THE MEANING OF THE KIKYOSHIKI CONFIRMATION CEREMONY Taking place 16.30 on Tue 2nd Sep 2014 in Suite 104, Jury's Inn Hotel, Charlotte Place, Southampton, UK SO14 0TB THE THREE REFUGES IN GENERAL BUDDHIST TRADITION In this Shin Buddhist Ceremony, performed before the alter of Amida Buddha and Shinran Shonin, one takes the important step of affirming one's reverence for the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and ones determination to tread the path to Buddhahood. In the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, one was permitted to join the Buddhist community (sangha) upon receiving the precept of the three refuges under the guidance of a monk and shaving one's head to symbolize a departure from worldly ways and into a life devoted to the path of Buddhism, which transcends the mundane world. To receive the precept of the three refuges means to declare before one's teacher that one takes whole-hearted refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and to vow to not deviate from them. "Buddha" here refers to Sakyamuni. "Dharma" to Sakyamuni's teachings, and "Sangha" to the community of followers who have entrusted themselves to Sakyamuni Buddha's teaching. Because these form what the basis of what one values in life, they are called the "three treasures." THE CONFIRMATION CEREMONY IN SHIN BUDDHISM The teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha are so extensive they are said to number 84,000. It is therefore of no surprise that that after the Buddha's death, various schools based upon different aspects of his teachings developed. Shin Buddhism (Jodo Shinshu/Pure Land) is the Buddhist path of great compassion clarified by Shinran Shonin. Shinran Shonin teaches that Sakyamuni appeared in this world in order to reveal the Vow of Amida Buddha to save all beings; it is the salvation of all people by Amida Buddha that is Sakyamuni's fundamental teaching. The Confirmation Ceremony in Shin Buddhism, therefore, shares a common meaning with the precept of the three refuges administered in the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, but it also has a special meaning. In the Confirmation Ceremony, the Buddha of the three refuges is not simply Sakyamuni, but refers especially to Amida Buddha who is at the heart of Sakyamuni's teachings. Sakyamuni came into the world to teach the Vow of Amida Buddha, and our salvation is brought about by Amida. Thus, "Dharma" is the teaching of Amida's compassionate working to save all beings, and "Sangha" refers to the people that have entrusted themselves to Amida. Since there are no precepts in Shin Buddhism, instead of receiving the precepts of the three treasures, one participates in the Confirmation Ceremony. Candidates for Kikyoshiki do not shave their heads (tonsure) however they do undergo a ritual and symbolic cutting which has the similar meaning. On participating in the Confirmation Ceremony, one receives a Buddhist name (homyo). These names are in the form of "Shaku" which means "disciple of Sakyamuni", and this is followed by a name/homyo made up of two syllables which are normally taken from a Jodo Shinshu sutra or chant. The Kikyoshiki Ceremony 'confirms' that the individual has joined the followers of the teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha, a community that transcends race and nationality. As a Shin Buddhist, one endeavors to hear teaching of Amida's Primal Vow and transmit it to others. Furthermore, one should clearly grasp the principle of cause and effect that is basic to Buddhist teaching, and does not rely on superstitions and practices that contradict it. The Nembutsu (jp: myogo). To call the Name of Amida Buddha with joy and gratitude having awakened to both the Unconditional Love of Amida Buddha and the reality of one’s own karmic existence. Myogo (above) is recited thereafter as an expression of gratitude, not as a form of religious practice or as a meritorious act. Why do Buddhists Shave their Heads? Buddhists no more shave their heads as a general thing than Christians dress as monks and nuns and walk around burning incense. Some Buddhist monks belong to orders that traditionally shave their heads, but then so do some Christian monks. Hollywood has seized on this (head shaving) as a traditional thing for Buddhists to do (like bad cowboys wearing the black hats). In the real world most Buddhists (and bad cowboys) are hard to tell from anyone else. They dress like everyone else in their local culture, groom themselves in the same way, and behave like everyone else. Head shaving in Buddhism is symbolic of letting go of material attachments and the selfobsessed ego, and in most authentic streams of tradition (i.e. “sect’s”) it is an act undertaken only when an individual is being ordained as a priest, monk/nun or minister. The Japanese word for ‘ordination’ is “tokudo” and this means “going to the other side (of the river)”. Tonsure (head shaving) confirms this commitment. In our Jodo Shinshu tradition the person ordained is then permitted to let their hair grow back into any style the wish but in some other traditions they are expected to keep the shaved head look and not let it get to more than two fingers width in length. In the Jodo Shinshu tradition and even at tokudo ladies are not required to shave their whole head and instead just have the back of their necks shaved so that no hair touches the collar of their robes. Symbolic Head Shaving at the Kikyoshiky Ceremony. Kikyoshiki is not ordination – but this does not mean it is not a very important step in the individual’s journey on the Buddhist Way. Participation in the Kikyoshiki Ceremony simply confirms that the individual is ready to become ‘a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha’ – and the individual should decide for themselves if or when they wish to make this commitment. In the Jodo Shinshu tradition participant in the Kikyoshiki Ceremony undergo a symbolic head shave wherein, from behind, the head of the candidate is gently touched three times (left, right, centre) with a blunt blade. I repeat, gently touched. Nishi Hongwanji supports European District Groups in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Rumania, Poland and the Netherlands. The Hongwanji-ha is the head temple for over ten thousand temples throughout Japan and some two hundred temples around the world. http://www.hongwanji.or.jp/english/history.html