Kakure nenbutsu

Kakure nenbutsu is a Japanese religion that was practiced in secret many years ago. It involves praying to Buddha and asking for protection and blessings. The people who practiced this religion would do so in private because it was not allowed in their country at that time. They would say their prayers quietly and keep their beliefs to themselves to avoid getting in trouble with the authorities.

Picture yourself playing hide and seek with your friends. When you hide, you need to be very quiet so that your friends can't find you. In the same way, the people who practiced kakure nenbutsu would keep their religion a secret so that no one could find out. They wanted to be able to practice their beliefs without getting in trouble.

The prayers they would say were called nenbutsu. Similar to saying "please" and "thank you," nenbutsu was a way for them to ask Buddha for help and to say thank you for any blessings they received. They believed that by saying these prayers, they could achieve happiness and inner peace.

Kakure nenbutsu is not practiced as much anymore, but it was an important part of Japanese history. It teaches us that we should be able to practice our beliefs in a safe and respectful way, even if others may not agree with us.