11. Did Sukuinushisama (Yoshikazu Okada) hold any religious positions prior to founding Mahikari?

    There is documentation that shows absolute proof that Okada was an ordained minister in an organization called SKK (Sekai Kyusei Kyo), also know as the Church of the World Messenity (mentioned above). Yoshikazu Okada was dismissed from his ministerial duties in the SKK due to alleged improprieties.

12. How did Sukuinushisama (Yoshikazu Okada) recover from his life threatening illness that was described in his biography?¹

    He received Light at SKK. This is recorded in a hand written testimonial from a SKK member who received Light from Yoshikazu Okada when he was a minister at SKK.

13. Was Japan part of Mu, the ancient Motherland of Mankind?

    Mahikari teachings tell us that Japan was once part of Mu. Advanced Kenshu references the writings of Col. James Churchward as evidence of this. As can be seen from the following map drawn by Col. Churchward in 1927, Japan was not a part of the legendary continent of Mu. Japanese people are told that Japan is the Motherland of Mankind, in order to support imperialist teachings.

    

    The X to the left of the word PACIFIC are the islands of Japan which are clearly not part of the Continent of Mu.²

14. Should I continue maintaining my ancestor altar since I no longer belong to Mahikari?

    Mahikari has the unusual practice of advising members to put fictitious names on the parents' ancestor tablets, supposedly to help the parents avoid attachment to their past life. There have been reports that this has invited in spirits not related to the family. We recommend you read Finding Your Guardian Spirits by Aiko Gibo. Reading this book might help you make the decision that will be right for you. Foundations of Paradise by Mokichi Okada (the founder of Johrei), also has information on ancestor altars. At the time we answered this question (9 Oct 97) there was a web site³, that addressed this subject. Always remember that when reading anything, you should not read to believe or disbelieve. Just weigh what you read with your inner-self knowledge and your inner-self will know what is best for you.

15. How do you explain "spirit movements" or "spirit manifestations" experienced by some while receiving light from Mahikari members?

    When a person receives Light to the Third Eye, they often go into a meditative or semi-meditative state. He or she may experience physical movements for a short time. This is due to the etheric channels being cleansed.⁴
    
    We asked a Johrei minister, what causes spirits to manifest at Mahikari, which does not seem to occur when people receive Light at Johrei. He said it is brought about by the will of the person giving Light. In Mahikari the ministers are trained to give Light with the intent of manifesting attaching spirits. Giving Light to manifest spirits is then unintentionally (or intentionally) practiced by some members as well.
    
    Some Mahikari members unknowingly program themselves to manifest when receiving Light. This is a very dangerous problem, as there are reports of members manifesting at unexpected times when they are not even receiving Light. There is also a strong likelihood that some of the manifesting spirits are really a past life experience. This could be researched by consulting someone who is qualified to do regression if it would help the person in some way.
    
    When the founder of Mahikari was a minister at the Church of World Messinity (SKK) he was cautioned not to give Light in a way that caused spirits to manifest. He ignored this warning and continued this practice. For this as well as other reasons, he was dismissed as a minister at SKK
    
    There is a good book called Pranic Psychotherapy by Choa Kok Sui, that tells about attaching spirits, the problems that they can cause, and how to help the person with the attachment.

16. I really feel like I am "spiritually disturbed." How can I get help?

    Attaching entities can indeed cause distress. These can be cleared very easily by the person themself or with the help of a person who does soul clearing. For more information please send us an email.

17. We were told by the doshi (minister) at our center that people who are putting bad things on the internet about Mahikari are spiritually disturbed.

    "Spiritually disturbed" is a standard Mahikari response. What ever happened to the altruistic love and non-judgment that Mahikari is supposed to teach? Former members are attempting to tell their story on the internet to inform people of their experiences with this organization. They have nothing to gain by exposing the truth. Mahikari, on the other hand, is totally dependent on offerings from members. Departing members means lost revenue.
    
    Cult awareness books advise people who are interested in an organization, to contact former members or leaders of that organization for answers to their questions. Asking questions of members or ministers who are still under the control of the organization would only provide answers dictated by their leaders.

18. I feel angry and foolish for all the time I wasted in Mahikari. How can I overcome these feelings?

    Do not feel that your years in Mahikari were wasted. We all have a mission in life, and that mission required us to be in Mahikari for the training that we received. Before we joined Mahikari we had no spiritual inclinations. We joined Mahikari for only selfish reasons. Mahikari guided us toward a spiritual path and introduced us to spiritual organic farming. We are very grateful for the time we were there. Although we came to suspect that Okada's (Sukuinushisama) revelations are fictitious, and we are all divine, what we learned at Mahikari is very important to our mission. Look at it this way. If someone is a Catholic for many years, but then decides they can no longer accept the teachings of the Catholic Church, that would not make their years wasted that they were worshipping as a Catholic. We need to sort out what is true for us and what is not.

19. Is it true that Mahikari teaches that Jesus Christ is buried in Japan?

    It is true that Mahikari once taught that Jesus Christ is buried in Japan. This was also included in a now deleted chapter (on Christanity) in the book Mahikari, Thank God for the Answers, by Dr. A.K. Tebecis. Dr. Tebecis was once head of Mahikari in Australia.

20. What does Mahikari do with all of the money donated to it?

    That's a good question. It is estimated that Sukyo Mahikari alone collects several hundred million dollars yearly, most of it going to Japan. To our knowledge Mahikari does not practice helping the needy or the communities in which the money is collected. So how is the money used? One way is to glorify their temples and other real estate holdings. One of the temples of another Mahikari sect houses a solid gold altar over 30 feet in height (see following photo) and weighing nine tons.

    
    Australian newspaper reports have linked Mahikari to Aum Shinrikyo (the Japan subway gasing cult) where Mahikari and Aum are said to be secretly funding nuclear weapons research in Western Australia. Their plan is thought to attempt to fulfill the often mentioned global armageddon referenced in the Goseigen.⁵

21. How did Sukyo Mahikari start?

    All sects of Mahikari originated from the teachings of Lt Col Yoshikazu Okada. The Japanese people were taught for centuries that their emperor was a direct decendant of God, and that the Japanese people are a race that is superior to all others. Many still believe that to this day. They were taught that anything they did in the name of their emperor, earned them a special place in heaven, no matter how deceiptful or evil, or no matter how many people were killed in the process. Writing a ficticious book of "Revelations" would not bother the conscience of any person with this belief.

22. Why do so many people stay in Mahikari despite the obvious deception?

    This is why they call it mind control. They encourage members to attend redundant seminars (kensu) and study classes which reinforce the control by the organization. Members are taught that the pendant they wear offers them protection. They are told that members who leave are spiritually disturbed creating a "them and us" mentality. Independent spiritual pursuit is discouraged. Reading Mahikari literature is recommended. Members are told that they are the chosen "seed people" who have been called to save the world, giving them a needed sense of importance. It also gives them the sense of belonging that is missing in their lives.
    
    Some individuals ...cause their lives to stagnate into safe, set, patterns of clearly defind and limited reality.⁶

23. What does the Amatsu Norigoto (Divine Prayer) mean in English?

    The Amatsu Norigoto is truly a beautiful prayer, however it encourages the belief that we are sinners or flawed in some way, which is not true. We all have the powers of a child of God. It was never taken away. The translation of text between Japanese and English is a difficult one. The following is a generalized translation of the Amatsu Norigoto:
    
    

    In the divine spiritual world of infinitesimal but truly existing high energy particles, in the throne of heaven where the spirit of God is now manifesting itself as fire, by the power of the divine fire and water principles, Father of all living existence and man, Amatsu Su of True Light, Creator God and great gods of purification, our various impurities of the spirit, please purify by True Light, and please revive in us the original power of a child of God, these our wishes, most humbly and respectfully we pray. Father Creator, original God of True Light, please bless and protect us. Bless our spirit, may it flourish in Thy kingdom forever.

    
    The actual translation of the prayer is:
    
    

    Original (Japanese)	Translation (English)
    AMATSU NORIGOTO	Heaven, Divine World Prayer
    GOKU- BI	Extremely small particles
    JIS- SO	real state or condition
    GEN- GEN- SHI KA- I	subatomic particles of the spiritual world above the fourth dimension, that is, the invisible world of God
    TAKA- AMA- HARA NI	Divine Capitol in the Divine World.
    KAMU- TAMA- HI // MOE- IDE- MASU	The spirit of God is now manifesting itself as fire,
    KAMU- ROGI KAMU- ROMI NO MICHI- KARA MOCHI- TE	by the power of fire and water principle
    BAN- SEI TO HITO NO	all living existence and of man.
    MIO- YA- KAMU AMA- TSU SU_NO MAHI- KARI- OHO- MIKA- MI	Father in Heaven, Creator of True Light
    HARA- HIDO NO OHO- KAMU- TACHI	great gods of purification
    MORO- MORO NO SAKA- GOTO	the various acts or deeds against God's Will
    TAMA- HI_NO TSUTSU- MI KIGA- RE_O- BA	which covers and withers our spirit
    MAHI- KARI MOTE HARA- HI KIYO- ME MISO- GI TAMA- ITE	by True Light, open the positiveness of the spirit and give energy of fire to shave off the impurities
    KAMI NO KO_NO CHIKA- RA YOMI- GAE- RASE- TAMA- E_TO	please revive the original power of children of God.
    MO- SU KOTO NO YOSHI O	These said things
    KASHI- KOMI KASHI- KOMI MO- MAO- SU	I humbly and respectfully ask the messenger gods to convey our prayers to the Creator.
    MIO- YA- MOTO- SU- MAHI- KARI- OHO- MIKA- MI MAMO-RI- TAMA- E // SAKI- HAI- TAMA- E	We pray that the Divine name of Mioya Moto Su Mahikari Omikami may be in His glory and as children of God ask for His protection and blessing.

Notes:

1. Daiseishu, the "official" biography of Sukuinushisama (Page 29).
2. This map is from Books Of The Golden Age, by Col. James Churchward.
3. Ancestor Altar at www.greendome.org/archives/ancestor/ancestor.html
4. Pranic Healing, by Choa Kok Sui, (Page 243).
5. Goseigen (references to armageddon):
   Page 62  ("They will end up being blown away")
   Page 189 ("The production of fireballs in this world cannot be stopped...")
   Page 190 ("God will make man produce fireballs...")
   Page 237 ("The explosion of fireballs and uncontrollable chaos is approaching")
6. Hands of Light, by Barbara Ann Brennan, (Page 67).