Performed on the night of the 28th of each month
The 28th is the ennichi of Fudo Myoo (Acala), "the day of Acala." At Byodoji, from 8:00 p.m. on the 28th of each month, we perform the goma before Fudo Myoo (Acala).
Rituals
Acala Homa
A goma performed before Fudo Myoo (Acala) on the night of the 28th, Acala's ennichi day, each month.
We place wishes for warding off misfortune, averting calamity, and peace and longevity upon the flame of the goma and convey them to the Buddha. You can apply online.
Table of Contents
At a glance
From 8:00 p.m.
28th of each month Acala Homa
Acala, manifestation of Mahavairocana
Fudo Myoo (Acala) is the manifestation in which Mahavairocana appears in a wrathful form to guide sentient beings. Dwelling within flames, with the wisdom-fire he burns away defilements and obstructions and guards the practitioner day and night.
A goma for peace, dispelling calamity
The fire of the goma is held to be the very wisdom-fire of Fudo Myoo (Acala). It is a goma for peace and for warding off misfortune, burning away karmic hindrance and calamity as its firewood.
You can apply online
From home, you can submit your name and your wish. We read them aloud in the rite and offer the prayer, and you can join remotely by live stream.
Schedule and details
Date and timeFrom 8:00 p.m. on the 28th of each month (about 2 hours)
Principal deityFudo Myoo (Acala)
PlaceByodoji (Temple No. 22 of the Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites) / online stream
Prayer offering500 yen per wish
Main wishesWarding off misfortune, averting calamity, peace and longevity, freedom from illness
What is the Acala Homa
The Acala Homa is a prayer that, through the goma performed before Fudo Myoo (Acala), burns away calamity and obstruction and prays for safety.
The goma is a Shingon Buddhist rite of prayer in which the wisdom-fire is kindled in the goma hearth, and goma sticks are cast one by one into the flame while mantras are chanted. We read aloud the name and wish of each petitioner and hold them, one by one, before the flame as we offer the prayer.
The fire of the goma is likened to the wisdom-fire of Fudo Myoo (Acala). Fudo Myoo (Acala) is a Buddha who, with that fire, burns away the roots of defilement and calamity, and who draws in and guards those who are lost. Looking to the working of that wisdom-fire, we pray for warding off misfortune and for peace.
The Honzon, Fudo Myoo (Acala)
The Acala enshrined at Byodoji is a seated image in joined-woodblock construction (yosegi-zukuri), held to date from the Edo period. He holds an upright sword in his right hand and a lasso in his left, with the heaven-and-earth eyes and bared fangs of a wrathful form.
The monthly goma on the 28th is performed before this image of Acala.
About the Statue
PeriodEdo period (attributed)
MaterialJoined-woodblock (yosegi-zukuri)
FormSeated; holding sword and lasso
The 28th is Acala's ennichi
The 28th is the ennichi of Fudo Myoo (Acala). In the thirty-day secret-Buddha scheme, Mahavairocana is placed on the 28th, and Fudo Myoo (Acala), his manifestation, becomes linked with the 28th. In the Edo period, when the worldly benefits of the goma were widely sought, the day became firmly established as "the day of Acala."
At Byodoji, in keeping with this Acala ennichi, we perform the Acala Homa on the 28th of each month. Devotion to Acala runs deep at Byodoji, and the Burning of Eight Thousand Boards and the Goma of Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Boards are also performed as great rites with Fudo Myoo (Acala) as their principal deity.
For how the ennichi came to be, please see the "Complete Guide to Ennichi"
Acala's original vow and the mantra we chant
Fudo Myoo (Acala) is the manifestation in which Mahavairocana appears in a wrathful form, who with the wisdom-fire burns away the obstructions of sentient beings and guards the practitioner.
In Acala's ritual manual, the Shōgun Fudō Myōō shijūhachi shisha himitsu jōju giki, it is taught that Fudo Myoo (Acala) is the manifestation of Mahavairocana and that he protects those who hold his mantra.
Words of the scriptures
不動者、本佛毘盧遮那佛化身。一持祕密呪後、生生加護世間之人。
Acala is the manifestation of the root Buddha Vairocana (Mahavairocana). Once one holds his secret mantra, in life after life he guards the people of the world.
Shōgun Fudō Myōō shijūhachi shisha himitsu jōju giki (Taishō No. 1205)
The working of Fudo Myoo (Acala)
Burning obstructions with the wisdom-fire
With the wisdom-fire of the fire-generating samadhi, he burns away defilements, karmic hindrance, and calamity as firewood. This is the ground of peace and of warding off misfortune.
The sword and the lasso
With the keen sword in his right hand he cuts through suffering, and with the lasso in his left he draws in those who are lost and leads them toward awakening.
Guardian of the practitioner
Acala's original vow is to guard the practitioner day and night, to turn away demons and obstructions, and to bring their wishes to fulfillment.
Mantra of Fudo Myoo (Acala) (the Jiku mantra)
namaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya un tarata kanman
namaḥ samanta-vajrāṇāṃ caṇḍa-mahāroṣaṇa sphoṭaya hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ
A mantra that prays, "Homage to the all-pervading vajra ones. O violent, greatly wrathful one, shatter the obstructions." As the medium mantra (the Jiku mantra) of Fudo Myoo (Acala), it is the most widely chanted. The longer fire-realm mantra (the great mantra) varies in wording among lineages, so in the rite one follows the order of one's own tradition.
The flow of the goma
On the night of the 28th of each month, before Fudo Myoo (Acala), we perform the goma as follows.
STEP 1
Write your name and your wish
Online or at the temple office, please write your name and your wish and offer your donation. Byodoji takes your application into its care and reads it aloud in the goma to offer the prayer.
STEP 2
Kindle the wisdom-fire of the goma
The officiant (acarya) forms the mudras before Fudo Myoo (Acala) and chants the mantras, kindling the wisdom-fire in the goma hearth. That fire is contemplated as the wisdom-fire of Fudo Myoo (Acala).
STEP 3
Cast the goma sticks into the flame
The goma sticks inscribed with wishes are cast one by one into the flame. We read aloud the name and wish of each petitioner and convey them to Fudo Myoo (Acala). We pray that calamity and obstruction be burned away together with the firewood.
STEP 4
Transfer the merit toward peace
The power of the goma is transferred toward each petitioner's warding off of misfortune, peace, and the fulfillment of their wishes. For those joining remotely, the prayer card appears on screen and can be watched as it is drawn into the Buddha.
The wisdom-fire of Fudo Myoo (Acala) is held to burn away not only outer calamity but also inner defilements. The prayer against misfortune and calamity is performed as a prayer that also helps one to set one's own heart in order.
Wishes you can entrust
To the Acala Homa you can entrust many kinds of prayers that cut off calamity and protect the body.
Warding off misfortune, averting calamity
For those who wish to be protected from the misfortunes of unlucky years, from accidents and injury, and from unexpected calamity.
Peace and longevity, freedom from illness
For those who wish for health of body and mind and for calm days.
Dispelling misfortune, opening fortune
For those who wish to cut off obstructions and open things toward the good.
Fulfillment of heartfelt wishes, self-protection
For those who wish to cut off confusion and unease and move forward with composure.
Apply
You can apply at the temple office or online. Those who apply online also have their name and wish read aloud and prayed over at Byodoji, and can join the rite by stream.
Acala Homa
28th of each month, 8:00 p.m. / Now accepting
Performed before Fudo Myoo (Acala), the manifestation of Mahavairocana, on the night of Acala's ennichi.
Prayer offering500 yen per wish
Date and timeFrom 8:00 p.m. on the 28th of each month
Principal deityFudo Myoo (Acala)
JoiningYou can join remotely by live stream
On the application form you can select "Acala Homa." You may also apply for several goma, or for prayers over a period (half a year or one year).
A year of prayer (annual prayer)
We also accept the annual prayer, in which your name is read aloud and prayed over throughout the year at the Acala Homa on the 28th of each month. On the application form, please select "12" months as the period.
Please see also
- Complete Guide to Ennichi A reading that traces from the original sources why the 28th is Acala's ennichi and the grounds of each Buddha's ennichi.
- Rituals of Byodoji A list of the goma and rituals performed at Byodoji.
Frequently asked questions
We answer the questions we are often asked about applying for the Acala Homa.
Yes. Anyone may apply, regardless of religion or sect.
Yes. The name and wish you submit are read aloud one by one in Byodoji's goma and prayed over. Even without visiting the temple, the content of the prayer is the same.
Yes. Fudo Myoo (Acala) is a Buddha who burns away calamity and obstruction to ward off misfortune. Please write your wish for warding off the misfortune of an unlucky year or for averting calamity.
Yes. We accept the annual prayer, read aloud at the goma on the 28th of each month throughout the year. Please select the period on the application form.
Yes. The goma from 8:00 p.m. on the 28th of each month can be watched by live stream. From home, through the stream, you can join your palms before the flame of the goma.
On the 28th of each month, on Acala's ennichi.
Fudo Myoo (Acala) is a Buddha who sits upon an unmoving rock, who with the wisdom-fire burns away calamity and obstruction, and who guards and guides those who are lost. The flame of the goma on the 28th of each month is for looking, here and now, to the working of that wisdom-fire.
To those who wish to protect themselves from misfortune and calamity, and to those who wish for calm days, we offer the Acala Homa on the 28th of each month. We pray sincerely for everyone's peace and for the warding off of misfortune.