Way. The. Hanamatsuri. TEMPLE SCHEDULE May MOTHER S DAY. June. Vol. 64, No. 4 April & May Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa

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1 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Los Angeles, CA Permit No The Way Vol. 64, No. 4 April & May 2012 TEMPLE SCHEDULE May 6 10:00am Shotsuki Service 13 8:30am Pancake Breakfast 10:00am Mother s Day Family Service 20 10:00am Tanjo-e/Hatsumairi Service 27 10:00am Sunday Service Discussion Group June 3 10:00am Shotsuki Service 9 5:30pm Movie Night 10 10:00am Sunday Service MOTHER S DAY Sunday, May 13, 2012 Pancake Breakfast 8:30am - 9:45am Family Service 10:00am April is the month of Hanamatsuri which is a traditional Buddhist event held to celebrate the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Hanamatsuri is celebrated in many Buddhist traditions in many countries. At the Hanamatsuri celebration, a beautiful flower pavilion (Hana-mido) is set up and we pour sweet tea over the statue of baby Buddha standing at the center of the pavilion. The symbolic ceremony of pouring sweet tea is called Kanbutsu. The Kanbutsu ceremony is based upon a legend about the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha. According to the legend, a boy was born as a prince of the Sakya clan 2,500 years ago in modern day Nepal. The prince would later become Sakyamuni Buddha. Before he was born, his mother, Queen Maya stopped by the Lumbini Garden on her way to her hometown since it was a custom for a woman to go home when she was pregnant at that time. When Queen Maya was taking a rest in the garden, she grabbed a branch of a tree, and a Hanamatsuri Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa baby was born from her right armpit. When the baby was born, many beautiful flowers came down from the heavens and blossomed on the earth. Dragons appeared in the sky and poured sweet rain over the baby to give him his first bath. The baby boy stood on his own feet and took seven steps forward. Then he pointed toward the heavens with his right index finger and toward the earth with his left index finger and said, I alone am the world-honored one. This is the story of Sakyamuni Buddha s birth in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Each event in the story signifies a Buddhist teaching. For example, when the boy was born, it is said he took seven steps forward. The boy s seven steps symbolize the transcendence of the six realms of suffering, which are described as hell, hungry ghost, animal, asura (fighting spirits), human being, and heavenly being. These six realms are metaphorical expressions of our blind passions such as anger, greed, ignorance, hate, violence, arrogance, and so forth. Our everyday life is just like moving (Please see HANAMATSURI, page 3)

2 Page 2 Betsuin News info@hhbt-la.org Mother s Day Family Service & Pancake Breakfast Please join us on Sunday, May 13 th for our annual Mother s Day Pancake Breakfast! We will be serving breakfast from 8:30am until 9:45am (about 15 minutes before service), so come early and bring your whole family! The delicious pancake breakfast will be prepared by YABA, ABA, and other young nonmothers, so be sure to bring mom to service early! Following breakfast, we will have our Mother s Day Family Service with a special message in honor of our mothers. Buddhism 102 Class Enlightens On February 4 th, in the social hall, Rinban Ito conducted the second in the ongoing series of classes on Buddhism. Once again, the class was well attended. Rinban began by saying that Buddhism didn t begin as a religion. It s not an ism Rinban told us. Instead, it s following the path of the Buddha. But Buddha never thought of himself as more than human, and religions, in the strictest sense, revolve around the worship of a deity. Rinban said that Buddhism began in India and traveled to China, and then Japan. Branches such as Tibetan Buddhism developed along the way. Chinese Buddhism was influenced by Confucianism and Taoism, and Japanese Buddhism can be said to have been influenced by Shinto. Many in Japan identify themselves as both Buddhist and Shinto, but the major difference is that there are gods in the Shinto religion, but no gods in Buddhism. Rinban told us that the history of Buddhism can be divided into three (Please see BUDDHISM 102, page 6) Tanjo-e & Hatsumairi Service On Sunday, May 20 th, we will have our Tanjo-e and Hatsumairi Service. Tanjo-e is a special service that celebrates the birth of Shinran Shonin, the founder of our Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition. Shinran was born around this time near Kyoto, Japan in the year Special sermons will be delivered by our ministers for this occasion. At our Tanjo-e service, we will also observe Hatsumairi, which is held to welcome all new children into our Sangha. The Hatsumairi presentation is traditionally for newborns, but we welcome all children up to six years of age to participate. If you are interested in having your child participate, please contact the temple office to register. DHARMA SCHOOL UPDATE Dharma School is spending the months of March and April preparing for our Hanamatsuri Children s Service on Sunday, April 15 th. This year, all of the students are challenging themselves to a new task for the service. We are learning how to lead chanting as well as recite the Chikai in front of the Sangha. We hope that everyone will join us on April 18 th for our very special Hanamatsuri Children s Service! On March 25 th, Sangha Teens joined us for an outing to see The Lorax at LA Live! We all enjoyed the movie and learned about saving the trees and the environment and why it s so important. Spring Ohigan Service & Seminar The Spring Ohigan Service was held on March 18 th, with special messages by Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa in English and in Japanese by Rev. Kenjun Kawawata. Thank you to Rev. Hasegawa and Rev. Kawawata for your enlightening words at this special service. Thank you to Mr. Shin Ito for chairing service and Toban 1 for providing a delicious chicken curry lunch. We appreciate your support of this year s Spring Ohigan Service. The Spring Seminar took place in the afternoon on the same day as Ohigan Service. Our guest speaker was Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa who spoke on the theme What Does it Mean to be a Seeker? Learning from Shinran s Life. We thank him for his thoughtful message and for leading a contemplative discussion that followed after. Thank you to all of the members who attended this event.

3 (HANAMATSURI, con t. from page 1) around within the six realms. But it is not easy for us to realize that we are actually going back-and-forth through the cycle of suffering especially when things are going along with our expectations. Moreover, we can be deeply attached to our blind passions rather than try to get over them. As described in the Tannisho, it is hard for us to abandon this old home of pain, where we have been going around over a long period of time until now, and we feel no longing for the Pure Land of peace. Truly, how powerful our blind passions are! However, there is one state where we can reflect upon our life, which is described as the realm of human beings. The baby s seven steps signify the Buddha s deep wish that we, as human beings, could transcend the six realms and live our life to the fullest. And the flowers Our deepest condolences to the family and relatives of Mrs. Riru Matsuba (87) March 19, 2012 Mrs. Utako Sameshima (90) March 25, 2012 Mrs. Jeanne Tsuneko Hisamoto (87) March 26, 2012 Mr. Ted Kajiya (82) April 11, 2012 Mrs. Eiko Tanaka (88) April 10, 2012 Mrs. Yuriko Lily Harada (81) April 10, 2012 Namu Amida Butsu that came down from the heavens and blossomed on the earth, and the sweet rain poured by the dragons signify the greatest joy of all beings at the birth of a person who will eventually liberate people from the cycle of suffering and fulfill our innermost desire to be born in the Pure Land, or to be awakened to the truth. The baby s declaration, I alone am the world-honored one signifies that every one of our lives is precious on its own. The deep wishes of the Buddha and of us human beings are beautifully expressed in the legend of Sakyamuni Buddha s birth. The flower pavilion and the Kanbutsu ceremony are the symbols of this legend. The beautiful flowers adorning the pavilion signify the heavenly flowers and the pouring of the sweet tea signifies the sweet rain of the dragons. The Kanbutsu ceremony gives us the opportunity to reflect deeply upon our life and to awaken to the deepest wishes of the Buddha and ourselves. The legend of Sakyamuni Buddha s birth reminds me of the story of his other birth as the Buddha. The baby boy became the prince of the Sakya clan and was named Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twenty-nine, he abandoned his worldly life, social status as a prince, future as the king, luxurious life, and family, in order to embark on a journey to find the universal truth in a human life filled with suffering. After 6 years of ascetic practices, he went into meditation under a tree. During the meditation, he carefully observed how everything in the world appeared and disappeared over and over again. And finally, he was awakened to the true nature of life. However, he strongly hesitated to spread his awakening to others because he thought it was too difficult for people to understand. People s minds are so attached to their blind passions and egocentricities that they wouldn t be able to accept his teachings. Because of that he almost gave up sharing his awakening with people and tried to keep his awakening locked in his mind. According to a legend, Brahma, one of the Hindu gods, was watching Gautama giving up from heaven. Brahma became strongly concerned that if Gautama gave up, the precious Page 3 teaching would be completely lost and people would lose direction in life forever. Brahma came down from heaven and appeared in front of Gautama and asked him to share his awakening with others. At Brahma s persistent request, Gautama finally stood up determined to spread his awakening to save people from suffering. Then he turned to his former friends to give them his teachings. They immediately became his disciples. The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha materialized here for the first time in history. At this point, Gautama became the Buddha, the awakened one. Brahma in this legend also signifies our innermost wish to be awakened just as the sweet rain and heavenly flowers at his birth do. The legends of Sakyamuni Buddha remind us of the fact that no matter how deeply blind desires are entrenched in our mind, the wisdom of truth continues to awaken us sentient beings, and every single one of us has the innermost wish to be awakened to the truth of life. We cannot escape from the cycle of suffering by our own efforts, but we can be awakened to the preciousness of our lives and live our lives to the fullest through listening to the teaching and reflecting on our existence. The Kanbutsu is a very simple ceremony but it symbolizes this very important aspect of the Buddha s teaching. SUBMISSION DEADLINE! Submissions for are due the 10th of each month for the following month s issue. Articles and announcements for our June Issue are due May 10th, Submissions may be subject to printing restrictions and staff approval. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!

4 Page 4 Hoshidan Retreat and Tour 2011 through Janet s Eyes Thank you to all the temple members and the NAD committee for allowing me to participate in the 2011 HOONKO Hoshidan. It is an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime and I am honored to have represented our temple. Visiting the Honzan during HOONKO is just electric! To me it s the Jodo-Shinshu equivalent to Christmas or Easter at the Vatican Because this year was extra special because it was the 750 th Memorial for Shinran Shonin (Goenki), amazingly, 20,000 people visited the Honzan on November 28 for the 750 th memorial of Shinran Shonin. 20,000! People were lined up from 2:30 AM waiting to enter the Goeido (Founders Hall), people streaming in from all reaches of Japan and further. And in what seemed to be freezing temperatures no less! The devotion of these members is just awe-inspiring. The special services and chanting during the weeklong period of HOONKO are steeped in tradition. The Bando-bushi style of chanting on the final day of HOONKO is especially mesmerizing to watch. Being able to witness and be a part of these ceremonies is beyond special. There is nothing like it here and HOONKO in Japan is certainly worth missing Thanksgiving in the U.S. We were extremely fortunate to have been able to attend. Living in the United States we tend to forget what a young country we live in. The historical site of the Honzan is (Please see HOSHIDAN, page 5) LUMBINI CORNER In March, we celebrated St. Patrick s Day by wearing green and drinking green milk at lunchtime! Yum! This month, in preparation for Hanamatsuri, we all had a chance to participate in the Los Angeles Buddhist Church Federation Hanamatsuri Art Contest. The theme was What do you want to be when you grow up? and we all created beautiful pictures of what that means to us. The ministers will judge the artwork and awards will be given to the winners at the Hanamatsuri Celebration on April 8 th at the JACCC. If you are interested in enrolling a child between the ages of 2½ to 6 years of age in Lumbini s program, please contact the Lumbini office at or to set up an appointment. LUMBINI CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER OPEN ENROLLMENT! spaces available now Call today to set up a visit to the school or get an application! FOR CHILDREN AGES 2 1/2 TO 6 YEARS TEL: FAX: missleslie_lumbini@yahoo.com WEBPAGE: open year round: MONDAY through FRIDAY 7:30am to 6:00pm closed national holidays Jr. YBA Reflections Seminar 2 Lauren Nicho On March 3 rd 2012, San Diego and Vista Jr. YBA co-hosted Seminar 2 with the theme of ibuddhism. The day started off with opening service and an opening Dharma message advising all of the teenagers attending the seminar to open their minds and look at everything with a different perspective. However, the seminar did not only teach us how to open our eyes to the bigger picture of the different situations we may face growing up; it also showed us how the advancement in technology has made face to face communication harder, and communication from cell phone to cell phone much easier. After the opening message we were sent to the axel hall to play an ice breaker game to mingle with the other people. Then we did several workshops that emphasized the theme of the seminar. Workshop 1 was playing a game similar to Pictionary. This activity showed us that different people view pictures differently from others and as time went on the different perspectives began to show. Workshop 2 was called igoogle. This activity was interesting because it showed us how lucky we are to have technology at our fingertips. Workshop 3 taught us hondo etiquette. It was interesting to find out the different types of bows that represent different levels of respect. The part I liked most about learning hondo etiquette was that when you enter the hondo and step forward to do oshoko you are supposed to step with your left foot first because it symbolizes that you know nothing and want to be enlightened by the Dharma and when you leave the hondo and step away from doing oshoko you are supposed to step with your right foot first because it symbolized enlightenment and that you have been given knowledge. The 4 th and last workshop was blindfolded dodge ball. This game taught us that communication is a key factor in our everyday lives and that if there is no communication it is hard to know what the next step to anything is. Not only did we have a bunch of fun at (Please see JR. YBA, page 5)

5 Page 5 (JR. YBA, cont. from page 4) this seminar, it was also very informative. Wish us luck at our next Jr. YBA event, basketball! Ryan Murata The seminar that I recently went to was ibuddhism in San Diego. One of the themes of the seminar was technology and how we are dependent on it. During one of the workshops we played dodge ball. One person was blinded and had to listen to two people giving directions on where to throw the ball. It was confusing and taught me how messages can get twisted if you don t speak directly to the person you want to talk to. Another example of this was when people had to draw an object on a piece of paper and then pass to the person next to them and that person had to guess what that thing was and write it down. The other theme of the lecture was to see through the perspective of another person and to consider what they are going through. One of the ministers told us a story about how a man bought some cookies sat down took the cookies out of a bag and started eating them. When the man was eating the cookies another man would start taking his cookies and eating them also. Eventually the man (HOSHIDAN, cont. from page 4) just incredible the architecture, the art work, the gardens all just indescribably beautiful sometimes it feels as though one is on a movie set from one of the old samurai movies we used to watch as children. Peter Lait sent out a questionnaire to all the Hoshidan participants prior to our departure asking what we hoped to get out of attending the Ho-Onko Hoshidan retreat. I have to admit I wasn t sure what to expect, but hoped to just come home with a renewed commitment, not to be so complacent about trying to be a better person. Unfortunately, (I have to admit AGAIN), jetlag got the better of me and it wasn t until the end of the retreat that I was able to really focus on the topics presented. The whole experience in and of itself (the lock-down, the clean up tobans, meal preparation, many, many services, etc.) is a great reminder of becoming one with your surround- realized that the cookies he was eating were the strangers cookies and that the stranger was being nice by letting him eat his cookies. This story taught me to also try to look through the other persons eyes before you judge them. Samantha Wada Seminar 1 was truly a great experience, I was able to create new bonds and memories. The activities and games were a fun way to discuss the theme "Exile to Arizona" while still having fun. I was able to learn a bit more about Shinran Shonin and the history behind Buddhism. YBA is a great way to gather young minds together and let us connect through Buddhist activities like we did at Seminar 1. I had never been to Arizona before and it was great that I was able to travel there with my friends and also meet other people through being in this program. I did not feel like I was being exiled but more so sent on a vacation for the weekend where I was able to have fun and also gain some new knowledge. The tour bus and hospitality was better than I had anticipated and it made the trip even more exciting. To be able to meet peers and play games as well ings and those around you. We are literally thrown together with a group of mostly strangers to contemplate our relationships to our temples and to the Buddhadharma. Part of our tour included a private tour of the Honzan itself, the Higashi Honganji Garden (think arboretum, only prettier!) and Otani Sobyo, where the remains of Shinran Shonin are interred, not to mention my father-in-law and mother-in-law. We were also allowed the opportunity to see some of the other sights and areas of Kyoto including Kiyomizudera, Teramachi, and Kyoto station yes, believe it or not, the station is almost it s own little city. We visited a number of temples. What s most mind-boggling is that they are all unique and they are all beautiful! It s hard to believe that one city can have as learn was something that was worth the experience. Time flew by over the two days we all spent in Arizona. This experience will be a nice memory to look back on as we go through more years of YBA. Alexandra Wada My experiences at Seminar One and Two are things I would not forget. During our stay, the Arizona Jr. YBA members were very kind and helpful at the temple. They were very entertaining, and made very fun and active workshops for us. The theme was also very appropriate, Exile to Arizona. I learned about Shinran Shonin and how he and his master Honen were exiled to separate parts of Japan. At Seminar Two, the San Diego and Vista Jr. YBA members created a fun theme where our new young generation would be more interested and active in. ibuddhism, merging technology of today with the traditional philosophical ways of Buddhism. All the workshops were very creative, and made everyone work together and be more social. I made a new friend through this event. so much history and beauty. One of the highlights for our group was meeting personally with Socho. Yasuhara-socho hosted a special lunch for all the North America District retreat delegates to thank us for our temples contributions in aiding the relief efforts for the Earthquake/Tsunami tragedy. We were treated to a vegetarian meal like no other. Even pictures could not do it justice. The presentation, the dishes, (Please see HOSHIDAN, page 6)

6 Page 6 (BUDDHISM 102, cont. from page 2) branches: Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, which seeks the enlightenment of all beings, Theravada, or Teachings of the Elders, which holds to the tenant of personal effort, and Vajrayana, the Tibetan esoteric form of Buddhism. Rinban gave us a brief history of the life of Buddha: he grew up in the luxury of the palace as the crown prince of his kingdom, then left to become a truthseeker at the age of 29, then joined a group of monks to see if asceticism would lead to enlightenment. He adopted a severe lifestyle which included fasting and other aspects of self-mortification. He left the group after six years to meditate on his own, and received enlightenment at age 35. Rinban told us that Buddha said he didn t make up his teaching; rather, he received it. Afterwards, his big question was whether or not to share what he learned. Was it something everyone had to find for him or herself? Luckily for us, he decided to share. There is no one bible for Buddhism, Rinban stated. There are three collections of Buddhist writings. The first are the Sutras. These are Buddha s teachings, which Rinban termed the string that ties things together. The second are the Vinaya: rules on how to be a Buddhist, given to members of the Sangha, the Buddha s community. The third collection is the Sastras: writings which explain the Sutras. In Buddha s time, Rinban said, folks would hear and retain what Buddha said almost word for word. Later, students like Ananda would transcribe the teaching. This is why each Sutra begins, Thus I have heard Some teachings, Rinban said, are common to all forms of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Three Treasures. Rinban explained acceptance of the basic teachings this way, In order to accept Dharma as medicine, I must first acknowledge that I m sick. (The medicine is for me, in other words, not for everyone else.) There are three basic concepts that are instrumental to all Buddhist teachings: anitya, or impermanence, anatman, or non-self, and nirvana, or awakening. Rinban said the last one is the realization that we re not who we think we are. He went on to mention the three poisons: ignorance, anger and greed. Buddha believed that all life is equal, Rinban said. Buddha considered all life sacred, but also acknowledged that our human bodies need nourishment, and so we needed to kill life plant, animal, or both in order to live. One of the conundrums of being human. Rinban also talked of the importance of being spiritually independent. Make up your own mind, Buddha said. My way is not the only way, perhaps not even the right way. For more information on Buddha, Rinban recommended Old Path, White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of Buddha, by Thich Nhat Hanh. The next class in the series, Buddhism 103, will explore Shin Buddhism, and will take place on May 12. Stay tuned for more details. -Greg Elliot (HOSHIDAN, cont. from page 5) the food were all magnificent. Personally, I was very fortunate to participate in the confirmation ceremony (kikyoshiki) during the 750 th memorial service for Shinran Shonin along with Merry Jitosho from West Covina and Irving Yamashita of Berkeley. Sitting in the inner section of the Goeido Hall during the ceremony was humbling and inspiring. Now, I have a name to try to live up to I guess Nori knows I like a challenge, but this will be a long, difficult road. Just hope I don t disappoint all of you. As I mentioned earlier, the experience is worth missing Thanksgiving for if you have the opportunity, please take advantage of it if you have the chance. It can t be compared to any other tour to Japan. Touching base with our roots, not only on an historical level, but also a spiritual level is fulfilling and inspiring. Once again, thank you to the North America District, Higashi Honganji and my husband for allowing me this opportunity. -Janet Ito