Funeral consultation

Why do we hold funerals? To ensure that the deceased is watching over us, to live our future lives to the fullest with that knowledge as our foundation, and to chant the Nembutsu so that we will be welcomed into the same Pure Land at the end.

The deceased are watching over us who were related to them. They absolutely will. What they rely on is the many memories we have of the deceased.

At modern funerals, portraits of the deceased are displayed in the ceremony hall. However, whether there is a photograph or not, we can see the face of the deceased right before our eyes. And we can hear the words that come out of their mouth. To be precise, we can reconstruct them. This is based on memory.

The word for wake is "through the night." Why do we stay through the night? It's to talk about the events of the deceased's life. Why do we talk about the deceased? It's to recall memories of the deceased that we cannot remember on our own. It's to increase the number of memories we have by hearing about the deceased from others that we did not know. By talking about the deceased at the wake, we can feel the deceased watching over us more strongly. That's why we talk about the deceased at the wake.

We just have to live our lives to the fullest, relying on the knowledge that our deceased loved ones are watching over us. And one day we will die. We will definitely die. What happens when we die? We go to the Pure Land. What is the Pure Land? It is written in the sutras.

However, it is not a big deal for us how it is written in the scriptures, because no matter how hard we try to read the scriptures, we will not be able to understand them.

What is important is that the Pure Land is definitely located far to the west, that it is a wonderful place, that our precious ancestors are watching over us there in good health, and that we too will be welcomed into the same Pure Land at the end. That's it. There is no need for it to be more than that, and it would be a problem if it was less than that.

This is no longer logic. It's romance. We are fortunate to have the ability to think this way. It will help us live our lives to the fullest from now on. It's fine if you say it's convenient to think that way.

Ultimately, we humans are born, live our lives to the fullest, and then die. That's all there is to it. Our current state is one in which we are wavering in our efforts to live our lives to the fullest.

In order to improve the current chaotic situation even just a little, it is important to face the Buddha and the deceased, engage in introspection (self-reflection), and continue to walk toward a better life.

At the funeral,

1. Pray for the repose of the deceased's soul

2. Look inward and make a decision to live your life to the fullest.

3. Pray that you will be welcomed into the same Pure Land at the end.

We chant the Nembutsu for the above three reasons. Why do we chant the Nembutsu? It goes without saying that it satisfies the above three requirements, but the most important reason is that it is a ticket to go to the Pure Land.

You need a ticket to ride a train or a plane. What is the ticket to go to the Pure Land? It is to chant the Nembutsu. That is why we chant the Nembutsu.

If we understand the value of chanting the Nembutsu, all problems will be solved. One of the important occasions to understand this is the funeral.

For funeral enquiries, please contact us by phone or email.

TEL:03-3901-2017
MAIL:houji@sk-j.or.jp