Seriously, I can’t imagine two things that go together better: chanting Dhāraṇīs from the Lotus Sutra and modern jazz.

The two songs from this experiment are available on Spotify and iTunes.

My wife and I attended the end of year service at 11pm Dec. 31, followed by a meal of noodles and tempura. At midnight, the church bell was rung 108 times, with each attendee doing a portion of the total. After the conclusion of the bell ringing, the priest held the New Year’s service.

The New Year’s service included an eyeopening ceremony for a new member’s Gohonzon and a memorial service for my parents. The priest has offered prayers for my parents at each Obon and I’ve had their names added to the Eitaikyo, but I’ve never had a memorial service.

This is the end of my second year with the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. While I’ve been a follower of Nichiren since 1989, much of the Nichiren Shu practice is still new to me. For example, I had to ask Ven. Kenjo Igarashi when was the appropriate time to make the kasane offering. He said Dec. 28 to 30 was ideal, or after the New Year.

So today I took the kasane I had purchased at the church’s annual mochi sale and wrapped it in red plastic and placed it on a plate and then on the altar.

Recently I’ve been mulling over how to explain Nichiren Shu Buddhism to someone who knows little or nothing about Buddhism. What are the three essential things on which to focus? And today, chanting and looking at the kasane on my altar, I considered the Eternal Buddha Śākyamuni, always-present, and the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, so difficult to understand and so rare to hear, all wrapped in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.

Spent Sunday at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church helping out with the annual church cleaning. Last year, when I called to find out what time the cleaning would be, the priest’s wife said, “Oh, we already finished.” This year I made sure the priest knew I _really_ wanted to help out. Apparently, it has been such a struggle to get members to show up to help that the task is generally left to the priest, his wife and their son.

And, of course, they didn’t wait for me. They were already well into the task of cleaning the altar area when I arrived at the appointed hour.

My principal task was dusting stuff that was not on the altar and polishing the brass fixtures. The brass bowls, vases and candle holders all have ornamental protective deities (four dog-like bits in the center of the top photo) that prevent evil spirits from climbing up and spoiling the offering. They have Japanese names but I didn’t really catch them.

While I polished, I watched Ven. Kenjo Igarashi work on the statues. He lit incense and then waved a calligraphy brush in the smoke before brushing off any dust. He began with Nichiren, then Kishimojin and finally Daikokuten. Nichiren’s back is decorated with the Odaimoku and other characters I didn’t recognize. The statue was sent from Japan to Sacramento in 1936. Rev. Igarashi explained that Daikokuten’s back has text from the Lotus Sutra written on it.

Afterward, Rev. Igarashi and I were served sweet bean soup with mochi, a first for me. I realize it may be traditional, but it always bothers me that Mrs. Igarashi and her son don’t eat with church members.

Sunday’s Kaji Kito service concluded three days of work for the final fund-raiser of the year, the Mochi Sale. This is the second year I’ve helped out in the preparation of the pounded rice concoction that is molded into patties and sold by the pound. On Friday I helped set up all of the equipment and tables needed and on Saturday morning I was back at the church.

For the second year I helped with steaming the rice.

This is a fascinating system for cooking the rice. At the bottom are gas-fired cauldrons of boiling water. (The cauldron on the right heats replacement water that is transferred to the working cauldrons as needed.) Atop the cauldron is a wood plank with a single half-inch diameter hole in the center. All of the heat from the boiling cauldron is jetted through this hole into the trays of rice above.

Inside each tray a bamboo mat rests on crossbeams with a cotton cloth on top of the mat. Several cups of rice are heaped on the cloth and spread out to fill the bottom of the tray.

Trays are stacked eight high with a final board on top holding the steam in. (Years ago, this system used just four trays each but that took all day to cook the 200-pounds of rice needed. A craftsman church member doubled the number of trays and made it possible to cook all of the rice in less than four hours.)

The trays of rice are removed from the bottom first – one worker lifts the stack of seven trays while another worker (me) removes the bottom tray. The tray of cooked rice is then dumped into a grinder that extrudes a smooth rice paste that is formed into the mochi. Empty trays are then filled with new rice and placed on the top of the stack under the top board.

The trays themselves are marvels of Japanese construction. There are no nails. The side slats have wooden pins that hold the pieces together.

Below is a slideshow of photos I took of the process.

Attended the purification service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church on Sunday, Nov. 20. Following the kaji kito ceremony Ven. Kenjo Igarashi talked about “our basic nature.”

Is our nature bad or good? he asked. Some believe our nature is bad and therefore our actions are bad all of the time. But Nichiren Shonin said our nature is good because everybody has Buddha nature in your spirit.

Rev. Igarashi reminded everyone of his September lecture on Nichiren’s interpretation of the Conciousness-Only School.

Everyone, Rev. Igarashi explained, has a Buddha nature but it is surrounding by your bad karmas. That is why people think our nature is bad. But Nichiren held that through practice and study this inherent Buddha nature arises and we become enlightened.

Rev. Igarashi explained that everybody has 10 realms in their spirit. The bad spirits in this world lead to bad actions. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said just purify your spirit, your bad karmas, bad actions, bad condition, then your Buddha nature will appear automatically. That’s why I want to give you purification all the time. You have a pretty good spirit, a Buddha nature, so that is why I pray all the time.

But purification prayers alone will not work. Practicing and studying helps your Buddha nature appear automatically. So you should practice and study and I will give you purification then you are going to have a good life and you are going to be more happy.

Rev. Igarashi referenced his November newsletter lecture, “Focusing on Rissho Anshin Before Rissho Ankoku” in explaining that world peace is very important but if you are not happy you cannot pray for world peace.

That’s why I give you purification, he said, in order to help your Buddha nature appear. When that happens you are happy. And when you are happy you can try to save other people. When you and other people become happy, then we can make world peace.

This is the monthly lecture for November by Ven. Kenjo Igarashi of the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church.

Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), a former leader of China known for introducing economic reforms and opening the country to foreign investment, famously said, “Let some people get rich first.” While Deng’s policies led to China’s rapid economic growth, some suggest that his ideas increased the gap between the rich and poor. This contrasts with the egalitarianism so prominent during the rule of his predecessor, Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Deng seems to suggest that China’s economic growth needs to start from economic success of the individual, which would in turn help the society, and ultimately the country. I would like to use Deng’s idea as an analogy to introduce “rissho anshin” (立正安心), a new term that I have coined.

Throughout my years as a minister, I have seen and met many people who visit a Buddhist temple for the first time. Many of them want to explore their interests in Buddhism, yet there are those that have a problem in their life that they believe Buddhism could help them resolve. For the majority of these people, they are merely curious to “test out” Buddhism as a remedy for their problems. They are not as interested in the spiritual aspect of religion, but only see it from a philosophical perspective. However, the major difference between philosophy and religion is that the latter incorporates prayer.

Nichiren Shonin is known for his various forms of prayer for differing purposes, ranging from those specific for a lay follower to prayers he hoped would help save Japan from the destructive effects of “mappo” (末法) or “the period of degeneration of Buddhist teachings”. His Rissho Ankoku Ron (立正安国論), which literally translates to “establishing the right teaching for peace of the land”, addresses his concerns with the countless forms of suffering he saw in Japan. He believed that this could be fixed if more people followed the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Shonin prayed not only for a single person, but the whole country of Japan.

We may aspire to be like him and pray for something grand like world peace or the end of all suffering. However, I personally think that we must first attempt to practice what I like to call “rissho anshin” or “establishing one’s peace of mind”, before embarking on a path to help others. We cannot expect someone who is suffering or unhappy with his or her life to have the capacity to pray for world peace. However, we can use the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, or the “right teaching” as Nichiren Shonin called it, to work towards attaining happiness, after which we can pray for peace within one’s family, the country, and then the world. Thus, we can take small steps that would allow us to ultimately practice what Nichiren Shonin stated in his Rissho Ankoku Ron.

In referring back to Deng’s quote, we see that while not everyone can become wealthy simultaneously, it is possible for those that “get rich first” to help others using their newly acquired wealth. This leads to what can be seen as a domino effect, thus increasing the number of affluent people, and subsequently, economic growth of the country as a whole. In the same way, we see that not everyone can be at peace with himself or herself. However, it is possible for those that have already attained happiness to pray for suffering individuals, which would hopefully decrease suffering and ultimately lead to world peace.

I am hoping that you will, if not so already, become at peace with yourself, and reach a point where you will be encouraged to extend your happiness to others through prayer.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi donned his best robes and performed the annual Nichiren Memorial Service, Oeshiki. In front of the altar were two artificial trees representing the cherry blossoms that appeared upon the death of Nichiren October 13, 1282, at the residence of Ikegami Munenaka near Tokyo.

Following the service, Rev. Igarashi continued his discussion of his experience during aragyo, the 100-day ascetic practice which he endured on five occasions.The practice features pouring ice-cold water over the body for purification several times a day and limiting sleep to less than 3 hours and food to just a thin porridge, miso soup and maybe a pickle twice a day. Through these hardships the priests work to remove their bad karma and earn the help of protective deities.

The universal message from all this is the need for both practice and study in everyone’s life. Not just studying the Lotus Sutra. Not just chanting the Odaimoku. Through study and practice, our bad karma is extinguished and our enlightment naturally appears.

I immensely enjoyed the Kaji Kito purification ceremony today. Ven. Kenjo Igarashi offered an explanation of the aragyo ascetic practice and the grueling nature of the 100-day trial – little sleep, cold showers, watery porridge and lots and lots of chanting. Days of chanting at first seek to clear the bad karma of the priest. Then days of chanting seek give the priest the merits to take on bad karma of church members when performing the Kaji Kito purification. It was compassion toward church members, not personal aggrandizement, that prompted Rev. Igarashi to undergo the 100-day aragyo ascetic practice five separate times.

During his talk and prior to the service in a conversation with me and another member, Rev. Igarashi discussed a misconception about the mandala Gohonzon perpetuated by SGI. I’ll paraphrase:

You don’t just walk in and ask for a Gohonzon. The priest is not a salesman in a store handing out Gohonzons. Your practice of Nichiren Buddhism, reciting the Lotus Sutra and chanting Odaimoku, activate the mandala Gohonzon of your life. The sacred object is not outside; it is within. Attending services, practicing at home, participating in the church and becoming a member of the church are all more important. It is when you finally understand that the outward manifestation of the mandala Gohonzon is only a reflection of your inner self that you can receive one.

The mandala Gohonzon is not “a happiness machine,” Rev. Igarashi said.