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August 2012
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Not for the Sake of the Deceased!
Obon season has come at last! When thinking about Obon, I know there are a lot of people who get
excited about the Bon Odori festival. While it’s a wonderful occasion, when we celebrate Obon, the most
important thing for us to do is to listen to the story of Moggallana thoughtfully and to remember the great
favors of our deceased family members and friends.
I guess that there might be those reading this who will complain, “Sensei, I’m tired of hearing the story of
Obon.” Certainly, every minister revisits the Obon story at this time every year. But we do so because it is a
very important Dharma opportunity for us to reflect once more on what this story teaches those of us who
live embracing the Nembutsu teaching.
As you know, Moggallana was one of the ten great disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. He was an
outstanding disciple with supernatural powers. According to the Ulambana Sutra, Mogallana’s beloved
mother died young. Although he felt deep sorrow at her passing, he believed that she was safe and at
peace, smiling radiantly in the Pure Land. Even so, he was not able to accept the reality of his mother’s
death.
One day, wondering how she was doing, he used his supernatural power to look for her in the Pure Land.
To his surprise, his mother was not there. He searched for her in every corner of the Pure Land but she was
not to be found. In desperation, he began looking for his mother in the realm of Samsara, searching in turn
the upper world of heavenly beings, down through the worlds of human beings, fighting spirits, beasts,
hungry ghosts, and hell. When he looked in the realm of hungry ghosts—the second lowest of the six realms—
to his shock, he found his mother there, suffering from hunger and thirst.
How could this have happened? Moggallana’s mother had always been a really gentle mother who took
good care of her son. In fact she had devoted her whole life to taking care of him. But because of her blind
love for her son, even if there were kids nearby who were hungry or thirsty, she was not able to be
considerate of them at all and only focused on her own son. It was because of this karma that she had
fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts.
The realm of hungry ghosts is a terrible and unbearable place where one cannot eat or drink anything,
even if surrounded by food and water. The body becomes all skin and bones and only the belly becomes
swollen as it does right before one dies of starvation. If one tries to eat or drink anything, the food or water
burst into flames as soon as it is brought to one’s mouth. Therefore, although Moggallana tried to give some
food to his hungry mother to save her, because it burst into fire, he couldn’t save her. In Buddhism, this kind
of unbearable suffering is referred to as “suffering with head hanging down.” (Obon is an abbreviation for
Urabon which is derived from Ulambana in the Indian language. Namely, it means suffering with head
hanging down.)
Anyway, Moggallana wanted desperately to save his mother from this awful suffering, so he rushed to his
teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, to ask his advice. Shakyamuni said to him, “No matter how much sincere
respect and love you may have for your mother, you cannot save her just because you are upset about the
state she is in. She is suffering because of her karma in her previous life. There is only one way for you to save
your mother. Tomorrow is the last day of the retreat of the rainy season. If you wholeheartedly give sincere
offerings to one hundred monks, your mother will be relieved from her suffering.”
Moggallana did his best to do as Shakyamuni Buddha advised and gave his warm offerings to the monks.
As a result of his virtuous gesture, he was able to save his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. And the
moment he saw her freed from suffering, he started spontaneously dancing for joy in spite of himself. This is
the origin of Obon and Obon dance festival.
Although I realize that this story may be familiar to you and that it’s tiresome to hear it again this Obon
season, I ask you to seriously consider what this story means to the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist.
There might be some of you who believe that Obon Service is held for the benefit of your deceased family
members, or to save them from the world of suffering as Moggallana did for his mother. And, especially in
Japan, there are many who believe that Obon is when their loved ones actually return from the afterlife
because that is what other Japanese Buddhist sects teach. So it is a habit for them to set delicious food
and drink in front of the Obutsudan and keep a candle lit from morning till night in the belief that it helps
the souls of the dead find their home safely without getting lost.
But Jodo Shinshu does not teach us such things. Our founder, Shinran Shonin said, “I, Shinran, have never
even once recited the Nembutsu for the sake of my father and mother.”
By this he meant that he never recited the Nembutsu as a prayer for his parents in order to save them.
And he also taught us that even if we want to save them, we as ordinary people simply do not possess such
mysterious abilities.
Then how should we as Shin Buddhists interpret the story of Obon?
Shin Buddhist teachings encourage us to see Moggallana’s mother as an embodiment of Amida Buddha
who swore in his 18th Vow, “If when I attain Buddhahood, all beings should not be born in the Pure Land,
may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.”
When Moggallana lost his beloved mother, he was overwhelmed with grief at the death of the one
person who had nurtured him with loving care since his birth. During that time of deepest sorrow, Amida
Buddha couldn’t stand seeing the young man’s suffering, so he disguised himself as Moggallana’s mother,
suffering in realm of hungry ghosts, in order to make him realize his state of mind.
Moggallana also tried desperately to use the teachings for the sake of his mother. But he couldn’t find any
way to save her. The more he tried, the more he himself suffered.
Consider that Moggallana’s suffering was exactly like the suffering of those in the realm of hungry ghosts:
Even if there was food in front of his eyes, he couldn’t eat; even if there was water, he was unable to drink.
When bringing them to his mouth, all burst into flames instantly. It was that kind of unimaginable suffering
that he experienced. Because of this, in order escape this suffering, Moggallana had gone to his teacher for
advice.
Then Shakyamuni Buddha told Moggallana to listen carefully to the precious teachings of 100 superior
disciples as he devoted himself to giving them his offerings on the last day of their retreat. And as a result of
his sincere listening, Moggallana finally was able to realize that his mother suffering in the realm of hungry
ghosts was actually an embodiment of Amida Buddha. Namely, Amida Buddha had disguised himself as his
suffering mother so that Moggallana would be able to realize that his delusional mind prevented him from
accepting the impermanence of life. The image he had seen of his mother suffering in the realm of hungry
ghosts was actually a shadow of his own delusional mind.
Thus through the guidance of Amida Buddha, Moggallana truly awoke to the realization that the one
who was suffering in the realm of hungry ghosts was not his mother; it was Moggallana himself, unable to
accept the truth of life’s impermanence. Through this experience, he was able to gain true Shinjin—
entrusting the heart to the primal vow of Amida Buddha—and at last, by its virtue, relieved from suffering. It
was all due to listening to the Buddha Dharma that the urge to dance with joy spilled forth, and he felt
joyful happiness and started dancing for joy without reserve.
Now a point to notice here is that when Moggallana was saved, it meant that Amida Buddha was also
saved. That is to say, Amida Buddha’s efforts and hardships over a long time bore fruit. And Amida Buddha’
s compassion is always focused not only on Moggallana but also on all sentient beings without exception.
Shinran Shonin always rejoiced in the great wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha. In A Record in
Lament of Divergences, he said, “When I ponder the compassionate vow of Amida, established through
five kalpas of profound thought, it was for myself, Shinran, alone.” With these words, he encourages us to
truly realize that the Nembutsu is a precious gift from Amida Buddha, meant for each one of us who tries
but is unable to save our family decedents on our own power, and who is completely confused by a
delusional mind.
Using the famous story of Obon, our Jodo Shinshu teaches us that Moggallana’s mother is not a hungry
ghost. In reality, she is each one of us still alive who is a hungry ghost. This is because our selfish desire knows
no limits and we really don’t know when we have enough. And if things do not turn out as we desire, we
scream from hunger and thirst in unending agony, just like hungry ghosts.
If we don’t encounter the Nembutsu teaching, we will never be able to realize the blind passions that
hide in our mind of darkness, nor realize how deep Amida Buddha’s compassion is for each one of us. We
really don’t know what Amida Buddha had to go through to enable us to attain Buddhahood. Left on our
own, we would have to desperately try all kinds of ascetic practices in order to attain enlightenment. But
because Amida Buddha truly understands that it is absolutely impossible for us to achieve Buddhahood by
ourselves alone, he took on the burden of all ascetic trials which we might have carried out. Amida Buddha
accomplished all of them himself though it took “five kalpas,” which is an astounding period of time.
If only we could truly comprehend the immeasurable efforts and hardships Amida went through in order
to be able to save each one of us without exception, we couldn’t help but recite the Nembutsu with the
deepest feeling of gratitude for his great compassion. At the very moment we truly understand that we are
always embraced by the workings of his wisdom and compassion, the urge to dance with joy will suddenly
take hold of us. This is why in Shin Buddhism, we call Obon “the gathering of joy.” It is because the Nembutsu
teaching has the precious power to make all people dance for joy.
During Obon season, we should remember three important lessons. First is that the story of Moggallana
shows us that our way of living is not much different from that of the hungry ghost. Second is that the
Nembutsu teaching is the only way for us to transcend the world of delusion. And lastly, we should realize
that all our loved ones who have died before us always lead us to the way of the truth, just as Amida
Buddha became an embodiment of Moggallana’s mother to guide him.
There are many interpretations of the story of Obon among Buddhist sects. But as a Shin Buddhist, please
remember that Obon is not for the benefit of our ancestors. Instead, it is a precious Dharma opportunity for
each one of us to reflect deeply and calmly through the Nembutsu teaching on our true selves as we
remember the wonderful lives of the loved ones who have left this life before us.
Let us deeply appreciate the Obon season because it gives each one of us the wonderful opportunity to
listen to the Nembutsu teaching which leads us to the way of awakening.
Now, everyone, let’s have a great time at our Obon festival!
In Gassho.
excited about the Bon Odori festival. While it’s a wonderful occasion, when we celebrate Obon, the most
important thing for us to do is to listen to the story of Moggallana thoughtfully and to remember the great
favors of our deceased family members and friends.
I guess that there might be those reading this who will complain, “Sensei, I’m tired of hearing the story of
Obon.” Certainly, every minister revisits the Obon story at this time every year. But we do so because it is a
very important Dharma opportunity for us to reflect once more on what this story teaches those of us who
live embracing the Nembutsu teaching.
As you know, Moggallana was one of the ten great disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. He was an
outstanding disciple with supernatural powers. According to the Ulambana Sutra, Mogallana’s beloved
mother died young. Although he felt deep sorrow at her passing, he believed that she was safe and at
peace, smiling radiantly in the Pure Land. Even so, he was not able to accept the reality of his mother’s
death.
One day, wondering how she was doing, he used his supernatural power to look for her in the Pure Land.
To his surprise, his mother was not there. He searched for her in every corner of the Pure Land but she was
not to be found. In desperation, he began looking for his mother in the realm of Samsara, searching in turn
the upper world of heavenly beings, down through the worlds of human beings, fighting spirits, beasts,
hungry ghosts, and hell. When he looked in the realm of hungry ghosts—the second lowest of the six realms—
to his shock, he found his mother there, suffering from hunger and thirst.
How could this have happened? Moggallana’s mother had always been a really gentle mother who took
good care of her son. In fact she had devoted her whole life to taking care of him. But because of her blind
love for her son, even if there were kids nearby who were hungry or thirsty, she was not able to be
considerate of them at all and only focused on her own son. It was because of this karma that she had
fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts.
The realm of hungry ghosts is a terrible and unbearable place where one cannot eat or drink anything,
even if surrounded by food and water. The body becomes all skin and bones and only the belly becomes
swollen as it does right before one dies of starvation. If one tries to eat or drink anything, the food or water
burst into flames as soon as it is brought to one’s mouth. Therefore, although Moggallana tried to give some
food to his hungry mother to save her, because it burst into fire, he couldn’t save her. In Buddhism, this kind
of unbearable suffering is referred to as “suffering with head hanging down.” (Obon is an abbreviation for
Urabon which is derived from Ulambana in the Indian language. Namely, it means suffering with head
hanging down.)
Anyway, Moggallana wanted desperately to save his mother from this awful suffering, so he rushed to his
teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, to ask his advice. Shakyamuni said to him, “No matter how much sincere
respect and love you may have for your mother, you cannot save her just because you are upset about the
state she is in. She is suffering because of her karma in her previous life. There is only one way for you to save
your mother. Tomorrow is the last day of the retreat of the rainy season. If you wholeheartedly give sincere
offerings to one hundred monks, your mother will be relieved from her suffering.”
Moggallana did his best to do as Shakyamuni Buddha advised and gave his warm offerings to the monks.
As a result of his virtuous gesture, he was able to save his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts. And the
moment he saw her freed from suffering, he started spontaneously dancing for joy in spite of himself. This is
the origin of Obon and Obon dance festival.
Although I realize that this story may be familiar to you and that it’s tiresome to hear it again this Obon
season, I ask you to seriously consider what this story means to the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist.
There might be some of you who believe that Obon Service is held for the benefit of your deceased family
members, or to save them from the world of suffering as Moggallana did for his mother. And, especially in
Japan, there are many who believe that Obon is when their loved ones actually return from the afterlife
because that is what other Japanese Buddhist sects teach. So it is a habit for them to set delicious food
and drink in front of the Obutsudan and keep a candle lit from morning till night in the belief that it helps
the souls of the dead find their home safely without getting lost.
But Jodo Shinshu does not teach us such things. Our founder, Shinran Shonin said, “I, Shinran, have never
even once recited the Nembutsu for the sake of my father and mother.”
By this he meant that he never recited the Nembutsu as a prayer for his parents in order to save them.
And he also taught us that even if we want to save them, we as ordinary people simply do not possess such
mysterious abilities.
Then how should we as Shin Buddhists interpret the story of Obon?
Shin Buddhist teachings encourage us to see Moggallana’s mother as an embodiment of Amida Buddha
who swore in his 18th Vow, “If when I attain Buddhahood, all beings should not be born in the Pure Land,
may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.”
When Moggallana lost his beloved mother, he was overwhelmed with grief at the death of the one
person who had nurtured him with loving care since his birth. During that time of deepest sorrow, Amida
Buddha couldn’t stand seeing the young man’s suffering, so he disguised himself as Moggallana’s mother,
suffering in realm of hungry ghosts, in order to make him realize his state of mind.
Moggallana also tried desperately to use the teachings for the sake of his mother. But he couldn’t find any
way to save her. The more he tried, the more he himself suffered.
Consider that Moggallana’s suffering was exactly like the suffering of those in the realm of hungry ghosts:
Even if there was food in front of his eyes, he couldn’t eat; even if there was water, he was unable to drink.
When bringing them to his mouth, all burst into flames instantly. It was that kind of unimaginable suffering
that he experienced. Because of this, in order escape this suffering, Moggallana had gone to his teacher for
advice.
Then Shakyamuni Buddha told Moggallana to listen carefully to the precious teachings of 100 superior
disciples as he devoted himself to giving them his offerings on the last day of their retreat. And as a result of
his sincere listening, Moggallana finally was able to realize that his mother suffering in the realm of hungry
ghosts was actually an embodiment of Amida Buddha. Namely, Amida Buddha had disguised himself as his
suffering mother so that Moggallana would be able to realize that his delusional mind prevented him from
accepting the impermanence of life. The image he had seen of his mother suffering in the realm of hungry
ghosts was actually a shadow of his own delusional mind.
Thus through the guidance of Amida Buddha, Moggallana truly awoke to the realization that the one
who was suffering in the realm of hungry ghosts was not his mother; it was Moggallana himself, unable to
accept the truth of life’s impermanence. Through this experience, he was able to gain true Shinjin—
entrusting the heart to the primal vow of Amida Buddha—and at last, by its virtue, relieved from suffering. It
was all due to listening to the Buddha Dharma that the urge to dance with joy spilled forth, and he felt
joyful happiness and started dancing for joy without reserve.
Now a point to notice here is that when Moggallana was saved, it meant that Amida Buddha was also
saved. That is to say, Amida Buddha’s efforts and hardships over a long time bore fruit. And Amida Buddha’
s compassion is always focused not only on Moggallana but also on all sentient beings without exception.
Shinran Shonin always rejoiced in the great wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha. In A Record in
Lament of Divergences, he said, “When I ponder the compassionate vow of Amida, established through
five kalpas of profound thought, it was for myself, Shinran, alone.” With these words, he encourages us to
truly realize that the Nembutsu is a precious gift from Amida Buddha, meant for each one of us who tries
but is unable to save our family decedents on our own power, and who is completely confused by a
delusional mind.
Using the famous story of Obon, our Jodo Shinshu teaches us that Moggallana’s mother is not a hungry
ghost. In reality, she is each one of us still alive who is a hungry ghost. This is because our selfish desire knows
no limits and we really don’t know when we have enough. And if things do not turn out as we desire, we
scream from hunger and thirst in unending agony, just like hungry ghosts.
If we don’t encounter the Nembutsu teaching, we will never be able to realize the blind passions that
hide in our mind of darkness, nor realize how deep Amida Buddha’s compassion is for each one of us. We
really don’t know what Amida Buddha had to go through to enable us to attain Buddhahood. Left on our
own, we would have to desperately try all kinds of ascetic practices in order to attain enlightenment. But
because Amida Buddha truly understands that it is absolutely impossible for us to achieve Buddhahood by
ourselves alone, he took on the burden of all ascetic trials which we might have carried out. Amida Buddha
accomplished all of them himself though it took “five kalpas,” which is an astounding period of time.
If only we could truly comprehend the immeasurable efforts and hardships Amida went through in order
to be able to save each one of us without exception, we couldn’t help but recite the Nembutsu with the
deepest feeling of gratitude for his great compassion. At the very moment we truly understand that we are
always embraced by the workings of his wisdom and compassion, the urge to dance with joy will suddenly
take hold of us. This is why in Shin Buddhism, we call Obon “the gathering of joy.” It is because the Nembutsu
teaching has the precious power to make all people dance for joy.
During Obon season, we should remember three important lessons. First is that the story of Moggallana
shows us that our way of living is not much different from that of the hungry ghost. Second is that the
Nembutsu teaching is the only way for us to transcend the world of delusion. And lastly, we should realize
that all our loved ones who have died before us always lead us to the way of the truth, just as Amida
Buddha became an embodiment of Moggallana’s mother to guide him.
There are many interpretations of the story of Obon among Buddhist sects. But as a Shin Buddhist, please
remember that Obon is not for the benefit of our ancestors. Instead, it is a precious Dharma opportunity for
each one of us to reflect deeply and calmly through the Nembutsu teaching on our true selves as we
remember the wonderful lives of the loved ones who have left this life before us.
Let us deeply appreciate the Obon season because it gives each one of us the wonderful opportunity to
listen to the Nembutsu teaching which leads us to the way of awakening.
Now, everyone, let’s have a great time at our Obon festival!
In Gassho.