A sacred time to remember, pray, and send our thoughts with love.
Learn this Memorial Service to offer prayers, reflect quietly, and dedicate your thoughts to those who have passed on. May this moment deepen gratitude, healing, and hope for the journey of the soul.
A Memorial Service is more than saying goodbye.
It honors the life of the departed, steadies the hearts of those who remain,
and blesses the soul’s onward journey.
It helps a soul that has entered the spirit world to recognize its own passing, and it provides guidance toward the World of Light after death. In the Kiten Ceremony, we receive Divine Light through the recitation of the “Head Temple: Sutra for Ancestral Memorial Offerings,” spoken directly by the Lord. Through prayers including the “Prayer to El Cantare,” and through the recitation of sacred texts, the ceremony helps the soul recognize its passing and offers guidance toward the World of Light after death.
With faith in Lord El Cantare—the Fundamental Buddha and the Creator—let us offer memorial prayers for the spirits with whom we have karmic ties, share the Truth with those who have passed on, and make this the greatest opportunity to repay our gratitude.
During Obon and the Equinox seasons, many people visit graves and offer prayers for their ancestors. At Happy Science branches and temples, memorial festivals are also held each year.
The wish to remember the departed and pray for their happiness in the next life is precious. At the same time, it is also true that guiding a wandering spirit toward enlightenment is difficult without correct spiritual knowledge.
Master Okawa Ryuho—Lord El Cantare—has taught extensively: “What kind of heart returns to Heaven?” “How can one rise from Hell to Heaven?” and many other truths, so that we may live rightly and happily in this world and the next.
From the teachings of Lord El Cantare—who wishes happiness for all—let us learn what “proper memorial offerings” truly are.
Ancestor memorial offerings are practiced across many religions, yet some encourage people to blame all fortune and misfortune on their ancestors. Let us learn the essential points of “proper memorial offerings” based on Master Okawa Ryuho’s teachings.
Those who did not believe in the afterlife during life often do not realize they have died, and may struggle to depart for the spirit world. Likewise, those who offer memorial prayers cannot counsel or guide wandering spirits unless they themselves believe in the spirit world. Therefore, it is important for everyone to learn about the afterlife while still living.
In the spirit world, Heaven and Hell exist distinctly. Where one goes is determined by the thoughts and actions one cultivated in life. For those you believe have returned to Heaven, remember their virtue and offer gratitude—especially during Obon and the Equinox seasons. For those you fear may have fallen into Hell, share—through gentle, understandable words—what they may need to reflect upon. Only through reflection does the path back to Heaven open.
Life follows the “principle of self-responsibility.” A soul that has fallen into Hell cannot return to Heaven unless it reflects upon its own mistakes. For ancestors to notice their errors, it is crucial that descendants on Earth learn the Truth and model a right way of life. By practicing the “Fourfold Path”—living with giving love (Love), learning spiritual truth (Wisdom), correcting the heart through reflection (Self-Reflection), and building a better society (Progress)—virtue is born. The light of that virtue becomes the power that guides one’s ancestors.
If ancestor memorial offerings are performed too frequently at home, negative spirits may sometimes gather. For safety, we recommend participating in Happy Science memorial festivals. By receiving the saving Divine Light of Lord El Cantare, wandering spirits are guided, and souls in Heaven deepen their spiritual training. For those who offer prayers, it also becomes a time to reflect on their own way of life.
“Participating in our events can also become the starting point for forming a new connection with higher spirits in the other world. Therefore, as much as possible, ancestor memorial offerings should be performed at the venue of our memorial festivals.”
Click a card to expand details.
Architecture, water, and open sky naturally draw the heart into deeper prayer.
The ceremony’s design exists not for show, but for dignity and reverence.
Scroll horizontally. Tap to enlarge (true image lightbox).
