{"id":806,"date":"2017-07-15T15:50:48","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T15:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2017-07-15T15:55:11","modified_gmt":"2017-07-15T15:55:11","slug":"visiting-to-benin-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/en\/2017\/07\/15\/visiting-to-benin-district\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting to Benin District"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-819\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250988-2-300x155.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"685\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250988-2-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250988-2-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250988-2-1024x530.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Visit Benin members by Rev Shindo Imafuku and Koto, Dr. Kwame Odame Boamah<\/p>\n<p>Date:25\/06\/2017<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24th July &#8211; National Buddhist Seminar at Porto Novo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-808 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240905-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"343\" height=\"257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240905-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240905-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240905-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 343px) 100vw, 343px\" \/>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\u2019s 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. \u00a0Porto 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.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-816\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240934-1-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240934-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240934-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240934-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Chief Priest lecture was on \u201cWhy faith and practice are indispensable in our lives (The parable of certain traveller).\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-812 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240954-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"315\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240954-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6240954-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px\" \/>Some of the questions which were asked at the seminar were as follows:<\/p>\n<p>Question: What is the Buddhist view of the creation of the earth or the universe?<\/p>\n<p>Answer:\u00a0 Buddhism teaches that life is eternal; therefore life has no beginning and no end.<\/p>\n<p>Question: Do Buddhists believe in the existence of God as in Christianity?<\/p>\n<p>Answer: Buddhism teaches the law of cause and effect. The idea of the existence God goes against the law of cause and effect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>25th June \u2013 General meeting for Benin Hokkeko<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-813\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250969-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"379\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250969-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250969-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250969-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 379px) 100vw, 379px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If our prayer is against reason ( for example a wife is praying that the Gohonzon \u00a0should punish her husband because he is cheating or vice versa)<\/li>\n<li>Gohonzon prevents our prayer because our prayer will not be in our long time interest<\/li>\n<li>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<\/li>\n<li>Not doing the practice as the Buddha taught, that is:<\/li>\n<li>Not observing morning and evening gongyo consistently<\/li>\n<li>Not making effort to go to tozan<\/li>\n<li>Not chanting abundant daimoku<\/li>\n<li>Not participating in temple activities<\/li>\n<li>Not doing shakubuku<\/li>\n<li>Committing the fourteen slanders, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-814 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250987-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250987-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250987-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/P6250987-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In essence, if we do not practice correctly, our prayers cannot be answered.<\/p>\n<p>Koto gave the targets set for the celebration of the 20th-anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Hokkeji Temple, next year.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s shakubuku by Oeshiki ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>We had a great time and thank Reverend and the Koto for their visit to Benin members.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More and More Chanting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":823,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions\/823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}