May, 2018 Volume 78, No. 5. Memorial Day Services Monday, May 28 th

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1 K A R M A A publication of the BUDDHIST CHURCH OF STOCKTON 2820 Shimizu Drive, Stockton CA Telephone (209) FAX (209) Visit our website at May, 2018 Volume 78, No. 5 Gotan-E, Hatsu Mairi & Parents Day Sunday, May 20 th, 10:00am Shinran Shonin ( ), the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, was born on May 21, 1173 in Kyoto, Japan. We will be observing his birthday at our temple s annual Gotan-E, Sunday, May 20 th. Please join us for this important service to honor him for the Nembutsu teachings he left for us. Our guest speaker will be Reverend Akinori Imai, Former Bishop of Higashi Honganji, North America District. During the service, our Hatsu Mairi ceremony will take place. If you have (or know of a family who has) an infant or young child who has not yet participated in a Hatsu Mairi Service ( first service ), please contact the temple office as soon as possible at (209) , so we can mail you a registration form. We will also be honoring all parents & grandparents for Parents Day with a special gift from the Dharma School. YBA and Dharma School will be hosting a luncheon for everyone following the service. (A separate invitation from the temple was mailed in April including an offering envelope for your convenience). Memorial Day Services Monday, May 28 th Memorial Day Services will be conducted by Rev. Motoyoshi at the temple and area cemeteries as follows: 9:00am: Temple Nokotsudo 9:30am: Rural Cemetery 10:30am: Park View Cemetery 1:00pm: Tracy Cemetery 2:30pm: Turlock Cemetery Everyone is encouraged to attend the service location where your loved ones remains are laid to rest. Reminder! NO Sunday Service or Dharma School on May 27 th due to the Stockton JACL Picnic. Minister s Corner By: Reverend Yukiko Motoyoshi I, Shinran, have never even once pronounced the Nembutsu for the sake of my father or mother. The reason is that all beings have been a father and mother, brothers and sisters in the timeless process of birth-and-death. (Tannisho, Translated by Dr. Taitetsu Unno) Many of us probably have difficulties to understand this paragraph all beings have been a father and mother, brothers and sisters. Is this talking about reincarnation? Is Shinran Shonin talking about some 1 kind of spirit or soul transmigrating through generation? The answer is No. As we all know, Buddhism talks of interdependent nature of all things. I am here and I am what I am because of countless causes and conditions from the beginning-less beginning. Hence, all beings of past, present and future, are all connected. However, here, this chapter can be appreciated not theoretically but emotionally and spiritually. Prof. Daiei Kaneko, a well-known Buddhologist in Japan, said, This concept can be truly understood by those who lost their loved ones. Prof. Kaneko, himself, lost two of his children. When he lost his children, he felt as he wanted to offer other children whatever he was planning to do for his children. I, too, lost many loved ones, and I can appreciate his saying. I was a daddy s girl. Even though we fought a lot, we were very close. One day before he passed away, I asked my father where he would go after his death. He, without any hesitation, confirmed that he would go to the Pure Land. I am positive KARMA is a monthly publication of the Stockton Buddhist Temple, 2820 Shimizu Drive, Stockton, CA There is no subscription charge to members & friends of the temple but donations are welcome and appreciated.

2 (Minister s Corner continued) that he is now one with Amida Buddha. Yet, immediately after his passing, I was lost. Momently I lost direction. But, as the time passed, I found myself kinder to elders. I continue to miss my father very much, however being kinder to elders comforted my sadness and filled my emptiness. Through those actions, I was able to recognize my father s life, and to appreciate my life which has continued to be embraced by my father. Today, I don t see my father s image every time I associate to elders. Now, I see more of Amida Buddha in others. But, the same feeling of fulfillment and warmth of being embraced by the boundless compassion arises within me. But, what about those who are not certain of whereabouts of their departed loved ones? Tannisho says, When we become free of self-power and quickly attain the enlightenment of Buddha Land, we will save those spiritually closest to us through transcendental powers, no matter how deeply immersed they are in karmic suffering in the six realms of existence and the four kinds of birth. In other words, through the working of Amida Buddha we must attain our birth in the Pure Land first, and work for the salvation of others. With our love toward the loved ones in our hearts, we continue to listen to the Nembutsu and appreciate the working of Amida Buddha. Sunday, May 13 th President s Message By: Darlene Bagshaw News Flash! Exciting and wonderful news to report! After four months and a new Mini Chapel water heater later, we are very fortunate to have Tad Shibata assume the role of Vice- President of Buildings and Grounds Maintenance! Huge thank you to Tad for filling a very important Executive Board position. After a rather short-lived respite of retirement, we most certainly welcome Tad to his new job. Thank you to Brian Yenokida as well for overseeing the installation of the new Mini Chapel water heater. Speaking of water heaters, after experiencing some not so tasty looking hot water in the Mini Chapel kitchen, a new water heater has been installed. Thank you to all those who supported the Gourmet Barasushi fundraiser and ABA for their donations towards defraying this expense. Just like we breathe in and out without noticing our own efforts, many of us walk under the old pine tree located between the gym and Mini Chapel buildings without taking notice. For decades we have taken for granted the shade this historic tree has provided. Although I never knew the Washington Street location, I understand this tree was relocated from our original temple site thus is a temple treasure. Unfortunately, if you gaze upon the tree now, you will see over half is deceased having succumbed to Wilt disease, vascular root disease, aphids and scales. An inspector who viewed pictures was amazed we have been graced with its beauty for so long considering the location and limited root space. Unfortunately, with the disease in the soil, the 2 prognosis for our dear old pine tree is terminal. With the danger posed by a very large and weakened tree, we have no choice but to remove our historic treasure. Our hope is to preserve a piece in memory of its once majestic beauty. Rev. Hasegawa enjoyed reading passages by Thich Nhat Hanh. Think of this as you stop to appreciate our old pine tree, her history and the shade service provided for so many decades. Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment. Breathing out, I know it is a wonderful moment. Present moment/wonderful moment. Thank you, Old Pine Tree! In Gassho, Darlene Bagshaw Hanamido Helpers and Donations Each year at our Hanamatsuri Service we are delighted to see the beautiful Hanamido decorated with fresh flowers by many of our temple members. We are indeed grateful to the following for their Hanamido expertise for all of us to enjoy: Decorated the Hanamido (Saturday): Evelyn Hamamoto Mike Shibata Michiko Higashi Betsy Shinoda Kimiko Ishihara Joyce Tsutsumi Delores Matsumura Patti Yep Karen Saito And, thank you to: Kimi Ishihara, Hanamido Coordinator; George Kaneko (Charter Way Florist) for generously donating 20 dozen carnations; Patti Yep for donating 100 carnations; Vivian Fujii & Karen Saito for donating flowers. Thank you for your help and kind donations!

3 Temple Membership Reminder letters for membership dues will be mailed out in May. A list of paid members will be published in the June Karma, so if you may have overlooked sending in your membership dues, we would greatly appreciate it if you can mail it in as soon as possible. Regular Members Couples... $550 or more Individuals... $300 or more Senior Members 70+ Couples... $320 or more Individuals... $175 or more Student Members Attending College....$50 or more Thank you all for your continued support of our temple! Graduating Class of 2018 The Buddhist Church of Stockton will be honoring our Dharma School students who will be graduating from local high schools at our Graduation Service on June 10 th. We will also be honoring former Dharma School students who will be graduating from college/university. Please call the church office with the name and address of the graduate if you would like them to receive an invitation. MOVIE NIGHT Saturday, May 5 th 1:00pm Kids Movie 5:00pm Japanese Movie FREE ADMISSION & DOOR PRIZES! Furikake Popcorn, Asia-Dogs, and other delicious foods will be available for purchase. (See attached flyer for Movie details) Scholarship Deadline Reminder! The deadline to submit your application for the many 2018 scholarships administered by the Buddhist Church of Stockton is Sunday, May 13, 2018, by 11:00am. Please be sure to submit your completed application & requested paperwork by the due date. Home & Hospital Visitation Acknowledgements Our temple s Annual Home & Hospital Visitation was held on Saturday, April 14 th. A total of 90 sushi bento boxes were made & delivered. We would like to thank the following for their help with the preparation of ingredients, and/or the preparation of rice, and making the maki & inari sushi: Darlene Bagshaw Catalina Estrada Evelyn Hamamoto Alice Hirata Bev Hotta Kimi Ishihara Mary Itaya Ruby Kato Meggie Kitagawa Delores Matsumura Satoko Miyai 3 Kaz Saruwatari June Shiba Mike Shibata Nui Shimozaki Sally Tanaka Joyce Tsutsumi Fumiko Wakabayashi Aiko Yagi Brian Yenokida Sachi Yenokida Also, thank you to the YBA for packing and providing a nice assortment of cookies; to the volunteers for making deliveries; and to Ruby Kato the flower pens. Make someone smile whenever you can; you never know how much of a difference you could be making in their life at that moment KARMA DEADLINE for the June issue is: Tuesday, May 15, to: rubykato@yahoo.com Bazaar Meeting, May 10 th Our next Bazaar meeting will be on THURSDAY, MAY 10 TH, at 6:30pm in the Mini-Chapel. All Booth Chairpersons are asked to attend! Others who are interested in volunteering with any aspect of the bazaar may attend as well. Also, be sure to mark your calendars for the final 2 meetings: June 14 th and July 12 th. Bazaar Raffle & Bingo Prize Request By: Sachi Yenokida The Church has started to collect donations for the Annual Bazaar Raffle and Bingo. If you would like to donate an item(s), please drop them off at the office. Bazaar Pastry Booth By: Vivian Fujii & Karen Shimozaki Pastry Booth is looking for volunteers to help make the filling for Kuri Manju. If you have never done this before, no need to worry. We plan to peel the soaked beans together on Friday, July 13 th from 8:30am to noon in the Mini-Chapel. For the experienced An makers, please contact the church office to obtain your bag(s) of beans for soaking at home. Then, on Wednesday July 18 th and Saturday July 21 st, we will be having workshops starting at 8:30am to about 3:00pm to cook the An. We need at least 15 people on each day to help us. Please call the church office or Vivian Fujii at vivfujii@gmail.com if you can help on any of these three days. We would like to have a head count. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

4 SBWA News Stockton Buddhist Women s Assn. Our members are always on the go! Thank you to Kimi Ishihara and several other members for preparing the beautiful Hanamido for our Hanamatsuri Service. (Refer to Pg. 2) We d also like to thank our Social Chairpersons for coordinating the Hanamatsuri potluck luncheon, and other SBWA members & temple volunteers for their help in the kitchen and with the cleanup process. SBWA members & friends prepared sushi bento boxes for our Temple s Annual Home & Hospital Visitation. Thank you to everyone who came out to help, and those who made deliveries. SBWA Cookbook The SBWA Cookbook committee is in the process of collecting recipes for its cookbook project dedicated to the 50 th Anniversary of the relocation of our temple to Shimizu Drive. Deadline is June 1, If anyone would like to submit a recipe(s), please do so at the church office. We would like to have a variety of recipes from all of our members so please help us make this project a success by submitting your favorite ones. We are also looking for advertisers. If you would like to advertise your business in our cookbook we are offering business card sponsors at $50 a business card. Please drop off your business card at the office with your $50 and let them know it s for the SBWA cookbook project. Thank you in advance for your support! ABA News Adult Buddhist Association Thank you to Mabel and Kiyoshi Morodomi and helpers for preparing a delicious Chinese dinner for our April 18 th ABA meeting! ABA gratefully acknowledges a generous donation from Sid Yamada. Thank you! Our next ABA dinner meeting will be on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 6:00pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. YABA News Young Adult Buddhist Association YABA had its monthly meeting on Sunday, April 15 th. Topics discussed included possible YABA outings and Pizza Game Night which is scheduled for June 9 th Pizza dinner at 5pm and games will begin at 6pm. (See flyer attached to this Karma). Also, YABA is selling DeVinci s dinner tickets for pick up on May 19 th at any DeVinci s in Stockton, Linden or Lodi. Tickets are $12 each and includes pasta, salad and bread. (See flyer attached to this Karma). The next YABA meeting will be on June 9 th, just before Pizza Game night. Dharma School May birthdays will be celebrated on May 6 th, followed by the May Shotsuki Service. Cupcakes will be provided by Class 3-4, so please be sure to attend service that day if you will be celebrating a birthday. Class 7-8 is also scheduled for a presentation on May 6 th during the Sunday Service. Also, on May 6 th, the Dharma Class (high school students) will be preparing a lesson plan for the 4 younger students in 1 st through 4 th grades, and 5 th through 8 th grades. (Hmmm future Dharma School teachers???) Coffee Hour take place on May 6 th and 13 th. Enjoy coffee, a sweet treat, and get to know others while the children are in Dharma School. The temple s Gotan-E/Parents Day/Hatsu Mairi Service will be May 20 th. Following the service, there will be a luncheon hosted by the Sangha Club, YBA & Dharma School. There will be no Sunday Service or Dharma School on May 27 th due to the JACL Picnic. Everyone is invited to attend. Have fun at the picnic! We would like to acknowledge the following Nyubutsu-shiki monetary donations: Lyle & Peggy Martin (For grandson, Andrew Martin) Howard & Ruby Kato (For granddaughter, Marissa Yu) Your donation is greatly appreciated and we hope Andrew, Marissa and their classmates enjoy their new obutsudan that they made in class. Thank you very much from Tiffany Shibata for making her birthday extra special! The Dharma School and everyone at Hanamatsuri surprised her by singing Happy Birthday and presented her with a strawberry cake and bundt cake after the Dharma School program. She was very touched and appreciative. We d like to thank the following teachers & friends for donating door prizes for Hanamatsuri: Cathy Fujimori Peggy Martin Kenneth Hamamoto Mike Shibata Noriko Hasegawa Tad Shibata Candy Hayashi Tiffany Shibata Dr. Kerry Ito Kerry Wong Ruby Kato Leanne Yu Charlie & Darlene Bagshaw

5 Tomo No Kai Japanese Community Senior Citizens Last month, our gathering was held on April 14 th with an Easter theme. A delicious lunch was prepared by Motoe Takahashi and her kitchen crew. Birthday gifts were provided by Elsie Hansen and April birthdays were recognized, followed by lunch and bingo. We are still accepting new members! Anyone 60 years of age & older are welcome to join Tomo No Kai. Membership is now $20 per year. We are happy to welcome 2 new members, Miyuki Lancaster and George Yoshimi! We gratefully acknowledge the following donations: Birthdays: John Babaoka Pat Hiyama Fusako Morisaki Sid Yamada Special: Kiyoshi & Mari Hayashi Michiko Higashi Bingo (Blackout): JoAnn Otani Shuji Tsujimoto Hanae Watanabe Carl Yamada We thank you for your kindness and generosity! Dana Acknowledgements Our sincere appreciation to the following for their help or donation of goods to the church: Bev Hotta, Ruby Kato, May Saiki, and Frank & Hiro Yagi helped fold the April Karma and Hanamatsuri invitations for mailing; Ruby Kato donated flower pens for the Home & Hospital visitation; and sink drain strainers for the gym kitchen; And we truly appreciate. Tad Shibata for his help in so many ways; Frank & Hiro Yagi and May Saiki for their help in the office; Ruby Kato for typing the last issue of the Karma; George Kitagawa, Jim Yasuda, Calvin Matsumoto, Carl Yamasaki, Ken Yamashita, Brian Yenokida & George Yonemura for their weekly garden work, taking out the trash & other assistance; Tad Shibata & Cathy Fujimori for gardening work on the weekends; Dorothy Uyeda, Michiko Higashi, Kimiko & Mas Ishihara, Sandra Kano, Akiko Payne, Fumiko Wakabayashi, Helen Hori, Kay Freeman and Vivian Fujii for weekly altar beautification; Jean Terashita for her help in cleaning the office; June Shiba, Debbie Fujita & Sachi Yenokida for preparing lunch for the Friday volunteers; and to Beverly Yoneshige, June Peters, Aiko Yagi & Mary Fukushima for helping out in the kitchen as needed; Darlene Bagshaw for playing the organ for temple services and occasions as requested; Cathy Fujimori for playing piano for temple services as requested; and Alex Sakata for playing the organ when available/home from college. Monetary Offerings/Donations Please Note: Names are generally listed as they appear on the outside of all donation envelopes. 5