Annual Memorial Service

We begin with the funeral when a loved one "dies," followed by the 49th day interment memorial service, and then hold an annual memorial service.
Why do we hold these memorial services? In addition to praying for the repose of our loved ones, it is to engage in self-reflection through dialogue with them, and to live a rich and peaceful life in both body and mind from now on. Memorial services provide us with precious time for self-reflection.
What exactly is introspection? It is about reaffirming the true essence and importance of things that we tend to overlook when we are so swamped with the daily grind of life.
Why do we say "reaffirm"? Because while we are alive, we naturally come into contact with the essence and important things, but we may not notice them, or even if we notice them, we may forget them, or even if we remember them, we may not be able to put them into practice. In order to remember and put them into practice, we engage in introspection (introspection) in front of our beloved deceased loved one.
Why do we engage in introspection (self-reflection) by facing the deceased? It is because the essence of things and important things are contained in the way the deceased lived their life, for better or worse.
There are many philosophers in the world who can teach us many things through books, lectures, etc. For example, if we attend a lecture by a great person, we can be showered with precious knowledge, which makes us more cultured and smarter...or so we think.
However, once you leave the venue and try to express what you have learned in your own words, you will find it difficult to do so, much less put it into practice (please bear with me, I am not denying the value of books or lectures).
What happens when you face the deceased? You realize that there are many actions and words of the deceased that you couldn't understand at the time, but that you can understand now. It doesn't matter if it's a bad example. It's up to you to make use of it. It doesn't matter if you make the same mistakes when trying to make use of it. You realize that something that seemed easy was actually not easy. You learn about the hardships of your predecessors and feel a deep respect for them.
The essential or important things that you come face to face with in this way are more likely to resonate with you than the words of any philosopher, because they are the things that are closest to you.
Introspection may be similar to listening to your ancestors' nagging. Nagging makes you angry. Because it's obvious, because it's correct, because the person being told can't do it. Essential things and important things are as simple and obvious as nagging, but they are difficult to put into practice.
All we have to do is live each day to the fullest, relying on essential and important things, such as the "admonitions of our ancestors," that we have thought hard about through introspection.
And in the end, we die. What happens when we die? We go to the Pure Land. What is the Pure Land? It is written in the sutras.
It doesn't really matter to us what is written in the scriptures, because even if we read them, we won't understand them.
We can know what is written in the scriptures, but it is extremely difficult to understand. I know some of what is written in the scriptures, but I am not sure if I understand them.
The difference between "knowing" and "understanding" here is whether you can put it into practice. If you can't put it into practice, then you can't say you understand it.
The only thing we need to understand in the sutras is that there is a paradise far to the west. It is a wonderful place. Our ancestors are living there in good health. They are watching over us. We can go there when we die. That's all.
Ultimately, we are born, live our lives to the fullest, die and go to paradise.
We are in the middle of that process, struggling to get by while trying our best to live life to the fullest. In order to alleviate this situation even just a little, we engage in introspection in order to live a wonderful life.
During memorial services, we chant the Nembutsu for three things: to pray for the deceased's soul to rest in peace, to live our future lives to the fullest, relying on what we have learned through introspection, and to be welcomed into the Pure Land at the end.
Why do we chant the Nembutsu? Because it is our ticket to the Pure Land. Wherever we go, we need a ticket. What is the ticket to the Pure Land? It is the Nembutsu. That is why we chant the Nembutsu.
Why do we chant the Nembutsu repeatedly? It is so that we do not forget what our ticket was. What was our ticket to the Pure Land? It is the Nembutsu. That is why we chant the Nembutsu.
If you would like to hold a memorial service, please contact us by phone, email, or through our inquiry form at least one month in advance.