No Brainer

I’m not Buddhist nor am I Japanese. I’m an American. I didn’t grow up in Japan or in a Buddhist family, yet I live in Japan and find myself surrounded by people who practice Buddhism, for the most part, on a daily basis. It is their lifestyle and custom. It is Japanese way. Yet, even though I am living in Japan and surrounded by so many opposing beliefs to Christianity, I am able to practice my beliefs freely. At times, however, it is not easy.

When obon rolls around, most Japanese go to their hometowns to spend time with family members where they visit shrines and pay homage to their relatives and relatives who have recently died. It is a time where Japanese who practice Buddhism pray for the repose of their deceased relatives’ souls. It is Japanese custom. But it is also something Japanese Christians have a problem with doing.

For me, it is easy to figure out what to do during obon. I am not expected to celebrate obon because I am not Japanese. So what do Japanese Christians do? How do they celebrate obon? That is a difficult question to answer for many Japanese Christians.

Obon, or Urabonne/Urabanna, was started in China. Empress Saimei officially adopted the practice of obon. The story goes that a disciple of Buddha is the one who began obon, not Buddha. After seeing his mother in a vision hanging upside down in hell, he was greatly disturbed by this vision and went to Buddha to ask how he could release his mother from her torment. Buddha told him if he prepared a feast for his relatives, she would be released from hell. The disciple did as he was told and later said he saw his mother go to heaven. He was so happy that his mother had been released from hell and had gone to heaven that he immediately danced what is now known as the bon dance.

The bon festival, however, was not created by Buddha, but by followers after he had died. There are many speculations as to why this story was created, the most accepted reason being to make the people practice Buddhism and piety.

Obon period is from August 13th to August 16th. People who celebrate obon do so by offering fruits and vegetables on the altar or butsudan in their homes. In order to guide their relatives to their homes, they light paper lanterns, chouchin, hanging from the butsudan. In some regions of Japan, people light fires in their doorways. During obon, the smell of incense or senko fills the air. There are many different fragrances of incense, but the type of Japanese senko that is burned in temples, at shrines and in butsudan is very unique. It is strong and pleasant and easy to distinguish from the first time experienced.

Many who practice obon rituals believe they need to burn incense to purify the air and help their relatives travel from one realm to the other. But this practice is much different from when it first began. Priests initially used incense to hide the bad smell of dead bodies waiting to be cremated. Since technology and burial practices differ from then, burning incense is no longer necessary today. But with the way many things change over time, burning incense has become an intricate part of practicing obon and something many believe necessary in order for the repose of one’s relatives’ souls to be achieved.

At the end of obon, families send their relatives’ spirits back to where they came from using the same method they used to initially guide them to their homes. In some regions of Japan, people place candles in paper boats and send them downstream. This is usually done at night and is a beautiful method for sending souls back.

Japanese Christians, however, have a difficult time during obon. They don’t want to offend their families and love those who’ve past away. But for them to pray and practice obon rituals for the repose of their relatives’ souls after death contradicts Christianity. Christians believe that once a person has died, their destination has already been chosen. Their decision is made in life, not after death, and no one can alter that no matter what they do, how much they pray or offer up as an offering.

The term Christian means professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Just believing that Jesus Christ lived and was a good person does not make a person Christian. Many people believe Jesus lived, but are not Christian because they simply acknowledge he lived. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was and is God’s Son and that He died on the cross for the sins of all mankind. He was raised three days later conquering death.

Christians pray for the souls of their relatives who are living not dead. Christians pray their relatives will accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior so that when they do die, they will go to Heaven. Praying for the deceased is futile. So many Christians take a strict stance that they cannot participate in obon. For a Christian to practice Buddhism and claim to be a Christian would make them out to be a heretic and they don’t want to lead people astray. Unfortunately, many confuse honoring their relatives with worshipping.

Instead of approaching a butsudan and praying to the relatives or for their relatives who’ve died, Japanese Christians wishing to honor their families can simply place flowers at their gravesite and pray for their relatives they are spending obon with. This is a great way to share their faith and show their respect to their relatives. Our non-Christian relatives are worried about being forgotten, not whether they will be worshipped. They want to be remembered. As Christians we need to make sure we let our relatives know we will continue to remember them and honor them and that they need to make a decision to believe in Jesus before they die because being remembered as a good person, however nice it sounds, it is not what gets us into Heaven.

I hope you find this article interesting and helpful. If you have time, please leave me a comment. I enjoy feedback. Thanks!