So good morning, everyone. Welcome. This morning, we are going to do our annual Sagathe Ceremony for eating and taking care of the hungry and restless spirits. So I'll just say a little bit about the ceremony. We'll have some time for discussion afterwards. So this spirit, this ceremony is done annually in Japan and East Asia. Usually in late August, we do it around Halloween time because it has a lot of the same meaning as the Halloween celebration in Europe and in America, the ancient meaning is Halloween. So we are taking care of restless spirits. The way the ceremony is going to go, we'll start with a Shinese who will be officiating.

[01:03]

She will make offerings and do three prostrations. And then there will be a welcoming of restless spirits to our Zoom room. Usually we do this and we've done this in our Zen. Everyone makes noise, sounds with percussion instruments with three crescendos and decrescendos. With Zoom, we'll all be muted and Asian will do that, but you're welcome to do that muted from the rest of us in your own space. So we found that with Zoom, if everyone's doing it, we won't really hear it. So Asian will be the only one unmuted. And at the end of that, Wade will announce the chant

[02:05]

that we do at this time, the gate of sweet dew. And that will be up on the shared on the Zoom screen. So Asian will be doing the chant, but please chant along the chant, which has many Dharanis or incantations, which are intended to help restless spirits, hungry ghosts. And we'll talk more about hungry ghosts after the ceremony and what they are. And so please follow along with the chant, even though everybody else will be muted except Asian and she will lead it. The Dharanis, the incantations are in Sino-Japanese where there's a line over a vowel that's held a little bit longer. So Asian will be leading that, just follow along. The italicized instructions in the chant are not chanted.

[03:10]

So follow along with her. At the end of that, Wade will introduce the final dedication, which will include a reading of names that will be done by Douglas Floyd, our lay practice leader. He will read a list of names of friends and family of Sangha members and culture figures who have passed away in the last year. So, and at the end of that, there will be the concluding dedication that Wade will finish. And then there's a closing that we all do that Wade will lead. And then there'll be time for discussion about the ceremony and what it means. So thank you very much, everyone, for joining us. Asian, please lead us. Thank you. Thank you.

[04:42]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[06:13]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[07:28]

Thank you. Thank you. Gate of sweet doom. Homage to the Buddhas in 10 directions. Homage to the Dharma in 10 directions. Homage to the Sangha in 10 directions. Homage to our original teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha. Homage to the great, merciful, compassionate, reliever of suffering, contemplating the world's cries, Kanzeon Bodhisattva. Homage to the expounder of the teachings, the Arhat Ananda. All of us assembled together, arousing awakened mind,

[09:02]

unconditionally offer up a bowl of pure food to the furthest reaches of vast emptiness in the 10 directions, including every atom throughout the entire Dharma realm, so as to give alms to hungry ghosts in every land. We invite all our departed ancestors, going back to ancient times, dwelling in mountains, rivers, and earth, as well as rough demonic spirits from the wilderness to come and gather here. Now, with deep sympathy, we offer food to all of you, praying that you will each accept this food and transfer it along, making offerings to Buddhas, sages, and all sentient beings throughout the vast emptiness of the universe, so that you and all the many sentient beings will be satisfied. Moreover, we sincerely wish for yourself

[10:03]

to take advantage of these mantras and food to depart from suffering, be liberated, find birth in heaven, and receive joy. With according intention, may you travel freely through the pure lands in the 10 directions, and arouse bodhi mind, practicing the bodhi way, and in the future, definitely become a Buddha. We entreat those who have previously attained the way since ancient times, may you bring all beings together to liberation, day and night, constantly protect us. We offer food to beings throughout the Dharma realm, so that every being will equally receive this fortunate offering. Whatever virtue and merit this produces, we completely transfer and dedicate to the unsurpassed awakening with total clarity and wisdom

[11:04]

of the whole Dharma realm of true reality, that all may speedily attain Buddhahood without incurring any other destinies. May all sentient beings of the Dharma realm take advantage of this teaching to quickly attain Buddhahood. Namo Buhuri Gyari Tari Tatha Gyataya Om Buhur Teri Gyatari Tatha Gyataya Namo Maku Sarva Tatha Gyata Baro Kite Om Sanbara Sanbara Un Namo Maku Sarvaya Tatha Gyataya Tanyata Om Soro Hara Soro Hara Soro Soaka

[12:05]

Namo Maku Sanmonda Botananban Homage to the many jewels Prabhuta Ratna Tathagata Nobhobhagya Bhate Harabhuta Aratan Nobhya Tathagyataya Removing the karma of greed fully complete with blessing and wisdom homage to the wondrous form body Akshobhya Tathagata Nobhobhagya Bhate Sorobhaya Tathagyataya Destroying disgrace and vileness fully complete with good marks homage to the king of sweet dew

[13:07]

Amitabha Tathagata Nobhobhagya Bhate Amirite Aranjaya Tathagyataya Pouring the dharma into body and mind granting pleasure homage to the body extensive as space Vairochana Tathagata Nobhobhagya Bhate Bihuragya Taraya Tathagyataya Opening wide all throats satisfying them with food and drink homage to the departure from fear Shakyamuni Tathagata Nobhobhagya Bhate Abhayamgyaraya Tathagyataya Completely vanishing dread

[14:09]

separating all from rebirths as hungry ghosts Om Bhoji Sita Boda Harayami Om Samaya Satoban Jinn Bara Jinn Bara Boda Birokite Bhugya Chishutta Gyarave Sawaka Om Mani Bhaji Re Un Om Mani Da Re Un Bhakta Om Ma Bhojya Bherosa

[15:15]

Om Bhojya Bherosa Om Ma Bhojya Bherosa By means of this practice of the Assembly's good roots we repay the virtue of our parents toil and trouble May the living be blessed with joy and longevity without misery May the dead part from suffering and be born into peaceful nurturing May all conscious beings in the three realms of desire, form and formlessness having received the four benefactions of parents, teachers, elders and monks together with those born to suffering in the threefold path of delusion, action and resulting misery and the eight difficult situations

[16:16]

in which the Dharma is not met all thoroughly repent their errors and wash away their defects to finally depart the round of samsara and be born in pure lands Now that we have offered the food and water of the Dharma we have chanted the sutra of opening the gate of sweet dew for John Conyers, Barb Birmingham, John Baldessari, John Chi-Wan Tsai, Parker McCormick Ross, Jack McClain, Morgan Hunt, Aaron Easton, Stephen Easton, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Stephen Cohen, Ralph Childs, Brianna Taylor,

[17:18]

Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, Michael Sorkin, Stephanie Pitzpatrick-O'Keefe, Janet Miller, Liliana Miller, Paul Bizzile, Bill Navoglio, Judy Hirsch, Doug Anderson, Ron Karsnia, Judith Evans, Christiane Ho, Catherine Johnson, Helen Reddy, Bill Withers, Eddie Van Halen, John Pryne, Riley Gale, Joseph Shavalala, Toots Hibbert, McCoy Tyner, Little Richard, Ennio Morricone, Max Bonsito, Rene Aubergineau, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Jones, Kirk Douglas,

[18:20]

Diana Rigg, Peggy Lipschitz, Dan Hill, Rony Ariel, Shoshana Ruzicka-Namanovich, Shlomo Zivion, Boris Berko-Namanovich, Lawrence Lee, Patricia Sautome, Pete Hamill, Michael McClure, Stephen Goodman, Ram Dass, Yvonne Rand, Kazimir Figlewicz, Jidan Ewing, Harry Jackson, Dale McCarty, Stephen Damon, Liz Tuomi, Penelope Starr, Nick Bogan, Gene Reeves, Myogen Steve Stuckey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Zenkei Blanche Hartman, Robert Lytle, Harada Sekei Roshi, Mitsu Suzuki Sensei, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi,

[19:22]

all victims of the COVID-19 virus, victims of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear meltdown, all victims of climate and environmental damage throughout the world, victims of genocidal wars, victims of all hate crimes, victims of violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Burma, Tibet, Africa, Latin America, our southern border, Chicago, and throughout the world. And for boundless wandering beings thirsting in a swirling daze for the material and Dharma worlds, all these beings, real and unreal, that suffer in myriad forms today have been brought together and their deep desires completely satisfied, freed from the burdens of conscious and unconscious karma, the light and dark worlds become the seeds of wisdom

[20:25]

and perfect enlightenment. May this great being be one with our compassionate mind. All Buddhas throughout space and time, all honored ones, Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas, wisdom beyond wisdom, Mahaprajna Paramita. Thank you.

[21:49]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[23:18]

Thank you, Aisin, and Wade, and Douglas, and everyone for joining in this sagaki ceremony, our first online sagaki ceremony. Sagaki means to feed the hungry ghosts. So there are a number of aspects of this ceremony. Part of it is to honor and remember people who've passed in this year and also important ancestors in our lineage who've passed previously. And this is in some ways based on the Buddhist understanding of rebirth. So in some ways, in Japanese Buddhism, very similar to Tibetan Buddhism, there's this idea of this space after death in which people will pass into another realm of the six realms.

[24:26]

But part of this ceremony is also particularly for the sake of what we call hungry ghosts or restless spirits, hungry ghosts. And these particular dharani or incantation, which are in Sino-Japanese, but are versions of originally of Sanskrit incantations or dharani, very ancient, are to help appease and pacify hungry ghosts. So in Buddhist cosmology, going way back, there are six realms. So there's the heavenly realm, the asura or titan realm, the human realm where we are pretty much, most of us, I guess. And then there's the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and then the hell realm. So there's a lot to say about all of them.

[25:31]

The human realm is considered the most auspicious because we have the greatest chance of finding the Buddha way, the practice of awakening. We're not in such miserable shape that we can't practice, so here we all are. But we're also aware enough of suffering so that we realize the need for practice. The hungry ghost realm is actually pretty familiar to most of us in some way. So these are six realms that beings can be reborn in. They're not permanent realms. Heaven is not eternal bliss. Hell is not eternal damnation, as in Western ideas. These are realms that one can be in, sometimes for a long time, but one can move between the realms, is the idea in Buddhism. And hungry ghosts are beings who are never satisfied.

[26:35]

And in our consumerist culture, we are sort of trained to be hungry ghosts, to feel like we'll never be satisfied unless we have all the consumer objects that are advertised on television, radio, on signs, on the streets, and so forth. So the idea of you need to get more and more of this and that, and all these objects that we think we need or want, that's what leads to being a hungry ghost, wanting more and more and more and more. It's a pretty horrible situation to be in. Hungry ghosts are depicted with big bellies and very narrow necks, and it's pretty miserable. The hell realms are even worse. But anyway, this ceremony goes way back and has roots in Buddhist time. And so this ceremony that we're doing, that we've just done,

[27:43]

is derived from a very ancient ceremony. Again, as I said, it's usually done in late summer in East Asia. We do it around Halloween time. And it's to help ease the suffering of beings who are suffering a great deal. But it's also we do this to honor beings who have passed, who are in some state of being in between realms perhaps. So I could say a lot more, but I'll just open this to discussion, to questions, to responses for anyone. So if you raise your hand or if you go into the participant window, you can go to the bottom and click on the raise hand button. And maybe, Wade, you can – I'll call on people, but, Wade, maybe you can help me see who has their hands raised. So anyone who has a question or comment or response to this ceremony

[28:50]

or any aspect of what hungry ghosts or the six realms are, please feel free, comments, responses, questions. Yes, Wade. I guess I was wondering if you could say a bit more about Dharanis, because it seems it's not a very Western sort of thing to think of spells and incantations. So how were they originally thought of? How might we think of them today in our context? Yeah, they're very common in Buddhism. So they're not – we have some others that we use in American Soto Zen, but not so often. There's a few others in our chant book. They're very common in Japanese Buddhism and Japanese Soto Zen as well.

[29:55]

And I think there's an advantage to chanting not in English. I don't know if Paul is still here, but he's talked about that. To chant – a lot of our chants are in English, and we can try and understand what they're saying. But part of chanting is just to chant the sounds, just to express something in our voice. The Dharanis, they're kind of like mantras. So maybe people are more familiar with mantras. Mantras are usually shorter. Dharani are specifically thought of as tools to help support Bodhisattva's memory and Bodhisattva's ability to function and develop skillful means. So in Zen and in all of Japanese Buddhism, any station of Buddhism,

[31:01]

there are many, many of these. There were many more that when I was practicing, in practice period at a temple in Japan, there were many that we did every day or numbers that we did every day. And we've done some of them at Ancient Dragon, maybe particularly during Sashin. But originally they were in, as I said, in Sanskrit, but they go back further. Some of them go back further in, I think, in pre-Sanskrit languages in India. And in the Gate of Sweet Dew chant, which is in the chant book, you can find it if you go to the Ancient Dragon website and look at chants, and it's called Kanronmon in Japanese. And some of those Dharanis, they have particular functions to help, to open the throat of the hungry ghost, for example, or to feed ambrosia to the hungry ghost.

[32:08]

So these sounds were said to have some particular effects. So this goes back to ancient yogis who worked with sound and found certain sounds, certain combinations of sounds that had particular official functions. That's the understanding in Asian Buddhism. So it's maybe a little strange to our American sensibilities. I don't know if there's a comparative, if we have a comparative thing in our culture exactly. But anyway, it's part of Buddhism, and we don't do it so often. If you go to the Kanronmon and the chants on our website, you can see how each of them has a particular function. So anyway, it goes back to Indian yogis who studied how sounds worked to help beings.

[33:13]

And again, mantras. I mentioned that Dharanis are particularly encouraged as memory tools for bodhisattvas, so memorizing Dharanis, like memorizing mantras. Mantras are related, a little bit different, but really very similar. So for those of you who've chanted the Heart Sutra, that ends in the mantra, and an instruction about mantra practice. So mantras are shorter and easier to memorize and actually very helpful to our practice. And this is not part of orthodox Soto Zen, but I have encouraged people, if you need something to focus on in your Soto Zen, to use mantras. And there are many of them in Buddhism. There's chapters on Dharani and various Dharani in the Lotus Sutra.

[34:17]

There are various mantras for particular bodhisattvas that I talk about in my Faces of Compassion book on the different bodhisattvas. And they're maybe more helpful than just when you get up from Soto Zen, just in everyday activity, and you feel, you know, when you realize that you're feeling flustered or anxious or whatever, you know, well, one thing is just to come back to take a few breaths and just return to where you were. You can also use mantras in that way, Heart Sutra mantra. Thank you. Other questions, comments, responses to mantras or anything else? Aisha. Thank you, Taigen. I just wanted to add that I felt a lot of comfort from hearing my departed family members' names included in the chant,

[35:19]

and I think maybe many other people did too. So this is something that helps us too, those who are suffering for different reasons. I also wanted to add that when we were rehearsing this Tuesday night, Rob told me that once I started chanting the Dharanis, our cat actually came over from where she was sitting elsewhere in the living room to sit in the window between the living room and the zendo to, you know, like she was paying attention to what was going on, which is really unusual for her. And I think that to me it spoke of the power of this in summoning suffering beings and beings in different realms. Thank you for that. So animal realms are interesting. Some animals are treated much better than some human beings. So part of those six realms is that each of us as human beings can experience some of those realms at different times.

[36:22]

There are psychological realms as well as realms where you can be reborn. So that's one aspect of that teaching of the six realms. We all have aspects of that. Thank you, Aisha. And thank you to your cat. Other comments, questions, responses? Yes, Daniel Vogel. Hi. Good to see you again. You need to unmute yourself. I can unmute him. Okay. Daniel. Still can't hear you.

[37:26]

Ah, maybe. Maybe I can't. Try that again. Ah, here we go. Sorry about that. Yeah, I see myself in such a minuscule little point in the distance. I apologize. Well, yeah, I mean, I guess a hungry ghost asked me to sit with you all today. I'm really glad I gave in, actually. I really enjoyed the dedication a great deal. It was very meaningful. I really also enjoyed hearing all those long names. It really made me think so much about our own, you know, the fact that we're always dying ourselves at all times. And that fact, you know, the implication of that fact to how we live our lives ourselves. So it was very meaningful on that level. And also I wanted to thank Aisha Nancy, who clearly needed to have and did indeed have an incredible singing voice to get through that long chant.

[38:29]

And she did so well. I know I would have, my voice would have broken up like 50 times attempting that. And I just think it's great to see your whole community and how well you're all doing through this pandemic. So thank you all. Thank you, Dan, for joining us. And please come again. Check out the web. Check out our schedule on our website. We have a lot of programs and it's good to see you. Thank you. Thank you. Xinyu, you had your hand up. Hi, everyone. I hope all the hungry ghosts are satisfied right now. And I find that during my sitting today, I didn't know it's going to be the celebration today. But I afterwards I reflect about my sitting today. I find like this being is very hungry. And it's interesting that you said we were also like in different psychological realms.

[39:40]

So we are also some sort of hungry ghosts and never satisfied. And I really appreciate like in the chants, the chants gave me the feeling that the hungry ghosts are actually suffering beings. And there's nothing intrinsically wrong about it. And nothing intrinsically wrong about them. I appreciate how invitational the chants are and how like kind the chants are to the hungry ghosts, including those ones within me. Thank you. One of the things about doing this on Zoom that we miss is that in our temple when we do this ceremony, we have piles and piles of food around the altar that people bring. And then afterwards, the Tenzo and volunteers go around and serve that food to all the hungry ghosts on our seats in the zendo.

[40:49]

So we can't do that on Zoom. I'm sorry. The Zoom technology is very limited. So we don't have the technology yet to take the food from Haitian's altar and send it to each of the different boxes on the Zoom in the Zoom zendo. Zoom needs to develop its technology more so that we can fully do that. Because, of course, there are, you know, it looks like you're all human beings. Some of you I can't see. But we also all have the experience as seeing you kindly confessed and acknowledged of being in hungry ghost realms and animal realms. And sometimes even in hell realms. But sometimes in heavenly realms. And sometimes in Asura realms where we are powerful but angry and, you know, fighting.

[41:51]

And so those are all part of, in some ways, our human experience as well. So this teaching of the six realms is really a very useful psychological tool as well. That's part of how they're understood in Asian Buddhism also. But I think in Western Buddhism with our sophisticated incorporation of Western psychology, we see that even more so. I don't know if any of the numbers of psychologists here. Anybody wants to comment on that from that perspective? But, you know, we understand it both ways. So thank you for that. Other comments or questions? You know, I have to say I know this is a really weird ceremony for, you know, people the first time they do it or even the third or fourth time.

[42:56]

Yes, David Ray. Well, first I just want to say how much I love that and how much I enjoyed it. Magic and the occult was one of the first things I got interested in. So the Dharanis and the idea of incantations was very exciting to me. And I think it's such a human thing. I think it's such a widespread. I guess it's a universal phenomenon with the exception that Western Protestantism tries to hide it. But there's, you know, there's Christian magic from ancient times and Jewish magic and every system. And there's something about it. And it just, you know, to be enchanted. And I didn't expect to be moved by this by the way that I was. I mean, I think Halloween is super festive for me. And we've been eating super healthy. And we have these, you know, cake slices up on the altar that we're both looking forward to eating. But I was really, really deeply moved by the ceremony and found myself breaking up at the end.

[44:02]

So grateful that my friend Ralph Childs was named. And I hadn't thought to ask to have him included. In Homer, when somebody dies and everybody joins in the grief, Homer adds that everybody brings their own grief. Everybody in the world has something to grieve. You know, life is lost. And so it's one thing that links us all together. And that's, you know, we're all joined together by that feeling of loss and love. That that's part of being human. And this ceremony really unlocked that feeling for me. That we're all joined together. And that we're all in communion with dead people, quite literally. So thank you very much. Yeah. Thank you, David. You know, I think especially at this strange time, in this pandemic, when 225,000 Americans have died from this COVID.

[45:07]

And when we're all, you know, sort of more or less locked down. I just want to say to everybody, please be careful. The virus, the pandemic is becoming more dangerous in the Midwest. Just please be careful. And we also have, you know, this climate craziness. And fires in the West Coast. And floods and, you know, hurricanes in the Gulf. Anyway, and the awakening of our understanding of centuries of systemic racism. Plus this election in a week. Please vote, everybody. And all of the tensions around that. So this is a particularly strange time. And a time of, I think, national grief.

[46:08]

So this is a particularly important time for Sagaki. And it's also a time of opportunity in some way, too. Because something different is going to happen after all of this. There will be an after. And maybe we all had people on that list one way or another. You know, McCoy Tyner, I saw perform live. And one of my best friends, Nick Bogan, passed away. Many names. Robert Lytle, one of my mentors. So this is a time to allow ourselves to feel grief.

[47:12]

And I wanted to ask David Ray, you know, talking about this ceremony. And the strangeness of this ceremony. David Ray is a classics professor at the University of Chicago. So I wondered if there's anything in ancient Greek or Roman culture that has any parallels to this? Or I don't know. Here's one thought. Here's one thing. So St. Augustine talks about this, that his mother, whose name I'm blanking on, Monica. His mother, Monica. Bishop Ambrose sent word to Augustine saying, tell your mother that now everybody's Christian. She has to stop doing that thing of taking food and wine to the graves of her ancestors. She has to stop, you know, going and feeding the dead because Christians aren't supposed to do that. And I feel sadness thinking about that.

[48:19]

And I'm also laughing about it. But so absolutely, Taigan, yes, in Greco, in the ancient Mediterranean world, people went and fed their dead. Absolutely. Yes. Thank you. Yeah. Other comments, questions, responses, reflections on all of this? Anything? Yes, Kathy, go ahead. Thank you. Sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional, but there have been a few deaths in my family lately. Not from Corona, but one, a very young man from a heart attack. And so my family, when there's a funeral, we typically trudge around the cemetery afterwards and visit the other people in my family who are in that particular cemetery.

[49:21]

And so I've been in touch with my sister and cousin who were doing that this week. And I got into a conversation with my sister that my mother used to love the fall and would decorate a lot. And we go to her on a regular basis together. And I said right now I would love to take a pumpkin and a mum, you know, a plant to sit there. I don't know how long it would last, but even for a short while. There's a sense of communing, you know, with that person and sharing and feeding their memory and whatever. You know, there's a mystery about it. But it is a warm feeling to visit the graves and remember the people who have gone on that you're in a line. You know, there's a line. At one point, my nieces and nephews will visit my grave or whatever.

[50:23]

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. Yeah, yeah. And grieving is a way of honoring and keeping alive. You know, all the people on that list and everybody else has passed. So, yeah, thank you. Other responses or comments, anyone? Oh, is that Idan? Yes, thank you. Just like four months ago, maybe, my grandmother passed away. And then suddenly it felt like something so big was missing, even though she lived in the north.

[51:26]

We went to the ceremony and right after that, we decided we want to live really close to that place. We rented our new house. We are very close to the graveyard of my grandparents. And it's really comforting for me. Helps me a lot. And I really feel, I don't know, I feel close to them in a strange way and helps me through this time. Yeah, just nice to be able to give back a little bit. Thanks. Yeah, you know, in Zen we have this thing of chanting the names of ancestors.

[52:30]

So in our lineage, you know, we have Shakyamuni Buddha and Bodhidharma who brought Zen to China. And we have Dogen and we have Suzuki Roshi. So part of Zen is to honor a particular lineage of practitioners who kept alive this practice for us and kept alive this teaching for us. But also we have many lineages and ancestors, each of us. Many lineages of our genetic ancestors that Idan was speaking of, who are very important to us, but also cultural lineages. So, you know, in the list of names we just read, there were people, you know, actors and musicians and, you know, a couple of baseball players and people who were and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And, you know, just people who in our culture who are part of who we are.

[53:32]

And each of us has our particular lineage, lineages of, you know, cultural lineages, to put it that way. Writers and musicians and anyway. So this idea of ancestors who are part of who we are and, you know, honoring them. That's part of the ceremony too. Any other comments or responses or reflections on any of this? I believe Aisha has her hand up. Aisha. Thank you for recognizing me. You know, I wanted to echo that because I know that there are cultures in which someone is not truly deceased until the last person who remembers them has departed this world.

[54:39]

And if you haven't seen the movie Coco, it's a wonderful reminder of that. I think about within our lineage, you know, we we revere Suzuki Roshi as one of our ancestors. And and there's something always very special about people who knew Suzuki Roshi personally. You know, and I wish Paul were here because he is one of those people. And there, you know, of course, with with everything, there are become fewer and fewer of those people. But I think it's been commented on before that when we meet those people, we do get a little bit of a flavor of, you know, who their teacher was and and and something something about that person. And so that's what we're still all doing for each other with all the people who've departed, you know, that we've chanted about. We we sing their songs and we think their thoughts and we, you know, uphold their ideals.

[55:43]

And so in those ways, we keep them alive, even if we didn't know them directly. So I know you already said that tag, and I just I wanted to say it again. Well, thank you for saying it. Well, I'm reminded when I lived in Kyoto for a couple of years, I lived right between two cemeteries and people went, you know, went to the cemeteries very often. I could look out my window and see families weekends, but even during the week coming to put flowers and candy and, you know, food by the by the cemeteries of their ancestors. But in those cemeteries, there were many, many gravestones and statues of this and so forth. So like pyramids of stones, of gravestones. And those were the gravestones of people who had nobody who nobody remembered. They were still honored, but nobody knew who they were. So anyway, it's just reminded me of that.

[56:50]

So any so thank you all for for, you know, joining and participating in this ceremony. Any last comments or reflections or questions? So if not, Wade, could you put up the four bodhisattvas vows, which we'll chat three times and then we'll have announcements. Thank you.

[57:22]

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