Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the January 2007 issue of the Buddhist Wheel

Honpa Hongwanji
Kyoto, Japan

    “Immeasurable Light and Life.”
    At the beginning of the year, I would like to send you my greetings.　
    May we all continue to live every day of this year in appreciation of the Nembutsu.

At the Hongwanji, the restoration work of the Goeido (the hall of the founder Shinran Shonin) which began eight years ago is near completion. In the end of last fall, the shelter canopy was removed and newly-tiled roof of the hall has become visible again. Two-hundred-year and three-hundred-seventy-year old tiles were also reused and account for a certain percentage of the tiles that are on the roof. Through this fact, you can tell the enthusiasm and high standard of skill of the people in those days. The restoration project is scheduled to continue for two more years, mainly focusing on the interior of the hall, and for the most part, the inner altar.

Although the buildings and other structures of the Hongwanji are steadily being readied in preparation for the seven hundred fiftieth memorial for Shinran Shonin, with regard to the attitude, demeanor, and conduct of each one of us, there seems to be much that still needs to be done.

Traditional systems and rites are important and are the basis of our religious organization. However, they might be difficult to understand for those persons who were born and raised in regions that are distant from the organization. In addition, some of those traditions may not be essential for them. In these cases, I would like to suggest a way to present and inform them of a short cut, a way of living in which they “entrust themselves to the Primal Vow and recite the Nembutsu.” Although the means by which one can learn it in this manner is increasing, such as through various publications and the internet, nothing is more important than the bonds between humans. This is because we can feel the working of Amida Tathagata in those who live with the Nembutsu. Let us cope with modern people’s problems, talk about the Dharma using the present terms, and live together intoning the Nembutsu.

January 1, 2007

                                                                OHTANI Koshin
                                                                Monshu
                                                                Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha

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