Placer Buddhist Church
3192 Boyington Road P.O.Box 349 <-- New Mailing AddressPenryn, CA. 95663(916) 652-6139office@placerbuddhistchurch.org
facebook.com/Placer-Buddhist-ChurchA Dharma Message by Rev. Matthew Hamasaki
A Dharma Message by Rev. Matthew Hamasaki
October 2024
October 2024
In trying to explain the different traditions that we have within Jodo Shinshu in America, I think one which we participate in often, but isn’t explained too much in depth, is that of the Shotsuki Hoyo service. Usually, a temple will designate one Sunday per month as a monthly memorial service. Then, all the names of the temple members who had passed away that month will be read and, during the sutra chanting, the family members will offer incense or oshoko. But why do we do this and where does it come from?
In trying to explain the different traditions that we have within Jodo Shinshu in America, I think one which we participate in often, but isn’t explained too much in depth, is that of the Shotsuki Hoyo service. Usually, a temple will designate one Sunday per month as a monthly memorial service. Then, all the names of the temple members who had passed away that month will be read and, during the sutra chanting, the family members will offer incense or oshoko. But why do we do this and where does it come from?
The service can be traced back to Japan. The history beyond that is difficult to trace exactly to the root, but there is definitely influence from Chinese traditions although it’s hard to say exactly what it is. Nonetheless, in Japan they do not have regular Sunday service. Instead, the families may go to the temple for everyday morning service or for special occasions. For memorial services, the minister will actually go to the families’ houses! This is why it is important for each house to have an obutsudan, or home altar. The word Shotsuki comes from Shotsuki Meinichi. Meinichi is translated as “death anniversary” but literally means (mei 命) life (nichi 日) day. Sho (祥) means auspicious and tsuki (月) means month. So the day and the month on which someone passed away every year, the minister would come to the house and do a service for the person (or people) who passed away on that day. Some homes even observe a Tsuki Meinichi, meaning that every month on the day someone passed away they would have a service. One minister told me that he heard of a family that practiced this and had a book with names of deceased loved ones for every day of the month!
The service can be traced back to Japan. The history beyond that is difficult to trace exactly to the root, but there is definitely influence from Chinese traditions although it’s hard to say exactly what it is. Nonetheless, in Japan they do not have regular Sunday service. Instead, the families may go to the temple for everyday morning service or for special occasions. For memorial services, the minister will actually go to the families’ houses! This is why it is important for each house to have an obutsudan, or home altar. The word Shotsuki comes from Shotsuki Meinichi. Meinichi is translated as “death anniversary” but literally means (mei 命) life (nichi 日) day. Sho (祥) means auspicious and tsuki (月) means month. So the day and the month on which someone passed away every year, the minister would come to the house and do a service for the person (or people) who passed away on that day. Some homes even observe a Tsuki Meinichi, meaning that every month on the day someone passed away they would have a service. One minister told me that he heard of a family that practiced this and had a book with names of deceased loved ones for every day of the month!
In America, the way the culture is, the way the cities are built, and the infrastructure of the temples have changed greatly, and it wasn’t feasible to have services like they did in Japan. It was too complicated and so, instead of having the minister go to everyone’s house, they would have a service that everyone would go to anyways on a Sunday and have it for everyone’s family there.
In America, the way the culture is, the way the cities are built, and the infrastructure of the temples have changed greatly, and it wasn’t feasible to have services like they did in Japan. It was too complicated and so, instead of having the minister go to everyone’s house, they would have a service that everyone would go to anyways on a Sunday and have it for everyone’s family there.
Now that we have some of the history and where it came from, we can start looking at why we have these services. Looking at the meaning of the words, we see that it isn’t such a sad or depressing event. “Life day” and “Auspicious month” have more of a lucky or grateful feeling to it. And the word Hoyo is composed of the characters ho (法) meaning Dharma and yo (要) meaning essential point. Together we understand that the Shotsuki Hoyo is an opportunity for us to show gratitude to the loved ones who have been integral in our lives. It is also an opportunity to come into contact with the teachings of the Buddha and the true reality of our existence. By having a service every year, we keep the memory of our loved ones alive and respect and honor them by reflecting on how they continue to influence our lives.
Now that we have some of the history and where it came from, we can start looking at why we have these services. Looking at the meaning of the words, we see that it isn’t such a sad or depressing event. “Life day” and “Auspicious month” have more of a lucky or grateful feeling to it. And the word Hoyo is composed of the characters ho (法) meaning Dharma and yo (要) meaning essential point. Together we understand that the Shotsuki Hoyo is an opportunity for us to show gratitude to the loved ones who have been integral in our lives. It is also an opportunity to come into contact with the teachings of the Buddha and the true reality of our existence. By having a service every year, we keep the memory of our loved ones alive and respect and honor them by reflecting on how they continue to influence our lives.
Gassho,
Gassho,
Rev. Matt
Rev. Matt
The Placer Buddhist Church is located at 3192 Boyington Road in Penryn California, County of Placer. It is located at the scenic base of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just off Interstate 80. It is approximately half way between San Francisco and Reno, Nevada.
The Placer Buddhist Church is located at 3192 Boyington Road in Penryn California, County of Placer. It is located at the scenic base of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just off Interstate 80. It is approximately half way between San Francisco and Reno, Nevada.
The Church was founded in 1902 in the small foothills town of Penryn. The original church was near the center of town approximately 3 miles from its current location. The church moved to its current location in approximately 1963. The church is well known in the community for the annual food bazaar which is always held on the 4th weekend of September. The annual food bazaar started in 1964, just after the church moved to the new location.
The Church was founded in 1902 in the small foothills town of Penryn. The original church was near the center of town approximately 3 miles from its current location. The church moved to its current location in approximately 1963. The church is well known in the community for the annual food bazaar which is always held on the 4th weekend of September. The annual food bazaar started in 1964, just after the church moved to the new location.
The church supports many organizations such as the Placer Buddhist Women’s Association (PBWA), Sierra Bonsai Club, Dharma School, and Placer Ume Taiko Group. The church also holds various classes during the week including Buddhist Study Classes, Tai Chi, Obon dancing and exercise classes. See the church calendar for class times.
The church supports many organizations such as the Placer Buddhist Women’s Association (PBWA), Sierra Bonsai Club, Dharma School, and Placer Ume Taiko Group. The church also holds various classes during the week including Buddhist Study Classes, Tai Chi, Obon dancing and exercise classes. See the church calendar for class times.