参拝旅行の味わい

先月、南アラミダ群仏教会の宮地崇先生とサンマテオ仏教会のメンバーを含めた桑湾教区(サンフランシコ周辺)の団体と一緒に、日本の京都、浄土真宗の本山西本願寺で行われた親鸞聖人御誕生850年及び立教開宗800年の慶讃法要、ならびに第17回世界仏教婦人会大会、そして鹿児島隠れ念仏参拝の2週間のツアーに参加してきました。

羽田空港に到着して日本に入国後は、東京築地本願寺の近くのホテルに2泊宿泊しました。滞在中は、築地本願寺の晨朝勤行(じんじょうごんぎょう)(お朝勤(あさじ))にも参加しました。築地本願寺は東京の中心にあって、その周りには高いオフィスビルがたくさん並んでいます。築地本願寺のお朝勤は午前7時から始まるので近辺のオフィスで働いている方々の中にはこのお朝勤にお参りしてから、職場に向かう方の姿もありました。

築地本願寺のスタッフに境内のご案内をしてもらい、インドの伝統寺院の形式と西洋建築の双方の影響がうかがえる本堂はとても新鮮でした。ツアー参加者の中には、本堂に立派なパイプオルガンが置かれていることに興味深く感じた方もいました。都会に移住する多くの現代人のニーズを考慮し、新たに納骨の形式を提供した合同墓も築地本願寺にはあり、親鸞聖人が800年前に立教開宗した教えが私の時代にも継承され、今も人々の救いになっていることが味わえました。

築地の後は、親鸞聖人が長年住んでいた京都に移動し、850年前にお生まれになった親鸞聖人に関わる場所を巡りました。浄土真宗本願寺派本山である西本願寺には毎朝6時のお朝勤と5月10日の慶讃法要を参拝し、世界仏教婦人会大会に参加しました。仏婦大会では世界各地の念仏者とともに親鸞聖人のご遺徳を偲び、そのご苦労を通じて、阿弥陀如来のご本願による救いをあらためて心に深く味わうができ、今回のご縁をとてもありがたく思いました。

その他には、親鸞聖人が九歳の時に得度をして僧侶となった青蓮院、二十年間修行に励んだ比叡山延暦寺、そして親鸞聖人が往生した後に聖人の末娘覚信尼公が建立した大谷本廟を参拝し、京都国立博物館では滞在中特別展示されていた親鸞聖人の直筆の聖教を拝見することができ、いっそう親鸞聖人のご生涯とお念仏とのご縁のありがたさを改めて実感できた京都訪問でした。

 京都の後は、九州に移動し、鹿児島のかくれ念仏の遺跡を訪問しました。かくれ念仏というのは、江戸時代、島津藩が浄土真宗を禁止し、念仏者を激しく弾圧していた期間に、浄土真宗の御門徒達が信仰を失わないよう洞窟などに隠れて阿弥陀如来を唱え続けたことを示します。今回、実際にかくれ念仏が行われていた場所である立山のかくれがま(「がま」は鹿児島の方言で、山の斜面などに掘った横穴のこと)を訪ね、西本願寺鹿児島別院にてこのかくれ念仏の歴史を学ぶことも出来ました。また鹿児島別院では、境内に納めてある「涙石」という弾圧の歴史を象徴する石を拝見することも出来ました。

このかくれ念仏の歴史を聞けたことで、私達にお念仏の教えを伝えるためにたくさんの方々が大変苦労してこられたことを知り、今回改めて、私達もこれから親鸞聖人が説かれた浄土真宗の教えが次の世代に伝わるよう励むべきだと実感させられた大変ありがたい2週間でした。

南無阿弥陀仏

Impressions from the Pilgrimmage Tour

Last month I had the opportunity to travel with Rev. Takashi Miyaji of the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Temple and several members of the San Mateo Buddhist Temple on the Bay District Pilgrimmage Tour to attend the 17th World Buddhist Women’s Convention, held in conjunction with the Joint Service Celebrating the 850th Anniversary of Shinran Shonin’s Birth and the 800th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Teaching, followed by an excursion to sacred sites related to hidden Nembutsu practice in the Kagoshima region.  A pilgrimmage tour differs from ordinary tourism, in that the sites we visit are connected to the transmission of the Buddha’s teachings and the Nembutsu, and therefore provide us with a precious opportunity to reflect on the causes and conditions that have supported our lives up to this moment and guide us to clarify the direction of our lives moving forward.

We arrived in Japan at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and spent the first two nights of our trip at a hotel located near the Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple, where Rev. Miyaji and I joined a morning service at the Tsukiji Hongwanji Temple.  Tsukiji Hongwanji is located in central Tokyo, surrounded by tall office buildings.  The morning service begins at 7:00 a.m. and some of the attendees joined the service on their way to work. 

Later that day, the Tsukiji Hongwanji staff gave our Bay District group a guided tour of the temple grounds.  We were impressed by the unique temple architecture, which incorporates elements of classical Indian Buddhist temple design and early twentieth-century Western architecture.  Our Bay District members enjoyed hearing Ondokusan played on the beautiful pipe organ that resides in the main temple hall.  Tsukiji Hongwanji also offers a community columbarium that provides an affordable and meaningful option for people living in the urban area to remember by loved ones supported by the Buddhist community.  I was inspired by the efforts that are being made at Tsukiji Hongwanji to apply the teachings established by Shinran Shonin 800 years ago to our lives in this modern world.

From Tokyo we travelled to Kyoto, where Shinran Shonin spent many years of his life, to visit the sites of important events of his life.  Attending the 6:00 a.m. morning services at Hongwanji, the Joint Celebration Service on May 10, and the World Buddhist Women’s Convention were highlights of our trip.  Gathering with Nembutsu followers from all over the world to reflect upon Shinran Shonin’s steadfast dedication to sharing the Nembutsu teaching renewed the profound gratitude we feel to Amida Buddha for the compassionate vow that ensures our the path to liberation.

During our time in Kyoto, we had the opportunity to visit the Shorenin Temple where Shinran Shonin was ordained as a Buddhist priest at the age of nine, the Enryakuji Temple complex on Mount Hiei where he pursed rigorous monastic practices for 20 years, and the Otani Mausoleum, where Shinran Shonin’s youngest daughter Kakushinni established the memorial site to remember him and his teachings following his birth in the Pure Land.  We also had the opportunity to see a special exhibit at Kyoto National Museum of treasures related to Shinran Shonin’s life, including sacred teachings written in Shinran Shonin’s own hand.  Encountering the life of Shinran Shonin through these concrete experiences of the world he lived in deepened our personal appreciation for the Nembutsu teaching.

For the final leg of our journey, we travelled to Kyushu to visit sites related to the hidden Nembutsu practice that continued for a period of about 300 years from the 16th to 19th centuries, when the Shimazu clan that ruled the Kagoshima region brutally suppressed the Jodo Shinshu teaching.  During that period of severe persecution, followers of the Nembutsu teaching continued their practice underground, often gathering in caves by the cover of night to hold services taking refuge in Amida Buddha and reciting the Nembutsu. 

During our stay in Kagoshima, we visited the Tateyama Kakuregama, a historic site of hidden Nembutsu practice, along with the Kagoshima Betsuin, where one of the local Jodo Shinshu Buddhist priests shared the history of hidden Nembutsu in Kagoshima and invited us to view the namidaishi (“stone of tears”), an artifact of the period of Nembutsu persecution that is now displayed at the Kagoshima Betsuin in order to educate visitors about the fearless commitment to the Nembutsu teaching shown by the Jodo Shinshu Buddhists of Kagoshima.

Hearing the history of the hidden Nembutsu in Kagoshima shed new light on the extraordinary dedication and sacrifice made by those who have come before so that the Nembutsu teaching of Shinran Shonin could be passed down for us to receive today.  Reflecting on all the efforts that have made it possible for us to receive the precious legacy of the Nembutsu, we feel a renewed commitment to pass the Nembutsu teaching down to the next generation.

Namo Amida Butsu

Ho’onko Memorial Service for Shinran Shonin 報恩講法要

January 22, 2023

Guest Speaker

Rev. Takashi Miyaji

御講師

宮地 崇 師

Resident Minister

Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church

H.E. Kosho Ohtani Professor of Shin Buddhist Studies

Institute of Buddhist Studies

We invite you to join us in person or from the safety and comfort of your own home via Zoom Meeting for our for our annual Ho’onko Memorial Service for Shinran Shonin on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.  

This service will also include the Installation of Officers for the temple Board of Trustees led by incoming Temple President David Chin and the Buddhist Women’s Association led by Co-Presidents Grace Kanomata and Doris Murai.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Gyōfu Chanting
9:00 a.m. Mindfulness Meditation
9:30 a.m. Ho’onko Service
  English Language Dharma Talk by Rev. Takashi Miyaji

  Installation of Officers for the SMBT Board of Trustees 
  Installation of Officers for Buddhist Women’s Association
10:45 a.m. 日本語法話 宮地 崇 師 
  Japanese Language Dharma Talk by Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji

To join us for this online Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

自宅からご参拝されたい方はここにクリックして、”Live Broadcast of Services”に登録してください。

Why We Listen to the Dharma

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

7:00 p.m.

Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji

Resident Minister

Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church

H.E. Kosho Ohtani Professor of Shin Buddhist Studies

Institute of Buddhist Studies

Rev. Dr. Miyaji will share his insights on the meaning and importance of hearing the Dharma in the Jodo Shinshu tradition, along with considerations of listening to Dharma Talks online versus live in person.

We welcome you to join us via Zoom Meeting from the comfort and safety of your own home on Wednesday, March 6 for this Dharma session.

To join us for this online Dharma Session, CLICK HERE and sign up for “Study Classes and Seminars”. To protect the privacy of online participants and encourage free and open discussion, this session will not be recorded.