Mahalo for supporting the Bazaar on March 30!

Transcription

1 April 2013 The Newsletter of Mililani Hongwanji Volume 36 Issue No 4 6 Sat 9:00 AM Bring Flowers and come by to help decorate the Hanamido (Flower Pavilion) 6 Sat 5:30 PM Saturday Buddha Day Evening Celebration -Potluck! See page 3 7 Sun 9:00 AM Hawaii Buddhist Council Buddha Day Celebration at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin 7 Sun PLEASE NOTE: No Temple Service at Mililani Hongwanji on April 7. See page 3 10 Wed 7:30 PM Kyodan Board Meeting 14 Sun 9:00 AM Joint Memorial & Family Service (BWA Meeting After Service) 14 Sun 1:00 --3:00 PM DSTO Seminar 16 Tue 6:30 PM Adult Day Care Meeting (Ed Building) 19 Fri 9:00 AM BWA Hosha Group 4 (No Hospital Visitation) 19 Fri 5:00 PM Set up for BWA Seminar 20 Sat 8:30--12:30 PM Oahu United BWA Seminar (Temple & Ed Building) 21 Sun 9:00 AM Eshin-ni & Kakushin-ni Memorial Service, Dharma School Speaker: Rev. Ryoko Osa of Higashi Hongwanji 21 Sun 1:00--3:00 PM Oahu District Seminar at Mililani w/dr. Ugo Dessi, BSC Scholar in Residence. See page 8 25 Thu 9:00 AM Lotus Connection 27 Sat 9:30 AM BWA Ehimemaru Memorial Service/Cleaning 28 Sun 9:00 AM Baccalaureate Service 30 Tue 7:30 PM Bazaar Evaluation Meeting 30 Scholarship Applications Due May, 2013 Congratulations to the Class of 2013! 5 Sun 9:00 AM Joint Memorial & Family Service (BWA Meeting After Service) 5 Sun 11 AM--2 PM Jr. YBA Meeting in Educ. Bldg. 8 Wed 7:30 PM Kyodan Board Meeting 12 Sun 9:00 AM GOTAN-E Service: Speaker--Rev. Kevin Kuniyuki) 18 Sat 8:00 AM Adopt-a-Highway 18 Sat 8:30/10:00 AM BWA Hosha Group 5/Hospital Visitation 19 Sun 9:00 AM Family Service & Dharma School (Last Day of Dharma School) 21 Tue 9:00 AM--12 N Ikebana Class (Flower Arrangement) 26 Sun 9:00 AM Family Service (No Dharma School) 30 Thu 9:00 AM Lotus Connection Mahalo for supporting the Bazaar on March 30! Embraced by the Vow: Live the Teachings!

2 April, the month associated with Spring, re-birth and the renewal of the Earth, has finally come. April is also associated, in Japanese Buddhism, with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, who would become the Buddha. He is said to have been born on the eighth day of the fourth month, Spring on either lunar or Gregorian calendar. The birth of Siddhartha, too, was a re-birth and renewal of the world. The Buddha taught us that the Dharma is natural law; it existed before the Buddha expounded it and would have existed had he never been born to teach it. He also told us, at the end of his life, to pay attention to the Dharma, not to the teacher. Too many times we get caught up in the teacher rather than the lessons and messages that the teacher gives, probably because it is a human tendency to pay attention to other people and often not so much to their message. We are influenced by how they look, how they speak and often we don t get beyond the externals. Sometimes, if we ve had a negative interaction with the teacher, we don t let that resentment go so that we can hear what they are saying. When I was a student at U.C.L.A., I enrolled in a class in Mayan archeology that was taught by a professor who was a brilliant scholar in the area of Mayan archeology. The classes he taught were always full. I didn t know the professor but I really looked forward to the class. The first day of class came, and I sat as close to the front of the classroom as I could. When the professor came out and began to hand out the course syllabus, the room became very quiet. He then began to give us the course outline and the expectations for grading, the usual one midterm, one final exam format that most U.C.L.A. classes seemed to have. Then he prepared to give his first lecture and I waited with excitement to begin to hear the Great Professor hold forth on Mayan Archeology (Classic Period). I was disappointed by the lecture, though not by the professor s lecture. This professor had an annoying habit of running his tongue around the front of his mouth, between his closed lips and teeth very frequently and I found the habit to be distracting to the point of being a barrier to listening to him and getting the full meaning of the lecture, distracted by what he was doing with his tongue. Fortunately, the lecture ended a bit early and I left the classroom. Friends and I went upstairs to the undergrad lounge for the department. My friends began to comment on how great the lecture was and that this professor was on the edge of decoding the Mayan hieroglyphs, which had not yet been done. I had very little to say as my friends enthused about the professor s credentials and accomplishments. As I thought back, I realized that it was a very good lecture, and I wished I had paid more attention to the lecture and less to the professor s odd habit. I had really missed out on enjoying something that I had looked forward to for a while. I had paid too much attention to the professor and not enough to his lecture. If this was just a story and not a real-life incident, I would go on to say that I had learned my lesson and did not let the odd habit get in the way of the wonderful lectures that the professor gave for the rest of the quarter. However, the truth is that the habit bothered me all of the quarter but I tried not to let it get in the way of what he had to say. If I had heeded the words of the Buddha, perhaps I could have let go of my irritation at the professor s habit, one that I learned many years later came from a neurological disorder. But I always wonder how I could have been more compassionate and how I may have learned more from this world-class scholar. Pay attention to the teachings not to who delivers them is a thought we each need to be reminded of sometimes. The Dharma would still be here, its ideas and teachings all around us as we go through our lives. We are fortunate that Sakyamuni Buddha gave them to us as we had a Master Teacher giving the teachings to us. The Buddha, it is said, was able to teach each person in a way that he/she could understand and could use. We are fortunate that he reminded us that the message not the messenger is more important. The Dharma would still be all around us, even if Sakyamuni had not come to be our Teacher. We are fortunate that he had many ways to teach a truth, one way that will get through to each of us. Each of us is both Student and Teacher to others in different situations. Sometimes it seems we are both at once. I try to learn from each person with whom I come in contact, though I m not always successful. As a human being, my own nature comes into play far too often. The Buddha brought into this world a message that has spanned over 2,500 years, a message that is as vital to us today as it was when Sakyamuni gave it. It is a message that brought a new era of understanding other people and other living beings, and of looking at what we call self differently. It is a message that lets us know that we are not different from anyone else. We each want and need understanding from other people. We each want to be valued for who we are. As we remember the birth of Siddhartha Gautama this month, let us also remember that his message of the Dharma liberates us from the bonds of self. Namo Amida Butsu Rev. Dr. Mary David

3 For many years, it has been a Mililani Hongwanji tradition to hold a Buddha Day service and potluck dinner on the Saturday evening prior to the Sunday commemoration of Buddha Day. A week or so before the Buddha Day service, the display for Buddha Day is put up in the front yard around our Mililani Hongwanji sign. The evening of the service, we put the Hanamido, the flower shrine with the figure of the infant Siddhartha pointing to sky and earth in the sweet tea that we pour over it to remind us of the sweet rain that fell when he was born, in the front by the display, we put an altar up, and we hold a service in front of the temple in the fresh air. As participants come for service, they are invited to pour a bit of tea over the statue before the service begins. After a brief service, the group goes into the Education Building for the potluck and entertainment. Please come to participate in this service and dinner, a celebration of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama over 2 ½ millennia ago. The open-air service is always enjoyable; the food is always tasty and plentiful. This year, our Dharma School children will be performing a play, so it will be fun to watch them interpret their ideas about the birth of the Buddha. The service begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner and entertainment will immediately follow. You can also sign up for the potluck on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin boards in the Hondo. For more information, please call Reverend David at Check out the lighted display in our front lawn invite your friends and neighbors too during the first week of April. Saturday, April 6 9:00 am Bring flowers and greenery to decorate the hanamido to house the Baby Buddha for his Birthday party. 5:30 pm Outdoor service at the lighted display. Come and pour sweet tea. Potluck dinner to follow! Entertainment & door prizes! Cleanup

4 BWA News for April Many, many thanks to Jean Sanehira (Kyodan Support Committee) who sewed the sturdy brown covers with pockets for our temple chairs. Thanks also to Nancy Tanaka, Joyce Nishioka, and Bobby Kishinami for helping to cut the fabric. Temple members now have a convenient place to put books during services. Max s of Manila in Waipahu was the site of our annual luncheon meeting that was held on Sunday, March 10. We were treated to a variety of Filipino dishes such as Bihon Pancit, Max s deep fried chicken, and Lumpiang Shanghai. Before the meeting started we enjoyed a left-right game and lots of grab bag prizes. Twenty nine members were able to attend. Mahalo to the Program committee (Raime Ishikawa, Arynn Ishikawa, Susan Tokuhama, Claire Doi, and June Asato) for all their hard work! Thank you to HOSHA group 3 (Sharon Kaneko-coordinator) for cleaning our temple on Saturday, March 16. HOSHA group 4 will clean on Friday, April 19. Please contact Frances Saito, coordinator, if you are unable to help and try to trade with someone in another group. Next hospital visitation on May 18. Join us in bringing cheer and dharma to the clients there. The annual Oahu United BWA Seminar will take place on Saturday, April 20, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at Mililani. Please contact Joyce Ogawa if you are able help us host. The Eshinni/Kakushinni and Peace Day Service will take place on Sunday, April 21. The speaker will be the Reverend Ryoko Osa of Higashi Hongwanji. Wear your BWA lei. Cleaning of the Ehimemaru memorial will take place on Saturday, April 27. Meet at the temple at 9:00 am. If you would like to go, contact Claire Doi or Debbie Hiyakumoto. April 30 is the deadline to submit an application for the 2013 Mililani Hongwanji BWA $1,000 scholarship for post high school training/schooling. Members of the Mililani BWA and their children may apply. More information at mililanihongwanji.org. The next BWA meeting will be held on Sunday, April 14. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DANA (Feb 17 to March 17, 2013) Building Fund Tony & Bebe Kearney Dana Day (BWA) Twila Castellucci Claire Doi Warren & Nora Hahn Theodine Hirai Mamoru & Ethel Kawahara Dennis & Carrie Kawamoto Sylvia Koike Lawrence & Joyce Nishioka Lester & Joyce Ogawa Haruyuki & Itsue Tamamoto Margaret Tanabe Nancy Tanaka Gordon & Lyn Watanabe Ethel Yamashige Noboru & Diane Yoza General Donation Lester & Joyce Ogawa Harry & Gloria Okada IMO Usuke & Umemo Okada Norman & Laverne Tada Joint Memorial Service Larry & Patsy Hiyakumoto IMO Tsuna Hiyakumoto Harry & Itsuko Honda IMO D. Yoshida Sharon Kaneko IMO Chieko Sako Carl & Aileen Matsuda IMO Patrick Matsuda Harry & Gloria Okada IMO Usuke & Umeno Okada Social Concerns(HQ) Rev. Mary David Melvin & Eileen Hayase Memorial Service Kyoko Hinz IMO Toshiko Enomoto (1st Yr) Ronald & Harriet Matsumoto IMO Chiyoko Matsumoto (13th Yr) Melvin Matsumura IMO Marion Matsumura (49th Day) Mark & Lesley Ann Matsuwaki IMO Clyde Tanaka (3rd Yr) Wallace & Gwen Mitsui IMO Asako Mitsui (1st Yr) Aryn Tanaka IMO Clyde Tanaka (3rd Yr) Karen Tanaka IMO Clyde Tanaka (3rd Yr)

5 Ride em, Buddha Man!! Santa delivered a belated gift to Mililani Hongwanji, courtesy of Wahiawa Hongwanji. A Thursday Gang volunteer is confidently operating the riding lawnmower and joyfully showing off his expert driving skills as he cuts the grass in relative comfort. But, all of you, don t be too envious we have enough sloping areas that needs to be cut with a regular lawnmower so the happy volunteer will still get in his walking exercise. A Really Big Shew We came in droves to the annual Sangha Day Festival on Sunday, March 3. Wahiawa Hongwanji, the host temple, was in awe as the crowd swelled to over 200 people. What was so attractive about this year s event? Could it be that the theme, A Sustainable Lifestyle Eat Local stirred up many people s interest? There was a farm tour at Leilehua High School in which the featured attractions were the pigs--- with one huge hog being groomed for the imu, ducks under the trees, geese in the pond, billy goats butting around, beehives, rows and rows of broccoli plants, hydroponic lettuce, all kinds of vegetable (daikon, cabbage, etc.), aquaponics with tilapia swimming around, fresh rosemary, sage, dill and more. The Ho brother and sister team, Neil and Shin, told us about their young-kid days and how they didn t plan to become famers but were somehow drawn into the farming business. Brother and sister combined their talents in farming and business to successfully grow the Ho Farm and bring fresh, local produce directly from the farm to market. Karen Yamamoto, Leilehua High School teacher, used her power point presentation to tell us all about hydroponic farming. Some of us bought some hydroponic kits to test our green thumb. Outdoor games provided an outlet for the active youngsters/young adults to release their pent-up energies. The lunch was delicious moist rotisserie chicken and all the local trimmings to satisfy everyone. Honda tofu topped with cold chicken ginger/green onion sauce (onolicious), coffee from Waialua, tea from Waimea on the Big Island, etc. Further evidence of the local theme was found in the vegetables from the Farmer s market, Peterson Farm eggs, bananas and much more. Every participant took home something locally grown. About 50 Mililani Sangha members joined the Oahu Sangha and enjoyed the really big SHEW and heartfully thank Wahiawa Hongwanji for going the extra mile in making Sangha Day a day to remember. 5

6 Scout Sunday at Mililani Hongwanji Sangha leader Mel Hayase shares his scouting experiences with the sangha and inspires youth as well as adults with his discussion on the parallels of the scouting experience with the dharma. Scholarships Available to Mililani Hongwanji graduates The deadline for submitting applications is on April 30, more info in Feb DC or at mililanihongwanji.org. The Mililani Hongwanji Kyodan will be accepting applications for a $1,000 post high school education scholarship. The scholarship is open to all 2013 high school graduating seniors whose family are members in good standing of the Mililani Hongwanji Kyodan. The Mililani Hongwanji Buddhist Women's Association is offering a $1000 scholarship for post high school training or schooling. Members of the BWA and their children may apply. Click here to get to the scholarship application forms: Scholarship Applications Joint Memorial Service for the families of the following will be held on Sunday,April 14, 1013 Susumu Ando Tsuruko Asato Chad Cortez Hatsuo Fuji Flora Fujimoto Tsuki Hashimoto Satsuma Hayashi Gilbert Hirano Nancy Hirata Kona Itagaki Kenichi Ito Masanobu Kawahara Chiyoko Kayatani Shinichi Mashiba Mitsuko Masuda Taka Matsumoto Carl Mutobe Hatsue Nakagawa Anna Nakamura Yaeko Nakaue Makoto Nishioka Edith Ohara Susum Ono Donald Sakahara Ronald Minoru Sato Kazuki Tanioka Saichi Tanioka Masayuki Tashima Sally Tateishi Hatsue Togashi Inao Yoshino Dianne Yoshizawa Please call the minister at and/or dharma.connection@gmail.com if there are corrections or additions to the published list. Families may call the minister to schedule special family memorial services for their loved ones. For 2013, special memorial years are observed for loved ones who passed away in: st Year th year rd Year rd year th Year th year th Year th year th Year 6

7 UH HILO DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD GIVEN TO BISHOP ERIC MATSUMOTO The University of Hawaii at Hilo honored Bishop Eric Matsumoto, Dr. Larry Kimura and Ms. Valerie Takata as Distinguished Alumni and also presented Mr. Gerald De Mello with the Distinguished Service Award. The Awards Banquet was held on February 22, 2013 at the UH Hilo Student Center Dining Room. Bishop Matsumoto was a 1983 graduate of UH Hilo after graduating from Konawaena High School. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship in Bishop Matsumoto became the 16th Bishop of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii in KAHUKU HONGWANJI MISSION CLOSED ITS DOOR The members and friends of Kahuku Hongwanji Mission (Minister: Rev. Kojun Hashimoto) gathered at the temple to observe its closing service on December 31, For many years the Kahuku Hongwanji Mission provided spiritual comfort and consolation to the Japanese workers at the Kahuku Plantation. The Hongwanji Mission was established in Kahuku with ministers from Betsuin traveling to Kahuku. Due to the fervent desire, a decision to build a temple was made in October Construction was completed in May 1902 and the dedication service was conducted in July The closing of Kahuku Hongwanji Mission (effective December 31, 2012) was formally approved at this year s Giseikai. Mililani Hongwanji thanks the members and ministers of Kahuku Hongwanji past and present for supporting the establishment and growth of Milililani Hongwanji over the years. The new benches and podium and other items came from Kahuku when they closed down. 7

8 President s Corner The A & D committee has been meeting and one may view updates on our website. Our Buddha Day Celebration & Potluck will be on Saturday, April 6 th at 5:30 PM. The Dharma School students will entertain us with a surprise program and the Jr. YBA youth will MC the outdoor service. For the potluck, there is a sign-up sheet posted on the bulletin board. Bring your favorite dish, salad, etc. A special Happy Birthday cake has been ordered. Please bring flowers and help decorate the hanamido (flower pavilion) on Saturday (6 th ) morning at 9:00 AM. We will not have a service at Mililani on Sunday (April 7 th ) for Buddha Day, and encouraging all members to go to the Hawaii Betsuin for the Hawaii Buddhist Council s Buddha Day Celebration *see flyer on page3. The Hawaii Buddhist Council consists of seven major Buddhist sects: Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, Jodo Mission of Hawaii, Koyasan Shingon Mission of Hawaii, Nichiren Mission of Hawaii, Soto Mission of Hawaii and Tendai Mission of Hawaii. A great opportunity to meet and share the dharma and experiences with other Buddhists from the various temples. 8