HEALING IN MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT

Mitsuko Norman

Thank you very much! Thank you very much! Today I am very grateful to be able to share my experience with you and to express my deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to all my friends and to Seicho-No-Ie members around the world. Your love and support during this difficult time was most appreciated.

We had been living in Southern California for a very long time. Our two sons, as well as my husband, were also born in California. Our ties were very strong and we had a good life enjoying our friends, neighbors and the wonderful sunny California weather.

About mid-October of 1993 we moved to the state of Washington and soon after, our younger son went to college at UC Santa Cruz w here he lived on campus for the first year. Our older son went to the same school and finished his senior year.

Since we left California and moved to this new place, the weather, the environment, the people everything around us changed. Everything was new to us. Of course, there was the beautiful scenery of evergreen trees and majestic mountains, the crystal clear lake, the bay and the blue sky. Every day we could hear the birds singing and sometimes the deer would visit. At night the stars would shine so brightly that one would think that this must be paradise. However, everything appeared to be different, and was not as it had looked when we first came here on vacation. The new lifestyle was different, and I needed very much to slow down from the fast and hectic life in the city and adjust to this quiet life.

It was difficult; I missed the warm weather and my friends and relatives, as well as the neighbors. My sons, my job and co-workers, and especially my spiritual brothers and sisters at Seicho-No-Ie, I missed very much. All the things from the past were still with me, attached to me, clinging to me, making me sick and limp. My mind became more and more clouded; it was not as cheerful as it used to be. I could not see how beautiful mother nature was. I wasn't able to see God's blessings and His wonderful gift of life which was manifesting itself all around me. I couldn't appreciate anything.

By early 1995, my husband and I were both working hard and finally bought the house we had prayed for so long. During the first part of the year, I began to experience some sort of pain in the abdominal area, as well as heavy night sweats. I thought that it was the flu because I also had a sore throat and a runny nose. This lasted for more than a month, and in early April someone pointed out that I had yellow jaundice in my eyes. At this time I realized that something must be very seriously wrong with my health.

I began to practice Shinsokan meditation daily, and every morning I prayed for my ancestors. I even did laughing practice in front of the mirror. But my energy was soon expended and I could no longer do all of it. All this time I thought that I could heal myself, but the pain was getting stronger and I was hurting very badly. My husband and co-workers were worried and suggested that I see a doctor. Since we were new here, we didn't know any doctors. So I went to the emergency room on April 17, 1995. They told me to visit a specialist to check my liver and my gallbladder for gallstones. I was losing weight very fast and had lost almost all of my appetite. A week later, on April 26, I made a second visit to the doctor's office and he suggested that I should check into the hospital for some tests that same night. I only had an hour between the doctor's visit and the hospital check-in. I called my husband and told him that I was going to stay in the hospital for some tests. He was relieved that I had finally gotten some medical help. The love and support of many people gave me the courage to take this step. By then, my mind was calm.

During the next three days, lying in the hospital bed, I was diagnosed with malignant pancreatic cancer. This was a shock to me. Instantly, I felt as if I were leaving this world really soon and I was not ready yet. The surgeon was a very fine doctor, and we talked a long time before the operation. He said that he would do everything in his power and would do the best job he could as a surgeon, but ultimately my life was in the hands of God. The day for the surgery was set for May 17, 1995. The time before the operation went by quickly and the pain was still there; everything in my body was hurting.

I still had no appetite and my weight had dropped even more. All this time my mind was calm, and I began to accept the fact that the pain I was experiencing must be something I had done in the past to someone else. I must have caused pain and suffering to someone and now I was being cleansed, purified and freed of my karmic debt. I was grateful for the life that was still in me and allowed me to go on each day. I thought about many things from the time I was born until that day. I came to appreciate everything and everyone. I was very grateful ! ! !

When I was lying in my bed next to the window, I came to enjoy looking at the trees and listening to the birds. I took the time to memorize the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, and recited it to myself over and over (in Japanese). I thanked my ancestors and my family, especially my husband who was devastated by the diagnosis that I might only have three more months to live. (I didn't know this, and my husband didn't tell me until much later.)

As I was lying in bed, reading the Holy Sutra and practicing Shinsokan, I soon came to accept with gratitude whatever medical treatment was necessary and whatever the doctor had arranged, with the thought that it must be good for me. On May 17,1995, at 5:00 in the morning, my husband drove me to Skagit-Valley Hospital. When they rolled me into the surgery room, I was reciting the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, and chanting the Spiritual Healing Sutra blessing: "God has forgiven me and He is embracing me with his infinite love and as a result, I am already healed! Thank you very much, thank you very much . . ." A few hours later I woke up and realized that I was still alive and seemed to be all right. During my stay in the hospital, I had many phone calls, visitors and flowers. I missed many of them, because I was still sleeping and resting from the operation. I realized how happy I was. I felt so much love from all the people around me that I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness about their genuine concern. The doctors explained to me that the operation was too late and that the malignant cancer growth could not be removed. So they closed me up again and scheduled me for radiation and chemotherapy.

After the surgery I wrote the Holy Sutra, Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines, on a white cloth and placed it on my abdominal area, held my hands in prayer and chanted: Thank you very much, thank you very much, thank you very much, and "Jisso-Enman- Kanzen" (My True Image is perfect and harmonious) as often as I could. I also practiced Shinsokan (Meditation to Visualize God) and for the rest of the day I read Truth of Life books and other Holy Sutras as well.

The doctors and nurses were all very wonderful, loving and caring, and treated me well, and I was so grateful for their support. I left everything up to God in the belief that He would guide the doctors to know exactly what to do and which treatment they should provide for me. When I came home on May 28, 1995, my husband was very happy to see me and I was grateful to be home and alive. At home I was able to do many things again and walk around the house, preparing meals and doing what needed to be done. It was very uplifting and encouraging to receive so many letters, boxes of food and many phone calls. Visitors dropped by and brought me so many books and plants that I had nowhere to put them. But I was grateful and I felt wonderful. Thank you very much. I was so busy that I had no time to rest during the day, and I believe that these busy moments were the beginning of my healing.

Our older son flew in two days later, after he had graduated from the university. He quit his job and left his girlfriend behind to take care of me during this difficult time. (Remember that everybody believed I only had three more months to live). My son drove me to the hospital every day for the next three months. Oh, how much I love him for that.

I gave my family a lot of worries and reasons for concern. It put a big strain on everyone, especially our younger son. He had to stay at school, worrying about my condition, and having a hard time concentrating. However, this was a good time for us to come together and our family grew closer and closer more than ever before sharing love and care. I am always very grateful to them, but during this time my gratitude was immeasurable.

The following day Wolfgang-san (Wolfgang Christoph) flew in from Orange County and prayed for me all night and through the next three days. He brought good wishes, prayers, food items, books and magazines from our friends at the Orange County Center. How wonderful it felt to be loved. Thank you very much. In the two days before Wolfgang-san arrived, I had become weak, could hardly speak, and was unable to move around without losing my strength, but for some reason the next morning I got up and moved around the house and cleaned and cooked and ate so much food that I surprised myself. During Wolfgang-san's visit so many of my past delusions, self-guilt and anger disappeared, and I felt stronger each day. I repented for being angry and resentful towards my husband, and about leaving our house, the children and the rest of the family behind in California. I realized that if I hung on to the past, I could not go forward.

My life began to change and I found strength and courage again. During the first week of June, I started the chemotherapy and radiation treatments for 20 minutes each time. This continued for eight weeks. During each treatment I recited the spiritual healing blessing and, as a result, I never felt sick from the treatments and had no hair loss, skin damage or any other side effect. I am grateful!!!! In August more friends from Orange County and the Gardena Church came to visit. I was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and kindness and prayers that I can't say how thankful I was. I received many special healing prayers from Gardena (North American Headquarters), Orange County Center, Nagasaki Main Temple (Souhonzan), Kyoto and Uji, Japan. Even Reverend Miyazawa in Australia and Georges Charbel at the Nagasaki Main Temple prayed for me. Thank you very much.

My family and I are very grateful to all of the friends and wonderful members of Seicho-No-Ie for their love and prayers. All of you have made a great contribution toward my healing. How can I ever thank you, my spiritual brothers and sisters, for your love and kindness?

After the eight weeks of treatment were over, my husband and I traveled to California and joined the Orange Center for its Spiritual Training Seminar in November 1995. There I received a complete healing prayer ceremony and, as a result, I felt that I was now completely healed. Soon after the seminar we went back home and I started to work on a part-time basis. Today I feel great because I have received a gift from God, a notification from my doctor saying that the final check-up and CAT-scan and other tests in December 1995 revealed that there is no sign of any cancer and I am free of any malignancy.

I'd like to express from the bottom of my heart my sincerest gratitude to all the Seicho-No-Ie members around the world. Thank you very much, thank you very much!

Now we make our home available to other people so that they can learn about this wonderful teaching and share the "Flame of Life" that Dr. Taniguchi passed on to us. We have started to have English-language readers' meetings and parenting classes, and once a month we have a three-day weekend training seminar or lecture with Wolfgang-san from the Orange County Center.

Thank you very much, Dr. Taniguchi, thank you very much.

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Last modified: February 11, 2001