On Monday March 28, 2016 the Meditation Center of Japan and the Dhammakaya International Meditation Center in Tokyo, received an invitation from Mr. Miki to participate in the Saitoukoma (柴燈護摩) event, which occurs annually on the March 28th. There were many activities in the event and the attendees had a great opportunity to learn about Japanese culture and customs, which in turn deepened the cultural understanding and relationship between Thai and Japanese Buddhists.
The ceremony began in the late afternoon with the Japanese monks chanting the Hanya Shinkyo (The Heart Sutra) prayer. The Abbot welcomed the attendees, thanked the attendees and extended his gratitude towards the Thai community. He then invited everybody to have lunch together.
After lunch, there was a Hiwatari (火渡り) ritual, which is the fire walking or fire ritual. This symbolizes the purification of the body and mind so that impurities or obstacles from one’s past life are left in the flames. According to the Japanese belief those who participate in the fire ritual will be fortunate, thus many attendees took part in this ceremony. The Kouonji temple staff gave a warm welcome to the instructor and venerable monks and took great care of them. They felt honored and grateful that the Dhammakaya group visited the event, and invited the Dhammakaya group to participate in further events.
