A Ceremony of Remembrance for Children who Have Died
Officiant:
Because of the ceaseless action of cause and effect, reality appears in all its many forms.
To know this fully liberates all those who suffer.
All beings appear just as we all do, from the One, and pass away as we all do, after a few flickering moments or years of life, back to our Original Unborn Nature.
Truly our lives are waves on the vast ocean of True Nature, which is not born and does not pass away.
In gathering today we remember children who have died and express our love and support for their parents, family, and friends. Here these children are in complete repose, at one with the mystery that is our own birth and death, our own no-birth and no-death.
All recite together:
The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra
The Bodhisattva of Compassion, from the depths of Prajna Wisdom,
Clearly saw the emptiness of all the five conditions,
Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
Know then:
Form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form.
Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form.
Sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
All creations are forms of emptiness, not born, not destroyed,
Not stained, not pure, without loss, without gain.
So in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness,
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena,
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness,
No ignorance and no end to ignorance . . .
No old age and death, and no end to old age and death,
No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path
No wisdom and no gain,
No gain and thus the Bodhisattva lives Prajna Wisdom
With no hindrance in the mind,
No hindrance, therefore no fear.
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is nirvana.
All past, present, and future Awakened Ones live Prajna wisdom, And therefore embody perfect enlightenment.
Therefore know that Prajna wisdom is the great mantra, the best mantra, the unsurpassable mantra.
It completely cures all pain—this is the truth, not a lie.
So set forth this mantra and say:
Gaté! Gaté! Paragaté! Para-sam-gaté! Bodhis-vaha!
Heart of Perfect Wisdom!
All recite together:
Enmei Juku Kannon Gyo (Sutra of Compassion)
KANZEON NAMU BUTSU YO
BUTSU U IN YO BUTSU U EN
BUPPO SO EN JO RAKU GA JO
CHO NEN KANZEON BO NEN KANZEON
NEN NEN JU SHIN KI
NEN NEN FU RI SHIN
All recite together nine times:
The Jizo Dharani
OM KA KA KABI SAN MA EI SOHA KA.
Officiant:
Eternal Nature pervades the whole Universe
Existing right here now.
In chanting the Heart of Perfect Wisdom sutra, the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo, and the Jizo Dharani we dedicate our love and prayerful thoughts to:
(List names of children)
And to all beings in the six realms.
May penetrating light dispel the darkness of ignorance
Let all karma be wiped out and the mind-flower bloom in eternal spring
May we all practice, realize, and manifest the enlightened way together.
Optional:
(Poem or the story of Kisagotami)
All recite together:
Closing Dedication
All Enlightened Beings throughout space and time,
All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas,
Wisdom beyond wisdom,
Maha Prajna Paramita.
Appendix
Note: Page numbers correspond to the print edition.
Zen Master Bassui: A Talk about Jizo Bodhisattva
239
Zen Master Hakuin: A Story about Jizo Bodhisattva
243
Zen Master Ryokan: A Poem for his “Pillow Jizo”
246
Jizo-sama and the Straw Hats
247
Zen Master Soko Morinaga: A Talk on Jizo Bodhisattva and Children
248
Transmission of the Lamp: Nagarjuna and the Cintamani Jewel
250
A Hymn to Jiso Bodhisattva
250
Jizo the Sky Is Crying: A Poem by John Wentz
251
Zen Master Bassui
A collection of the talks of Zen Master Bassui (1327-87) contains a dialogue with a monk who asked questions about the nature of Jizo Bodhisattva.
Questioner: “In the sutra of Jizo Bodhisattva it is written: ‘The bodhisattva rises early each day and enters various meditations and various hells to free ordinary people from their suffering in the Buddhaless era.’ If these words mean that this is his skillful means for beings immersed in the six realms, those who wholeheartedly appeal to this bodhisattva will not fall into evil paths. But why would they seek enlightenment? People would simply appeal for Jizo’s guidance. What do you think of this reasoning?”
Bassui: “What’s your purpose in asking this question?”
Questioner: “For the sake of understanding the great matter of life and death.”
Bassui: “Then why don’t you ask the bodhisattva Jizo?”
Questioner: “I have only heard his name and seen his picture and statue. I have never seen his real body. How can I ask him?”
Bassui: “If he can’t teach you of the great matter of life and death now, he is not the right teacher for the world today. If he isn’t a good teacher for this present world, how can he guide you after you leave it? If this is the case, then the words ‘he guides them through this world and the next’ are deluded speech. If you say it is deluded speech, you are slandering the sutra. But if you say it is true, it doesn’t conform with what you said earlier. How then could you hope to rely on salvation by the bodhisattva? The words of the sutra are unmistakably clear. Error derives from the reader. As the sutra states that he rises early in the morning and enters various meditative states, could anyone be in any of the many hells when Jizo already abides in the state of meditation? If he were in hell, he could not be in a state of meditation. If he were in meditation he could not be in hell. How could he be in various meditative states and various hells at the same time?’’
Questioner: “I only understand the words from the sutra. The reality behind those words is not clear.”
Bassui: “Jizo stands for the mind-nature of ordinary people. Ji (the character for earth) is the foundation of the mind. Zo (the character for storehouse) is the storehouse of Buddha nature. It is in this Buddha nature that all the virtue of ordinary people is contained. Hence it is called the storehouse of the Tathagata. When the mind is deluded, as many ignorant thoughts as sands of the Ganges arise; when enlightened, this mind gives birth to infinite wonderful meanings. Being the source of good and evil, this mind is called earth (Ji). The earth gives birth to trees and grasses, hence it is used as an example here. Nature, the place where all the jeweled Dharmas return, is referred to as the storehouse (zo). That is why Jizo (earth-storehouse) is another name for mind-nature. Originally mind and nature were not separate. They were the one center where ordinary people in the six realms observed and perceived, and where they were masters of the six senses. It is here that they were teachers of those in the six realms. Since the four activities (walking, standing, sitting, and lying) of Buddhas and ordinary people throughout the day and night are the wonderful work of this mind-nature, it is referred to in the sutra as ‘each day.’ As for ‘early morning,’ it refers to the period before the distinction between black and white. Early morning means original nature—where there is no division between Buddhas an
d ordinary people.
“Ordinary people, not realizing their mind-nature, transmigrate in the six realms, encountering hardships imposed upon hell-dwellers. When they see into their own nature, good and evil thoughts all return to their roots. This is what is referred to as entering various meditative states. When you destroy the thinking process, eliminating the karmic activities of consciousness completely, your nature will be purified and you will enter the Dharma where the ten directions merge into one and the heavens and hells all become the Pure Land. Hence it is said that Jizo enters various hells. This is what is meant by the saying, ‘Exhausting words and thoughts, there is no place that can’t be penetrated.’ Ordinary people are people with analytical thoughts. When you investigate your original nature thoroughly, thoughts will be under control and this nature of yours will be purified. There are neither Buddhas nor ordinary people within the realm of this purified nature—hence the expression ‘saving ordinary people in the Buddhaless world.’ Your own nature is truly a permanent part of you; it remains unchanged through eternity; and from the past up to the present it has lacked nothing to prevent you from applying yourself to save others. This is what is referred to as ‘guiding them in this world and the next.’
“Now, hearing the teaching expressed in this way, what is it that is always acting? If you truly understand this, you are at that instant Jizo Bodhisattva. If on the other hand, you do not understand it at all, then Jizo becomes you. Hence the sutra says: ‘Good believers in the Dharma: Because the benevolent bodhisattva has a clear and tranquil mind, he is called the Kannon Holding the Jewel of Suchness and Dharma Wheel. Because nothing can obstruct his mind, he is called the Bodhisattva of Universal Compassion. Because his mind is not subject to birth and death, he is called the Bodhisattva of Long Life. Because his mind cannot be destroyed, he is called Jizo Bodhisattva (Bodhisattva of the Storehouse of Earth). Because his mind has no limits, he is called the Great Bodhisattva. Because his mind has no form, he is called the Maha Bodhisattva. If you an believe in this bodhisattva mind and receive it, you will be one with it and never lose it. . . .
“So you should realize that all the names of the bodhisattvas are just different names for the nature of the mind. As an expedient in the World Honored One’s sermons, he defined things using certain names. With these names he pointed to the truth. Ordinary people, unaware of this truth, become attached to the names and, in the hope of attaining Buddhahood, seek the Buddha and Dharma outside their minds. It’s like cooking sand in the hope of producing rice.
“In ancient times there was a certain bodhisattva. Though he had not yet attained enlightenment he had developed a compassionate mind. He spent his time building bridges across the Yangtze and Yellow rivers and building roads for ordinary people to come and go. To carry on this work he carried earth and mud on his back until he realized that his nature—that is to say, his very own Buddha nature—was the earth and he became emancipated. For this reason the World Honored One named him the Bodhisattva of the Storehouse of Earth. The vast mind of compassion of this bodhisattva was used as a metaphor to show that the true nature of the Dharma body of ordinary people is everywhere and to teach of the many creations that come from it. How can the virtuous work of any bodhisattva be compared to the magnificent perfection of this wonderful Dharma of mind? Ordinary people, being rather dull-witted, delude themselves and mistake these metaphors for facts. When you truly understand your own mind, you will realize for the first time that the sermons of all the Buddhas are nothing more than metaphors to point to the minds of ordinary people.”
Zen Master Hakuin
The autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin (1686-1768) contains a story about Jizo Bodhisattva entitled “National Master Musō’s Solitary Retreat.”
There was another old priest living in those parts who went by the name of Tarumaru Sokai. Another half-baked, muddleheaded member of the Unborn tribe. One day he dropped by the temple and gave the following Dharma talk to the brotherhood:
Years ago, the National Master Musō decided to spend the summer retreat alone in a mountain hut to devote himself to a practice regimen of rigorous austerity. He climbed the slopes of Mount Kentoku in the province of Kai, empty-handed except for a single skewer of dried persimmons, and took up residence in the tiny hut. He pledged firmly that, instead of the two normal meals each day, he would eat nothing but a single dried persimmon.
A young monk about fourteen or fifteen years of age, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, addressed Musō, and asked to be permitted to stay at the hut and serve as Musō’s attendant during the summer retreat.
“What an uncommon request to hear from a boy of your years in this day,” Musō said admiringly. “But you don’t know that I plan to live here on only one dried persimmon each day. I’m afraid there won’t be anything for you to eat.”
“Share half your persimmon with me, then,” the boy said. Musō, taken somewhat aback, didn’t know what to answer. As he was mulling a response, the boy continued: “I’ll serve you all summer. On only half a dried persimmon a day. What is there for you to consider, master?”
Musō reflected, “Even though he says that, he can’t possibly stick out the whole summer on a few bits of dried persimmon. He’ll be around a day or two, then he’ll run off.” With this in mind, Musō told the boy he could stay.
One month passed. Two months. Not only did the admirable young monk show no inclination to run off, he performed all his duties scrupulously, never slacking his efforts from first to last, whether he was engaged in his day-to-day chores or reading and chanting sutras. Neither did he seem the least bit bothered by the lack of nourishment. He swept. He drew water. He worked hard and well.
On the morning of the final day of the retreat, Musō summoned the young monk. “You have done an excellent job,” he told him. ‘The valuable support you have given me all summer long has helped immensely in allowing me to focus on my practice. I know this isn’t much of a gift, but I want you to have it as a token of my appreciation for the service you have rendered this summer.”
So saying, Musō lifted the surplice [kesa] from around his shoulders and handed it to the boy. The boy accepted it, raising it up three times in veneration, and put it over his own shoulders.
“Master,” he said, “as you leave this morning, you will come to a small hamlet at the foot of the mountain. To the left of the path you will see a house, recently built. The owner is a kinsman of mine. I’m going to hurry on ahead and ask him to have some food ready for your midday meal. You can take your time going down.”
The boy made a parting bow, pressing his forehead to the earth, and sped off down the mountain path. He covered the ground almost as though he were flying.
Musō, aided by a bamboo staff, proceeded feebly, step by step, down the mountainside. It was nearly noon when he reached the hamlet. As he came to the newly built farmhouse the boy had described to him, a man emerged from the entrance. He hurried to where Musō stood, pressed his head to the ground in a deep bow, and said: “I’m very glad, and very relieved, to see you, master. I had expected you earlier and was just about to go up the mountain and start looking for you. Please, come into my house.”
Musō asked where the young monk was.
“I was wondering that myself,” the farmer replied. “He was here just a moment ago.”
Stepping outside to see if he could catch sight of the boy, the farmer spotted one of his neighbors coming to the door.
“The strangest thing just happened,” said the man. “I saw a young monk—he couldn’t have been more than thirteen or fourteen-fly straight through the latticework of the doors on the shrine over there. I couldn’t believe my eyes. No human could have done that! I went over to the shrine and pushed apart some loose planks to look inside. There was no sign of anyone in there. I don’t know what to make of it.”
Musō’s host listened in amazement. He went over to the shrine to have a look for himself. Opening the doors, he went inside and carefully searc
hed the interior of the hall from wall to wall. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he was about to leave when something caught his eye. “How odd,” he thought. That three foot statue of Jizo Bodhisattva standing serenely in the corner there is wearing the very same damask surplice I saw on that young monk just a few hours ago. It’s so eerie it frightens me.”
In the meantime Musō, learning what had happened, rushed over to the shrine. He entered, took one look at the statue of Jizo, and immediately placed his palms together before him in homage. Then, overcome with tears, he dropped to the floor in a deep bow. Villagers who were clustering around the doorway began sobbing, too, and followed Musō’s example by prostrating themselves in veneration, the scene impressed indelibly on their minds.
When Musō was finally able to suppress his tears, he exclaimed, “I cannot believe what has happened. My old surplice. I had worn it for years. I gave it to the young monk just this morning to reward him for his help during my retreat. Look at the Bodhisattva’s face! And the rest of his appearance. The mirror image of that young boy monk! There is not the slightest difference.
“How unworthy I have been! I didn’t have any idea he was Jizo Bodhisattva. But even so, I still didn’t grant him so much as a bow. I made him work very hard all summer long. How frightening that I remained completely unaware of the Buddha’s unknown working.”
A great wave of excitement now spread through the village. “It was Jizo Bodhisattva!” villagers exclaimed in wonder and admiration. “The young monk we saw this summer up on the mountain following the master around was really this Jizo Bodhisattva.”
Jizo Bodhisattva Page 28
