Below is the March, 2016, Sermon by Ven. Kenjo Igarashi, the priest at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. I have attended services with Rev. Igarashi for a little more than a year and I believe he sincerely lives his faith.
Ven. Kenjo Igarashi prepares altar prior to Kaji Kito service Nov. 29, 2015
The Meaning of Higan
Higan is the practice of leaving our deep attachments in order to reach the world of enlightenment. Specifically, Higan is a practice comprised by six components. They are: charity, observing precepts, perseverance, energy, meditation, and wisdom. There is a story I would like to share with you concerning this practice. In the 9th century, a monk named Kyoukai wrote a series of books called Nippon Reiiki. Spanning three volumes long, these books contained stories concerning his experiences that seemed to transcend the logic and understanding of this world. This particular story I would like to share with you comes from this book, in the second volume of the series in the 38th chapter.
During the era in which Emperor Shomu ruled, there was a monk who lived in a temple in the mountains of Maniwa, located in the city of Nara. That monk had told his disciples upon his deathbed, “After my death, you must not open the entrance to my room for three years.” Saying this, he passed away. Forty-nine days after his death, a venomous snake had appeared before the deceased monk’s door, coiled in place, refusing to move. The disciples quickly realized that this snake was the reincarnation of their master. By chanting towards the snake, the disciples were able to move it, and enter the monk’s room. In the room, the disciples discovered thirty kan (currency used at the time, equaling approximately $30,000 today) saved up and hidden away. Realizing that their master had reincarnated as a venomous snake to protect this money, the disciples used the money to invite many ministers and hold a memorial service for him.
Kyoukai realizes that this particular monk was so desperate to protect his money, that he reincarnated into a snake in order to protect it. Kyoukai says, “No matter how high the mountain, we are able to see its peak. The mountain residing in humans called greed however is so great, that we cannot see its peak.” In other words, the greed and desire residing in humans is so vast and ever-growing, that it has no limit. Higan is a very important practice which aims to rid this greed and desire within us.
Yesterday, I attended the monthly Kaji Kito purification service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church.
At the front of the church, to the right of the altar, is a four-panel wood copy of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This was carved by hand over the course of several years by a man (don’t recall his name) and given to Ven. Kenjo Igarashi for safe keeping. Each time I attend services I wonder in awe at the merits received for copying the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Hand-carved wooden copy of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the TathagataThe back shows that this folds to a single panel with carving on the front and back.
Traveled to San Jose to attend the Sunday service at Myokakuji Betsuin. On Feb. 21 the temple held the Nehanye – memorial day of Sakyamuni Buddha – and Kotanye – the birthday of Nichiren Shonin – service.
Following the service Rev. Arnold Matsuda gave a lecture on the life of Nichiren illustrated with a two-panel diorama created by his great grandmother.
Example of detail in the diorama.Panels are read right to left, with the top panel on the right of the back wall of the temple and the bottom panel on the left.
Sunday was the annual Setsubun service, literally “season-division”, and traditionally the dividing line between winter and spring and bad and good. The service included a blessing and afterward the traditional tossing of candy into the audience to signify welcoming good fortune. The envelopes of the traditional beans signifying chasing away of bad spirits were handed out afterward.
Last year this was all new. I took the packet of beans home and placed it on my altar and two weeks later when I attended the next service at the church, I asked the priest what I was supposed to do with the beans. “Eat them, ” he said.
Today’s service included a short Dharma talk in which the priest described the Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as the detergent that removes the stains of our past karma. I was imagining a Tide commercial.
Some days you bite the bear, and some days the bear bites you.
Sort of how I feel about technology right now. That blurry photo at the top of this page is a screen grab from this morning’s service at Myosho-ji. If a picture of the soundtrack were possible it would be even worse. After fading in an out throughout the service, the temple’s connection to the GoToMeeting server failed entirely and those of us online were left to chat among ourselves for five minutes as we waited for GoToMeeting to end the session.
Ryusho Shonin had just started explaining what sounded to me like an exciting multi-year project on the subject of realizing the Lotus Sutra in our daily lives when the connection to the temple disappeared.
I’m a big fan of technology. I’ve been one for decades. But some times you just want to curse our reliance on it.
Between the Gregorian New Year and the Chinese New Year, the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church held its annual New Year’s memorial service for departed members of the church followed by the annual New Year’s party.
Today, I’m looking for a place to reprint something I read in the Daily Dharma* for Feb. 1.
In many places, the Lotus Sutra speaks of the benefits of seeking, keeping, reading, reciting and copying the Sūtra. But what do those acts entail? Today’s Daily Dharma explains:
To seek it is to find it in all aspects of our lives. To keep it is to rely on its teachings and have confidence in its ability to lead us to the Buddha’s wisdom. To read and recite it is to continue to remind ourselves and others of the details of the teachings. To copy it is to make it available to others. The merits we gain through these practices allow us to see the world for what it is and be part of making it better for everyone.
This is something I haven’t read or least haven’t seen this well put in any of the books I’ve read up to today. I particularly like this view of a personal practice.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
I missed the opening of the Myoshoji service this morning waiting for my computer to restart after it refused to open the GoToMeeting software needed to participate in the service. Learning patience while chanting Odaimoku for 10 minutes.
Following the service, Rev. Ryusho Jeffus discussed how each of us can show the Lotus Sutra in our lives, challenging us to write our story in the context of the Lotus Sutra.
When Ryusho Shonin invited questions I offered up a question from Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World Voice Perceiver Bodhisattva. Why, I asked, does World Voice Perceiver refuse to accept an offering made to him. Here’s the section in question from the chapter:
The Endless-Intent Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “WorldHonored One! Now I will make an offering to World-VoicePerceiver Bodhisattva.” From around his neck, he took a necklace of many gems worth hundreds of thousands of ryo of gold, and offered it [to the Bodhisattva], saying, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace of wonderful treasures! I offer this to you according to the Dharma!”
World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva did not consent to receive it. Endless-Intent said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva again, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace out of your compassion towards us!”
Thereupon the Buddha said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva:
“Receive it out of your compassion towards this Endless-Intent Bodhisattva, towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings!”
Thereupon World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva received the necklace out of his compassion towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, men and nonhuman beings. He divided [the necklace] into two parts, and offered one part of it to Sakyamuni Buddha and the other to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha.
Ryusho considered this and decided something more than an off-the-cuff response was needed. I look forward to when he gets back to me.
I mentioned the question to my wife, who works for the State of California, and she suggested it’s just like working in public service. “I recently had to return a gift card a customer sent to me,” she explained. “We’re not allowed to accept gifts.”
Why? It is even more puzzling when you consider that in the story of the Dragon Girl, she gives a priceless gem to the Buddha and he accepts quickly. The quickness of his acceptance is used as a measure of how fast she will become a Buddha.
Lotus in a Sea of Flames can be purchased from the Nichiren Buddhist International Center or by by sending a check for $31 (this includes shipping and handling) made out to the San Jose Nichiren Buddhist Temple and mailed to San Jose Nichiren Buddhist Temple, 3570 Mona Way, San Jose, CA 95130.
From the author Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick’s Preface to the book:
At the age of 18 I was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism. Since that time I have voraciously read everything I could find in English translation connected to Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra, the teachings of Tiantai, and the life and writings of Nichiren Shonin, the founder of the school of Buddhism that I am ordained in as a minister. So this book is the product of my 30 years of research, some might say obsession. However, it would not have begun at all had not my sensei, the Ven. Ryusho Matsuda, asked me to write a book about Nichiren Shonin’s life using as my primary source the seven volumes of the Writings of Nichiren Shonin put out by the Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation and Promotion Association. To get me started, I was handed two very thick sheaves of notes. One was a collection of passages from the aforementioned seven volumes pertaining to events in Nichiren’s life, and the second consisted of my sensei’s outline of Nichiren’s life based on those passages and other sources. He also provided me with his own translation of the booklet that accompanies a documentary DVD on the life of Nichiren Shonin by Dr. Takashi Nakao. Provided with these materials, I began to marshal my own resources and set to work. The end result is the present book. This book is my attempt, given my own limitations, to present a historical novelization of the life of Nichiren Shonin in order to understand him in the context of his own time and place. I hope that I have at least partially succeeded in conveying some of his spirit so that others will come to appreciate his life, teachings, and sacrifices as I have.
With other books on this website, I’ve selected quotes that help me remember favorite passages. I’m not doing that with this book.
As with Ryuei’s other books written on behalf of the San Jose Nichiren Temple – Lotus World and Lotus Seeds – Lotus in a Sea of Flames takes the reader from the basics of Buddhism, and in this book Japanese culture, to a thorough appreciation of the nuances of the topic. People with little knowledge of Nichiren or even Buddhism in general will find this book very informative and even entertaining.
The scholarly aspect of this historical novel benefits from fact-checking assistance provided by Dr. Jacqueline I. Stone, Professor of Japanese Religions in the Religion Department of Princeton University.
Ryuei has used Nichiren’s deathbed reminiscences as a vehicle to tell Nichiren’s life story. The first and last chapters are particularly well written. The scenes – nearly all based on the writings of Nichiren Shonin – are often very compelling. One of my favorites comes as Nichiren is being taken away to Izu on his first exile.
“I am no magistrate,” said the official. “I am not interested in your arguments. I am only interested in getting you onto that ship, out of Kamakura, and on to Izu. Now keep quiet!”
Nichiren put his palms together and bowed. His disciples cried out to him, some in tears. The guards kept back all but one. Nichiro, now a strong young man of 16, would not be cowed. He slipped past the guards and ran down to the boat just as it was being pushed off into the surf.
“Get back!” screamed the official.
But Nichiro would not get back. Crying for his master as he reached out to him, he waded out into the bay after the boat. Nichiren exhorted him to be calm, but his disciple was too overwrought and would not listen. “Take me with you!” He shouted again and again. Exasperated, the official took an oar and struck the young monk with bone shattering force. Clutching at his broken right arm, Nichiro finally backed away, his face white with pain.
Tears fell from Nichiren’s eyes as he saw his faithful disciple so brutalized. “Nichiro! Calm yourself. Is this how a disciple of the Buddha should act? From now on, when you see the sun setting in the west behind Izu, think of me. When I see the sun rising from the sea, I shall think of you.”
Nichiro nodded. “Forgive me, master.” Becoming faint, he went down on his knees in the water, sweat and tears coursing down his face. One of the guards finally reached him and escorted him back to where Nissho and the other monks were gathered.
As the boat moved away Nichiren began to chant the final verses from the eleventh chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “It is difficult to keep this sutra. I shall be glad to see anyone keeping it even for a moment.” The rocking of the waves caused his voice to fade in and out, giving the recitation an odd rhythm. The passage ended with, “Anyone who expounds this sutra even for a moment in this dreadful world should be honored with offerings by all gods and men.” From that point on Nichiren knew that he and his disciples had truly become practitioners of the Lotus Sutra as its predictions of hardships that would be faced by the teachers of the True Dharma began to be fulfilled in their own lives.
Each day I recite the Hotoge, those verses from Chapter 11, and I wonder what was the source of the odd rhythm.
In the year that I have been attending Nichiren Shu services in Sacramento, San Jose and online with Myosho-ji and Houston’s Myoken-ji, I’ve come to appreciate the rituals. In fact, it was the lack rituals that pushed me away from my former practice and toward Nichiren Shu.
Today’s Dharma talk following the service was on the topic of rituals. The text of the talk is online in Ryusho Shonin’s blog here. In it, he explains:
Today when needing to go some place we are unfamiliar with we reach for the GPS device and program in the destination and following the directions we arrive. We think nothing of doing this, it is ordinary, it is reasonable. We do the same thing in our religious practice. We decide upon a destination, whether it is heaven or enlightenment. Then we find an appropriate GPS device and follow the directions provided. In religious practice, we replace our electronic GPS device with the instructions of previous travelers, such as teachers who have laid out a map for us to use as travel instructions.
He goes on to explain that rituals serve to open a window of opportunity. I personally see this when I pledge myself to the Three Treasures – the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The rituals are the acts that manifest this in my life.
As Ryusho Shonin writes, whether daily practice or Sunday ritual:
As we chant the sutra and the Odaimoku we, even if briefly, suspend our intellect to make space for the spirit to emerge and connect with the heart of the Lotus Sutra. Our practice connects us to the Eternal Buddha and helps us create a life where that Eternal Buddha manifests in daily life.”
Attended the first Kaji Kito ceremony of 2016, the “purification” rite held monthly. The daughter of Ven. Kenjo Igarashi, Kyomi J. Igarashi, wrote an Honors Thesis while at Wellesley on “The Development of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism,” which remains (as far as I am aware) the lone English explanation of the rite. From her abstract:
The historical development and initial incorporation of kaji kito into Nichiren Buddhism suggest that the main objective was to bring happiness to people through the use of prayer. Analysis of kaji kito following the death of Nichiren has shown that although different methods of kaji kito have developed, this notion of bringing happiness has been maintained.
In much the way you have to empty a tea cup in order to receive more tea, Ven. Kenjo Igarashi’s Kaji Kito ceremony scoops away some of the bad karma in order to make room for good.
