On Memorial Day, Rev. James Warrick held Buddhist services attended by many at Auburn Pioneer Cemetery, Kent Hill Crest Cemetery, and Washington Memorial Cemetery (SeaTac). His message focused on historic events and Buddhist practices that deepened listeners’ appreciation of their rich heritage. The services included the chanting of two sutras, “Sumbujo” (welcome) and “Juseige” (an observance sutra), and the scattering of flowers. Also, attendees had the opportunity to participate in Oshoko (incense burning) on a portable shrine. The practice expresses the symbolic purifying of one’s heart and mind to receive truth “as it is.”
For readers who haven’t been there, the Pioneer Cemetery is especially interesting because most of the graves are Nikkei right in the heart of downtown Auburn (auburnpioneercemetery.net).
