SEJIKI is an ancient Buddhist ceremony, a food offering to the Hungry Ghosts.
“Hungry ghosts” are all those spirits who feel unsatisfied and cannot get enough nourishment. They have large stomachs and thin throats. These beings can also be within ourselves; you may be familiar with those feelings of not getting enough!
Sejiki-e is conducted for the benefit of these sprits, to whom we offer food and the Dharma.

This ancient ceremony is equally relevant for our current situation, as there are innumerable ghosts living within and around us whose greed cannot be satisfied and who are roaming our world creating endless suffering. Let us summon our compassion for these unfortunate beings and share our abundance with them!

We will start with 10 minutes of zazen at 5:30 pm, continue with the ceremony and end with a community dinner.

At the end of the ceremony we will read the names of people who died in the recent past, either sangha and family members or other important people in our community. They may also include people who you did not know personally.
Please send me names in writing that you would like to be included.

The Sejiki Ceremony has an unusual chant from the sutra Kanromon, Gate of Sweet Nectar, which usually the entire assembly participates in. It contains the core teachings on the practice of making offerings and a series of incantations handed down from the Buddha.
Today, this part of the text is chanted only by the priest.

GATE OF SWEET DEW

ALL:
Homage to the buddhas in ten directions.
Homage to the dharma in ten directions.
Homage to the sangha in ten directions.
Homage to our original teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.
Homage to the great merciful, compassionate reliever of suffering, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.
Homage to the expounder of the teachings, the venerable Ananda.

Read by the Priest:
Giving rise to the awakened mind, we unconditionally offer a bowl of pure food to all the hungry ghosts in every land to the farthest reaches of vast emptiness in the ten directions, including every atom throughout the entire dharma realm.  We invite all our departed ancestors going back to ancient times, the spirits dwelling in mountains, rivers, and earth, as well as demonic spirits from the untamed wilderness, to come and gather here.  Now, with deep sympathy we offer food to all of you, sincerely hoping that you will each accept this food and turn it over, 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.  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 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.                 

KAN RO MON (chanted by the Priest)

ALL:
By the positive energy of this assembly, we repay the virtue of our parents’ toil and care.  May the living be blessed with joy and longevity without misery.  May the deceased be freed from suffering and be born into peaceful nurturing.  May conscious beings in the three realms, having received the four benefactions, together with those born to suffering in the threefold path and the eight difficult situations, all thoroughly repent their errors, wash away their defects, finally depart the round of samsara, and be born in the pure land.