ittoen

Feb 1872

Tenko-san born in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture= .<= /p>

May 1897

(age 20)

Took part in pioneering work in Hokkaido.<= /p>

Apr 1904

(32)

Came to a great realization with “baby= 's crying”

in Aizen-Myoodo in Nagahama.<= /p>

Feb 1913

(41)

Tenko-san was blessed with the first Ittoen building

in Shishigatani, in Kyoto.<= /p>

1918

(46)

Five prayers (“komyo kigan”) dra= wn up.

Feb 1919

(47)

The Rokuman Gyogan practice, initiated in response to

World War I.

Nov 1919

Journal “Hikari” (Light) began publishing.

Jul 1921

(48)

“Life of Penitence” published.<= /p>

Dec 1923

(51)

Koyukai (Friends of Light) established as

a national organization.<= /p>

Aug 1926

(54)

Tenko-san traveled to Hawaii and California<= o:p>

on an international “takuhatsu” mission.

Oct 1929

(57)

Kosenrin incorporated as a nonprofit foundat= ion.<= /p>

Apr 1931

(59)

Swa Raj Theater Troupe founded.<= /p>

Aug 1933

(61)

Toei Elementary School established.<= /p>

Feb 1941

(69)

1st session of Chitoku Training Program established.

Apr 1947

(75)

Tenko-san elected to House of Councilors

of the national Diet, representing the distr= ict.<= /p>

Mar 1949

(77)

The vow made to carry forth Rokuman Gyo= gan nationwide.

Mar 1951

(79)

Ittoen Elementary School and Ittoen Junior H= igh School formally certified by the government.

Jan 1952

(80)

1st New Year's Gyogan carried out in Awaji Island.

Mar 1952

Ittoen High School certified officially.<= /p>

Jan 1954

(82)

Ittoen Life Research Institute opened.<= /p>

Nov 1954

Shimotsuki Sesshin (Concentrated Meditation Training

in November) started as an annual practice.<= /span><= /p>

Apr 1955

(83)

Ittoen Daigakurin (college level) establishe= d.<= /p>

Jun 1955

Wife Shogetsu-san passed away and returned to Light.

Nov 1964

(92)

1st Shimotsuki Gyogan held.<= /p>

Feb 1968

(96)

Tenko-san passed away and returned to Light.=
Sutezo Tanino became Toza (spiritual guide).
Takeshi Nishida became Toban (Ittoen director).<= /p>

Apr 1988

Kosoin Hall (a resource library on Tenko-san=

and Ittoen) opened.<= /p>