The Sejiki Celebration is a traditional Japanese Zen Buddhist ceremony honoring the ancestors, calling forth the spirits of the untamed wilderness, and giving nourishment and a wish for peace. This powerful ceremony summons forth these restless spirits and pacifies agitation and violence within and without. It involves setting up an elaborate altar, instruments played to invoke the departed spirits, and the chanting of the “Gate of Sweet Dew,” a series of mantras and wishes for well-being. The names of the departed friends and family are collected beforehand to be strung around the zendo and invoked aloud during the ceremony.

Participants are encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes and to participate in the brief instrumental portion of the ceremony. Please feel free to bring a small percussion instrument.