Performed on the night of the 24th each month
The 24th is the feast day (ennichi) of Kṣitigarbha. At Byōdōji, we perform the goma before the image of Jizō from 8:00 PM on the 24th of every month.
Rituals
Kṣitigarbha Homa
A goma performed before the image of Jizō on the night of the 24th, the feast day of Kṣitigarbha.
We carry your prayers for a child's growth, for mizuko, and for your ancestors upon the sacred fire of the goma. You can apply online.
Table of Contents
At a Glance
From 8:00 PM
The 24th each month Kṣitigarbha Homa
Jizō, who saves the beings of the six realms
Kṣitigarbha is the bodhisattva who vowed to save all the lost and suffering beings during the buddha-less age, the time between the passing of Śākyamuni and the coming of Maitreya into the world. He has long been beloved as the buddha who guides the departed and watches over children.
A goma of removing suffering and of memorial
To draw out suffering and lead the departed toward an affinity with the Buddha. We pray by joining the earth-like working of Jizō to the sacred fire of the goma.
You can apply online
From home, you can submit your name and your wish. We read them aloud and offer the prayer during the ritual, and you can also join remotely through the live stream.
Schedule and Information
Date and timeFrom 8:00 PM on the 24th each month (about 2 hours)
Principal imageKṣitigarbha (Jizō)
PlaceByōdōji (Temple No. 22 of the Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites) / online stream
Prayer offering500 yen per wish
Common wishesA child's growth, mizuko memorial, ancestral memorial
What the Kṣitigarbha Homa Is
The Kṣitigarbha Homa is a prayer in which, through the goma performed before the image of Jizō, we hold a memorial for the departed and offer prayers to watch over our children.
The goma is a Shingon prayer rite in which the wisdom-fire is kindled in the homa hearth and pieces of homa wood are cast one by one into the flames, chanting mantras as the rite is performed. We read aloud the name and wish of each petitioner and hold each one to the flames as we pray.
Kṣitigarbha is the bodhisattva who vowed to save every suffering being without leaving a single one behind. Looking up to his earth-like great compassion, we pray for our children's growth and for the memorial of the departed.
The Honzon, Kṣitigarbha (Jizō)
The Jizō at Byōdōji is a bronze seated image, cast around 1750 through the donations of the people of Tsuyama in Okayama. He holds a monk's staff in his right hand and a wish-fulfilling jewel in his left, seated upon a lotus pedestal.
The monthly goma on the 24th is performed before this image of Jizō.
About the Statue
PeriodAround 1750 (mid-Edo)
MaterialBronze
FormSeated; staff and wish-fulfilling jewel
The 24th Is the Feast Day of Jizō
The 24th is the feast day of Kṣitigarbha. It has been a fixed day since the Heian period, and the 24th of the first month in particular is called the "first Jizō" (hatsu-jizō). Jizō statues and Jizō halls across the land hold feast-day observances and rituals on the 24th of each month.
At Byōdōji, in keeping with this feast day of Jizō, we perform the Kṣitigarbha Homa on the 24th of every month.
For the origins of the feast days, please see the "Complete Guide to Ennichi."
The Original Vow of Kṣitigarbha and the Mantra We Chant
Jizō is the bodhisattva who vowed that only after he has finished saving all suffering beings will he himself, last of all, become a buddha.
The root scripture of Kṣitigarbha, the *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva*, sets forth the vow that Jizō made before the Buddha in a past life.
Words from the Scripture
我今盡未來際、不可計劫、為是罪苦六道衆生、廣設方便、盡令解脱、而我自身、方成佛道。
I now, to the very end of the future, through incalculable eons, for the sake of these beings of the six realms sunk in sin and suffering, will set up every means and bring them all to liberation. And only then will I myself, last of all, attain the way of buddhahood.
*Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva*, "Chapter on Spiritual Powers in the Palace of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven," tr. Śikṣānanda, Taishō No.412
The Working of Jizō
Salvation of the six realms
The original vow to save all beings who wander and suffer in a buddha-less age. He guides the departed toward an affinity with the Buddha.
Memorial for the departed
The *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva* teaches that when the bereaved cultivate good for the sake of the departed, that merit reaches both the departed and the living.
Protection of children
He has long been beloved as the buddha who protects young children and watches over their healthy growth.
The Mantra of Kṣitigarbha
おん かかか びさんまえい そわか
oṃ ha ha ha vismaye svāhā
"Ha ha ha" is the voice that praises the virtue of Jizō, and "vismaye" is said to mean "how wondrous." It is a mantra that praises the great compassion of Jizō and prays for his salvation. It is based on the mantra of Kṣitigarbha transmitted in the ritual manuals of the Mahāvairocana lineage.
The Flow of the Homa
On the night of the 24th each month, before the image of Jizō, we perform the goma in the following way.
STEP 1
Write your name and your wish
Online or at the sutra office, please write your name and your wish and present your offering. You may also write the names of departed loved ones and of your children.
STEP 2
Kindle the wisdom-fire of the goma
The officiant (ācārya) forms the mudrās before the image of Jizō and, chanting the mantras, kindles the wisdom-fire in the homa hearth.
STEP 3
Cast the homa wood into the flames
The pieces of homa wood inscribed with wishes are cast into the flames one by one. We read aloud each name and wish and convey them to Jizō.
STEP 4
Transfer the merit toward memorial and growth
We transfer the power of the homa toward the memorial of the departed and the growth of children. Those joining remotely can see their prayer card appear on the screen and be drawn into the Buddha.
The *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva* teaches that the merit of the memorial offered for the departed returns not only to the departed but also to the one who offers it. A prayer that thinks of the departed is also a prayer that sustains those living now.
Wishes You Can Entrust
To the Kṣitigarbha Homa you may entrust many kinds of prayers, prayers that think of your children and of the departed.
A child's growth and well-being
For those who wish for the health and healthy growth of their children and grandchildren.
Mizuko memorial
For those who wish to entrust to Jizō a child who could not be born, and to hold a memorial for them.
Ancestral memorial and merit transfer
For those who wish for the peace of their ancestors and of cherished departed loved ones.
Safe childbirth and conceiving a child
For those who wish for the safety of a new life and for the blessing of a child.
The mizuko memorial is not directly described in the *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva*. It is a form of memorial that has been handed down in Japan, extending to children and the unborn the heart of the sutra, which holds a memorial for the departed and draws out their suffering.
How to Apply
You can apply at the sutra office or online. Even when you apply online, we read your name and wish aloud and offer the prayer at Byōdōji, and you can join the ritual through the stream.
Kṣitigarbha Homa
The 24th each month, 8:00 PM / Now accepting
Performed on the night of the Jizō feast day, before the image of Jizō, who saves the beings of the six realms.
Prayer offering500 yen per wish
Date and timeFrom 8:00 PM on the 24th each month
Principal imageKṣitigarbha (Jizō)
AttendanceYou can join remotely via the live stream
On the application form you can select "Kṣitigarbha Homa." You may also apply for multiple homa or for prayers over a set period (half a year or a year).
Year-long Prayer (annual prayer)
We also accept the annual prayer, in which your name is read aloud and prayed over at the Kṣitigarbha Homa on the 24th of every month for a full year. On the application form, select "12" months for the period.
You May Also Like
- Complete Guide to Ennichi A reading that traces from the original sources why the 24th is the feast day of Jizō, and the basis for the feast day of each buddha.
- Rituals at Byōdōji A list of the homa and rituals performed at Byōdōji.
Frequently Asked Questions
We answer the questions we are often asked about applying for the Kṣitigarbha Homa.
Yes. Anyone may apply, regardless of religion or sect.
Yes. Jizō has long been revered in connection with the mizuko memorial as the buddha who watches over children who died young. Please note this in your wish.
Yes. If you write the names of the departed, we will read them aloud at the homa and hold a memorial. The *Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva* teaches that the bereaved's memorial benefits the departed.
Yes. We accept the annual prayer, in which your name is read aloud at the homa on the 24th of each month for a full year. Please select the period on the application form.
Yes. The homa from 8:00 PM on the 24th each month can be viewed via live stream. From home, through the stream, you can join your hands before the sacred fire of the homa.
On the 24th each month, on the feast day of Jizō.
Jizō is the buddha who stands beside those who suffer, guides the departed, and watches over young children. The sacred fire of the homa on the 24th of each month is there so that we may look up, here and now, to the working of that great compassion.
To those who wish for a child's growth and to those who wish to hold a memorial for the departed, we offer the Kṣitigarbha Homa on the 24th of every month. We pray sincerely for the peace of all of you and of those with whom you share an affinity.