July 2011

Rissho Kosei-kai Observes Annual Ullambana Ceremony

On July 15, Rissho Kosei-kai observed the annual Ullambana ceremony in the Great Sacred Hall at the headquarters in Tokyo as well as Dharma centers throughout Japan and overseas. Members made devout offerings to their ancestors and rededicated themselves to bodhisattva practice.

Some 3,300 members took part in the ceremony in the Great Sacred Hall. After an offering of flowers at the altar by 16 young women members, President-designate Kosho Niwano led sutra recitation. Rev. Niwano and 253 Rissho Kosei-kai representative members who are certified Dharma teachers read out the posthumous Buddhist names of the departed, including those of members who died in the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11. Rev. Niwano then offered a prayer for merit transference. Ms. Etsuko Omura, a chapter head of the Shizuoka Dharma Center in Shizuoka Prefecture, testified to her personal experience of the faith.

After that, President Nichiko Niwano offered incense at the altar and delivered his Dharma talk. Quoting and explained a passage from Fukan Zazengi (General advice on the principles of zazen) by Zen master Dogen (1200-1253), President Niwano said that instead of only striving for knowledge of the things outside themselves, people should also look within themselves. With the analogy of the lotus flower blooming beautifully in muddy water, President Niwano explained the proper practice of the teachings of the Dharma. He said the teachings can liberate from suffering those who seriously seek the Dharma and continue to study it despite their tribulations.

[back to News Archive]