Special Inning: Student Stories

April 13, 2015
Special Inning: Student Stories

As part of the Innings & Outings series sponsored by the HDS Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Naohito Miura (MDiv), Ram Singh (MTS), and Martha Meilleur (MDiv) shared their respective experiences as members of the Johrei, Sikh, and Spiritualist communities. While the HDS student groups represent a wide range of religious and spiritual traditions, these individuals demonstrate how our student body is even more diverse than the current list of registered student organizations.

Miura, resident at the CSWR and member of Sekai Kyusei Kyo IZUNOME, shared his personal experience as a practitioner of Johrei and other teachings of Mokichi Okada (1882–1955). Today approximately 1.2 million Johrei members claim to follow Okada's teachings in over 96 countries. This global movement inspired by Okada, who is known as Meishu-sama by his followers, promotes practices such as Johrei, nature farming, and appreciation of beauty in order to help create a better society—what Okada describes as chijō tengoku (paradise on earth), a peaceful world free from disease, poverty, and conflict.

Singh, first-year MTS student with a focus in South Asian religious traditions, discussed about Sikhism and his personal experience as a Sikh. He was born in the city of Amritsar, which is considered the holiest city for the Sikhs because it is home to the Golden Temple. There are about 23 million Sikhs in the world and Sikhism is considered the fifth largest religion in the world. Sikhism is a religion open to all and welcoming. One aspect Singh described was langar, which is food for the whole community prepared and served by other community members. So if you have a chance, stop by a Gurudawara (Temple) and grab a bite to eat!

Meilleur, first-year MDiv student and author of Great Moments of Modern Mediumship: Volume 1, outlined the religion, philosophy, and science of Spiritualism. She explained that Modern Spiritualism began as a movement on March 31, 1848 and quickly spread around the United States and the world. Elaborating on Harvard’s connection to Spiritualism, Meilleur also mentioned the role of Frederick Willis, who was expelled by Harvard Divinity School for conducting seances in 1857, and William James, who studied the mediumship of Leonora Piper for 25 years (1885–1910). Finally, she passionately argued that if given to the highest standards, mediumship is a form of ministry.


—By Naohito Miura