GLA’s Progress (Scripture and History) (Scripture and History)

A brief introduction to the three primary books that describe GLA’s doctrine.
An outline of GLA’s history is also outlined here, from its establishment in 1969 to the present, with emphasis on significant events.

GLA’s Scriptures

The Path of Prayer, Revised Edition: For a Supreme Dialogue

In the preface to this book, Keiko Takahashi writes:

The Path of Prayer, Revised Edition has indeed been a major resource for many GLA members who find Keiko Takahashi speaks directly to them through its contents. Her words give them comfort, help them to reset their thinking, and fill them with the courage to move forward. There is no telling how many have found sustenance and support from this work.

For GLA members, The Path of Prayer, Revised Edition, is an important book to keep at their side at all times.

Seimei no Yohaku ni (In the Blank Pages of Life)

Keiko Takahashi calls this a book of three wisdoms, referring to its three sections on “Principles of the Universe and Nature,” “Multiple Phases of Human Existence,” and “Words of Self-Reliance.”

“Principles of the Universe of Nature” refers to the common truths of the universe and nature. “Multiple Phases of Human Existence” portray the true form of humans caught in the eternal conflict between the light and darkness of the phenomenal world. And finally, “Words of Self-Reliance” echo the sound of the soul’s praise of the sublime and direct us as to how we should live.

Of these three, the “Words of Self-Reliance” reflect Keiko Takahashi’s own personal resolve to pioneer her own way of life.

How should GLA members live out their own aspirations? The “Words of Self-Reliance” is the compass that points the way.

Shingyō (Mind and Conduct)

This was the first book written for GLA members by Shinji Takahashi, the founder of the organization. He summarized it as follows.

For GLA members, Shingyō is an unchanging constant of GLA doctrine and teaching.

A Brief Chronology of GLA: From its Founding to Today

1969: GLA’s Founding A group of followers seeking the way under Shinji Takahashi Establish GLA

On July 12, 1968, as he wrote in Discovery of the Mind: Actual Proof, Shinji Takahashi was awakened to his “other self,” his soul, that he had been seeking since childhood, arriving at last at the Divine Truth that permeates the whole of the universe. In the midst of Japan’s era of rapid economic growth and the pursuit of material wealth, Shinji Takahashi preached of the coming of the age of the heart and mind.

Those who gathered to hear Shinji Takahashi speak were eager to have others hear his teachings and this is what led to the founding of GLA on April 8, 1969. As this attests, GLA’s culture of respect for individual initiative and volition already existed from the time of its founding.

Shinji Takahashi went on to write numerous books and give lectures throughout the country, aspiring to help as many people as possible awaken to their inner soul.

GLA opened its doors on April 8, 1969, in the Yaoki Riverside Building (Yaoki Building) in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, and from here the circle of adherents eager to share the words of Shinji Takahashi gradually grew bigger and bigger.

Having verified that human beings exist as souls traveling an eternal path, Shinji Takahashi traveled throughout the country, teaching that we are made to live by the grace of the Great Existence, and that we are born to establish the self and achieve world harmony.

1976: The Succession of the Law The Revelation of Souls and a Promise Revealed

Shinji Takahashi and Keiko Takahashi worked together as one to explore the Divine Truth. As his 48th birthday approached, Shinji Takahashi began to repeat more frequently his earlier prophecy that the day of his return to heaven was near. He insisted that a successor should be appearing from among the young people, and anxiously sought to find out who it might be.

A university student at the time, Keiko Takahashi assured Shinji Takahashi that she too would search for this person.

At this point in time, neither Shinji Takahashi nor Keiko Takahashi knew that Keiko Takahashi was the successor to the Law.

March 1976 at a workshop in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture. Keiko Takashi writes in her book, Tenrui (Heavenly Tears), that this was when Shinji and Keiko Takahashi at long last experienced a revelation of the soul.

In that moment, Keiko Takahashi, speaking from the dimension of the soul, was able to explain the meaning of every encounter, every event up to that time in the life of Shinji Takahashi. These insights were later crystallized into such writings as Tamashii no Ingaritsu (Causality of the Soul) and Ninden Keirinzu (Map of Life) that explain the Divine Truth at the core of Study of the Soul, the truth that permeates humanity and the world.

Shinji Takahashi was convinced that the revelations made by Keiko Takahashi, revelations that were made for the first time, provided the key to fulfilling GLA’s mission to Establish the Self and attain World Harmony, and he said with joy to those around him, “At last, humanity can be saved!”

This revelation of the soul confirmed for Shinji Takahashi that the successor to the law could only be Keiko Takahashi, and thereafter, he left everything to her.

At the same time, he assured those around him that after he returned to the World of Origin (the other world), Keiko Takahashi would be the only person he would ever communicate with, and they should not be deceived by others who might claim to speak for him.

Shinji Takahashi returned to the World of Origin (the other world) on June 25, 1976. He was 48.

1976: A New Step to Manifestation

After Shinji Takahashi’s departure to the World of Origin, Keiko Takahashi stepped up as his successor in teaching the Divine Truth. She was 19. At the Gratitude and Pledge Ceremony held on July 10, 1976, Keiko Takahashi pledged in the name of the Great Existence, and that of Shinji Takahashi in the World of Origin, that she would carry on Shinji Takahashi’s will to manifest God’s light on this earth to build a utopia.

The next year, in 1977, Keiko Takahashi published the three-volume Shin Sōseiki (The True Book of Genesis) in which she showed the way and the systems needed to attain the wisdom to live each moment based on the Divine Truth.

For example, she writes that we should follow the path of Wisdom to solve a problem by first clarifying our purpose, identifying our aspiration, and then delving deep within ourselves to assess the situation before us and devise specific measures for solution. She also set up a system of project activities that define GLA activities not merely as volunteer work, but as opportunities to experience and learn the Divine Truth.

In this way, the groundwork was laid for a process that continues to this day of practicing Divine Truth for the purpose of building a new utopia a new civilization based on the Divine Truth.

This is how GLA advanced from the guidance of Shinji Takahashi, whose conviction was that “all humans are children of God and exist as souls,” to the next stage, under Keiko Takahashi’s guidance, of pursuing “how to live in the here and now as children of God and eternal souls.”

1980: The Teaching of the Three Theories (Kiban-ron, Jigo-ron, and Kyodo-ron) and Laying the Foundations for Diligent Study

Even as Keiko Takahashi set forth the direction to which we should aspire, she also did not hesitate to directly address the darkness within humans and has continued to show us the way to living our true eternal lives within the present moment.

“Why,” she has continued to ask, “do human beings lose sight of their original self and become engulfed in Bonno, even though they exist as souls that live through eternal time? How can each person be awakened to their original essence as a soul so that they may live in each moment with this awareness?” Through deep pursuit of this topic, Keiko Takahashi arrived at a system for revealing the Divine Truth through the consolidation of three theories—Kiban-ron (Theory of Life’s Foundation), Jigo-ron (Theory of Individual Mission), and Kyodo-ron (Theory of Resonant Collaboration)—from Ningen no Kizuna (Human Bonds).

The Theory of Life’s Foundation reveals the manner in which humans forget their innate soul and are engulfed by their karmic destiny. The Theory of Individual Mission reveals the meaning and origins of life, the deep meaning of being engulfed by karmic destiny, and the mission that we must fulfill that lies beyond this darkness.

And finally, the Theory of Resonant Collaboration outlines how the world is guided to harmony as individuals live to fulfill their mission.

Keiko Takahashi has written other books as well that provide the foundations for GLA’s faith and serve as guides to living, such as Seimei no Yohaku ni (In the Blank Pages of Life), and the Path to Prayer (1985), a work in which Keiko Takahashi provides a close and comforting presence for each and every GLA member through dialog and discourse.

Additionally, Keiko Takahashi has prepared various materials for study, including books on the Divine Truth such as the eight volumes of Ningen no Manazashi (Human Perceptions) which provide guidance on the true meaning of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, an ancient guide to living the Divine Truth.

During this period, branch offices were set up throughout the country to provide a place for GLA members to gather and study.

1993: Deepening the Interaction of Trust and Response

In 1993, GLA arrived at a new milestone with the deepening of the bond between Keiko Takashi and her disciples. Filled with the will of the Great Existence and trusting in our souls, Keiko Takahashi reveals the Divine Truth and we respond by endeavoring to apply the Divine Truth in our lives. And seeing this, Keiko Takahashi reveals new paths, thereby further strengthening our interactions of master and disciple, trust and response and leading us to new dimensions.

It is also around this time that Keiko Takahashi begins travels throughout the country on “pilgrimages of the soul,” to trace the routes of seekers who came before and follow in the footprints of souls with relationships to GLA members. Keiko Takahashi writes about these pilgrimages in Tenchi Ujō (The Sentient World), Tenrui (Heavenly Tears), and Ten no Hibiki, Chi no Monogatari (Echoes of Heaven, Tales of the Earth).

This was a time of a deep healing and regeneration for each GLA member as they confirmed the existence of God and felt the reality of eternal life.

1994: The Bodhisattva Declaration

The next year, 1994, marked GLA’s 25th anniversary. This year’s Zenyū (Good Friend) Gathering, an event to commemorate GLA’s founding held in April every year, marked another new milestone following the trend started in the preceding year.

At the end of her lecture, Keiko Takahashi offered the Prayer of the Bodhisattva, calling for each GLA member to embody the aspirations of GLA by “taking on the suffering and joy of others as one’s own,” and to thereby to become seekers and missionaries known as Bodhisattvas.

The assembled members felt their souls reverberate in response to Keiko Takahashi’s words. They were infused with such a powerful desire to become like the Bodhisattva she described, that they all stood up as one to acknowledge and accept her call. This same phenomenon was to occur repeatedly throughout the country.

Keiko Takahashi was greatly moved by this show of faith which she came to refer as the Bodhisattva Declaration. And in response, she initiated a new program as part of GLA’s project activities to provide members with the opportunity to study and learn how to walk the path to becoming a Bodhisattva. This was the New Project which in 2001 was renamed the Genesis Project and in 2007 expanded to the Global Genesis Project.

Thus, through 1993 and 1994 began the true journey of faith of master and disciple and as GLA’s programs for study were built up around the central pillar of the New Project, there was seen a soaring increase within GLA of practitioners of the Divine Truth. Thus, through 1993 and 1994 began the true journey of faith of master and disciple and as GLA’s programs for study were built up around the central pillar of the New Project, there was seen a soaring increase within GLA of practitioners of the Divine Truth.

2001: Genesis Project, Law of Causality of the Soul, and the GLA Membership Charter

On January 1, 2001, Keiko Takahashi commemorated the start of the new century by declaring the launch of the Genesis Project, a project in which each member embarks on a journey to create a new era and a new world.

At the December 2003 Gathering of Gratitude (a time to look back on the year, recall the blessings and merits of the Divine Truth, and express gratitude to the Great Existence), it was announced that a new work representing a compilation of everything that had been taught about the Divine Truth up to that moment had been released called Tamashii no Ingaritsu (Law of Causality of the Soul).

In 2004, at the Zenyū Gathering held ten years after the Bodhisattva Declaration, the GLA Membership Charter declaring our aspirations and creed was adopted and announced. This Charter reiterates the commitment of all members to embark from the same starting point and walk together on the path to becoming a Bodhisattva.

Keiko Takahashi continues to this day to preach the depths of The Law of Causality of the Soul and to guide us on the path to excavating our Bodaishin so that we may all manifest our soul’s aspirations in our daily lives.

When each of us is able to overcome Bonno to fill our minds with the spirit of Bodaishin (the mind that seeks to know the true self, that loves others, and that contributes to World Harmony), we can solve the problems that surround us and create a new reality. And this in turn leads us to the revelation of our respective missions in life.

With their way lit by their Bodaishin, numerous GLA members are even now practicing the way of Divine Truth so that they may transform reality.

It is GLA’s desire to walk in the spirit of Bodaishin, together with our times, with our communities, and with people everywhere.

2008: Living with the Four Strengths Required of a Bodhisattva: The Strengths to Observe, Cleanse, Give Output, and Connect

The revelations of the Divine Truth in Law of Causality of the Soul and the Exercises to Nurture the Twelve Bodaishin have served to deepen members’ practice of the Divine Truth. And in 2007, in response to this trend, Keiko Takahashi launched the Global Genesis Project and a set of new Life Practices that are at the forefront of GLA’s bond-forming activities.

The next year, in 2008, Keiko Takahashi revealed a new stage in the practice of the precepts of Law of Causality of the Soul.

This new stage is characterized by the Four Strengths Required of a Bodhisattva: The strength to observe, the ability to observe oneself; the strength to cleanse, the ability to cleanse the darkness within oneself; the strength to give output, the ability to give birth to a new self; and the strength to connect, the ability to merge ourselves with our soul’s aspirations.

In 2009, GLA marked its fortieth anniversary. On this occasion specific guidance was given on the first step to achieving the Four Strengths Required of a Bodhisattva. Members were provided with a Charge, Change and Challenge Sheet to further deepen their ability to accept Trials as Calling and to live with the Wisdom of In-En-Kaho.

2010: Opening up the Era of the Soul Doctrine

As GLA members were guided by Keiko Takahashi in how to cultivate the Four Strengths Required of a Bodhisattva, they underwent the Universe Experience (an instantaneous awakening to one’s purpose in life and awareness of one’s connection to the whole world, the universe, and to God) and were led to the Discovery of the Soul. Then the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 struck. Through this calling to trial of an unprecedented scale, Keiko Takahashi developed the Soul Doctrine, a new way of life showing the path to regenerating the Tohoku region and all of Japan.

Through the Soul Doctrine, Keiko Takahashi came to write Your Best for a New Era, in which she showed how every individual can identify their life work (Mission Work), and change from a position of Kaho (effect, result) to that of In-En (cause-condition) so that they may live their best each day. And she foretold how this practice of the Soul Doctrine to live your best each day would one day spread from GLA to all of Japan in a new era of one million people living their best.

Gradually, the whole of GLA came to perceive the conditions of the world as Chaos (a mixture of light and darkness, of potential and constraints), and to realize that by changing our minds (Ju-Hatsu-Shiki), we can create a Reality of Light-transformation and hence accomplishing a Reversal of Destiny.

In 2017, Keiko Takahashi announced that the Map of Life first presented in 2000 as the embodiment of the promise between heaven and humanity, had evolved and deepened over time to become a new Map of Life.

Today, we are accessing the blueprint of our lives through the Divine Truth so that we may extract the Maxima (the power to cause our lives to soar to the highest dimension) and live our best lives.