Buddhist branch honouring its founder

In January, Jodo Shinshu Buddhists throughout the world will be conducting services called Hoonko. This particular service is held in honour of the founder of our branch of Buddhism, Shinran Shonin. It recognizes the day he passed away, on January 16, 1263 in Japan. Like all Buddhists, Shinran was inspired by the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and used the Three Jewels, Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to guide his life. Similar to other religions, the original teacher and teachings led to several branches which emphasize different aspects of the Dharma (teachings).

Buddhism is separated into three overarching branches: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. All three branches are inspired by the Buddha, but emphasize different sutras (writings) to generate practices and traditions over time. For Jodo Shinshu Buddhists, the Pure Land (enlightenment) and Amida Buddha (Ultimate Reality) are of central focus. Shinran Shonin’s writings led to the creation of this branch in Japan and falls under the Mahayana tradition. Thus, Hoonko services are of great importance and families often will perform a thorough cleaning of the shrine and hang Shinran’s image. Families attend temple together, chant Shoshinge (a summary of Jodo Shinshu thought), sing, recite the nembutsu (expression of gratitude) and listen to a dharma talk by the minister. All of this is followed by a lunch or dinner which everyone is welcome to attend. As with all religious services, it is a time to come together as followers and families and celebrate the inspiration that our religious leaders of the past have provided us. Hoonko is a special time of year for Shin Buddhists as they reflect in gratitude on the great compassion of Amida Buddha and the conclusions that Shinran Shonin came to and passed on to his followers.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta can follow us on our website thebtsa.com or Facebook page. Submitted by Jeff Haines.