Gedatsukai
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese new religious movement
founded in 1929. The number of adherents exceeded 200,000 in the 1990s. It is a syncretic movement, with influences drawing from traditional Shinto
and Shingon Buddhist
teachings. Its central deity is Gochi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana
). Gedatsu is the Japanese term for moksha
or enlightenment
Sonja". Church members refer to him as "Kongō Sama" or "Sonja".
, but it's sacred grounds, or "goreichi", are located in the founder's home town in Kitamoto, Saitama
. There are also several branches in the United States, where the organization is called "Gedatsu Church".
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
founded in 1929. The number of adherents exceeded 200,000 in the 1990s. It is a syncretic movement, with influences drawing from traditional Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
and Shingon Buddhist
Shingon Buddhism
is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
teachings. Its central deity is Gochi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
). Gedatsu is the Japanese term for moksha
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
or enlightenment
Enlightenment (spiritual)
Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
Founder
Gedatsu-kai was established by Seiken Okano in 1929. Within the church he is given the title "Gedatsu KongōVajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
Sonja". Church members refer to him as "Kongō Sama" or "Sonja".
Location
Gedatsu-kai has branches throughout Japan. The church's administrative headquarters are located in Shinjuku, TokyoShinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
, but it's sacred grounds, or "goreichi", are located in the founder's home town in Kitamoto, Saitama
Kitamoto, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 70,237 with 27,714 households and a population density of 3,527.42 persons per km²...
. There are also several branches in the United States, where the organization is called "Gedatsu Church".