Gishiki (Ceremonies) in Vancouver, Canada
An Emotional Day Filled with Joy and Happiness

Our members in Vancouver were able to resume the Kyōkai gatherings for the first time in 4 years back in March of this year. And on July 8th and 9th, gishiki were held along with benkyōkai in Vancouver upon requests from the members residing in the region. A staff member from the Florida office traveled with the goshintai and other materials needed to conduct the requested gishiki. It comes as an effort of our staff, who knows how difficult it can be to travel to Japan with all family members, to try to do these gishiki at their local location.  And as a result, 9 gishiki were held in the two-day event with just one hope that people can experience this wonderful gishiki under the great protection of Kami.

The Junctures of Life Are Opportunities for a Step Forward for More Happiness

Life cannot be stopped or turned back—it only moves forward. If you spend time in a daze, you might miss out on the important details, and at the same time, lose your way without even noticing it. This is why you need these moments (of gishiki) to stop and reflect on your life—like a stair landing—and receive the purification to move forward in the right direction. This is why Shinji Kyōkai has gishiki based on the principles that are held at important junctures of life.

Purify the Kokoro; Deepening Ties of the Family Members

Goshintai in which Kami’s bunkon (shared spirit) is placed, stands at the center of the altar, and the room is mysteriously filled with a feeling of reverence and purity. Seeing Kami’s bunkon in front of them, the attendees are instantly wrapped in mixtures of good tension, gratitude, and a sense of security. It is truly a special moment they experience where they have reached an important juncture of life in the hands of Kami. The staff member now becomes the dendōshi (priest), who has the duty to deliver Kami’s wishes to the attendee’s, and at the same time, deliver the attendee’s wishes to Kami. And the gishiki is conducted from the beginning to the end with just one wish of family’s happiness.  For the non-Japanese attendees, a handout with an explanation of the flow of the gishiki in English was given to follow. Some people were in tears listening to what the dendōshi talked about.

A couple was celebrating their 15 years of marriage with Kōrin no Gi (The Marriage Anniversary). Reflecting on the journey as a married couple, they delivered their pledge to further build a warm and loving family. During moments where the couple exchanges their gratitude in the gishiki the wife told the husband how grateful she is to have met the greatest partner of life. And the husband in exchange told the wife how grateful he is to have realized through his life together how much he is being supported by his surrounding, and that life cannot be lived alone. And he continued to tell his wife that he would like to continue to mesh their lives together. The 9-year-old son who was with them throughout the gishiki, sat in between the couple and they all kept holding each other’s hands and looked very happy. The more the ties between the husband and wife strengthens, the more they will bring in joy and happiness into their household.

Three generations of family members attended for a man’s Shinkon no Gi (The Ceremony to Celebrate Long Life)—a celebration of his 85 years of life. The gishiki allowed him to reflect and see how much his life has been supported by family and friends. The family was there with him remembering all the good memories the family has spent together. His wife, who was there alongside him said, “Thank you for always being there beside me. I am truly grateful. Please live a long life.” The grandchildren praised how he is the greatest grandpa. He himself was all smiles and said to his family; “I am truly grateful for being able to have this moment with the family together. This is truly the happiest day of my life.”

A woman who lost her husband in an accident attended Myōkonsai (The Rite to Send Off the Soul of the Deceased) to send off the soul of her beloved husband. The sudden farewell she had to go through was a harsh incident that was very difficult to accept. At her lowest time, it was her fellow members of Kyōkai community that had supported her.  And this gishiki that was held in Canada and in the presence of her friends who knew her husband was able to provide a closure. The wife said, “I feel a sense of relief to have had this gishiki done by a staff who knew my husband and to find out that my husband’s soul is at peace. I was able to tell my husband how thankful I am to him, and everything else I have been wanting to tell him. And at the same time, I felt like I was truly able to cry.  I want to move forward. And I am grateful to all my fellow friend’s love and support.” Receiving the purification, she was able to let go her feelings she had inside, and her will to step forward has surfaced.

There were other comments from people who went through gishiki.  One woman said, “I want to change myself who used to only look at the negatives of the family.”  There were many who were able to appreciate the presence of their family members or to pledge to take care of his/her life. Whatever it was, what people felt through these gishiki to better their lives are the proof that these gishiki are held with the great power and the protection of Kami. Strengthening the ties with family members at each life junctures, Shinja in Canada are aiming for further joy and happiness in their lives by strengthening the ties with family members at each life junctures.