PL Kyodan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PL Kyodan |
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The Dai Heiwa Kinen Tō, 600-foot-tall (180 m) PL Peace Tower
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| Type | Japanese new religion |
| Patriarch | Takahito Miki (御木貴日止) |
| Headquarters | Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, Japan |
| Founder | Tokuharu Miki (御木徳一) |
| Origin | 1924 |
| Hospitals | PL Hospital (PL病院) |
| Secondary schools | PL Gakuen Junior & Senior High School (PL学園中学校・高等学校) |
| Other name(s) | Church of Perfect Liberty |
PL Kyodan, also known as the Church of Perfect Liberty, is a religious group from Japan. It was started in 1924 by Tokuharu Miki. He was a priest in a type of Zen Buddhism. The main goal of PL Kyodan is to help create world peace. Its main office is in Tondabayashi, Japan.
Contents
What PL Kyodan Teaches
PL Kyodan teaches that "Life is Art". This means that people are born to show their own unique talents and ideas in everything they do. They believe this helps them create "true art" in their lives.
If members have problems, the church helps them understand why. The leader, called the Patriarch, and other ministers guide them to find solutions. In PL Kyodan, God is called Daigenrei, which means "Great Original Spirit." God is also called Mioya Ōkami, meaning "Great Parent God."
PL Kyodan's 21 Precepts
PL Kyodan does not have one main holy book. Instead, it has 21 special rules or guidelines called the "21 PL Precepts." Tokuchika Miki announced these rules on September 29, 1947. They are the basic teachings of the church.
Here are the 21 PL precepts:
- Life is art.
- To live is to express one's self.
- God appears through one's self.
- Being annoyed limits your expression.
- One's self is lost by being emotional.
- Efface your self conceptions.
- Everything exists in relativity.
- Live as the sun.
- Human beings are all equal.
- Love yourself and others.
- Always be with God.
- Everything has a way according to its name.
- There is a way for men and a way for women.
- World peace is everything.
- All is a mirror.
- All things progress and develop.
- Grasp what is most essential.
- Each moment is a turning point.
- Begin once you perceive.
- Live maintaining equilibrium between mind and matter.
- Live in perfect liberty.
Other books used by PL Kyodan include the PL Guidebook and the PL Prayer Book.
Who Belongs to PL Kyodan?
The church says it has over one million followers around the world. It also has about 500 churches in ten different countries.
Most of the churches are in Japan. However, in the 1960s, PL Kyodan started sending missionaries to other places. Because of this, the church grew in South America and the United States. Today, it also has churches in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Peru. In the 1990s, a main office for Oceania was opened in Brisbane, Australia. There are also smaller groups in Europe, especially in France, Portugal, and Hungary.
In 1970, the PL Peace Tower was built. This tower is about 600 feet (180 meters) tall. It is a special monument to remember all the people who have died in wars throughout history.
How PL Kyodan is Organized
The spiritual leader of PL Kyodan is called the Patriarch. Members also call him Oshieoya-sama, which means 'Father of the Teachings'. The current Patriarch is Takahito Miki. He is the third leader of the church. Takahito Miki is also a vice president of Shinshuren. This is a group of new religious organizations in Japan.
The second Patriarch, Tokuchika Miki, visited the Holy See (the Vatican) three times. He met with two different popes. This was done to help different religions work together better.
Special Events and Activities
Every year on August 1, PL Kyodan holds a special event called the PL Art of Fireworks. This fireworks show celebrates the two founders of PL Kyodan.
See also
In Spanish: Institución Religiosa Perfecta Libertad para niños
