By Rev. Sensho Komukai
“Wake up!” It took a few moments to realize what was going on at two-thirty in the morning. “Get up! It’s time for the water splashing ritual! Hurry up!” Suddenly, I remembered where I was: in Aragyo for the 100 days of ascetic practice. Was it the second or third day? I don’t remember, even though it is only six months ago that I was there. I had probably been asleep for two and a half hours, but it felt like only five minutes. Though I was dead tired, I mustered up enough energy to get up and fold my bedclothes and get in line to perform the water splashing ritual. The darkness was complete and I do not think I was fully awake until the pail of water was splashed over me. Although it was just the beginning of November, the water was cold enough to shock me awake. This was just the beginning of a very long day. The 100-day Aragyo practice starts on November 1 and lasts until February 10. During this time, every priest participating performs the water splashing ritual beginning at 3 a.m. through 11 p.m. The water splashing ritual is call Suigyo in Japanese. It takes an hour for all the participating priest to complete the ritual. Between the water splashing rituals, one chants the Lotus Sutra as loudly as possible. Before long, one becomes hoarse. During the chanting of the sutra, the priests sit with their legs folded under themselves (seiza) for over an hour. One soon has terrible pain in one’s legs. For meals, the priests are served rice porridge and miso soup twice a day. Everything begins to seem edible, because one is constantly hungry. An empty belly together with the lack of sleep makes one feel heavy hearted all day. What did I get from the Aragyo practice? I would say that I went through the six realms of illusion, from hell to heaven. There was no freedom, no time to pursue my usual pastimes, no relaxation, which means I was suffering in hell. When I was hungry, the two meals a day never satisfied my appetite. I sought something more to eat with burning eyes, all the time, everywhere. I was in the realm of hungry spirits. I was in the realm of animals when I instinctively did selfish acts: I did not try to be kind to the other priests and I did not feel I could afford to encourage them. When I was angry or irritated due to the stress and strain of the practice, I was in the realm of ashura demons, almost ready to fight over trifles. How did I arrive back into the realm of human beings? It happened as the final day approached. Reflecting back on the 100 days, I very gradually began to appreciate being hungry, because it helped me realize the value of food. Chronic drowsiness made me appreciate how enjoyable it is to lie down to rest and sleep. Although my left foot was sore, the biggest reason I was able to endure the severity of the 100-day practice was because I had not been troubled by a severe illness. I am very thankful to have remained healthy. On the final day, I felt I had arrived in heaven. At six o’clock in the morning on February 10, I was about to pass through the open gate. I heard the loud voices and the drums. I heard the voices of the people who had assembled from all over the country, waiting outside the gate all chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. I was excited, delighted, and crying with joy! How fresh the air is! How beautiful the sight of the outside world! And how wonderful it is to see the huge crowd of believers. Looking over my shoulder to see the gate, I wondered if I would ever come back here again. Well, it depends.
Rev. Komukai went through the 100-day practice from Nov. 1, 2006, to Feb. 10, 2007. He was the former resident minister of the Chicago Nichiren Buddhist Church.