Sunday, Sept 20th Higan-e Ceremony
This Sunday is the Fall Higan-e Ceremony. The Higan-e Ceremony, a very significant memorial ceremony for the deceased, is conducted only twice a year at Nichiren Shoshu Temples, in March and September.
In the Gosho, On the Enlightenment of Plants and Trees (Gosho – p. 522), the Daishonin states:
“When our fellow human beings pass on, it is essential to perform a Toba service. By so doing, the deceased will attain enlightenment as well as plants and trees.”
When we sincerely practice True Buddhism, we can purify our lives, eradicate our negative karma and experience enlightenment. Those who are unable to practice True Buddhism, however, such as the deceased, as well as plants, trees and other insentient life forms, must rely on the merit of the Gohonzon and on the faith and practice of others to attain enlightenment. In other words, we send the merit of the Gohonzon to the deceased in order to ease their present suffering and to ensure they will be reborn in a higher life condition. By requesting that a Toba tablet be prepared and offered to the Temple Gohonzon, the full merit of the True Law is immediately implanted into the life of the deceased. By continuing to offer Toba tablets to the deceased, we are expressing our desire to nurture the seed which has been planted until it reaches fruition at some point in the future.
