I remember years ago, I think when I was in high school, I was asked by a school friend, who knew I was Buddhist, whether we have heaven or hell like in Christianity.
I honestly didn’t know the answer. I asked our minister, and he calmly answered, “We don’t have just heaven and hell, we have six realms of existence.” I thought, “Huh? Six realms?” In time, I came to learn about this in more detail, and over the years, I have found it to be a most meaningful and relevant teaching of Buddhism.
Rev. Earl Ikeda, who brought the Aloha spirit to New York Buddhist Church and Seabrook Buddhist Temple, recently retired after seven years of learning to love and brave the East Coast’s cold winters.
In late 2020, the Buddhist Temple of San Diego (BTSD) began plans to commemorate its 95th anniversary. Earlier this year, the temple added the pending retirement of its resident minister, Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi, to its program when he announced his intention.
It is almost the end of the year 2021. Our lives changed drastically last year and we are gradually adjusting ourselves to the new normal.
But I really hope that we are able to go back to the temple without any worries and listen to the teachings together and share laughter. Especially, in regards to guest speaking, it is really convenient that we are able to hold services online and ask ministers to guest speak, but I hope this will not become our “new normal” since I love traveling and seeing other places!
Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is the path of deep listening.
Nembutsu recitation is a response to Amida Buddha’s call, which is possible because of our deep listening. It could be said that Shinjin is no other than our deep listening to Amida Buddha’s compassionate aspiration to guide and embrace us.
Then, how should we listen deeply?
At some Jodo Shinshu temples in Japan, ministers and the audience recite together “How to listen to a Dharma message (聴聞の心得)” before a Dharma message starts.
It has been a very difficult 600-plus days since the COVID shutdown on Friday, March 13, 2020. I was at the temple when we were informed that we had to go home and stay at home. I packed up my things and tried to recreate an office and recording studio in my home. With the delta variant — and now, the omicron variant — it seems like déjà vu all over again.
During times like these, we often feel powerless to make change. This is especially so when also dealing with a rise in racism and climate change. People are starting to feel like they lack agency, that is the ability to make substantial and long lasting change. President Joe Biden once said that racism never really goes away, it only goes to sleep. It seems that it has woken back up again with a vengeance.
I happened to be watching an instructional music video on YouTube, and the instructor said, “The reason why we make music is because we want people to feel something.” I thought this was a wonderful statement and that the same could be said about Buddhism.
Music can make us tap our feet, sway our bodies, jump for joy, or move us to tears. It can make us reflective, it can take us back to our childhood, it can resonate with us, seemingly to the very marrow of our bones. I still get choked up when I conduct a cemetery service in which there is a military honor guard and they play “Taps.” Such a simple melody, but it is so sad and so moving.
The first BCA Art Exhibit, which attracted more than 90 entries throughout the BCA temples and churches and Hawaii, has proven to be so popular that it’s been extended past its original Ohigan observance in September and will remain up on the BCA website for now.
CBE Youth Coordinator Koichi Mizushima said the art exhibit was originally set to run only from Sept. 19-26, but the decision was made the keep the website up after the overwhelming positive response from Sangha members and others who viewed the artwork.
One late afternoon in September, my son and I went to the temple. While I was doing temple business, my son entered the Hondo by himself.
After a while, I heard him singing “Ondokusan 2.” He was conducting a late afternoon service (“Oyuji”). Around that time, so many things were happening to me that my mind and heart were unsettled. My son’s voice reminded me of what I needed to do. I entered the Hondo, opened the folding shoji screen, burned incense, sat on the floor facing Amida Buddha directly, and hit the bell twice. Then, I chanted “Shoshinge.”
This is the story about a lady who I met when I used to help at a temple in Chiba prefecture, Japan. The lady was originally from Tokyo, but she moved to Chiba to live with her daughter’s family because she was getting older.
Walking around her neighborhood, she happened to pass by the temple on her walk and we got to know each other when I was sweeping the garden of the temple. She would visit the temple and we enjoyed chatting.
OCBC Dharma Message on ‘Shohei Mandala’ Proves to Be a ‘Clean’ Hit
Jon Kawamoto
The unlikely combination of a Dharma message and its topic — the megapopular Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei “Shotime” Ohtani — has taken off with a life of its own, much like one of Ohtani’s legendary home runs at Angels Stadium in Anaheim.
Rev. Dr. Mutsumi Wondra, in her virtual Sept. 26 Dharma message to the Orange County Buddhist Church Sangha, spoke on the topic of “Shohei Mandala: Repeated Practice Becomes a Good Habit.”
“The pursuit of happiness that Cudi is on can be comparable to the pursuit of Nirvana, which is reached by following the steps of the Eightfold Path.” OR “The essential idea behind Buddhism stems from the idea of how living beings are hindered by suffering, and there needs to be a way to free oneself from this anguish. Even for people who do not consider themselves Buddhist, these lyrics are still engaging.”
YBE is a space for young Buddhists to express themselves and build solidarity with other young persons, advocates, and allies across the country. To learn more about YBE, visit their website and Facebook page.
Chaminade University Hawaii and BDK is sponsoring a Reverend Yoshiaki Fujitani Interfaith Event on November 14, 2021. Attached are event flyers (Link). (Devon Matsumoto, Koki Atacheson and Dwight Matsuo are the Buddhist/Jodo Shinshu panelists.)
I recently listened to a wonderful lecture by Michael Conway, who teaches Shin Buddhism at Otani University, the Higashi Honganji University in Kyoto, Japan. In that lecture, he talked about the importance of having the right starting point in Buddhism.
He pointed out that in Shin Buddhism, if we have the right starting point, that we will inevitably reach our true destination, which is the awakening of truth or enlightenment. Dr. Nobuo Haneda has also spoken of this same topic before as well.
Through countless causes and conditions, the Imamuras engaged the efforts of an international community of scholars and artists and influenced the interest in Buddhism far beyond Berkeley, where Rev. Imamura was the minister and Jane was the Bomori.
Jane Imamura, the eldest daughter of Mrs. Shinobu Matsuura, a major BCA figure herself, continued her mother’s tradition in building a music tradition and was a key contributor to many BCA gathas that continue to be sung today. The article was written by the couple’s eldest daughter, Hiro Imamura David, on behalf of the BCA Music History Subcommittee.
Have you ever had this happen? You listen to a Dharma message and think, “Oh hey, that was a really good talk,” but then as soon as you walk out of the Hondo and someone asks you what today’s talk was about, you can’t remember what the talk was about!
One time, a student explains to Rennyo Shonin that his mind is like pouring water in a basket, which slowly pours out. When he hears the talks, they are deeply moving, and he is grateful. However, as soon as he leaves the Hondo, he reverts to his old mind. What should he do about this? How does one make the mind a bucket where the water will remain?
I introduced the Japanese song “Donna Iro Ga Suki” (“What Color Do You Like?”) to the Dharma School kids in a class. The class was online, so I couldn’t see their reactions through my speaker view. But I was sure that they were thinking about their favorite colors after listening to this song.
After the lyrics asking your favorite color, the following colors are mentioned: red, blue, yellow, and green. If you have someone next to you while reading my article, please try to pick your favorite color together at the same time. Three, two, one! Now pick a color! Did you choose the same color or different color? If you chose the same color, it might mean you have similar tastes.
Venice Hongwanji Hosts ‘Dealing with Racism and Hate’ Seminar
Michelle Orne
The Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Sangha Initiative hosted a special livestream event on April 29 entitled, “Dealing with Racism and Hate, a Jodo Shinshu Approach” that attracted a diverse group of more than 100 people from nearly 20 temples in the BCA and Canada.
This was the first topic of the initiative’s Sangha Speaker Series, featuring Rev. Matt Hamasaki of the Sacramento Betsuin, and was intended to bring attention to a serious and timely issue while showing how Jodo Shinshu teachings can help guide us in coping with emotions such as anger and revenge.
With an emphasis on the way Shin looks to general scholars of Japan (i.e. outside, relatively objective observers), the lecture (after taking a nuanced position on what the relationship between Shinran and the Honganji organizations really has been) will introduce several main themes of the modern story
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Young Buddhist Editorial
YBE Social Justice Committee Presents:
Face to Face: EcoDharma – Recognizing our interdependence with all life and understanding the ecological nature of Buddhism.
Thursday, October 21st @ 5:30 pm PT
Description: Join us on Thursday, October 21st at 5:30 pm PST for a conversation on the relationship between Buddhism and environmentalism. We will be watching clips from the film The Way Out: An Urgent Film About the Climate Crisis created by Evermind Media, as well as other short documentaries, to reflect on how the Dharma influences the way we see and take care of the world around us. This event aims to bring our community together to raise awareness and provoke discussion on how Buddhism influences environmental justice and how we understand the importance of preserving mother nature.
Registration is available in the link in our bio, and can also be found at
10/2021 – CBE E-News – October link and Japanese Seminar announcements
9/2021 – Joint Celebration for Shinran Shonin’s 850th birthday and the 800th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Tradition – 2023
Joint Celebration for Shinran Shonin’s 850th birthday and the 800th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Tradition which will be held in 2023 – Kyoto Japan
We recently lost a wonderful and dedicated member of the Orange County Buddhist Church, Jeff Folick, who also was very involved in the BCA and IBS. I would like to dedicate my message this month to him.
I had the great privilege of serving at OCBC for 34 years, and during those years, Jeff was more than a member of OCBC to me. He was a personal friend. Our kids grew up together, playing basketball for OCBC and being in Dharma School and YBA together.
The Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha is busy preparing a full slate of events to commemorate the 850th birthday of Jodo Shinshu founder Shinran Shonin in 2023.
The joint celebration in Kyoto, Japan, will also honor the 800th anniversary of the establishment of Shinran’s teachings.
“Approximately 800 years ago, Shinran Shonin deeply looked into himself and became aware through his own experiences that we cannot free ourselves from our blind passions, that is, our self-promoting way of thinking,” the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha stated in a news release.
I cannot imagine what was going through the minds of parents as they sent their children back to school.
We have always been told to “protect those who are weaker than ourselves.” This is especially true when it comes to pandemics and the spread of an illness that has the potential to kill and sometimes leave survivors with longstanding symptoms. The decisions that each of us make in response to the pandemic can affect those around us, be they family or complete strangers.
Shinran Shonin is very consistent and never wavers from his reliance on the compassion of the Buddha and the Primal Vow. We who are filled with blind passions, flounder around reciting the Nembutsu and look for a resulting joy or peace of mind. We recite the Nembutsu looking for something in return. What we fail to see is that we needn’t do a thing, our birth in the Pure Land is already decided. The Nembutsu is in response to what has already taken place.
School Named After Mountain View Buddhist Temple Member
Jon Kawamoto
A Mountain View school district has renamed an elementary school after an iconic figure with the Mountain View Buddhist Temple who had extensive ties with the Mountain View community.
There’s an added significance in the decision to rename Frank L. Huff Elementary School in honor of Amy Imai — outside of Hawaii, there is no public school named in honor of a Japanese American Buddhist woman.
“Shinjin is central to the Shin Buddhist teaching and life. It is at the core of the Shin Buddhist path of enlightenment – the “true essence of the Pure Land Way.” Yet, why does it seem that shinjin is rarely spoken of and rarely brought up for discussion, even in Shin circles? Is it too complex?
If there’s any Buddhist value that fits our theme of healing and mental health, it is compassion. Treating people with compassion, especially if they are struggling with their mental health, is key.
In my endeavors to live a life of gratitude, I wanted to gather all of these little acts of kindness to remind myself to be grateful for all of the love I have in my life.
YBE is a space for young Buddhists to express themselves and build solidarity with other young persons, advocates, and allies across the country. To learn more about YBE, visit their website and Facebook page.
Dana Program for
Buddhist Education
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that now, more than ever, we must focus on technology and digital media to guide new seekers to Shin Buddhist communities, connect members to innovative virtual programming, and highlight the inspirational messages of our ministers.
Please consider a recurring donation to the Dana Program so we may expand these initiatives in the future.
The JSIO is kicking off a discussion series on Clubhouse, with a 3 part series on intersections of identity. The first session is on the topic of intersections of identity: Buddhist, Asian-American, and Young Adult, and will take place next Saturday, August 21 at 11am Pacific. We hope you can join us and hear the diverse perspectives of these four speakers! You’ll need to download the Clubhouse app to listen in; the flyer has a link for more information or click on this link: (LINK)
I would like to continue my discussion of the three poisons by discussing the third of the poisons, ignorance. The Chinese characters for how ignorance is described is quite interesting. In Japanese, the Buddhist term for ignorance is “mumyo,” and it consists of two Chinese characters. The first character, “mu 無” means “there is no,” or, “it doesn’t exist, and the second character, “myo 明” means “clear, bright, radiant.” So, when you put those two characters together 無明, it means, “there is no clarity, no radiance, no brightness.” It is a very descriptive way of explaining ignorance. When you are in ignorance, there is no light, no radiance, only darkness.
The Onaijin at the small Guadalupe Buddhist Church in California’s Central Coast is at the center of a remarkable story of causes and conditions encompassing gratitude, joy, perseverance — and heartbreak.
The story spans more than a century and connects Umekichi Tanaka, a Japanese immigrant farmer and widower, with BCA icon Shinobu Matsuura, and with Tanaka’s daughter — 107-year-old Yoshiko Miwa.
One way or another, each of us needs to figure out how to be at home in the world .… At peace in our daily lives. Nembutsu, Buddha-recollection, in our stream of tradition means saying, or holding silently in mind, the name of the Buddha of Limitless Wisdom-light and Endless Life. Our feeling ill at ease in various ways will evaporate in our eventual, Enlightened lives.
The Nembutsu can also help us move towards being more at home even now. The Nembutsu is the direct path (Jiki Do). Nembutsu in its many verbal forms is a direct path to contact with the sacred. “Namo Amida Butsu” gives us direct access to that which is worthy, nurturing and true.
I’m a Buddhist convert. I never set out to officially call myself a Buddhist. It just sort of happened by association when I met and married the teacher in the classroom next door to mine, who happened to have been born and raised Buddhist.
Even though I was willing to sometimes attend service with him, as a disenchanted former Catholic, I had no intention of formally subscribing to anything. I refused to chant. I didn’t bow. I never pressed my hands together. It reminded me too much of Catholicism, reciting “Hail Mary” and “The Lord’s Prayer” and making the sign of the cross.
The BCA Social Welfare Committee has awarded a $20,000 grant to Umenoki Gardens Senior Home, located on the grounds of the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church in Union City, California.
Umenoki provides 24-hour palliative care for seniors who can no longer care for themselves and require more assistance than their families can provide. The care philosophy integrates Buddhist principles and Japanese culture to maintain the spirit of the Japanese American culture and community. People from all backgrounds and religions are welcome at Umenoki.
Once again, may I take this opportunity to thank our many, many generous donors to the BCA over the course of this past year.
The first of the Six Paramitas is Dana, or “giving.” It is one of the most fundamental practices in Buddhism. The BCA, and all of our local churches and temples, cannot survive without the generous “dana” of our members.
Thank you so much for your support and contributions this past year, especially as we faced the terrible COVID-19 pandemic. All of our churches and temples have had to cancel major fundraisers, but despite that, through the generosity and support of local members and the greater community, donations were received to compensate for the lack of fundraisers. On top of that, many of you have donated to the BCA as well. The only word I can say to express our gratitude is, “Namuamidabutsu.”
The Jodo Shinshu International Office (JSIO) is pleased to bring you all three of the Pure Land Sutras! Please join us for this special live-stream event where we will have the rare opportunity to listen to all three pure land sutras chanted in their entirety. This event is ONE DAY ONLY and will not be posted to YouTube after, so please don’t miss it!
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Young Buddhist Editorial
Collective Karma
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
5:00pm PT
YBE Social Justice Committee welcomes Dr. Jean-Paul R. Contreras deGuzman (he/him), Mariko Fujimoto Rooks (she/her/null), and Gina Mie Goosby (she/her) in conversation on the intersection of Buddhism and colonial legacies.
We have extended the deadline to register for the BYR Summer Retreat until this SUNDAY. (You can click the link in the pdf version of the flyer.) We have a nice group of kids registered, but we still have room for a few more, so I thought it would be wonderful to get a few more kids to sign up. Please reach out to any kids that you think would enjoy this experience. Thank you again for sharing the information and all of your support for BCA Youth Programming.
For the next three Wheel of Dharma issues, I would like to cover the topic of the Three Poisons in Buddhism.
The three poisons are greed, anger and ignorance, or sometimes stupidity is used for ignorance. Rev. Dr. Kenneth Tanaka has coined these three poisons as the acronym of GAS. We humans can be consumed by GAS. While this is a humorous way to remember the three poisons, the fact that Buddhism uses the metaphor of “poison,” to describe these three emotions is quite significant.
An unprecedented gathering of Buddhist lineages and ethnicities came together May 4 at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles to offer a united message of healing amid the alarming rise of anti-Asian hate and violence.
That May 4 date carried particular significance because it marked the 49th day after the horrific murder of eight people in Atlanta, Georgia — six of whom were Asian American women. In many Buddhist traditions, 49 days after death marks an important transition for the bereaved.
If you have read some of my previous articles, then you have probably heard me talk about the Middle Path.
This is the Middle Way between extremes, exemplified by Siddhartha Gotama’s rejection of the pleasure of his life as a prince and the difficult ascetic practices he performed while questing for awakening.
The reason I like it is because I have found it to be applicable to many things in my life. Unlike dogma, which sets down ironclad rules that we aren’t allowed to question and which may not apply to various situations, the Middle Way is flexible and allows me to see things in a different, hopefully helpful way.
Rev. Dr. Yamaoka Spreads Dharma on Social Media — One Line at a Time
Jon Kawamoto
After he retired from the Buddhist Church of Oakland in 2008, Rev. Dr. Seigen Haruo Yamaoka’s youngest daughter Stacy urged him to keep socially active — and signed him up on Facebook and Twitter.
He’s been hooked on social media ever since — nearly a decade and almost 4,000 pithy posts ago.
Young Buddhist Editorial, which celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this year, scored a major media coup when it was the subject of a national “Today” show segment on May 7.
The NBC morning show also featured Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki, Rev. Tadao Koyama, Tacoma Dharma School Superintendent June Akita, and the Tacoma Dharma School students in a virtual Zoom session.
A CBE hosted summer program for high school age youth. You will learn how to lead services, attend classes on Shin Buddhism, and make lifelong friends.
Need help creating a website for your temple? BCA’s Technology and Outreach Subcommittee is hosting a website building workshop to help temples understand their options when updating or creating their website.
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Young Buddhist Editorial
YBE Social Justice Committee Presents:
Face to Face: Queer Dharma
June 27th, 2021 at 3 pm PT
The YBE Social Justice Committee will soon launch our new summer panel series, “Face to Face.” In honor of Pride Month, our first event will be a panel of LGTBQ+ community members, featuring Noel Alumit, MDiv., Rev. Keisuke Lee-Miyaki, Juliet Bost, and moderator Rev. CJ Sokugan Dunford. We hope to learn more about how Queerness and Buddhism intersect and align.
YBE is a space for young Buddhists to express themselves and build solidarity with other young persons, advocates, and allies across the country. To learn more about YBE,
The Young Buddhist Editorial – Connecting our community through stories and art
Vision The YBE recognizes the cultural and religious importance Buddhism has in many communities and works to preserve the stories of those who came before us while sharing the current experiences of young Buddhists.
Mission The Young Buddhist Editorial is dedicated to providing a platform for the expression of young Buddhists and a safe space where such young Buddhists can foster growth, community and interconnectedness while creating a dialogue between young Buddhists and other generations of Buddhists
5/31/2021 – Retreat Postponed – Human Nature – Buddha Nature
Retreat: HUMAN NATURE – BUDDHA NATURE
June 25-27, 2021
Due to COVID, Retreat postponed to 2022
Replaced By: Zoom Seminar
“Human Nature – Buddha Nature” The Practice of Living Shin Buddhism July 31, 2021 – 11:00 am-12:30
Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi
Listening to Dharma talks, reading books, and watching videos by Dharma teachers give us a good understanding of Shin Buddhism. However, until it becomes a daily practice, much of it remains a concept. The annual retreats have been a success since 1998 because they provided an “experience” of Shin. This seminar will present the Shin practice of the Nembutsu to become an experience.
Contact the BTSD office to register:
info@btsd.net or call (619) 239-0896.
If Shin Buddhism is to make an impact on Buddhism in the West, it will have to express in a meaningful manner, what is Namuamidabutsu, to those who don’t read or speak Japanese.
Those of us who are Japanese Americans, we have grown up hearing the Nembutsu. Of course, it was a foreign word to us as well, but many of us have heard and seen our devout grandmothers or grandfathers saying with depth and conviction, Namandabutsu, Namandabutsu, when they went before their Obutsudan or in the temple Hondo.
The recent murders of eight people in Atlanta, the majority of whom were Asian Americans, were a tragic crest in a wave of anti-Asian violence that has swept across the United States.
Although we may attribute this violence to contemporary xenophobic and sinophobic rhetoric in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of those lives rests within a much deeper, far more treacherous past…
“Where is our mind?” This was one of the topics of the discussion class that I attended. There were various opinions and it was very interesting.
Someone said, “The mind is in our head. Because we use our brains when we think.” Or, “The mind is in our heart. Because our heart beats fast when we are nervous.” But there was no specific answer. Also, I have heard the phrase, “The mind is invisible and cannot be touched by our hands, but it certainly exists there.”
Alternatively, someone says that “the mind is visible and is outside of the body.” So I tried to see what was on the outermost side of my body.
My Trip to Poston Site, Courtesy of Ohigan Service
Baron Nitta
My trip to Poston really began because of the Spring Ohigan (Equinox) Service at the Poston Memorial Monument in Parker, Arizona, performed by Rinban Rev. Kakei Nakagawa, Rev. Kaz Nakata, and Rev. Midori Nakagawa.
I went with my friends, Jack and Betty Mori, who invited me to ride along. When we arrived, the first thing that you notice is the tall majestic monument that towers into the sky.
In February 2020, I attended a Center for Buddhist Education (CBE) workshop at the Jodo Shinshu Center where I reconnected with a friend I hadn’t seen in many years. Bob Matsueda and I grew up together at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple (PABT) and it was through this latest encounter that I learned Bob was a yoga instructor.
Bob and I kept in touch over the months, and as PABT began planning virtual events to support our members staying at home during the pandemic, we were excited to be able to host an online yoga seminar taught by Bob titled “Yoga for Health at Any Age and Physical Ability: A Complementary Practice to Buddhism (Self Care & Compassion for the Benefit of All Beings Everywhere).”
A CBE hosted summer program for high school age youth. You will learn how to lead services, attend classes on Shin Buddhism, and make lifelong friends.
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Monthly Dharma Gatherings: Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
June 4, 2021
West LA Buddhist Temple
Join us via Zoom on the following dates from 7:00p-8:30p for a short service and Dharma reflection session discussing various topics and reflecting on how they relate to “my life.” Register once at the link below. You will not need to register for each individual session. A Zoom link will be sent the day before each session.
This seminar is being co-hosted by our Tacoma YABA group as well as our Buddhist Education Committee. While all and everyone are welcome to this event, we were hoping to target a younger audience like YBA, College YBA, YABA, TechnoBuddha crowd. It is our hopes that this series and seminar will begin a discussion from people our age who love being involved with the temples but also how we can start engaging with them and how we as an age demographic can start taking part in the future of our particular sect within the future of America.
Our keynote speaker will be Rev. Hibiki Murakami. The event is FREE! (donations to the temple are always welcome)…
We have all been concerned about recent events in the news about the rise of hate crimes and violence against Asians.
It feels like as human beings, we are going backwards in time to the era of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, many of whom lived through prejudice and discrimination against Asians. Some of you today lived through that era firsthand, being incarcerated in the internment camps.
In 2019, Regina Boone captivated millions of viewers in Japan when NHK broadcast her incredible journey to uncover what happened to her Japanese immigrant grandfather.
Boone again wowed an audience as the special guest speaker Feb. 28 at the virtual BCA National Council closing program. She described her odyssey from Virginia to the Midwest to a small fishing village in Japan — and the meanings, messages and lessons learned along the way.
Social Welfare Fund Awards $20,000 to Dorothy’s Place
Jon Kawamoto
BCA’s Social Welfare Fund has awarded a $20,000 grant to Dorothy’s Place, which provided nearly 200,000 meals to the homeless in Salinas during the pandemic last year.
The Franciscan Workers/Dorothy’s Place and the Buddhist Temple of Salinas applied for the grant to address the pandemic’s impact on the capacity to provide meals to those suffering from deprivation of basic human needs.
Sakyamuni Buddha teaches us that hatred is not overcome by hatred. Hatred is overcome by love. Anger creates just anger. Revenge can only be overcome by abandoning revenge. The Buddha also teaches us that we are not noble because of the family into which we were born. Rather, we become noble as a result of our actions.
The Buddha negated the classification of people by birth or faith. We should remind ourselves that all people deserve to be respected and treated equally under the law of Dharma. Furthermore, Shinran Shonin teaches us that the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha makes no distinction between people young and old, good and evil. From Buddha’s Enlightened Eyes, all beings are the same and equal.
There was a little-known — but profound — reason why former BCA Bishop Rev. Kodo Umezu chose to be at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco on Feb. 28, when he was honored for his 47-year career as a Kaikyoshi minister.
He noted the San Francisco temple was built in 1937 with contributions from its Sangha members as well as BCA members around the country. “Right after the Depression, they donated 5 cents, 10 cents, 15 cents — they built this building,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to be here. I wanted to thank those people — not just people today.”
What is “Socially Engaged Buddhism?” What are some of the examples of Buddhist social engagements in Japan and elsewhere? How do we apply the idea of socially engaged Buddhism to a Jodo Shinshu life guided by the Nembutsu?
The West LA Buddhist Temple present the Buddhism Beyond Mindfulness seminar. This 5 session seminar will include the first 3 sessions during the month of April.
What is the Future of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in the West?
April 17, 2021
11:00am – 1:00pm PST
A CBE hosted discussion featuring the leaders from BCA (Bishop Rev. Marvin Harada), Buddhist Temples of Canada (Bishop Rev. Tatsuya Aoki), and from Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii (Bishop Rev. Eric Matsumoto)
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Monthly Dharma Gatherings: Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
May 7, 2021 & June 4, 2021
West LA Buddhist Temple
Join us via Zoom on the following dates from 7:00p-8:30p for a short service and Dharma reflection session discussing various topics and reflecting on how they relate to “my life.” Register once at the link below. You will not need to register for each individual session. A Zoom link will be sent the day before each session.
This online retreat will include author Chenxing Han and fourinteractive sessions inspired by her recently published book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists. The retreat is open to people of all backgrounds. We hope our time together can deepen connections and build friendships within and beyond our Buddhist communities.
We hope to learn what keeps people in our Jodo Shinshu community involved in temple activities or why they are no longer involved. The goal is to help our temples develop programming to better support our community.
The target demographic is 18 and over; survey time is 10 minutes. Questions:YBEresearch@gmail.com. We appreciate your feedback!
YBE is a space for young Buddhists to express themselves and build solidarity with other young persons, advocates, and allies across the country. To learn more about YBE, visit their website and Facebook page.
3/28/2021 – Retreat: HUMAN NATURE within BUDDHA NATURE
WAKING UP TO A PATH OF HARMONY – June 25-27, 2021 – (near Palm Springs CA)
Shin Buddhism, the largest branch of Buddhism in Japan, is emerging in America. Shin offers a compelling process of approaching life challenges with effective results. By incorporating simple daily habits of gratitude, Shin followers are able to appreciate life, regardless of their material circumstance. Introspection, discussion, and insightful activities will bring alive a deep philosophy to a personal experience. Come experience the perspective that makes ordinary life, an extraordinary reality. Human nature inspired by Buddha nature, provides a proven path of harmony, amid the challenges of contemporary life. Wake up to American Shin Buddhism.
The Yokoji Zen Mountain Center:
A rustic retreat near Idyllwild in the San Jacinto mountains. www.zmc.org
Facilitator: Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi Shin Buddhist minister with a background in transpersonal psychology, wilderness vision quests, personal growth and body-mind-spirit disciplines.
Details and Registration $225 before / $ 250 after May 31: Shared rooms & vegetarian meals
Tuition: by donation at Retreat.
Due to COVID, retreat may be postponed to 2022.
Send email (no money) to ensure registration. This may be the last retreat in Southern Calif.
Contact: Buddhist Temple of San Diego
Email: info@btsd.net ~ Phone: (619) 239-0896
2/28/2021 – BCA Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service Guest Speaker Reverend Kodo Umezu
YouTube Video of Event
The Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service is held in appreciation and respect for all those departed members who supported and assisted our temples and who wished to ensure the continuation of Shinran Shonin’s teachings. This annual event will have participants from all BCA temples throughout the United States. We welcome you to join us for this important event. This online service is open to the public and is being held in conjunction with the Ministers’ Association & National Council Meeting 2021 (NCM).
Note: There will be no Dharma Family Service at BCO on Feb 28th. We encourage all to attend online the BCA Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service.
2/28/2021 – BCA National Council Closing Program
Immeasurable Encounterings: BCA Past, Present, and Future
YouTube Video of the Event
First we will honor the career of Rev. Kodo Umezu, recently retired minister and Past BCA Bishop.
Next we will hear from Regina Boone, Virginia photojournalist and granddaughter of Tsuruju Miyazaki, a Japanese immigrant and incarceree who never returned home after World War II. Carrying little more than a portrait and a name, Boone’s journey to discover what happened to her grandfather leads her to a faraway family butsudan.
The final segment will focus on the future with a message from our current BCA Bishop, Rev. Marvin Harada. We will share our vision to build the future of Buddhism in America through the Dharma Forward campaign and premiere a special video.
Musical Performances by the Cherry Blossomz
2/28/2021 – Regina Boone – Journalist Unravels Mysteries of her Japanese grandfather
YouTube Video
Regina Boone was featured at the 2021 BCA National Council Meeting Closing Program (Event Link).
NHK video on Regina Boone discovery of her Japanese Grandfather’s story (Video posted by NHK till March 31, 2021)
2/28/2021 – Darmathon and Recognition of Retiring Minister
YouTube video of the event.
2/26/2021 – BCA Dharma Forward – Campaign
OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT IF WE’RE READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
Interest in Buddhism is growing in America as people seek a better way to live in a self-centered, divisive culture. Our temples offer sangha: a community, a shared experience of the teachings, and a place to call home as we listen to the dharma together. The Institute of Buddhist Studies also offers sangha: a graduate school community of engaged scholars, practitioners, and future ministers.
These communities exist because of dedicated efforts over many generations to carry the dharma forward to us. In gratitude for the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion, now we carry the dharma forward with entrusting hearts. Our opportunity to grow is greater than ever, and the pathway to a bright future includes YOU!
Sat Feb 20 – 10:30am – BCA Town Hall Meeting Turning Our Membership Decline Around: Ways We Can Do It Recording will be posted
Sat Feb 20 – 1:30pm – BCA Ministerial Affairs Committee Featuring Glenn Kitasoe Recording will be posted
Sat Feb 20 – 2:45pm – Providing a Needed Service to the Community: Pre-School and Adult Senior Day Care Programs
Featuring Claire Tamamoto, Aiea Hongwanji Mission Recording will be posted
Sat Feb 20 – 4:00pm – BCA Endowment Foundation Featuring Koichi Sayano, Endowment Board and Anna McGibbons, Angeles Investments Recording will be posted
Sat Feb 20 – 5:25pm – Young Buddhist Editorial Featuring Devon Matsumoto and YBE Members Recording will be posted
I don’t know how any Americans could say that they weren’t terribly disturbed by the events of Jan. 6, when the U.S. Capitol was overcome by insurgents who overwhelmed security and police to not only enter the hallowed building, but to break into the chambers and offices of our government leaders, vandalizing and causing chaos and disruption.
When National Public Radio broadcast an interview with Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji on the subject of Bodhi Day — the brief, five-minute segment marked a milestone for the BCA and Shin Buddhism in the United States.
It was tacit recognition by a national media organization of the Pure Land sect — and the seeds that led to the NPR show were planted with Rev. Dr. Miyaji’s podcasts that he began in March 2020 when the pandemic was just beginning to take hold as the new reality.
The BCA is no stranger when it comes to the world of podcasts. In fact, they’ve been around since 2006 — when the Midwest Buddhist Temple began providing its Sunday services with Rev. Ronald Miyamura.
There’s a wide variety of podcasts available to Sangha members and anyone interested in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
When the pandemic hit and we were faced with a new pattern of life in a hint of fear, just like many of you who have binge watched movies and TV shows, I decided to finally tackle the Japanese masterpiece manga series “One Piece” written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.
As I was at the supermarket purchasing flowers for our Sunday Zoom service, I thought that I would pick up a few additional items that I needed. Although it was only 1pm, it was a little crowded since Thanksgiving was just around the corner.
This was not my regular supermarket, so I found myself unacquainted with the layout of the store and needing to look up at each sign hanging above the aisles to see where things were kept.
Duncan Ryuken Williams, author of the book American Sutra, received his Ph.D. in Religion from Harvard University. He is currently Professor of Religion and East Asian Languages & Cultures and Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.
Anton Tenkei Coppens is the abbot of Zen River Temple. Born in The Netherlands, he has a background in art and art history. After starting his Zen training in England in 1976, Coppens received Shiho, Dharma transmission, from Genpo Roshi in 1996 and Inka, the final seal of approval, in 2006.
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Monthly Dharma Gatherings: Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
February 5, 2021 – June 4 2021
West LA Buddhist Temple
Join us via Zoom on the following dates from 7:00p-8:30p for a short service and Dharma reflection session discussing various topics and reflecting on how they relate to “my life.” Register once at the link below. You will not need to register for each individual session. A Zoom link will be sent the day before each session..
YBE Expresses Gratitude for BCA, Sacramento Bestuin, Donors
Koki Atcheson
In the past few months, the Young Buddhist Editorial reached a meaningful financial milestone.
Our organization received our first donations from individuals, in addition to grants from the Sacramento Buddhist Temple Legacy Endowment Fund and the BCA Bishop’s Expansion Fund.
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of YBE, these generous contributions enable us to focus on our mission to connect young Buddhists, uplift intersectional perspectives on the Dharma and adjacent cultural experiences, and promote social justice in service of our communities.
YBE is a space for young Buddhists to express themselves and build solidarity with other young persons, advocates, and allies across the country. To learn more about YBE, visit their website and Facebook page.
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1/24/2021 – Regina Boone – Journalist Unravels Mysteries of her Japanese grandfather
Let’s Express the Essence of Shin Buddhism: ‘A Life of Gratitude’
A Happy New Year to all of you! May 2021 be a year in which we hope to all get vaccinated and see the end of this terrible pandemic that we have all suffered through. (I have never looked forward to a shot more in my life.)
But most likely we will still have to keep our churches and temples closed for some time, until people receive the vaccinations that will make it safe to gather again. How wonderful that will be to see each other again in person.
It’s no secret that the world is ready to turn the page on the challenges of 2020.
At the same time, these challenges brought the essentials of our lives into focus. Physical separation from our temples gave us new determination to stay connected to the Dharma and each other through online services, Dharma discussions, and Sangha activities.
In that spirit, our BCA Communications Technology and Outreach Subcommittee has been hard at work over the past year on our new BCA website.
The U.S. presidential election took place last November and it attracted a great deal of attention worldwide.
But the election was also complicated by historic political as well as pandemic concerns, it has taken longer than anticipated to finalize the vote count, which means that results remained undecided. Sadly, America is still divided on many social issues. Disagreements remain on topics like religious conflicts, the immigrant refugee crises, and BLM and LGBTQ+ concerns.
On behalf of the Executive Committee of the BCA, I wish all BCA members a Happy New Year!
We probably and hopefully will never see a year like 2020 again. With the development of the vaccine for COVID-19, I am hoping that this new year ends well. Depending on how things go, we may be able to open our temples before the end of the year. Just to be conservative, we should probably not expect holding our annual summer fundraisers (but we will have to see).
Is it our nature that causes us to appreciate things only when they’re gone, or is it me?
When I was 8 years old, my parents discovered that I was terrified of dogs. So they went to the pound and brought home a beagle puppy. I didn’t appreciate it — now I experienced terror in my own house, even though the puppy was as terrified of me, as I was of him.
BCA JAMS is a great way for young people to share their talents and perform in a fun show for the whole family. It will also be a fundraiser for BCA Youth Programs.
Contact cbe@bcahq.org or 510-809-1460 for more information.
Virtual Zoom Events
Monthly Dharma Gatherings: Young Adults (Ages 18-35)
January 8, 2021 – June 4 2021
West LA Buddhist Temple
Join us via Zoom on the following dates from 7:00p-8:30p for a short service and Dharma reflection session discussing various topics and reflecting on how they relate to “my life.” Register once at the link below. You will not need to register for each individual session. A Zoom link will be sent the day before each session..
Join the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple for a week of online Hoonko services, with dharma messages offered in English and Japanese.
Ho-On 報恩 means “acknowledging the benevolence” and Ko 講 means “gathering.” Hoonko services commemorate the anniversary of Jodo Shinshu founder Shinran Shonin’s entering into Nirvana on January 16, 1263.
Visit the WLA Website for flyer with full schedule or email WLA for more information.
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