During the last leg of the 10-day Japan visit, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Tochoji Temple near the Fukuoka city on the Kyushu Island in the west of Japan. At the temple, His Holiness recited the ‘Heart Sutra’ and Je Tsongkhapa’s ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Sukhavati- the Land of Bliss’ for the victims of the Kumamoto earthquakes and the recent disastrous floods. Likewise, netizens across the globe were glued on to the live webcast of the prayer service via an official Facebook of His Holiness @DalaiLama.
The series of Kumamoto earthquakes occurred between 14 – 16 April 2016 which killed at least 50 people and injured about 3,000 others in total forcing evacuation of more than 44,000 people from their homes due to the disaster.
In the month of June and July this year, torrential rainfall led to disastrous floods in south-western Japan in which more than 225 people lost their lives, forcing more than 2 million residents to evacuate their homes. This is the most devastating flood-related natural disaster to hit Japan in 36 years.
Praying for the victims, His Holiness said, “Today, in this famous temple, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to recite the ‘Heart Sutra’ and the ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Sukhavati’ for those who suffered untimely death and those who lost their homes in the Kumamoto earthquakes and recent disastrous floods.”
Explaining the prayer composed by Je Tsongkhapa, he said, “To be reborn in a higher realm you need to have created positive karma, which is why it’s important to study, reflect and meditate on the teachings under the guidance of a qualified teacher.” Calling the ‘Heart Sutra’ profound, His Holiness said, “The Buddha first taught the Four Noble Truths. Of those, the first is the truth of suffering, which does not arise without causes or conditions. What brings us suffering is harming others; making others unhappy. The excellent qualities of higher rebirth, on the other hand, are the result of wholesome actions.”
On the power of prayer, His Holiness said prayers for others can serve as a condition for the activation of positive karma, even if those people have committed some gravely unwholesome deed, and thus offset the potential for miserable rebirth.
Asking the people of Japan not to focus on material development alone, His Holiness counselled them to be mentally fit by understanding the workings of the mind and learning to tackle negative emotions. His Holiness wrapped up the Japan visit, the public braved the rain outside to get a glimpse of the living Buddha and to connect with him.
A glimpse of netizen’s reactions on His Holiness the Dalai Lama visit to Tochoji Temple in Fukuoka, Japan: