ALL ARE WELCOME to join us for this year’s Sejiki Celebration, a traditional Japanese Zen Buddhist ceremony honoring our ancestors, calling forth the spirits of the untamed wilderness, and giving nourishment and a wish for peace! This is one of the most important Sōtō Zen Buddhist observances of the year, a time to remember and call forth the spirit realm by making offerings of food and wishes of peace for our departed loved ones, as well as to any ‘hungry ghosts’ (including our own neglected or unsatisfied body-mind states). This powerful ceremony summons forth these restless spirits and pacifies agitation and violence within and without. It involves setting up an elaborate altar (traditionally arranged opposite to the usual altar in the zendo), instruments played to invoke the departed spirits, and the chanting of the “Gate of Sweet Dew,” a series of mantras and wishes for well-being. The names of our departed friends & family are collected beforehand to be strung around the ceremonial space and invoked aloud during the ceremony.

The Buddha recommended in the Ullambana Sutra that this ceremony be performed at the end of the summer practice period. Many Zen Centers hold the Sejiki ceremony around the time of Halloween, which is a time in our culture when we call forth the spirit world. In non-pandemic conditions participants are encouraged to dress in halloween costume and to participate in the brief instrumental portion of the ceremony. This year, we are holding the ceremony outdoors and making it available both online as well as to a limited number of people in-person. We will also be making use of both live and recorded chanting and musical instrumentation.