Vista View. What is a Buddha? by Rev Jon Turner

Transcription

1 Vista View 150 Cedar Rd, Bldg B Vista, CA (760) Fax: (760) What is a Buddha? by Rev Jon Turner MARCH 2018 E arly on in my study of Buddhism, one of the words found most confusing was the term Buddha which appears everywhere in Buddhist texts! t seemed like Buddha referred to several different concepts. t took me quite a lot of reading before began to decipher these different meanings and usages. s Buddha a person? Of course; it is a person who was born 2500 years ago in ndia, who realized awakening and began to teach what was to become Buddhism. But Buddha can also be used as an adjective. t means to be awakened to reality as it is, to the truth of impermanence. The Buddha taught a truth that has always existed. t was a discovery, not an invention. From this perspective, the truth of Buddhism existed prior to the Buddha s awakening. There were even awakened teachers prior to and after the historical Buddha. The historical Buddha was a special teacher, but he was not a solitary Buddha. n this sense, his enlightenment experience under the Bodhi tree is not unique in human history. Perhaps it would be clearer if we referred to the historical Buddha as the Buddha and others as a Buddha. Continued on page 2 Vista Buddhist Temple A temple in the Jodo Shinshu tradition & incorporated under the Buddhist Churches of America An Making Board Report April 14, 8 am - 12 noon Hanamatsuri Service A Temple Board meeting was held on February 6, April 15, 10 am January Board Meeting minutes were reviewed and approved. BWA s focus and direction were discussed. Financial investment options and plans were considered. Board agreed on a date to continue retreat discussion. Next Board meeting March 6, Manju Making April 21, 8 am - 3 pm Hanamatsuri Festival April 28 & 29, 12-6 pm Lindy Nagata, Board Secretary Gotan-E Service May 20, 3 pm Memorial Day Cemetery Service May 27, 9:30 am Be in the Moment. Find the hidden meditating Homer Simpson in this newsletter. Buddhism is Like a Flower? Page 2 Special Note: March 25, am Service at Buddhist Temple of San Diego 2929 Market St, San Diego, CA Hanamatsuri Page 5 Navarro s Take on Dana Page 6

2 2 What is a Buddha? continued What is Buddhism? This may help explain the Buddha statue at many Chinese restaurants. He is a Buddha but he doesn t look anything like the Buddha. He has a large belly and is always laughing. His name is Hotei who wandered China, giving treats to children from the knapsack he carries on his back. He is called the Laughing Buddha. Amida Buddha is also a Buddha. When Amida Buddha realized awakening, all beings realized this event as a possibility in their own lives. You might even think of it as the Big Bang Theory of Buddha Nature. Amida s practice transferred merit to all beings past, present and future. All the requirements for enlightenment had been met; we now only need to realize it. Buddha Nature became our birthright. Thus we can realize awakening just as we are. A mythical Buddha like Amida represents awakening as something that transcends time. But mythical does not mean false. n fact, Amida represents a truth that is much deeper than historical truth. His story is our story. He represents the human condition. There is one other use of the term Buddha. t can be used to refer to infinite reality itself, a synonym for Suchness. This is a formless reality that is beyond words. n our Jodo Shinshu tradition, this formless reality manifests form through the medium of sound as Namuamidabutsu. You might say that Namuamidabutsu is the sound of Buddha. This is Buddha as an activity that is transforming our consciousness. This is a timeless gift, given to us by Amida Buddha. t is a sound that awakens all beings. All of these different types of Buddhas are part of this awakening process both outside of time and within time, each trying to wake us up in their own way. spent my career in communicating concepts marketing and sales. But have a very hard time delivering a simple response to the simple question, What is Buddhism? Almost always find my answer inadequate very frustrating! am passionate about Buddhism, and really believe that if my friends knew what know, they would want to jump in and get involved, but just can t deliver the adequate explanation. have tried the ts about wisdom and compassion angle, but that doesn t work so well. have tried the Four Noble Truths approach, but talking about suffering is like a cold shower. can never remember all Eight of the Eightfold Path that s awkward. They want to hear about reincarnation, but that is not really my gig. Maybe Nike s slogan Just Do t is really a Buddhist message and should adopt that as my go to response. But it makes me sound like marketing and sales, doesn t it? My conclusion is twofold. One, have an increasing respect for our Buddhist leaders and authors that are able to provide a succinct answer to What is Buddhism. Two, and most importantly, keep practicing that sounds like a golf tip! Buddhism is like a flower blooming in slow motion. t n gassho, Jon Turner unfolds itself to you as your understanding matures. So once again, am led to gratitude for the Three Treasures (those can remember), which are present at Vista Buddhist Temple. Gassho, President Ricky Schlesinger Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. Buddha

3 3 garden L isten Sangha, Hanamatsuri time is near, Get ready Sangha, Hanamatsuri time is almost here! That s right, the time has come To polish up your green thumbs! Please bring any garden related items to the Garden Booth on Saturday, April 28 or to Temple any time before that. Please remember to label any plant material with the type of plant it is and let us know your name so we can acknowledge your donation. f you need a pick up, please call Ted Overland at (760) Thank you and think green! Diane Barron and June York BWA t was a very popular decision by the officers of BWA to postpone the first meeting of 2018 in favor of the cabinet meeting together and drafting our 2018 plans! One decision we made was that our general meetings will only occur quarterly this year February, June, September, and November. Our meetings will concern sign up for our osonae/hosting responsibilities and catch up with our advocacy and fundraising opportunities as well as what s going on at the district and national level. Speaking of dates for meetings, one suggestion in our planning meeting was for BWA to sell pocket calendars at the end of this year so we can all stay on the same page. What do you think of that idea? DeeDee Just, BWA President VBT & BWA Board Members 2018 Front Row From Left to Right: Ford Omori, Annette nouye, Jan Ohno, Lindy Nagata, Richard Just, Kacy Marume, Ricky Schlesinger, DeeDee Just, Bridgette Roberson, June Matsubara, Carol Bonomo, Gail Furuya, Back Row: Rev. Marvin Harada Not Pictured: Richard Ma

4 4 Dharma School t s great to see all the great friendships that have developed amongst our Dharma school students. We celebrated our friendship with a Valentine s Day party last month. The children enjoyed fun crafts and delicious treats at the party. Thanks to all the parents who are assisting with our mini workshop on March 3rd. We appreciate your help. The success of our Dharma School activities is due to our wonderful parents. Please save the date - our Hanamatsuri Festival is on April Remember that throughout the month of April the Temple will need help with preparing the manju, teriyaki chicken, booth set up and food prep. Please come and join in on the fun. And don t forget to volunteer in our wonderful Hot Dogs and More Booth during the weekend of the Festival! Upcoming activities: Happy Birthday to Kyle Sasagawa! March 3 10:00am SDDTL mini Vista March 4 9:30am Dharma Gathering March 11 3:00pm Ohigan Service Potluck following service March 18 9:30am Dharma Gathering March 25 10:00am Dharma Gathering at BTSD April Hanamatsuri Festival Book Club Krista Tippett is the host of the popular radio program and podcast On Being. We have used one of her podcasts in the past as a basis for discussion in our Book Club. Tippett conducts interviews with people from diverse backgrounds where topics range from science, politics, religion, human relationships and more. n her book, Becoming Wise, she shares her voice as well as the voices of the many people she has interviewed over the years. The author says about her book that, it is a map in words to important territory we are on together. t s a collection of pointers that treat the margins as seriously as the noisy center. For change has always happened in the margins, across human history, and it s happening now. Seismic shifts in common life, as in geophysical reality, begin in spaces and cracks. You will find this book to be inspirational and reassuring as it affirms a belief in human goodness. We will continue reading this timely book through March. Take a break from the media bombardment of negativity and pick up a copy of Becoming Wise at the temple bookstore. There is much wisdom to be gained from reading the conversations in this book. The date of the book club meeting is Sunday, April 1, We will meet in the library at 11:45 a.m. Ros Dong and Judy Nakatomi VBT welcomes back Dr. Nobuo Haneda, Director of the Maida Center of Buddhism in Berkeley, for two visits in March: 1) Sunday, March 11, at 3:00 pm Ohigan Service guest speaker 2) Sunday, March 18, at 1:00 pm Buddhist education seminar

5 5 Hanamatsuri t s time to prepare for Hanamatsuri! Each year, during April, the VBT Members, their Dharma Friends and Family join together and put on a wonderful festival as we observe Hanamatsuri: the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha. Proceeds from this event helps maintain our beautiful Temple, receive the Dharma from wonderful teachers and provide enriching programs. t is also an opportunity for the Sangha to share our traditions with the community. t takes many hands to prepare, setup, execute and cleanup. Together we make it happen with every one contributing their efforts. Help make this another successful event by joining in the fun & festivities. Here is the preliminary schedule: Mar 13 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Lima Bean Peeling Mar 14 8:30 AM 11:00 AM Lima Bean Cooking Mar 20 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Lima Bean Peeling Mar 21 8:30 AM 11:00 AM Lima Bean Cooking Mar 30 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Lima Bean Peeling Mar 31 8:30 AM 11:00 AM Lima Bean Cooking Apr 6 6:00 PM 7:30 PM Lima Bean Peeling Apr 7 8:30 AM 11:00 AM Lima Bean Cooking Apr 14 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM An Making for Manju Apr 15 10:00 AM Hanamatsuri Service followed by a Potluck Luncheon Apr 21 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Manju Making Apr 22 11:30 AM Tsukemono Prep Part 1 (Cabbage Chopping) Apr 24 5:30 PM Tsukemono Prep Part 2 (Cabbage Seasoning) Apr 27 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Food Prep 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM Booth Setup Apr 28 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM Sushi Prep 12 Noon - 6:00 PM Hanamatsuri Bazaar Apr 29 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM Sushi Prep 12 Noon - 6:00 PM Hanamatsuri Bazaar May 5 8:30 AM 11:30 AM Temple General Cleanup More information will be shared at temple and in next month s Vista View. Festival Wish List: The Plant and Garden Booth is accepting donations of plants and flowers. The Raffle Booth is accepting donations of gift cards for prizes. Please mail or bring to the temple. The Boutique is accepting hand crafted items. Gassho, 2018 Festival Committee Taiko The taiko group held a 6-week introductory workshop to Buddhist taiko. The workshop ran from January 7th till February 11th. We had 6 enthusiastic participants. t was a great opportunity to share the practice of Buddhist taiko as well as a great refresher on the basics for our taiko members. Thank you to all who participated. Katie and Diane

6 6 7 Acknowledgements as of January 30, 2018 The Other Side One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey, he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, "Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river"? The teacher ponders for a moment, looks up and down the river, and yells back, "My son, you are on the other side. Excerpted from viewonbuddhism.org/resources/ buddhist_stories.html Noble Eight-fold Path 1. Right Views - to keep ourselves free from prejudice, superstition and delusion and to see the true nature of life. 2. Right Thoughts - to turn away from the evils of this world and to direct our minds towards righteousness. 3. Right Speech - to refrain from pointless and harmful talk; to speak kindly and courteously to all. 4. Right Conduct - to see that our deeds are peaceful, benevolent, compassionate and pure; to live the Teachings of the Buddha daily. 5. Right Livelihood - to earn our living in such a way as to entail no evil consequences. 6. Right Effort - to direct our efforts incessantly to the overcoming of ignorance and selfish desires. 7. Right Mindfulness - to cherish good and pure thoughts; for all that we say and do arise from our thoughts. 8. Right Meditation - to concentrate our will on the Buddha, His Life and His Teaching. What is Dana? Dana s simplest meaning is giving. As dana is part of the paramitas, dana must transcend from a practice to a habit, and then even a behavior in order for us as Buddhists to be fully engaged in living the Dharma. An adult might define dana behavior as monetary donations or volunteering time. As a child, these two resources are not always readily believe that dana can be exercised even in the smallest and seemingly insignificant moments of our lives. available but yet, even young Buddhists engage in dana behavior. believe that dana can be exercised even in the smallest and seemingly insignificant moments of our lives. The simple act of giving someone your full attention in a conversation is an act of dana. You do not receive a reward or admiration for being fully engaged, but you are giving your time, energy, and attention to another human who will in turn feel respect and appreciation for your commitment. Dana can be found in holding open a door, using reusable bags, or asking someone how was their day. Dana does not have to big in order to be properly exercised. t can be found in the simple act of putting down our phones and listening. Navarro Peck, Junior YBA

7 7 7 Vista Buddhist Temple 150 CEDAR ROAD, Bldg B, VSTA, CA 92083, PH: (760) , FAX: (760) , vbt@vbtemple.org ETAKYO MEMORALS HARADA, TATSUM 3/13/1966 KKUYA, TOSHKO 3/02/1979 TABATA, WLLAM 3/01/1950 TO, TAKASH 3/28/1969 KOGA, SETSUKO 3/07/2007 TASHRO, HAJME 3/15/2002 TO, TETARO 3/02/1961 SONODA, RKTARO 3/06/1934 UCHMURA, BOB HDEO 3/30/2010 KAMYA, KYOTO 3/14/1965 SONODA, SHZUE 3/03/1983 YAMAGUCH, KEN 3/08/1990 KANAZAWA, TOMATSU 3/25/1930 TABATA, ROBERT 3/30/1967 YASUKOCH, SE 3/05/1907 KATO, HROSH 3/03/1986