"Is an offering necessary?"
[What is an offering?] 】
Everyone said, "Offering(Kuyo)Do you know the word?
There are various offerings such as ancestor offerings, annual memorial offerings, pet offerings, and eternal offerings, and those who only know the names and monks pray at the main hall or grave(today)Some people may understand it as an event to read aloud.
It is true that it is not wrong for a monk to read the sutra. However, offering is not a word that refers to reading sutras in the first place. So why are sutras read aloud at offerings?
Today, I would like to explain about "offerings" and talk about why sutras are read in offerings. I would also like to think about the necessity of offerings.
["Offering(Kuyo)" and "Conversion(Eko)」】
In the first place, "offerings(Kuyo)" is the Chinese translation of the Indian word "pooja".
Puja refers to respectful hospitality. It means to make offerings or show respect to gods, especially to ancestors, animal spirits, or even people you should respect.
This pooja is a companion(You)Feed the other person(Yashina)Therefore, when this word was transmitted to China, "Offering(Kuyo)It has come to be written.
In this way, "offering" was a word that referred to entertaining others with offerings. However, Buddhism has a "conversion(Eko)I came to chant sutras at the time of offerings.
Conversion: The result of good deeds you have done(Merit(Kudoku))Turn to others(Megu)It refers to letting go. Originally, the ideal of Buddhism was to accumulate training, realize what true happiness is, and open up to enlightenment. Therefore, the monks practiced for themselves and aimed to achieve their own enlightenment. However, if it is your own training, your own enlightenment, "self"(me(But))Obsession with(Shuuchaku)It leads to thinking about things around yourself. To avoid this, in Buddhism, the results of one's own practice(Consequences of good deeds)I decided to hope that I would turn to others. This is conversion.
It is also a good deed to wish for the enlightenment and happiness of others through conversion, so as a result, those good deeds will come back to you. Then, you and the other person will have good news.(peel)You can receive it, be happy together, and open the enlightenment that the monk is aiming for.
In this way, Buddhism has come to believe that the ideal practice is to be considerate of the people around you and lead to your own happiness.
Eventually, when this conversion was also directed at the deceased, the deceased passed away.(Gose.)I began to ask a monk to train me so that I could go to a good place as much as possible.
Speaking of training, being hit by a waterfall and zazen(Zazen)It was also an important practice to read and memorize sutras. Therefore, it was thought that the good deed of the monk reading the sutra to the deceased would lead to the repose of the deceased.
Originally, offerings and conversions were different. However, at the same time as making offerings to the Buddha and the deceased, they also began to pray by reading sutras. As a result, the meanings of the two became ambiguous, and now the word "offering" seems to refer to two things: "offering" and "conversion".
[Why do you make offerings?] 】
So does the word "offering" mean that it is used incorrectly?
It is not like that at all. Offerings are companions(You)Feed the other person(Yashina)I explained that this is because the offerings are not limited to "things".
For example, the "Ten Lands" that was passed down in the Japan(Jicchi)sutra(today)When you look at the sutra, in addition to the offerings of things, respect(Uyama)Praise(Knock)It is said that "deeds" such as praying and practicing Buddhism are also offerings. In other words, it is an offering to honor the greatness of the Buddha's merits and to show the Buddha practicing to the Buddha. Therefore, it can be said that it is not wrong to read the sutra aloud as an offering.
If you look at it this way, the sutras read for the Buddha may be close to a celebratory song. And the sutra for the deceased can be said to be a song to pray for the repose.
However, even if it is an offering for celebration or repose, it is important not only to offer things and read sutras, but also to hold offerings and participate in offerings, which is a feeling of consideration for the person.
Some people may casually make offerings as a habit or custom. however
As I mentioned this time, there are various aspects of offerings, such as "time to pray for the deceased" and "sorting out the hearts of those who are left behind" by facing the deceased through offerings, and these can be said to be the necessity of making offerings.
He is an irreplaceable person, and it is important for the deceased and himself to attend the memorial service and see him off with all his heart because he is an irreplaceable person.
From now on, when you organize the place of memorial service or attend a memorial service, I hope you will be aware of what I talked about today.
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Thank you very much for visiting the Happiness Temple every day. This time, it was decided to renovate the rest area for visiting the grave. Throughout the four seasons, we would like to create an environment where everyone can visit comfortably.