Repentance Ceremony with Yula Yula Lights
has been postponed till Sunday, October 26,
at Jodo Mission of Hawaii
The Meaning of Repentance in Buddhism and Honen Shonin’s Teachings
In Buddhism, repentance (懺悔, sange) refers to the act of recognizing one’s past mistakes and wrongdoings, sincerely reflecting on them, and seeking forgiveness from the Buddha and others. Repentance is a crucial practice that purifies the self and guides one toward enlightenment.
Last year, we celebrated the 850th anniversary since the founding of Jodo Shu (Pure Land School of Buddhism) and of course, this year marks the 851st ! On this significant occasion, five ministers from Kanagawa prefecture, led by Rev. Genyo Sasaki, will come to introduce “Repentance Ceremony with Yula Yula candles” here at the Jodo Mission on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 5pm. Let us take this special opportunity to reflect on Hōnen Shōnin’s repentance and the profound teachings he left for us.
Why is Repentance Necessary?
How did Honen Shonin approach repentance, and why did he emphasize the practice of Nembutsu (chanting Namu Amida Butsu)?
Honen Shonin realized that strict Buddhist practices and monastic discipline alone were not suitable to completely eradicate human desires and attachments (bonnō). He deeply reflected on his own imperfections and shortcomings, acknowledging that he, too, was an ordinary being bound by worldly desires.
Because of this realization, Honen Shonin turned away from the reliance on self-power (jiriki), which involves personal effort and discipline, and instead embraced other-power (tariki), the boundless compassion and salvific power of Amida Buddha.
Honen Shonin’s Awakening: The Limits of Human Effort
While undergoing rigorous training on Mount Hiei, Honen Shonin became acutely aware of the limitations of human beings, including himself. He came to the following understanding:
- All people are naturally prone to selfish desires, anger, and ignorance.
- No matter how hard one tries, it is nearly impossible to completely rid oneself of these afflictions.
- Therefore, attaining enlightenment through self-power alone is extremely difficult.
Through this realization, Honen Shonin saw that no matter how much effort one puts in, it is impossible to live a life of perfect virtue. Faced with this reality, he humbly acknowledged his own sins and past mistakes and made the profound decision to entrust everything to Amida Buddha’s compassionate power.
Honen Shonin honestly admitted, "No matter how much I train, I cannot sever my worldly attachments." He repented for his limitations before Amida Buddha and entrusted himself fully to the Buddha’s boundless compassion.
Repentance Is Not About Self-Blame
Honen Shonin’s act of repentance was not about blaming himself for his imperfections. Rather, it was about recognizing his human limitations and awakening to Amida Buddha’s infinite compassion.
No matter how sinful we may be, the compassion of Amida Buddha surpasses our failings and embraces us unconditionally. By sincerely chanting Namu Amida Butsu, we can connect with Amida Buddha and receive his boundless grace.
Repentance is not merely about regret. By confessing our shortcomings to Amida Buddha and chanting the Nembutsu, our hearts become purified, and we gain the strength to take a new step forward toward the future.
The service was originally planned to be observed on Sunday March 2 at 5:00pm but has been postponed till October 26, 2025. The service will be sponsored by Jodo Mission with our ministers and ministers from Japan at the Hodo followed by refreshments and fellowship at the Social hall.
News from Japan
Introducing Miss Momoko Kudo
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Miss Momoko Kudo who is a daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Junyu Kudo, the former minister of Kapaa Jodo Mission is now participating in the 2024 PTNA Piano Competition online.
This competition sponsored by the Piano Teachers’ National Association of Japan has been held annually since 1977 and currently the number of preliminary participants announced by organizers nationwide exceeds 45,000.
The competition holds preliminaries across the country from late May, culmination in the national finals held in late August at venues such as the Daiichi Life Hall. In the top-tier final, participants perform a piano concerto accompanied by the New Japan Philharmonie Orchestra, and an audience award is granted based on audience voting. Since 2018, the top-tier final has been held at Suntory Hall. The minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award is presented for the top-tier Grand Prix.
Miss Momoko was born in Kauai and raised in Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture where Rev. Kudo served as a resident minister of Seiganji Temple. After attending the Kyoto Music School for Children, graduated at the top of the Tokyo Music University High School Piano Performance Course with honors. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in the Piano Performance Course at the Tokyo Music University after completing the undergraduate course.
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Miss Momoko's achievements include:
- 2nd place (highest rank) in the 28th Classical Music Competition National Tournament for High School Girls.
- Selected for the High School Student Division at the 71st and 72nd All Japan Student Music Competition Osaka Tournament.
- 1st place at the 17th Takarazuka Vega Student Piano Competition and recipient of the Shin-Kyogeki Opus Store Special Award.
- 1st place in the Free Composition Course High School Student Division at the 12th Beethoven Music Competition.
- 1st place, Grand Prix, ANA Award, and Rachmaninoff Award in the G Division at the 4th Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition JAPAN.
- 1st place in the University Students and General Division at the 2nd Tokyo International Youth Piano Competition.
- Scholarship recipient of the Japan Art Association Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.
News
What's New
Mochi Sale
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New Year's Eve Service
December 31 @11:30 pm at Jodo Mission
Publications
We're always working on something. Most of the time, we're focused on getting results for our clients. But every so often we get the chance to experiment with new concepts and ideas.
Message from Bishop Kosen Ishikawa
Dear Members and friends of Jodo Mission,
Recently, gusty weather caused damages and problems across the State of Hawaii. I hope you all are okay. Here at the Jodo Mission, many vases fell down from the shelves and scattered glass over the floor. Also, to our surprise, the strong wind even made our dumpster that is in the parking move. Because there was a possibility for the dumpster to hit the cars, we kept it in the social hall all night, until the wind ceded. Later on, I watched the news that there were power outages at many sites, including Roosevelt High School where students couldn’t do anything for one hour because of no power.
When I was a high school student, I, too, experienced a power outage at school. Not like Hawaii, it was very rare though. Because of no electric light, the classroom became darker. However, my teacher continued the class as if nothing happened. In the classes of my time, teachers were using a huge blackboard and chalk which didn’t require electricity. To add to that, everybody was using textbooks made of paper. Therefore power outages during the daytime didn’t affect classroom instruction much. On the other hand, students in modern times today, use Chromebook computers or tablets as tools of instruction, and teachers may even use electric whiteboards called “smartboards” instead of blackboards or whiteboards. Therefore no power means no electric usage and no class. Thus students were forced to wait until power recovered. This sounds ironic because modern convenient technology becomes instantly inconvenient when the power inconveniently cuts.
This reminded me of a famous episode about Hanawa Hokiichi (1746-1821), who was a Japanese blind philology scholar during the Edo period. I’m sure some of you must know this story because this episode was included in the old textbooks of Japanese schools here in Hawaii.
The story starts with one night, Hanawa Hokiichi was teaching Japanese literature to his students. They were studying hard, with their eyes open under the light of a candle. Suddenly a strong wind blew the light off. The students were at a loss under the darkness, but Hokiichi who was blind didn’t know it. He just continued his lecture. Then one of the students said, “Sensei, please wait. We cannot see anything because the light was off.” Hokiichi just smiled and said, “You guys are so inconvenient. You are physically handicapped.”
This story inspired many people including Helen Keller (1880 – 1968) whose life has been known as a “miracle worker.” When Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937, she requested to visit the birthplace of Hanawa Hokiichi and left her impression as follows: "When I was a child, my mother told me that Mr. Hanawa should be my role model. To visit this place and touch his statue was the most significant event during this trip to Japan. The worn desk and the statue facing down earned more respect of him. I believe that his name would pass down from generation to generation like a stream of water.”
In a sense, we are all spoiled because of the advanced technologies and the convenience they provide. And our many parts of happiness may even deeply depend on these materials and technologies. I’m not suggesting a return to the old days when we didn’t rely on materialism. But I feel it’s very important to live with true happiness which doesn’t require materials. One example of true happiness is peace brought by religious practices. When we practice meditation, we don’t need anything. By taking a breath in and out mindfully, we can realize this wonderful moment. If we have worries or regrets, we cannot concentrate on breathing. The fact we can meditate means we don’t attach to the past nor the future. We can live in this present moment. This is peace brought by meditation. Our Jodo Shu practice, Nenbutsu is actually more than meditation.
Honen Shonin (1133-1212) has mentioned, “In this moment, we can pile up merit by the practice of Nenbutsu, and in the future after death, we can go to the Pure Land. Whatever befalls, I have made up my mind not to be anxious about myself, and so, come life, come death, nothing troubles me.”
By reciting “Namu Amida Butsu” anytime and anywhere, we can have peace in this moment and then in the future when we die, we will attain birth in the Pure Land thanks to Amida Buddha. What great teaching!
Again this month, we will have a Zoom Nenbutsu together with our Dharma friends in the world, hosted by Jodo Shu South America Missions in Brazil on Saturday, March 11th, 2023 from 11 am to 12 noon (HST). You may join us either online or in person at Jodo Mission of Hawaii. Let’s recite “Namu Amida Butsu” together. We have also Higan Service and more this month. Please check our schedule and plan to attend our services. At the same time, if you need spiritual assistance or prayer, please feel free to let us know. We are looking forward to more opportunities to serve you in the future. Thank you very much for being our Ohana member of Jodo Shu.