Namo Amida Butsu
It is already August! Our Obon services and Bon Dance will be held on the first weekend of this month (August 1 & 2). We warmly welcome all members of our community ‘ohana, as Wailuku Hongwanji is truly a community temple— always ready to support and care for our extended family.
As you may have noticed, whenever Wailuku Hongwanji observes special services, including the six major observances, we adorn the Onaijin (inner sanctuary area) with Uchishiki colored, triangular-shaped tablecloths and offerings of fruits and sweets. These decorations beautifully express the Pure Land of Amida. In the Amida Sutra, Amida’s land is described as follows: “Westward from here and beyond a billion Buddhalands, there is a world called Utmost Happiness. In that land, there is a Buddha called Amida, who is right now preaching the Dharma.”
In the Land of Happiness, there are many pools of jewels brimming with the water of eight virtues. The bottoms of the pools are pure, covered with golden sand. On the four sides are stairways made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal. The lotus flowers in the pools are as large as cartwheels. Green lotuses emit green light; yellow, yellow light; red, red light; and white, white light. They are subtly and wonderfully fragrant and pure. The Land of Utmost Happiness is perfected and splendidly adorned with such excellence.
Thus, decorating the Naijin, or inner sanctuary, truly reflects the Land of Amida. Through the beauty of these decorations, we are reminded of Amida Buddha’s infinite wisdom and compassion, which are extended to all sentient beings. In turn, we receive Amida’s spiritual peace and serenity.
When we see the beautifully maintained and clean Naijin, without even realizing it, our own inner hearts are being cleansed. Just as described in the Amida Sutra, we are purified with a sincere mind of gratitude and joy.
At home, the family altar (Butsudan) follows the same principle. It is truly spiritual practice for all of us. The Butsudan is the center of the home and represents the Land of Amida. When we offer flowers, incense, candlelight, rice, sweets, and chant sutras, we are cultivating and expressing the virtue of caring for a sacred space and at the same time we deeply feel peace and serenity.
These offerings are not only for our departed loved ones in fact, but our loved ones have also become guiding Buddhas, helping us develop hearts filled with purity and sincerity through their virtues.
Therefore, maintaining the Butsudan at home is a way we receive and live with Amida’s true virtues in our daily lives. It allows us to share our sincerity and gratitude with our children and grandchildren. Maintaining the altar means cleaning it regularly, and when we see the cleanliness of our family altar, we may naturally find our hands in gassho, reciting Amida’s Holy Name: Namo Amida Butsu. This is the ways of Understand, accept, and respect our wonderful teaching.
When we do Sho-gon, it is not merely adorned the altar, in fact, splendidly adorning our hearts with Amida Buddha’s infinite wisdom and compassion
