[The Way of HBS]
How to practice, How to live
as a HBS Practitioner
Rev. Nisso Fukuoka
Purpose and Significance of an Oko Service
Priest: HBS initially began and grew by establishing Oko Services. A practitioner of HBS should, therefore, understand the significance of an Oko Service. Can you explain the purpose and significance of an Oko Service?
Q. Isn't it explained in the following instructive poem?:
"For the propagation of the teachings,
There is no practice like the Oko Service
Attend and take part in it"
That poem illustrates the most important purpose and significance of an Oko Service.
A. Yes. An Oko Service is a gathering of parishioner to mutually improve ones fouth, convert others to it, and to denounce or suppress evils and opponents of Buddhism, or to destroy heresies.
Q. Is Oko a school for practitioners?
A. Yes. Nissen Shonin stated that an Oko Service is a "training hall", a "place for the propagation of the teachings", or a "dispatching office".
Q. A home of a practitioner is a place for daily family activites. During an Oko Service, the home becomes an extension of the Temple. Is it considered as a practitioner's training hall?
A. That's right. Thus, the merits are great. Is there any other purpose and significance to an Oko Service?
Q. It is a gathering for the votaries to build friendly relations to be united in mind, although separated by body (Itaidoshin), to hold merit-transference (GO Eko) prayers for the deceased, to receive family protection, and to make offering at the altar with goods.
A. Yes. An Oko Service is endowed with various purposes. When a practitioner becomes a ÅgGanshu", he serves with graciousness. A ÅgGanshu" is a practitioner responsible for holding a religious service in their home. Nissen Shonin stated:
"To think that it is
Unprofitable to serve
will only hinder advancement"
By conducting an Oko Service in one's home, the "Ganshu" and other participants will receive rare good fortunes and merits. do not count on the abacus everything, otherwise you lost the true sighificases of the Oko meeting.
Let us not possess a miserly soul that considers an Oko Service to be costly, troublesome, and a waste of time.
Priest: Various rules relating to an Oko Services are as follows:
"When there is an Oko Service
And one does not attend
It is the equivalent to being an outsider"
Explanation:
A practitioner of HBS who does not attend an Oko Service is like a non-parishioner.
Q. Is it a fundamental duty of a HBS parishioner to attend an Oko Service?
A. Yes. Attend an Oko Service with a purpose in mind. An Oko gathering holds a mountain of treasures, but there are some who leave without obtaining a single treasure.
Q. The treasure is obtained through listening intently to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Great Master Nichiren presented by the priest, isn't it?
A. The main purpose of an Oko Service is to listen to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Great Master Nichiren. The listeners (parishioners) must be attentive while the priest is delivering a sermon. The following is an instructive poem related to the subject.
"Coming to hear it today
At the Oko Service
Listen to it And let's not forget it"
At the Oko meeting, listen to the sermon carefully, and remember the lessons conveyed in the sermon for your future benefit. It will also help you to spread the teachings to others.
"No matter how many sermons you listened to
Not remembering them is valueless"
Q. I am saddened by the fact that I can't remember the details of a sermon that I heard yesterday. What can I do?
A. Take notes on the sermons delivered at the temples or at an Oko Service. One can then refer to themt later and recollect what was said. People may feel that they have forgotten what they heard, but it is usually filed deep in their mind. Therefore Nissen Shonin stated:
"We somehow carelessly listen to our soul
But unknowingly
The seeds of Buddhahood have been sowed".
Q. "Half-hearted listening" is bad enough, but falling asleep during a sermon is not acceptable. There are some people that fall asleep as soon as a sermon begins.
Maybe, it is just a habit.
A. Niesen Shonin humorously stated:
"Do not feel falling asleep is not laudable
Think that they are people
Who attended the Oko Service".
There must have been some parishioners who fell asleep in front of Nissen Shonin.
He said:
"People that do not have the soul to spread (the teachings)
Will listen inattentively".
The parishioners, who choose not to discuss the sermons with their family or use it as a source to convert others to the true religion, will eventually forget what was taught to them.
The most important purpose of listening to a sermon is to enhance your depth of understanding through communication.
"Although one may think that they understood a sermon
Within it is something that one may not have conceived"
At the close of a sermon, it is important to ask questions about any factors that you did not understood.
Q. One does not usually ask questions because they feel embarrassed to do in front of others or they may be laughed at.
A. To ask is a temporary embarrassment. To not ask is an everlasting embarrassment. One question could broaden the scope of a discussion.
Various Rules for Parishioners
Priest: Let us end the discussions on Sermon rules. Let's cover other things that a parishioner must be concerned with during an Oko Service.
Q. One should not be late in attending an Oko Service. One should sit nearest to the altar in the order of arrival.
A. Sitting close to a wall is not recommended.
Q. Salutation to the altar first, and then to the participants. Be silent during the prayer service / announcements. Do not place your rosary (Juzu) directly on the tatami mat or floor. Chant the Odaimoku in unison. Beating wooden clappers should be in unison with the priest's xylophone rhythm.
A. The voice of a parishioner whose chanting is uncoordinated tends to be louder than the others. There are some parishioners who are inherently unable to coordinate the beat of the wooden clappers in unison with others. They should stop beating them. There is no rule that wooden clappers must be used.
Q. It is important to bear in mind the topics for discussion during an Oko Service. Bad mouthing, backÅ\biting, and superstition must be avoided.
A. Hanging around long after an Oko Service is over is not recommended.
"Together, excuse oneself
To live a day aimlessly is sinful"
If one has idle time, use that extra time to pay a visit to the home of a parishioner that failed to attend an Oko Service. Assist them in strengthening and improving their faith (Ojogyo).
Important Role of an Official
An Official's role is to:
- Call on the ÅgGanshu's" home early and assist in the preparation of an Oko Service.
- The Group Chief should inspect the altar and make sure that:the alter is clean.the ornaments and offerings are neatly arranged and displayed. the “Okozui" (sacred water) was offered, no personal things are on the priest's service table, the type of wishes to be presented at the altar are written down and placed on the table.
- Designation of receptionists to accept donations and offering.
- Provide an after—Oko topic of conversation to positively enhance the atmosphere, and to approach a newly converted practitioner in a friendly manner.
Q: An official should not only pass out leaflets related to an Oko Services, but, they should make an effort to call other parishioners by phone a day ahead and advise them on the date of an Oko Service.
A: A personal invitation to an Oko Service by Ganshu to another parishioner is a very effective method of practice.
Q: Official notification given to the parishioner to become a “Ganshu" is an important component of the religious practice. While it is customary to conduct a memorial Oko Service for ancestors, it would be well advised to also conduct an Oko Service to express our gratitude for things that happen in our daily life. Such events include birthdays, employment, marriage, anniversaries, retirement, and a purchase of an altar displaying the Gohonzon, or Great Master Nichiren's statue.
A: A newly converted parishioner or a parishioner who has never held an Oko Service will feel uneasy.
“Conducting an Oko Service
Without worrying about Donations
Is important".
To hold an Oko Service cheerfully is desirable.
At any rate, a parishioner or a priest, on an individual basis, to assist in making an Oko Service lively and fulfilling.
