When you enter the Sukyo Mahikari center on Junipero Serra Boulevard, you will be asked to remove your shoes. A petite young woman wearing a grey cardigan and a modest red floral skirt greets visitors at the door, asking them if they have the time to "receive light." She has them rinse their mouths and wash their hands at one of the three sinks just outside of the "altar room," referred to as such because of the altar in the center where the Goshintai - the scroll through which the light is believed to be channeling - is located. She opens the door to the pink-carpeted room and instructs them to kneel in front of her on one of the sets of pillows situated on the floor. Astuko Kajita, 23, believes she is a vessel through which "God's light" travels.

Kajita claps three times, chants the "Amatsu" prayer, and raises her hand to their foreheads, where Sukyo Makihari followers believe the soul resides. After ten minutes, she gives visitors the signal to open their eyes. "Do you feel clear?" she asks.

Sukyo Mahikari is a Japanese spiritual practice that was founded in 1959 by Japanese military leader Yoshikazu Okada, or, as he is known within the practice, "Sukuinushisama," which translates to "salvation master." The practice is centered around the giving and receiving of light energy. "Sukyo," coined by Okada, is a derivative of shukyo, the Japanese word meaning religion. "Mahikari" by itself means true light (ma = true; hikari = light). By changing the word from "shukyo" to "sukyo," some say Okada was trying to indicate that Mahikari is something that rises above ordinary religions.

According to the teachings of Sukyo Mahikari, which are revelations that Okada supposedly received from God, all human kind comes from one origin - known as Su God, or Creator God - thus meaning that all religions come from one religion.

Members claim that the goal is to unite everyone regardless of religious background, and to allow those involved an opportunity to deepen their relationship with God. The teachings advise replacing over-the-counter medicines with "God's light," although members insist that those with serious medical issues are encouraged to seek professional medical help. Currently there are centers in more than seventy countries and about 490,000 members, according to The Encyclopedia of Shinto.

Those who wish to be inducted must complete a three-day training course. At about $300, the course introduces such aspects of the practice as body points, karma, reincarnation, and transmigration.

"In the years before I became a member of Sukyo Mahikari, I was a pacifist," says Pat Poelma, a member of the center for twenty-two years. "I am very grateful to live in the 'Light.'" Poelma says that she "expresses concrete allegiance to God by pledging full service to the center."

Each month, members attend the "Monthly Thanksgiving Ceremony" held at the center. Non-members are invited to receive light during the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Members are encouraged to come in, daily if possible, to give and receive light. The minimum expectation is that they give once and receive once, but they are urged to give light to as many people as possible. Additionally, members pledge to practice the following "Ten Points:"
• Diligently practice the art of True Light.
• Do your best to spread the Light and teachings to others.
• Offer gratitude for God's blessings in concrete ways.
• Follow the will of Su God in an accepting manner.
• Become a practitioner of genuine humility.
• Make mutual concessions, and acknowledge the help of others.
• Maintain purity of the body and soul as well as the physical environment.
• Maintain cleanliness and tidiness.
• Avoid waste, and use materials efficiently.
• Conduct yourself in a calm manner, and do things in an orderly fashion.

Anne Broder* was a member of Sukyo Mahikari for ten years, including several years as a "full-time trainee and junior staff member." During this time, Broder was living at the center. "Much of my knowledge of Sukyo Mahikari came from my study of its teachings, and the history of it and other Japanese new religions, over the years since I left the organization, motivated by a need to make sense of what I had experienced as a member," she says.

The teachings consist of many books and readings; the main one being Gosiegen, or The Book of Holy Words, which is a book of revelations that members believe were sent by Su God, or the God of true light, and transcribed by Okada. In an article she wrote on the subject for the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies last year, Broder points out that the first English translation of Goseigen was published in 1982. The first of four Japanese editions was published in 1970, with the completion of the final Japanese edition in1974, the year Okada died.

As Broder writes, "According to most published texts of this revelation, Su God told Okada: 'You will be made to speak the depth of the teachings, which was not revealed before... The time of heaven has come. Rise... Raise your hand [perform tekazashi]. The world shall enter severe times. '"(Holy Words: Goseigen, 4-5.)

"Raise your hand" does not appear in the first four editions--yet the sentence happens to be at the center of the beliefs upheld by members.

"In brief, these origin stories say that God gave the above revelation to Yoshikazu in 1959 and, as a result of that revelation, Yoshikazu tested out 'raising his hand' and discovered, supposedly to his great surprise, that he could heal people by giving light," Broder explains.

"Initially, the fact that he could heal people by giving light was the thing that supposedly convinced Okada that the revelation was genuine. Therefore, he founded his new religion because he believed Su God was telling him what to do, and that all the revelations contained "The Truth."

According to Broder, adding in words to make it seem that God told Okada to raise his hand as part of that particular revelation in 1959 forges a link between the healing technique practiced by members, "true light," and the revelations from God. "They thus drop any previous beliefs they might have had about unseen spiritual matters and willingly follow Okada's teachings," says Broder.

*Anne Broder prefers not to reveal her real name for personal reasons. [X]