Performed on the night of the 18th each month
The 18th is Kannon's holy day. At Byodoji, from 8 p.m. on the 18th of each month, we perform the Sokusai Goma before the Eleven-Faced Kannon.
Rituals
Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma
On the 18th of each month, Kannon's holy day, we perform this goma before the Eleven-Faced Kannon, the principal image of the Jibutsudo.
We carry prayers for freedom from illness, recovery from sickness, and protection from misfortune into the sacred fire of the goma. You can apply online.
Table of Contents
At a glance
From 8 p.m.
18th each month Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma
The principal image is the Eleven-Faced Kannon of the Jibutsudo
Byodoji's Jibutsudo enshrines the Eleven-Faced Kannon. This is the Kannon connected to Byodoji that gave rise to the temple's honorary name, Nikko-in.
A goma that prays for sokusai (freedom from calamity)
Sokusai means calming illness, misfortune, and obstacles, and praying for peaceful days. We pray by joining the great-compassion working of the Eleven-Faced Kannon to the sacred fire of the goma.
You can apply online
From your own home, you can submit your name and your wish. Your application is read aloud and prayed over during the rite. You can also join remotely through the live broadcast.
Schedule and information
Date and timeFrom 8 p.m. on the 18th each month (about 2 hours)
Principal imageEleven-Faced Kannon (principal image of Byodoji's Jibutsudo)
PlaceByodoji (Temple No. 22 of the Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites) / online broadcast
Prayer offering500 yen per prayer
Main wishesFreedom from illness, recovery from sickness, protection from misfortune, safety of the household
What the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma is
The Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma is a prayer that, through the goma performed before the Eleven-Faced Kannon, calms illness and misfortune and prays for safety.
The goma is a Shingon rite of prayer in which one kindles the wisdom-fire in the goma hearth, casts goma sticks one by one into the flame while chanting mantras, and so performs the practice. The flame is regarded as the wisdom and working of the Buddha, and within that fire one entrusts one's wishes. The names and wishes of those who pray are read aloud and held over the flame one by one as we offer the prayer.
At Byodoji, the principal image of this goma is the Eleven-Faced Kannon, and we perform it on the night of the 18th each month. The Eleven-Faced Kannon turns faces in every direction, watching over and saving people in their suffering. Looking up to that great-compassion working, we pray for sokusai.
For more on what Eleven-Faced Kannon is, please see the explanatory article
The Honzon, the Eleven-Faced Kannon
The Eleven-Faced Kannon of the Jibutsudo is a standing image carved from a single block of wood (ichiboku-zukuri). It bears eleven faces upon the crown and holds a lotus and a water vase.
The monthly goma on the 18th is performed before this Eleven-Faced Kannon.
About the Statue
PeriodBefore the early Heian period (by tradition)
MaterialSingle-block wood (ichiboku-zukuri)
FormStanding; eleven faces, lotus and water vase
The 18th is Kannon's holy day
A holy day (ennichi) is a day on which it is said to be easy to form a bond with that particular Buddha. Kannon's holy day is the 18th, and it is counted among the oldest records found even in the literature.
At Byodoji, in keeping with this holy day of Kannon, we perform the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma on the 18th of each month. At the same Byodoji, we perform goma on the holy days of each Buddha: Yakushi on the 8th, Bishamonten on the 1st, and Fudo on the 28th.
For the origins of holy days, please see the "Encyclopedia of Holy Days"
The meaning of "sokusai" and the benefits of Eleven-Faced Kannon
"Sokusai" means calming illness, misfortune, and obstacles, and recovering peaceful, everyday life.
Shingon goma come in several kinds, such as sokusai (calming calamity), zoyaku (increasing benefit), choubuku (subduing), and keiai (drawing affection). The Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma is, among these, a goma that prays for sokusai. We pray that bodily ailments, troubles within the household, and unexpected misfortunes be calmed, and that one return to one's original peace.
The fundamental scripture of the Eleven-Faced Kannon, the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra, teaches that one who chants the mantra of the eleven faces obtains "ten kinds of triumph" in this very body. Freedom from illness, not meeting with misfortune, and the like are benefits that accord precisely with sokusai. Byodoji's Sokusai Goma is performed looking up to the working of Kannon as taught in this scripture.
Words of the scripture
毎晨朝時、如法清淨にして、此の呪を念誦すること一百八遍せよ。若し能く是くの如くせば、現身に十種の勝利を獲得す。一には身に常に病無く、（中略）九には火も焼くこと能わず、十には終に横死せず。
Each morning, purify yourself in accordance with the Dharma and chant this mantra of the eleven faces one hundred and eight times. If you can do so, you will obtain the ten kinds of triumph in this very body: first, the body will always be free of illness; ninth, fire will not be able to burn you; and tenth, you will never meet an untimely death.
Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra, trans. Xuanzang (Taisho No. 1071)
The ten kinds of triumph taught in the scripture (excerpt)
The body is always free of illness
Health of body and mind. A prayer for freedom from illness.
Protected by the Buddhas of the ten directions
Always being within the protection of the Buddhas.
Unharmed by poison or misfortune
Guarding the body from unexpected harm.
Free of untimely death, passing one's days in peace
Avoiding accidental death from disaster and passing one's days in safety.
How the goma unfolds
On the night of the 18th each month, before the Eleven-Faced Kannon, we perform the goma as follows.
STEP 1
Record your name and wish
Online or at the sutra-offering office, please write your name and your wish, and present your offering. Byodoji holds your application in trust and reads it aloud during the goma to offer the prayer.
STEP 2
Kindle the wisdom-fire of the goma
The officiant (acarya) forms the mudras before the Eleven-Faced Kannon, chants the mantras, and kindles the wisdom-fire in the goma hearth. Contemplating the flame as the working of the Buddha, the prayer begins.
STEP 3
Cast the goma sticks into the flame
The goma sticks inscribed with wishes are cast into the flame one by one. The names and wishes of those who pray are read aloud and conveyed to the Eleven-Faced Kannon.
STEP 4
Transfer the merit toward sokusai
The power of the goma is transferred toward the freedom from illness and the fulfillment of the wishes of those who pray. For those joining remotely, the prayer cards appear on screen and can be seen being drawn into the Buddha.
Byodoji's monthly goma is performed before this Eleven-Faced Kannon on the night of Kannon's holy day. Its procedure differs from the strict practices such as the seven-day altar of offerings taught in the scripture, but the prayerful heart that looks up to the great compassion of the Eleven-Faced Kannon is the same.
Wishes you can entrust
To the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma, you may entrust a wide range of prayers for the safety of body and daily life.
Freedom from illness, health and long life
That you and your family may pass the year in good health.
Recovery from sickness
For those who pray for recovery from illness, the success of surgery, and peaceful convalescence.
Protection from misfortune, good fortune
For those who wish to guard the body from the misfortunes of an unlucky year, accidents and injuries, and lingering ailments.
Safety of the household, peace of mind
For those who pray for the safety of family living apart and for peaceful days at home.
You can apply alongside ongoing treatment and health care
A goma prayer does not stand in opposition to medicine. While continuing the treatment and health care you need, please receive it as a prayer that entrusts the safety of yourself and your family to the Buddha.
How to apply
You can apply at the sutra-offering 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 through the broadcast.
Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma
18th each month, 8 p.m. / Now accepting applications
Performed before the Eleven-Faced Kannon, principal image of the Jibutsudo, on the night of Kannon's holy day.
Prayer offering500 yen per prayer
Date and timeFrom 8 p.m. on the 18th each month
Principal imageEleven-Faced Kannon
JoiningYou can join remotely through the live broadcast
On the application form, you can select "Eleven-Faced Goma." You can 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 offer an annual prayer in which your name is read aloud and prayed over throughout the year at the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma on the 18th of each month. On the application form, please select "12" months for the period.
Learn more deeply
- The Eleven-Faced Kannon of the Jibutsudo We introduce the Eleven-Faced Kannon, principal image of the Jibutsudo, and the founding story handed down with the honorary name Nikko-in.
- What is Eleven-Faced Kannon (meaning, scriptures, and an account of each face) A reading piece explaining the origins of Eleven-Faced Kannon, the meaning of the eleven faces, and the ten kinds of benefits, together with quotations from the original sources.
Frequently asked questions
We answer the questions we often receive about applying for the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma.
Yes. Regardless of denomination or sect, anyone may apply. The Eleven-Faced Kannon watches over all people without distinction.
Yes. The name and wish you submit are read aloud one by one and prayed over at Byodoji's goma. Even if you do not visit the temple, the content of the prayer is the same.
Please write a wish concerning the safety of body and daily life, such as freedom from illness, recovery from sickness, protection from misfortune, or safety of the household. A specific wish is perfectly fine.
Yes. We offer an annual prayer in which your wish is read aloud at the goma on the 18th of each month throughout the year. Please select the period on the application form.
Yes. The goma from 8 p.m. on the 18th each month can be viewed by live broadcast. From your own home, you can join your hands before the sacred fire of the goma through the broadcast.
It is a Kannon who bears eleven faces upon its head and turns faces in every direction, watching over and saving people in their suffering. For details, please see the explanatory article "What is Eleven-Faced Kannon."
On the 18th each month, on Kannon's holy day.
The Eleven-Faced Kannon is a Buddha who, at any time and toward suffering from any direction, turns a face toward us. The sacred fire of the goma on the 18th each month is there so that we may look up to that great-compassion working, here and now.
To those who pray for freedom from illness for themselves and their families, and to those who wish to guard the body from lingering ailments, we offer the Eleven-Faced Kannon Sokusai Goma on the 18th of each month. We pray sincerely for the well-being of all.