It was a very pleasant day. The sliding doors to the main hall were closed last time, letting in outside air, and we were able to hold the Ten-Yasai ceremony listening to the sounds of wild birds.
It began in the Muromachi period when Sadakuni, the younger brother of Taira no Sadayuki, the regent who supported the shogun family, retreated to Shinnyodo in Kyoto and practiced chanting the Nembutsu for ten days. I think that is the state of mind one reaches when one has a deep insight into life. It is very difficult for us to find the time and willpower to chant the Nembutsu for ten days.
Even so, we prepare a ceremony called the Juyakai, where we chant the Nembutsu together for just a short time. As we chant the Nembutsu, we reflect on our daily neglect and reaffirm our determination to live our lives to the fullest.
When I chant the Nembutsu, I realize that in the end, most of the things that are important are simple, obvious things, but how difficult it is to put them into practice.
It is important for us to continue to chant the Nembutsu and reflect on ourselves from time to time, and to continue to reaffirm our commitment to the important things so that we can continue to practice even a little of them.
At today's Juya-kai ceremony, we once again reflected on this fact and chanted the Nembutsu together, praying that by repeating this process we will be able to reach the Pure Land at the end.
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