On this day we heard that the Chief Priest, Nomura of the Yasaka shrine would be speaking at the Buddhist lectures in Chion-in temple. So we visited in order to attend.

After the chief priest greeted the hall with “Gokuraku sama desu”, the crowd murmured with laughter and amusement, as in Buddhism, ‘Gokuraku’ is the paradise of the afterlife.

In Japan, the phrase “otsukaresama” is used as a matter of course, but the word “tsukareru” (to be tired) has the same pronunciation and meaning as “tsukareru” (to be possessed by evil spirits) and is not a word that should be used every day.

 On the other hand, “gokuraku” means “raku” is “fun” and “goku” means “mastering things”, so “mastering fun” is more appropriate for greetings in everyday work and life.

Today’s theme is that Japanese people need to understand the differences between Buddhism and Shinto when it comes to ancestral rites and regain their spirit of faith.

Nowadays, Buddhist funerals are common. Before Buddhism was introduced to Japan, the ancient Shinto belief was that death was a return from humankind to the realm of the gods.

When a family member dies, they became guardians who watch over us, so we have always thought that living is an important duty. In other words, the existence of death has given us the opportunity to think about how to live.

Nowadays funerals have become ceremonies in which no sutras or psalms are recited, and a new custom is being established whereby graves are no longer being used.

On the other hand, this means losing the connection with the Holy Spirit and thinking that “as long as we are alive now, it’s fine”.

Priest Nomura implored the audience with the question that “Something that makes us human is our strong connection with faith, so if we lose that connection, won’t we also be losing part of our humanity?”

In order to convey the importance of life, it is important to consider how we view death, and we were able to come into contact with the essence of this through ancient Shinto rituals.

 “Gokuraku sama deshita”