Since 1923 • For a greater Loyola

The Maroon

Since 1923 • For a greater Loyola

The Maroon

Since 1923 • For a greater Loyola

The Maroon

Nichiren Shoshu priest encourages the spread of faith through family

Sydney+Smith%2C+Leslie+Rowland%2C+June+Smith%2C+Yari+Diaz%2C+Scott+Hanthorn%2C+the+Rev.+Shingaku+Kato+and+Tim+O%E2%80%99Hara+%28left+to+right%29+gather+for+a+Nichiren+Shoshu+general+meeting+on+Sunday%2C+Feb.+21.+Kato+presided+over+his+first+general+meeting+in+New+Orleans+and+plans+to+make+a+minimum+of+two+visits+per+year+to+the+area.+Photo+credit%3A+Jamal+Melancon
Sydney Smith, Leslie Rowland, June Smith, Yari Diaz, Scott Hanthorn, the Rev. Shingaku Kato and Tim O’Hara (left to right) gather for a Nichiren Shoshu general meeting on Sunday, Feb. 21. Kato presided over his first general meeting in New Orleans and plans to make a minimum of two visits per year to the area. Photo credit: Jamal Melancon

During the Rev. Shingaku Kato’s first visit to New Orleans, he performed an initiation ceremony for a new member and spoke of the importance of propagating faith to family.

Kato traveled from Chicago, where he is the chief priest of the Nichiren Shoshu Myogyoji Temple, to stay in New Orleans from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21, in order to practice with members and conduct personal visits with them in their homes. Practice consists of chanting the sacred words nam-myoho-renge-kyo towards the gohonzon, a scroll modeled after founder Nichiren Daishonin’s inscription of his enlightened life, as well as reciting the Gongyo, specific chapters from the Lotus Sutra that Shakyamuni Buddha claimed as his highest teaching.

On Feb. 21, members gathered in a home with Kato for practice, a general meeting and the performance of a gojukai ceremony. The gojukai ceremony initiates one as an official member of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism once they show sincere belief in Daishonin’s belief and a commitment to practice and preserve the gohonzon.

After the ceremony, Kato started their general meeting and lectured New Orleans members about the importance of performing shakubuku, which means to teach and communicate Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism to others, in hopes that they take faith in the religion. Nurse June Smith successfully performed shakubuku on her daughter Sydney Smith, 14, who was initiated as an official member of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism in the New Orleans area, after Kato performed the gojukai ceremony on her.

Smith has been practicing for about 20 years, and she said that her shakubuku process on her daughter consisted of Sydney coming into the room, when Smith would chant to her gohonzon during the evenings.

“She didn’t ask any questions really,” Smith said. “She’d just kind
of listen.”

One day Smith proposed Sydney to attend meetings with her. She was shy about it, but she agreed.

“My favorite aspect of the Daishonin’s faith is how I feel after attending meetings and chanting,” Sydney said. “I feel very uplifted and happy.”

Sydney said that she expects to have a deeper connection with the gohonzon now that she has taken part in the gojukai ceremony. Kato explained in the general meeting that through practice one will obtain the power of the gohonzon and then receive benefit in their lives, but they should also try and share their happiness and fortune with others by encouraging them to practice.

“You should not practice alone,” Kato said.

International shipping businessman Tim O’Hara said that although he’d had trouble doing shakubuku on his family members, he could understand why Kato stressed addressing family first and foremost. Kato sees woven threads of ancestry as highly important.

“The threads of your family and your heritage and just the parts of this mystical law that surrounds us are the reason that you want to do shakabuku with your family,” O’Hara said. “Because you’re riding this crest through time and through space.”

In making a conscious decision not to lecture his children about his religion as they were growing up, O’Hara knows how it can seem more difficult to shakubuku your friends and neighbors, rather than your family. He still relays to his children the benefits of chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

“I add it to the conversation these days, regularly,” O’Hara said.

Leslie Rowland, retired petroleum land manager, offered insight into performing shakubuku.

“It has nothing to do with people being able to say words,” Rowland said.

According to Rowland, chanting is one of the best practices one can do to change their own inner nature, before propagating Buddhism.

“It’s being able to have such a life condition that shows that your inner being is content and is self-worthy; people on an instinctual level will pick that up,” Rowland said.

In sharing their happiness and creation of good fortune with others, Kato said that members will be upholding their karmic responsibility. Kato instructed the New Orleans area coordinator of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, Scott Hanthorn, to find ways to better communicate with the Chicago temple, so that New Orleans members can hear Kato’s guidance.

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About the Contributor
Jamal Melancon, Senior Staff Writer
Jamal is a mass communication senior with a focus in journalism. Before serving on The Maroon as the Senior Staff Writer, Jamal worked as the Worldview Editor, Life and Times Editor, Religion Editor, Assistant News Editor and a Staff Writer. In his free time, he likes to read comic books. Contact: [email protected] or @Jam_M_Mel

Comments (10)

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  • V

    vincent tanOct 8, 2019 at 6:03 am

    Chant to correct Gohonzon, follow guidance’s from priest and head temple and Shakubuku is the best way to eradicate our bad karma’s which accumulate since past of our life. Greeting from Malaysia ^^

    Reply
  • K

    Kofi KenMar 1, 2018 at 10:26 am

    Buddhis is the way to go.I will encourage every Dick, Tom and Harry to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo .
    More chanting

    Reply
  • G

    Greg SextonMar 25, 2017 at 6:44 pm

    I am attending a meeting next month . I hope to attend the Gojukai as well. I am
    Very excited about the change that is coming!!!

    Reply
  • J

    Jamal MelanconNov 12, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    Thank you all so much for your comments! I really appreciate it, as it has been my pleasure to meet Nichiren Shoshu members and write about their practice.

    Reply
  • M

    Marcel SOct 16, 2016 at 2:06 am

    All Nichiren Buddhists should read “The Background,Meaning,Content and Spirit” by
    Reverend Kando Tono.

    Reply
  • A

    Amekor RobertJun 28, 2016 at 9:52 am

    Thank you very much.I’m a member of Nichiren Shoshu Temple in Ghana I like the practice.I now know that as normal humanbeing your mindset should not be on anybody’s believe but rather you yourself your own way of behaving.

    Reply
  • M

    MeMay 9, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    SGI-USA is pretty much defunct for several reasons detailed in a memo at http://home.earthlink.net/~gwhite2/data_files/DannyN-Daily_Teleconferences.doc.

    1. SGI-USA, formerly NSA got 800,000 people to receive Gohonzon/join from 1960-1990
    Shakubuku was ended in March 1990 when Daisaku Ikeda also fired George Williams as Ikeda would not stand for Americans having a leader they liked better than him essentially.

    2. SGI-USA leaders do not want to conduct home visits and do not provide personal encouragement. After you join, you are on your own. There is no compassion in this organization. Members are expected to shut up, give contributions of money and spend all of their spare time on activities, including supporting the Soka Gakkai political party called Komeito.

    3. SGI-USA also eliminated gongyo, reciting portions of the Lotus Sutra in 2002. Members just focus upon Daisaku Ikeda’s novels and worship him.

    Reply
    • N

      NatashaJan 29, 2018 at 11:46 pm

      That is not truth, I don’t know when was the last time that you were in a SGI meeting but the do have home visit and encouragement.

      Reply
  • G

    GrahamApr 11, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    I am a NICHIREN SHOSHU Buddhist from California. Before becoming a temple member, I was in Soka Gakkai. You learn and practice so much more with the temple. And you don’t have to be scared of practicing your faith because the doctrines are always consistent and correctly taught by the priest. This Buddhism has helped me with my life, and lead me to happiness beyond imagination. In hope people will give it a chance to see how life changing it is. Tina Turner used this faith once to liberate her life, so can others. Don’t make the mistake I did by joining Soka Gakkai. If you choose NICHIREN Buddhism, choose the orthodox way.

    Reply
  • J

    Jason LiuFeb 27, 2016 at 11:03 pm

    I’m from Taiwan, also a member of Nichiren Shoshu, to see Nichiren Shoshu Budhhism blossom in New Orleans is really touching, I truly believe that this Budhhism can change people’s life.

    Reply