New friend in the home…
The day before yesterday Molly and I went and picked out an inexpensive Butsudan at the Morning Sun store on Venice, then later we went to the SGI Friendship Center down the street from there to receive our Gohonzon in a ceremony… we thought only one person could go up, so we had Molly go up to receive it. Last night, we had a group of the VIP’s of our process of going Buddhist over, to have our inaugural Daimoku for mounting it… it all sounds pretty serious, but to an outsiders perspective it went as thus:
1. A few friends arrive, including Molly’s sister, Kate. We amble about figuring out the engineering of our new edition to the home. (It should ideally be facing east, on a wall with nothing above it, with very little chance of being hit by anything.)
2. We rearrange some furniture, saw some stuff in the hallway and screw a cabinet (the Butsudan) to a board to suspend it above a table. (this is so it can be at a good height while we chant and so it will be stable.)
3. While we construct this a lot of really nice, happy people arrive. Molly and I bribe them with foodstuffs and small gifts. Light conversation is abound. Patrick Duffy is a popular topic for some reason. It’s assumed he is also Buddhist, or was at one time. Some of us wonder who Patrick Duffy is and why he offered cans of tuna to buddha. (He is an actor, who was in dire straits at some point, and he couldn’t afford much, but the sincerity of his small offerings is what truly mattered. Thoughts of the Gift of the Magi abound for me with this practice. I just know that chanting helped me live through an attempted homicide, and previously got me stuff like a G4 iBook for $15.)
4. Kool Aid is served. (Just kidding!!! The worst thing sacrificed was an orange, which I’ll probably juice in my Magic Bullet Blender tomorrow.) Actually, they all sit nicely down and make sure everyone can see the "cabinet of wonder", they get quiet.
5. The lead dude (Gary!) hits a little metal bowl and it sounds like a little gong, and he lights some candles and mumbles some stuff really loud. (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) Others start chanting, and the lead dude unscrolls a scroll and hangs it inside the cabinet.
6. Everybody starts mumbling stuff really loud in unison, and it sounds kinda Japanese. (excerpts from the Lotus Sutra) Most of them are reading this stuff from little books, REALLY fast. Then the lead dude gongs the bell and chants alone a second, then they all put the little books down and start chanting super fast and they hold beads. All eyes are on the neat little scroll in the cabinet with the Japanese writing on it. Bead rubbing here and there is common, some furiously rub their bead, some not so much.
7. The lead dude gongs the little bowl gong and everyone says thank you.
8. Small talk resumes. This is a cool thing that has just happened in the world of Joshua and Molly. They bribe some more guests, and serve soda and cookies.
9. Joshua and Mike play Katamari Damacy until 2:30 AM. All is well.
