Founder's Hall Inside 05

The Founder’s Hall is the location of the regular religious services and “sermons” conducted at the Nishi Honganji. There is ample seating inside the building, and located amongst the aisles of chairs are several large stacks of hymnals containing songs and prayers of thanks and adoration directed at the compassionate energy of Amida Buddha. The central being of the Pure Land Schools’ focus, Amida expresses cosmic compassion by offering rebirth in a temporary paradise to those who believe in him. Though the Pure Land doctrine represents what some call “tariki” or “other power” in a way that more familiar forms of Buddhism eschew, one’s entry into the pure land is not the end of one’s quest for liberation. Rather, Amida’s paradise is a respite, a refuge with all of the perfect conditions set to allow practitioners to experience liberation without the obstructions of pains and indulgences that distract one in other realms. In the Founder’s Hall, “sermons” concerning the nature of Amida’s love and the abundant hope embodied by the pure land are given to encourage, inform, and uplift the community of believers.