Dharma Talks

Good morning, everyone!

I am happy to see you again this morning.

Do you remember what I talked about last time? I talked about Gassho. Do you recall that? Let me tell you again. Put your hands together. Keep your fingers closed. Put your hands on your chest touching your chin with the tips of your middle fingers. Turn your hands forward 45 degrees. Straighten your back, pull your chin back, relax your shoulders and arms as though you are holding eggs under your arms. This is the perfect form of Gassho. Please accustom yourself with this.

Today, I would like to talk about the ‘Raihai.‘ What is the difference between Raihai and a bow? Raihai is bowing with Gassho. If we bow without doing Gassho, that is not Raihai. It would just be bowing, and not necessarily in a Buddhist way. When you sit on a chair or in a pew, please do Gassho and bend yourself forward 45 degrees. Do this with your eyes closed. Straighten your back if you are able to do that. Do not bend your neck without also bending your hips. How long should we hold the position of Raihai? It depends on the situation, however, we usually do Raihai for the duration of chanting “Namumyohorengekyo” once in your mind. Don't rush, but do it calmly and slowly.

Nothing changes when you do Raihai from the standing position. Straighten your entire body, do Gassho, and lower the upper half of your body forward 45 degrees. Here in the US, the chances that you will do Raihai while sitting on the floor are rare. But, just for your information, let me tell you how to do it while you are sitting on the floor. It is almost the same as how we do it sitting on a chair. From a Seiza position and bend your body forward 45 degrees with Gassho. If you are not able to do Seiza, please you may do this from the Anza position.

Why do we do Raihai? Do we have to do Raihai? Raihai is the Buddhsit way to show our gratitude and respect. Please think of the form of Raihai. When we do Raihai, our heads are not covered with anything. Our eyes are closed. We cannot use our hands because they are in Gassho. We are completely defenseless. We are exposing ourselves when we do Raihai. In addition, we keep ourselves down by bowing down in order to look up to something. The form of Raihai by itself is a way of showing our gratitude and respect. If we have hostility or disdain in our minds, we are unable to do Raihai. Please remember that Gassho represents non-violence, faith and prayer, and Raihai expresses gratitude and respect.

To whom do we do Raihai? The most important intent of doing Raihai is to show respect to the Buddha and Nichiren Shonin. We cannot express enough of our gratitude and respect for them. We can do Raihai to others as well. I do Raihai to all of you here. Do you know why? It is because you have the Buddha's world in your mind. I do Raihai to the Buddha in your mind. All living beings including humans, animals, plants and others have their minds. If they have their minds, they have the Buddha's world in their minds. That's why I do Raihai to them too. How about something which doesn't have life? As you know, we have the Eternal Peace Tower, Eitaikuyoto, outside. It is made of stones. It doesn't have life but we do Raihai in front of it. Why? It is because we have held an Eye-opening ceremony for it, making it active in a connection with the Buddha's world. That's why the stone tower without life has the Buddha's world inside. That's why we can stay peacefully inside of the tower. That's why we pray and do Raihai there.

There is a more polite and respectful way of doing Raihai called Gotai Tochi or Fukuhai. As I mentioned, we cannot express our gratitude and respect to the Buddha and Nichiren Shonin enough. Gotai Tochi means to throw the five parts of one's body on the ground. Fukuhai means to prostrate oneself. We cannot do it when we are sitting on a chair. Sitting on the floor with Gassho, we do Raihai touching the ground with your forehead, both elbows and knees. Face your palms up and put them next to your ears. This is Gotai Tochi, the most venerable way of doing Raihai in the Nichiren Shu. As you know, Rev. Ikenaga and I do this way of Raihai before and after the service every time.

When do we do Raihai? It is when we enter the main hall, when we leave the hall, when priests do Raihai during the services, or when we offer incense. In fact, you can do Raihai at anytime anywhere. Raihai should not be limited to religious matters. I hope that you will do Raihai in your daily life. We will have our fifth annual Bon Dance on Saturday, August 24th. I name the day Gassho Day. Please do Gassho when you say, “Thank you” or “Mahalo” to anybody. If possible, Please do Raihai too when you do Gassho. Please do Raihai to everyone. And, I hope you will become a person to whom everybody will do Raihai.

Today, I talked about Raihai. Please remember to do it with Gassho and do not forget about them. Gassho is a form of our bodies and minds to express our faith and prayer without violence. Raihai is a form to express our gratitude and respect. I am going to chant Namumyohorengekyo 3 times and do Raihai. I will do it to express my deep gratitude and respect to the Buddha, his teaching, Nichiren Shonin and the Buddha in your mind. Let us do it together to each other.