Note: This is an edited transcription of a recording from Ven. Kenjo Igarashi’s sermon following the Ohigan ceremony March 28, 2021. For some reason I can’t explain I didn’t publish this then and now I can’t see any reason not to post it late. While I’m posting this April 3, 2021, it will appear in my timeline March 28, 2021.
Spring Paramita service
Time to sew the seed of Buddhahood in our minds. All the time we need practicing during Higan week.
Everyone wonders why we are born into this world, this suffering world. This world is not a happy world, not paradise. If you ask someone why, they will most likely say they do not know. But Nichiren Shonin said the answer is to become a Buddha. That’s why we are born into this world.
Everybody’s life is different because of their previous life. Maybe we’ve come back from hell, hungry spirits or animals or asura. Now we are living in this world. Maybe sometime someone comes back from heaven. That’s why everyone’s life is different. Everybody’s cause and condition is different.
We are born into this world because we need practicing. Then we become a Buddha and help other people. We are not born into this world to become rich people or famous people. We are just born into this world to become a Buddha.
While we are practicing the six paramitas during paramita week we also have to think about our ancestors, our deceased parents. This is a matter of filial piety.
American’s think filial piety is satisfied if we just buy something for our parents on their birthday or some anniversary. In Buddhism we teach three kinds of filial piety. Just giving presents to parents is the lowest grade of filial piety. Intermediate filial piety is to obey your parents’ wishes. The higher grade filial piety is our memorial prayers. When parents pass away we cannot perform the lessor forms of filial piety. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said, If parents pass away we have to consider the question: Where did they go? If they are in the suffering world we try to save their spirit to a more good realm. That’s why we practice for ourselves and our parents.
I’ve been thinking, Was I dutiful to my parents. When I was 20 years old I became a minister and left home. After studying and practicing I moved to the United States when I was 27 years old. I didn’t call my parents when I arrived in the United States. It was too expensive. Was I a dutiful to my parents? Now my parents have passed away and I pray for them every day, seeking to send them to a better realm. That is my filial piety.
Everybody should pray for their parents. That’s why we have Higan and Obon to pray for deceased parents. They are waiting for your chanting and accept it and go to better realm and become a Buddha and never come back to the suffering world.
This is the teaching of Buddhism and Nichiren Shonin. That’s why we are born into this world — to become a Buddha.
Missing from the Spring Higan service was the banner that always flies for special services. Rev. Igarashi said he did not fly the banner for Spring Higan for fear that the Chinese calligraphy might provoke anti-Asian problems. “I don’t want anybody to fool around with the banner so that is why he did not put up the banner this time,” he said.