Had a rare opportunity to attend online Lotus Sutra service broadcast from a hospital room. In particular, the hospital room of Rev. Ryusho Jeffus, who has been hospitalized in Arizona since Nov. 6, when he suffered a collapsed lung during a flight from Syracuse to California.

I’ve been attending the online Myosho-ji Temple services since 2015, when Ryusho was located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ryusho moved to Syracuse in 2017, and last month, he formally retired.

When I was new to Nichiren Shu I read several of his books and was inspired by Ryusho’s focus on putting the Lotus Sutra into practice in one’s daily life, making the Lotus Sutra relevant in a universal, modern context. Personally, I imagine the Lotus Sutra creating a foundation, walls and roof of a beautiful house. You enter this house in faith and within this structure make this house a home with your practice. Contrary to those who criticize the Lotus Sutra for having no central teaching, it is the very emptiness left by the Lotus Sutra that provides the space for personal practice.

Ryusho plans to hold additional services. He maintains a service calendar on the temple website, Myoshoji.org.