Linden's Land of Lotuses @lindenthorp - Tumblr Blog

Linden's Land of Lotuses

@lindenthorp

Jichin-Sai: Land Purification Last weekend, on 12th January, I attended a special ceremony to purify the land in order that a friend's house could be rebuilt from scratch. It was demolished because it was not big enough for the whole family to live there. In Japan, it is still very common for all the members of a family to live together, especially as the parents get older. The daughter of my friends, married with a child, decided they should live to together with her parents, so the family house was demolished and will be rebuilt soon. In preparation for that rebuilding the land had to be purified to ensure future harmony and blessings for all family members. A representative of the construction company was present at the ceremony, as well as a Buddhist priest. First, sutras were chanted followed by blessings. Then all the attendees joined in adding certain things to a large hole dug into the earth in the middle of the site inside a sanctified portion marked by 4 tall bamboo trees. These saplings were connected by strings hung with white paper offerings of prayers. We added first salt, 5 different grains, water, sake, and finally some of the earth itself. Finally, when the ceremony was complete, we put branches of the bamboo in the hole and the strings and paper prayers, and filled the hole to the top with red clay-rich earth. It was explained by the priest that before the land was developed in order to build houses, it was once a natural wilderness hosting divers animals and plants. They were then displaced or even made extinct in order to sustain human life, but their excruciated spirits remain. Before we build a new structure, we should purify the ground of evil or unwanted spirits and console those that remain. This ceremony is ancient, first used by Shinto Priests and later adopted into Buddhism. I felt so honored to be a part of it, and look forward to the turbulence which this family have experienced for some years calming, and to their joyful continuation taking care of each other and all future generations to come. How extraordinary that in the 21st century, such a moving ceremony should be conducted as a matter of course. Tradition will never die here due to the intrinsic spiritual nature of Japanese people. Their appearance may be shiny suits, hybrid cars and High Tech, but they are a nation of the heart.

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