Memorial service - Kuyou

It refers to making offerings to the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (religious organization), the spirits of the dead, and so on, through three methods: body, speech, and mind. The original meaning is "to serve" or "to make an offering and serve." In Buddhist scriptures, the original word that is most frequently used is the Sanskrit word pūjā, which also means religious offering in Hinduism. It is also a form of ritual to respect life that Buddhism, which emphasizes non-killing, adopted in contrast to the Brahmanism's animal sacrifice (yajña).

In the early days of the sect, offerings to the monks were made in the form of clothing, food and drink, bedding, and herbal medicines (shiji offerings), and later on, offerings of land, temples, and shrines were made. However, a distinction was also made between offerings of material goods and offerings of the law (two types of offerings). In Mahayana Buddhism, spiritual offerings such as chanting sutras and copying calligraphy were emphasized rather than offerings to temples and pagodas, and various offering methods such as reverence, worship, and joining hands in prayer increased. In addition to Buddha, certain objects were recognized as having the same characteristics as Buddha, and memorial towers were built, and offerings such as stupas came to be used to dedicate the deceased to ordinary deceased persons. From this form, the term came to refer to Buddhist ceremonies held for memorial services, including the Tsuizen Kuyo, which is a prayer for the deceased's soul to rest in peace, and the Segaki Kuyo, which is a ceremony to give alms to hungry ghosts. In addition, there are other types of ceremonies, such as the Kaigen Kuyo, in which eyes are put into a Buddha statue to welcome it into the world, commonly known as the Soul-infusing ceremony, as well as the Sutra Kuyo and Bell Kuyo. Many Buddhist events, such as the Senso Kuyo-e, in which 1,000 monks are invited to offer meals and other offerings, came to be called Kuyo, and the meaning of Kuyo expanded.

[Yoshiaki Ishigami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏と法と僧（教団）の三宝(さんぼう)や死者の霊などに、行動（身）とことば（口）と心（意）の3種の方法によって供物(くもつ)を捧(ささ)げること。原意は「奉仕すること」「供え仕えること」。仏典では原語として頻度の高いのはサンスクリット語プージャーpūjāで、ヒンドゥー教でも宗教的供養を意味している。不殺生(ふせっしょう)を強調する仏教が、バラモン教の動物を犠牲にする供犠（ヤジュニャyajña）に対してとった生命尊重の儀礼の形式でもある。

　初期の教団では、衣服、飲食(おんじき)、臥具(がぐ)、湯薬を僧団に供養（四事(しじ)供養）したのをはじめとし、のちには土地や精舎(しょうじゃ)や塔廟(とうびょう)などを供養した。しかし、さらに供養に財と法の区別（二種供養）を認めるようになった。大乗仏教では、堂塔の供養よりも、読経や書写などの精神的供養が力説されて、恭敬(くぎょう)、礼拝(らいはい)、合掌(がっしょう)など、種々の供養法が増加した。また、仏以外にも、仏と同様の性格を特定の対象に認めて、供養塔が設けられたり、さらには一般の死者に対しても塔婆(とうば)供養などの回向(えこう)をすることにも用いられるようになった。このような形式から、供養のための法会(ほうえ)をもさしていうようになり、それには死者のために冥福(めいふく)を祈る追善(ついぜん)供養、餓鬼(がき)に施しをする施餓鬼(せがき)供養などがある。そのほか、俗に魂入れと称して、仏像に眼(め)を入れて新しく迎える開眼(かいげん)供養とか、経供養、鐘供養などがある。また1000人の僧を招いて食事などを供養する千僧(せんそう)供養会(え)とか、多くの仏教行事類を供養とよび、供養の意味は拡大していった。

［石上善應］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例