A Buddhist Priest, a Goal, and a Problem

In America, especially the south, we LOVE our food. Can I get an AMEN?! Food is used as a connector to new families, a symbol of comfort and compassion, as well as a way to celebrate life and milestones. When a baby is born we bring food, our biggest celebrations Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving all revolve around food. Want to talk, connect and get to know one another? Bring on the food. And even in death, Americans often choose to give or share food together to those surviving family members. These customs are not just reserved for Judeo-Christian Americans, many cultures use food in various different ways to celebrate life, build community with one another and comfort one another. And in Japan, food is used to feed and show respect in death. 

I recently read an article in our local community newspaper, and by read I mean I looked at the picture and imagined what the article might have said and then my language teacher had to explain 80% of the kanji or characters to me. So, I read it, right? Anyway, the article featured a local Buddhist temple and priest here in our part of the city and his plan for having “sustainable goals”. His plan is not to be wasteful with food. Simple, easy, attainable and an applauded idea. However, his plan has one major contradictory problem. But to understand the problem we have to go on a bit of a journey.  

 

In recent years, Japan has become very involved in the concept of creating and implementing “sustainable goals”. Due to Japan’s land/population ration, many younger Japanese feel it is important to be eco-friendly, not wasteful and look for ways to sustain the earth long-term. None of which are bad ideas. In fact, the Japanese and many Osakans in general feel an overwhelming sense to be mottainai or to prevent being wasteful. This isn’t isolated to the Japanese though, many older individuals who lived through the Great Depression and the World Wars knew what it meant to go without and often are incredibly resourceful not wasting anything. Ever heard the phrase “waste not, want not”? This idiom goes back as far as 1772 and the idea goes back even further if you think about Jesus’ example of instructing the disciples to pick up the leftover food in the story found in Matthew 14. Sustainable goals…check. Great idea! So what is the problem again with the priest’s goal? I’m getting there just hang with me. 

 

There are many, many different sects of Buddhism throughout Asia and the world. Christianity also has various beliefs and groups. Some even categorize Mormons and Jehovah Witness as Christians due to their beliefs concerning Jesus, albeit very lose and very wrong beliefs about Jesus. That’s another story for someone smarter and more theologically educated than I. However, with Buddhism food is used as an offering to idols, gods, and can be used to show respect to the dead. The Buddhism found here in Japan and other countries believe that after death, an individual is on a journey to their final resting place and can observe the happenings here on earth. Families often place alcohol, favorite foods, and treats around the grave believing that the deceased can see the items and know how much their family members are thinking of them and missing them. The same for altars within Buddhist temples. In some sects and countries Buddhists believe that those in the spirit life can actually receive the nutrients from the food. I’ve always been baffled by this because anyone can see that the food is still there just rotting away. One man even told me that the reason the food rots is because the gods have finished taking the nutrients out of the food. I guess that apple on my counter that started to rot after two weeks gave someone a yummy snack. 

And now I come to our priest at the local temple. His idea is to take the food laid upon the altar and use it in partnership with an NPO to feed hungry children and needy families. “Yeah!”, the community shouted. “What a non-wasteful idea!” they exclaimed. After reading the article, again, I was baffled. How can one believe that the gods or deceased “eat” the food and yet also take away the food and use it for another purpose? The two thoughts contradict each other. 

 

So, I asked my Japanese language teacher who is a Christian and a neighbor who is a devout follower of Buddhism. “Those individuals who bring food and offer it, families who bring snacks to allow their deceased to observe and eat, won’t they be mad at the priest for taking away their food?” “If they believe the nutrients are needed, what happens to the gods?” The shocking and not so shocking reply from both individuals is that no one actually believes the nourishment can be taken from this life into the next. It is simply a cultural tradition and an act of “worship” and in some ways an obligation. I basically received an affirmative shoulder shrug from both parties. Everything the priest is teaching the Japanese do not really believe. After all, neither does the priest. Let that sink in for a minute. The priest who teaches to bring offerings of food and drink to these idols or gods doesn’t even really himself believe it can be used by the spiritual world. 

 

As of today, over 1500 temples across Japan are involved in this program. I’m glad the food isn’t going to waste but still I sit baffled, confused, saddened and thankful. Thankful I have a God and savior I don’t have to feed. Thankful that He feeds me both spiritually and takes care of all of my needs. Overjoyed that those family members who have believed in Jesus now walk with Him and they are satisfied in such a way earthly food could never give. 

 

I’m also sad. Such darkness and ridiculous acts in an attempt to do good, be guilt free, help the dead. All of which are in vain, all in which amount to nothing. In many ways the Japanese remind me of stories in the Old Testament: the priest, bringing food to the “temple”, making offerings, trying to cleanse themselves and do good. But they have left out a few crucial pieces in a vain attempt to get to God, the one true God in which they have never known. It is if they are living under the law while having no concept of what the law is nor who is the law giver. I’m sad for the Japanese and it pushes me forward to share, love, and proclaim the One who gave the law and completed our Redemption. 

 

Beautiful Feet