"Sokkoku-ki" - 100th Day Memorial Service (May 8th, Saturday, 2pm)

Buddhists traditionally continue to pray and offer chants for the dead during the mourning period. This period can last between a month and 100 days. Buddhists believe that a waiting period between the time of death and cremation or burial is necessary, as it takes time for a soul to transition after death.

The 100th day marked the time from which the family vowed to stop mourning. The notion behind this was to release the departed spirit from the pain of seeing family and friends continue to grieve the death and allow those who were living to move forward

with their lives.

The mood of the memorial services held at specific frequency is somber and quiet. There will be no mention of going to a “better place” since Buddhists believe that the dead are reincarnated into another being. Overall the services tend to be quiet and modest occasions.

Unlike at a funeral, a body is not present. These types of services are common in situations where the family has had the body cremated, but they still want to hold a formal memorial service for a loved one. It is a time to reflect on the good life that the deceased lived and celebrate it.

As a guest (participant) to the memorial service you may choose to send or bring flowers or plants to be displayed during the funeral service at the altar. White flowers are the traditional choice for a Buddhist funeral. Red flowers are typically inappropriate. Cards and donations to charities are also acceptable at a Buddhist funeral, too.

Offerings placed on the temple altar

1. Flowers - the unexpected gesture of plants in which something completely new is brought forth from a series of expansions and contractions of green growth.

2. Fire in a form of incense or a white candle - universal symbols of purification and illumination.

Both flower and light depend upon one another, the right and the left hand.

3. Offering

At memorial services in Japan, it is a custom to give a money offering in a special envelope. Certain expressions are often written on this envelope.

Some common expressions are listed below:

Gobutsuzen: used for a money offering placed on the altar at a Buddhist memorial service.

Osonae: used for an offering of flowers, sweets, or fruit.

Kiku-ichirin: used for a small money offering. Literally means “single chrysanthemum.”

Ofuse: used for a money offering given as a token of gratitude to a priest or temple at the time of a funeral or memorial service.