Theme for Annual Training 2024:
Becoming pillars of faith through dedicating ourselves to the well-being of others
as we embark upon Annual Training.
Guidance by Her Holiness Keishu:
Last year, during the Festival of Oneness on November 6, with the doctors’ permission I temporarily discharged myself from the hospital after hip surgery so that I could participate in a ceremony of gratitude at the Ogen Center. When I called out asking you if I could “count on you” to continue with sincere altruistic practice, you all responded with a cheerful “Yes!” (laugh). I would like to stress how irreplaceable each of you are in our efforts to further enhance our spiritual home of Oyasono. I invite everyone to engage with joy and cheer in efforts to make the most of the upcoming Annual Training, which will prepare us for the significant milestone of the new Temple II’s topping out. As the light of the grand homa illuminates the farthest depths of our souls, we will be filled with the joy of oneness with shinnyo. Where such joy is then shared from one heart to another, I firmly believe our collective efforts will bear fruit in the form of a successful topping-out at our sacred site of Oyasono.
What is Annual Training?
At Shinnyo-en, members take this period as an opportunity to take themselves back to the origins of the Shinnyo Path and reflect on the founding spirit of the Shinnyo Parents. Shinnyo-en was born out of the decision of its founders, Shinjo and Tomoji, to undertake spiritual training in early January of 1936. Feeling they wanted to do more for the world around them, they resolved to live a life based on loving compassion and the altruistic, selfless wish to help others do the same.
The Annual Training period at Shinnyo-en is an opportunity for us to do the same—to reflect on how far we’ve come, to recharge by drawing fresh inspiration, and to refocus—setting out on a renewed course toward achieving our spiritual goals. Annual Training is a new start that can help us reflect on how, like Shinjo and Tomoji, we can make use of what we encounter ahead to transform our lives. For them, it meant becoming a guiding light for others.
Learn more about Annual Training 2024 at https://oyasono.online/shinnyotradition/2225.
Founder Kyoshu’s Verse:
Filled with everlasting hope, I shall go forth armed with the joy of participating in the annual training.
2024 Annual Training Schedule:
Opening Period:
January 20 - 24
Middle Period:
January 25 - 30 (individual practice/varies with location)
Closing Period:
January 31 - February 4
2024 Annual Training Service Schedule:
(Please check with your local temple for attending these services)
Annual Training Homa Service:
January 28
Setsubun (Coming of Spring) Service:
February 3
Service to Honor the Shinnyo Spiritual Faculty:
February 4