Your Questions about Eitaikyo
Bill Teague, Certified Minister’s Assistant
Hi Everyone. Several of us were chatting at the Temple the other day, and we realized that we coiuld do a better job of providing information about our Eitaikyo Memorial Service and Eitaikyo Memorial Fund. Many people may have only a partial understanding of the importance of this observance.
For that reason, I encourage you to see the eloquent Eitaikyo letter that the Temple published in the November Bussei Script or Kaiho. Click here to download a copy.
To help you learn more about the elements of Eitaikyo, and to encourage you to add the name of a loved one for the listing in the Eitaikyo book. yourself. While finances aren’t the most important reason to do so, in 2023 the Board will be increasing the recommended donation for that initial listing.
So what is Eitaikyo all about? Simply put, the Eitaikyo tradition allows us to do two things: To formalize our gratitude to loved ones and to protect the Temple’s most important mission of furthering the Dharma.
My Parents
Many years back, well after they had passed away, I added my parents to the Temple’s Eitaikyo list. They were not Temple members, not Buddhist. And yet they helped support the Temple through me, and I wanted to acknowledge that fact after they were gone.
In this way I could formally acknowledge how much I loved them and missed them, and to appreciate what they did for me. They were so supportive of me coming to the Temple and always remarked how nice the folks at the Temple treated them when they came to Temple events.
I bring them up as an example of what the listing in the Eitaikyo book is about. It honors important people, living or dead, to whom we are indebted. And it secures the future of this Temple, our spiritual home.
Do You Have Questions?
Brief answers to some of your questions appear below. This article will be reviewed, and I am sure it will be improved by key Sangha members. Please direct further questions to the Temple office so one of us can get back to you.
FAQs
What Does Eitaikyo Mean?
Eitaikyo translates as the “perpetual chanting of sutras.” The word is a contraction of the more formal term Ei-tai dokukyo. Ei (永) means eternal. It is composed of the Chinese characters for a river with many tributaries that flow on and on. Tai (代) means generations. Kyo (経) means sutras or the words of the Buddha. Doku (読) means to read or chant. So the meaning of Eitaikyo is to chant the sutras on behalf of our loved ones for generations and generations to come. [From William Briones, “Rimban’s Message: Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Fund and Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service,” Los Angeles Betsuin Jiho, November-December 2018, No. 451, 1 et seq.]
What Is the Eitaikyo Service?
The Eitaikyo Service honors all dedicated members and Dharma friends, whether known or unknown, in perpetuity, who devoted themselves for the spiritual welfare of BTSD. It also allows us to focus on the importance of chanting the sutras in perpetuity too — that is, to make sure that the Temple will continue its mission of sharing the Shin Dharma.
What Is the Eitaikyo Fund?
To help continue its mission through good times and bad, the Eitaikyo Fund exists as a kind of self-insurance policy of last resort, to maintain and upgrade the and to restore the ability to share the Dharma in the face of severe crisis or catastrophe.
What is the Eitaikyo Book?
The Eitaikyo Book lists specific honorees, and is kept in the Onaijin, the altar area, close to the statue of Amida Buddha. The book lists all the names of the loved ones added by special request to the Temple. Names on the list are read at the annual Eitaikyo Service. Donations made on adding a name to the list, and again in conjunction with the service, make up the Eitaikyo Fund.
How Do You Add a Name to the Eitaikyo List?
Send a note or email or call the Temple and let us know of your interest. We will get back to you with more information.
Why Sponsor or Add a Name?
If the Eitaikyo Service Honors ALL dedicated members and Dharma Friends who have supported the Temple, why are individuals or families encouraged to sponsor or add a name to the list in the Eitaikyo Book? Because it allows us to express our gratitude more formally. By specifiying a name, we insure it will reside in the book in the altar area, and the name will be read during the Eitaikyo Service.
Whose Names Can Be Added to the Book?
Although most individuals or families add a name to remember a loved relative or friend who passed away, you can also honor living individuals.
Can Nonmembers or Non-Buddhists Be Added to the List?
Yes, if the honoree has supported the Temple, you could consider adding the name. Over the years, the book has seen additions of nonmembers and even non-Buddhists.
When did the the Eitaikyo Observance Start in San Diego? In Japan?
Sometime in the first decades following World War II, BTSD followed the example of other Temples among the BCA (Buddhist Churches of America) by observing Eitaikyo. Before that, the Eitaikyo tradition started in Japan’s Edo Period, hundreds of years ago. It survived the trip to the mainland United States in our tradition, and today, most BCA Temples observe the tradition.
What Is the Current Suggested Donation for Adding a Name?
Through 2022 there is a recommended minimum donation amount of $100 per name. an amount which had not been changed for decades. However, the recommended donation will be raised to $300 in 2023, an amount more in keeping with other Temples in the Southern District.
In the Years after Adding a Name to the List, Is There a Recommended Donation?
If you have sponsored a name on the Eitaikyo list, we encourage a donation from the heart in memory of the person each year during the Eitaikyo observance. But there is not a recommended amount,
How Do Donations for the Eitaikyo Service and to the Eitaikyo Fund Differ?
Eitaikyo Service donations go to our current operating expenses, as with most other major or special services. Donations to the Eitaikyo Fund are made separately. The Eitaikyo Fund is our self-insurance policy of last resort. Many Temple members donate each year for both the Eitaikyo Memorial Service and the Eitaikyo Memorial Fund.
Who Benefits by Listing a Name?
Both the Temple and you and the family of the loved one being remembered benefit. The Temple is able to develop a self-insurance fund of last resort to keep the Temple doors open, and the sponsor and sponsor’s family benefit by formally expressing their gratitude to the honoree.
Aren’t We Honoring Someone on the Eitaikyo List for Their Benefit?
In our tradition, we are not adding the name of a living or deceased honoree to benefit the person so honored. In this life we believe that the honoree already receives wisdom and compassion from the Buddha, without our intercession. Likewise, the deceased do not need our assistance after death relative to their disposition after death, as they are in the hands of Buddha.
The Person I Wish to Honor Is Living Now. Is It Appropriate to Request the Name Be Added?
Yes, you can express your gratitude to a beloved friend or family member while the individual is still alive by having us add the honoree’s name to the Eitaikyo list.
How Long Are Names Kept on the Eitaikyo List?
To the extent practical, they are maintained on the list in perpetuity.