Itadakimasu

Itadakimasu!

K. Ken Fujimoto 


This month’s article may seem overly ethnic, but I hope you bear with me because it is intended to bring out a couple of points that point to the truly universal aspect of our teaching and how change happens in our world. Change cannot and should not be fought, but how we adapt to change should reflect the truth of the teachings. Any and all changes that are made or undertaken should reflect an appreciation for those teachings.

The other day at our Obon service, our guest speaker, Rev. George Matsubayashi, brought out an interesting point that not only illustrated an important aspect of our teachings, but also relates to our changing identity as an organization. He brought up the debate held on a radio show in Japan regarding the saying of itadakimasu before school lunches. A mother wanted the school to stop having her child say itadakimasu before meals because she was paying for it. The radio show host argued that she was missing the whole point.

The saying of itadakimasu refers to the bowing of the head (actually raising the item above the head) to express ones gratitude for being able to receive something. Specifically, to say this before a meal is to express our gratitude for the sacrifice of life, time and effort made by people and other living entities just to make it possible for us to be able to eat and survive. This is not referring to the money paid. The money may be part of it, but it is only a small part. Even at that, the important part would be for the conditions coming together to make it possible for one to have the money to pay for things. The preparation, the procurement and transportation of the food is an important part of the process in making it possible for us to have nourishment, but even this is not the most important reason for our expressing our gratitude for a meal. The greatest sacrifice is in the lives being forcibly taken for us to be able to have food. That life may be animal or vegetable, but it is life. To look only at the monetary aspect and say that it is not necessary to say itadakimasu before meals cheapens and negates the sacrifice of life necessary for our survival. It is almost like saying that a person who hires another to kill someone is free of any guilt. This awareness of ones complicity in the taking of life is something that should be strengthened so that people will have a greater appreciation of the interdependence and interconnectedness of all life.

Because our teaching was developed in Japan and our temple is closely tied to the Japanese-American experience, we still say itadakimasu here, but this can be changed and a change may occur at some point in the future, but we should never forget the need to express that appreciation for the sacrifices being made for our very existence. What is said can change, but we must never lose sight of the reason that our gratitude is expressed. Lives are being taken for us to exist. To simply write it off as being unnecessary since we are paying for it is missing the depth of the act.

In a similar vein, as an ethnic church (I would argue that all churches are ethnic, but that is another issue) we are constantly going through issues with old customs and how they fit into our social, political and economic situation today. Some people often point to changes occurring in Japan and how we should modernize some of our customs like they seem to have done in Japan. My argument for this is that, though we are an ethnic church, we are not a Japanese church. We are a predominantly Japanese-American church trying to reach out. As such, we do not have to do what Japan is doing. Especially, when we see issues such as this one regarding itadakimasu. If the common view in Japan should be wrong, we must not follow that lead.

Many things there have been so formalized and the content or reasons for those customs being held have been lost. We see this in the formulas that they have for bereavement and other gifts and in donations to temples and such for services. When the Buddhist custom of donations and gifts began, people would give for happy occasions, sad occasions and almost everything in between. At first glance, this may seem odd, but it is based in the teaching in that everything we do is made possible through so many factors and conditions coming together in just the right way. To express our gratitude for any and all of those conditions coming together to make any event, happy or sad, was the reason for donations and other acts of giving. This also enabled people to give what they could when they could. This is actually one of the fairest ways possible for donations. It takes the current economic situation of an individual or family into consideration, so they can do what they feel comfortable with at that time, without placing undue economic stress on an individual or family. It is not something legislated or contractual, but an expression of gratitude.

Many people in Japan seem to have lost this and there are times that we seem to be losing it in the name of “simplicity” or “effectiveness,” but we need to ask ourselves if we are not losing sight of something of greater value than just the monetary value of the gift. We need to base our customs on what best expresses our appreciation of the Buddha-dharma and not on what others have done or are doing to change. Our actions need to be an expression of our teaching.