Visit Benin members by Rev Shindo Imafuku and Koto, Dr. Kwame Odame Boamah
Date:25/06/2017
From the 23rd to the 25th of June, Benin members had the great pleasure to receive the Chief Priest Rev. Shindo Imafuku and the Koto, Dr. Kwame Odame Boamah. After evening Gongyo, we received guidance from the Chief Priest.
24th July – National Buddhist Seminar at Porto Novo
Our national seminar was planned for the 24th of June; we are in rainy season in Benin but this year the rains are particularly intense. We chose to have our seminar in Porto-Novo (Benin’s second city) in order to show our appreciation to our members residing there, who always travel to Cotonou to attend meetings of our Hokkeko organization. Porto Novo is 43.5 km (about one hour drive), north east of Cotonou, the capital city of Benin. The aim of the national seminar is to introduce Buddhism to the people of Benin. The meeting started with one-hour shodai at 9.00 a.m. (one hour ahead of Accra time). In spite of a heavy downpour (rainfall), fifty-four (54) guests attended the seminar. The Hokkeko members who attended the seminar were forty-three (43). After the ceremonial gongyo, 24 people received Gojukai.
The Chief Priest lecture was on “Why faith and practice are indispensable in our lives (The parable of certain traveller).”
Some of the questions which were asked at the seminar were as follows:
Question: What is the Buddhist view of the creation of the earth or the universe?
Answer: Buddhism teaches that life is eternal; therefore life has no beginning and no end.
Question: Do Buddhists believe in the existence of God as in Christianity?
Answer: Buddhism teaches the law of cause and effect. The idea of the existence God goes against the law of cause and effect.
25th June – General meeting for Benin Hokkeko
It was the first time that Rev. Imafuku was spending two nights in Benin, so the next day we had our Sunday meeting with him. After one-hour shodai and morning gongyo, one more person took gojukai. The Chief Priest lecture was based on the four reasons for which, members prayers go unanswered.
The reasons are as follows:
- If our prayer is against reason ( for example a wife is praying that the Gohonzon should punish her husband because he is cheating or vice versa)
- Gohonzon prevents our prayer because our prayer will not be in our long time interest
- Because of our negative karma (for example, if you have ten (10) negative karma and so far you have expiated seven (7), you still have three to expiate), therefore it will take some time to receive answers to your prayers
- Not doing the practice as the Buddha taught, that is:
- Not observing morning and evening gongyo consistently
- Not making effort to go to tozan
- Not chanting abundant daimoku
- Not participating in temple activities
- Not doing shakubuku
- Committing the fourteen slanders, etc.
In essence, if we do not practice correctly, our prayers cannot be answered.
Koto gave the targets set for the celebration of the 20th-anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Hokkeji Temple, next year.
The meeting took about five (5) hours because of the strong seeking spirit of the members. With the achievement of a total number of 25 gojukai, Benin became the first country in Africa to achieve its shakubuku target for this year.
We could appreciate the opportunity that was given to us and learn a lot during these 2 days. We are more motivated to participate in the 100-day Daimoku challenge in order to achieve the temple’s shakubuku by Oeshiki ceremony.
We had a great time and thank Reverend and the Koto for their visit to Benin members.
More and More Chanting!