Throughout the world, ceremonies are held in which the living remember those who have passed away. In Japanese culture, the Obon service is also one of these moments of affection and remembrance.

Obon began with the story of a devoted practitioner who remembered his deceased mother with deep gratitude. Today, we decorate this temple with many lanterns to perform this service in her memory. In modern society, the fundamental meaning of these ceremonies is often forgotten. Yet the fact that we are gathered here today, raising these lanterns, has a very clear and profound reason.

Today, I would like to speak about the word we use to say farewell. In Japanese, the parting greeting is SAYOUNARA. Every language in the world has words for saying goodbye. However, the origin of the word Sayounara carries a very special meaning.

In ancient times, when Japanese people met, conversed, and completed what needed to be done, at the end they would say: “If that is so, since everything that should be done has been completed, I shall take my leave from here.” The phrase “If that is so” (Souiu-kotode-arunara-ba) gradually shortened and became the word Sayounara.

This word reveals the fundamental attitude of human beings toward life. We are born into this world with a purpose and tasks to fulfill. And when we completely fulfill that purpose, we depart this life in peace. This is the deep view of life at the foundation of Japanese culture.

Regarding Obon lanterns, it is sometimes said that we light them so that the spirits of the deceased will not lose their way when returning home. But the true meaning is different. Our ancestors and departed loved ones fulfilled their purpose and mission in this life and went directly to their next destination: the Pure Land. They are not lost anywhere. And they continue to accompany us with great affection at every moment.

We hang lanterns on the ceiling of our temple bearing the names of our loved ones precisely to confirm this truth. Whenever we feel longing and wish to meet them, they appear within our hearts. They do not return from a distant place only on this day. They have been at our side from the very beginning. As a sign of gratitude for this constant presence, we inscribe their names on the lanterns.

The expression “If that is so” means that all one’s duties in this life have been fulfilled. Then, what was the important role that your loved one fulfilled? Some people may wonder whether that person accomplished anything so grand.

The greatest mission your loved one fulfilled was to be born in order to meet you and to leave their memory and presence within you. Because they were born, met you, and left this mark upon your life, we can have absolute certainty that invisible love and bonds truly exist. That is why, with deep gratitude, we keep their names in our hearts and write them on the lanterns.

Farewell—Sayounara—is not a simple ending. It is the final, essential act that makes an encounter complete and perfect. To honor loved ones who have fulfilled their mission, to give thanks for having met them, to share a meal with the companions gathered here today, and to celebrate the joy of living—this is the true meaning of the Obon service we have prepared with such care. To raise these lanterns here today is an act of immense value and deep significance.