THE GEPPO. 155 orth Street Ogden, UT / Another look at: Traditional Jodo Shinshu Meditation? By J.K. Hirano

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1 THE GEPPO A publication of the Ogden Buddhist Temple 155 orth Street Ogden, UT / P.O. Box 3248 Ogden, UT Temple President: Steven Kato Supervising Reverend: Rev. Jerry Hirano Minister s Assistant: Annette Koga Rev. Hirano contact info: Office Minister s Assistant: Mike Monson Home Web site: Emergency ogdenbuddhisttemple@gmail.com Another look at: Traditional Jodo Shinshu Meditation? By J.K. Hirano Reverently contemplating Amida's directing of virtue for our going forth to the Pure Land, I find that there is great practice, there is great shinjin. The great practice is to say the ame of the Tathagatha of unhindered light. This practice, embodying all good acts and possessing all roots of virtue, is perfect and most rapid in bringing them to fullness. It is the treasure ocean of virtues that is suchness or true reality. For this reason, it is called great practice. Chapter on Practice, CWS vol. 1 pg. 13 These passages reveal that saying the ame breaks through all the ignorance of sentient beings and fulfills all their aspirations. Saying the ame is the right act, supreme, true, and excellent. The right act is the nembutsu. The nembutsu is amu-amida-butsu. amu-amida-butsu is right-mindedness. Let this be known. Chapter on Practice, CWS vol. 1 pg I had written most of this article a few years back when we first began our meditation services, led by Carmela. Since a new committee of the BCA called Minister s Training and Development was formed, which I am part of, the question of meditation in our BCA temples is once again being addressed. There are some who have tried to implement it, and others who are against having it in their temples. The reason for not having it is usually because, it isn t a traditional part of our temples. These are my feelings concerning this so called traditional approach to meditation in our temples. Traditionally in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, when we refer to practice, we look to these portions of Shinran Shonin's Kyogyoshinsho's Chapter on Practice which I began this article with. In essence, Shinran is establishing that the great practice is the practice accomplished and fulfilled by the Bodhisattvha Dharmkara in becoming Amida Buddha. We are thus the recipients of the merits from this great practice. Amida Buddha has completed these vows and the subsequent merits resultant from their completion has provided us, the foolish beings, with a path to enlightenment. This path to enlightenment is the saying of the name, Namo amida butsu. Therefore all other forms of practice are unnecessary for our goal of enlightenment. Only the saying of the name is necessary. Since having been given this Vow by the Tathagatha, we can take any occasion in daily life for saying the name and need not wait to recite it at the very end of life; we should simply give ourselves up totally to the entrusting with sincere mind of the Tathagata. When persons realize this true and real shinjin, they enter completely into the compassionate light that grasps, never to abandon, and hence become established in the stage of the truly settled. CWS otes of the Inscriptions of Sacred Scrolls vol. 1 pg. 494 Continued on next page.

2 To be established in the stage of the truly settled, refers to the stage in a person s journey, where without doubt they will attain Buddhahood. Therefore in a traditional sense, the practice of sitting meditation that is found in almost all other sects of Buddhism, is not included as part of a traditional Jodo Shinshu service. In referring to traditional services I mean: burning incense - to purify and remind us of our interdependence; bowing and reciting the nembutsu as part of the burning of the incense; the chanting of the sutras - to praise the virtues of Buddha, and beginning and ending with the recitation of the nembutsu. It is also important to include a Dharma Talk. These are all pretty standard features of the Jodo Shinshu service. Whether you are in a Jodo Shinshu temple in the United States or Japan, most of these elements area part of the service. However, the important element which Shinran emphasizes is the Nembutsu. In our services, the nembutsu is something that is a sort of call-and-respond type of practice. The minister or leader says NamoAmida Butsu and the Sangha responds with Namo Amida Butsu. This type of nembutsu is only done in BCA, Canada or Hawaii. Shinran has never suggested this type of practice. However, it is done almost without hesitation in our BCA temples. In Jodo Shinshu our practice is often defined as listening to the Dharma (monpo). Each of these elements of our standard service is more than just listening with our ears. I remember when I was in Japan, I struggled with the Japanese language. During one lecture, just as I was feeling somewhat confident in my Japanese language abilities, the teacher said that we should listen to the Dharma with our feet. I thought to myself, "Here we go again, back to step one, he couldn't have said ears." I raised my hand to ask the teacher to clarify what he had said. Once again the teacher said, "Listen to the Dharma with your feet." I had to ask him, "Did you say feet?" He laughed and said, "Yes, feet. To listen to the Dharma means to listen with your entire being, from your head to your feet." He then gave an example of how Rennyo Shonin had worn out many, many pairs of sandals going from place to place listening to the Dharma. If listening to the Dharma is an experience of our entire being, it is not something that we do by merely hearing the words from someone else. I believe that just as we may taste and sometimes even smell with senses other than our tongue and nose, we can listen as we sit. An example of this is with a lemon: Imagine a bright perfectly shaped yellow lemon. Picture the shiny peel with the citrus oil glinting from it. Imagine this bright, firm lemon, the essence of which comes off onto your hand, just by touching it. Then imagine cutting this lemon, feeling the juices splash a little onto your fingers, stinging the small scratches on your hand. From this image, take one half of the cut lemon and bite into it. As I write this description, I can feel the saliva ooze in my mouth and a small ache in my jaw from the tart taste of the lemon. I have just tasted a lemon with my mind. If we can taste with our mind, what do we mean by listening to the Dharma? Within the Kyogyoshinsho, there is a section that seems to say sitting meditation is not necessary. It is a passage that someone may use to say Shinran doesn t approve of sitting meditation. Hymns according to the Sutra of The Life of Buddha by Fa-chao: What is called the right dharma? What accords with truth is the true essence of the teaching. ow is the time to determine and select right from wrong; test each particular one by one and allow no indistinctness. The right dharma surpasses all things of the world! Observance of precepts and seated meditation are called the right dharma, but attainment of Buddhahood through the nembutsu is the true essence of the teachings. Doctrines that do not accept the Buddha s words are non-buddhist ways; views that reject the law of cause and effect are nihilistic. The right dharma surpasses all things of the world! How can precepts and meditation be the right dharma? embutsu-samadhi is the true essence of the teaching. To see reality and awaken to mind, this is Buddha; how would nembutsu-samadhi not accord with the truth? CWS vol. 1 pg. 40 Continued on next page.

3 The first lines of this hymn say, "What accords with truth is the true essence of the teaching. ow is the time to determine and select right from wrong, test each particular one by one and allow no indistinctness." I believe that if we are to find and decide the true essence, we must personally test a variety of practices for our own satisfaction. Sitting meditation is a wonderful way to calm our very busy minds. Within our present society, many things happen in short sound bites. We rush to learn faster, play faster, read faster. The faster the computer the better, etc. etc. Many of us never take the time to slow down and observe our actions. We take things in without any reflection. In this manner, many things we think we hear, is just merely noise. How can we listen to the dharma with this type of mindset? It is also a way for us to follow the nembutsu or as this passage says, Nembutsu Samadhi. Is using the nembutsu while sitting, any less effective than the recite, respond, recite, respond, type of Nembutsu we use in most of our BCA temples? In another passage in the Kyogyoshinsho, Shinran states, "There are two kinds of shinjin (faith mind): one arises from hearing and the other from thought (reflection.) This person's shinjin has arisen from hearing, but not from thought. Therefore it is called "imperfect realization of shinjin." Hearing the dharma requires reflection upon our part. In one of the sutras, it refers to Shakyamuni talking with members of the Kalama clan, explaining how to decide upon right or wrong, like what we are doing in discussing meditation practices in BCA. I believe, we should follow the Buddha s suggestion in this matter. From Shakymuni's talk to the Kalama clan. The Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta sitting on one side said to the Blessed One: "There are some monks and brahmins, venerable sir, who visit Kesaputta. They expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Some other monks and brahmins too, venerable sir, come to Kesaputta. They also expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Venerable sir, there is doubt, there is uncertainty in us concerning them. Which of these reverend monks and brahmins spoke the truth and which falsehood?" It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain; uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher. 'Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad; these things are blameable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,' abandon them. We are in a time of transition within our Jodo Shinshu temples in the United States. If Jodo Shinshu is to become a vital part of the spiritual life of us denizens of the 21st century, we must be willing to evolve. Sitting meditation may not have been a part of our traditional service. Tradition is defined as "handing down beliefs and customs by word of mouth or by example without written instruction." We should try out a number of methodologies that can benefit our listening to the Dharma. Maybe sitting meditation will become a new tradition of our Ogden Buddhist Temple, maybe we will reject it. I believe that we should at least try it. Our meditation services are held Sundays at 11:30 a.m. I hope that some of you will be interested in taking part in beginning this possible new tradition at our temple. I will close with Shakyamuni Buddha's advice on when one should accept a teaching. Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.

4 Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial Service Japan Pilgrimage May 9-22, 2011 ~ By J.K. Hirano We have set a tentative schedule for our once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Japan for Shinran Shonin s750 year Memorial service. These dates are also to coincide with the World Buddhist Women s Convention. The cost is not set since we are still two years away, but I estimate it will be similar to our other Japan trips with a cost of about $ per person. These are based on double occupancy and there is a $ extra charge for single occupancy. Here is the schedule planned so far: Monday May 9 - Thurs. May 12 Leave USA for Narita Airport arriving on Tuesday, May 10th. We will be staying at the Sunroute Plaza Hotel which is a western style Hotel located near Tokyo Disney Sea. Our tour includes a one day pass to Disney Sea. Thurs. May 12 We will transfer to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo for one night. We will take a motor coach to visit the popular areas in Tokyo such as, Tokyo Tower which was the site of the film we showed at our Temple s Movie Nights Always I and II. We will visit the Imperial Palace Plaza, Meiji-Jingu Shrine and the Asakusa Kannon Temple and Nakamise Shopping Arcade. Friday May 13 We will drive to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. We will visit the Fuji visitor center and Mt. Fuji 5th station. We will spend the Night in Japanese Tatami rooms at the Hakone Yumoto Hotel. Saturday May 14th We will take the Bullet Train for Nagoya, change trains to leave for the Japanese Alps with sightseeing in the area. We will be staying at the Takayama Green Hotel. Sunday May 15 We will leave for Kyoto riding a bus. Along the way we will stop at Shirakawago, a traditional Japanese village and take part in Japanese paper making. In Toyama we will leave for Kyoto by Japan Railways limited express arriving for our four nights in Kyoto. Mon. May 16 We will attend the 750th Memorial Service at our Mother Temple Nishi Honganji. We will take part in this historical service with thousands of others from around the world. For those attending the World Buddhist Women s convention this will be the day for the fellowship dinner. 750th Memorial Service: The Hongwanji will be conducting the Seven hundred fiftieth Memorial Service for Shinran Shonin. This memorial for Shinran Shonin, which is conducted every fifty years, is the opportunity to praise the virtues of our Founder and widely transmit the Jodo Shinshu teaching both within and outside of our religious organization. Tues. May 17th This will be the Opening ceremony for the Buddhist Women s convention. Those not attending the ceremony will have time to visit areas around Kyoto. Wed. May 18th We will have a free day to rest and visit Kyoto and shop. Thur. May 19th We will leave for Hiroshima. We will walk to Kyoto Station and take the bullet train to Hiroshima. Once arriving in Hiroshima we will have a full day of sightseeing. The Peace Park, Peace Memorial Museum, and Miyajima. We will spend the night at the Hotel New Hiroden. Fri. May 20 We will take the bullet train to Osaka. We will have a half day of sightseeing to Osaka Castle and the Dotonbori area. We will be staying for two nights at the Osaka New Hankyu Hotel. Sat. May 21 You will have the day to get all your shopping done. Osaka is one of the world s great shopping areas from electronics to clothes. Sun. May 22 We will go from the Osaka airport back to Salt Lake. We will arrive on the same day as we leave. Hopefully you will join us and enjoy this once in a lifetime pilgrimage. We have planned the trip so our younger participants will only miss ten days of school. I believe that the historical aspect for visiting Japan and taking part in Our founder Shinran Shonin Memorial service will educationally make up for any missing school day. I am working with the Davis School district to have students in this district excused. I will work with other parents for children in their particular schools or districts as well. The final cost cannot be set until closer to the date but the land portion will be about$ The roundtrip airfares have been about$ in the past. I have tried to keep our cost below $ It will not be cheap but it is a very reasonable cost for Japan. There will be a registration fee not included for official Honganji events such as the BWA World Conf. This is just a short, short note on the trip. A detailed schedule is available from any board member, if you are interested.

5 President s Message Dear Members and Friends: Where has this year gone? All the kid s are out of school and likewise we ll soon be taking our annual summertime break. The last service, with the June Shotsuki Hoyo, is June 21 st at 10:00 am. Obon is scheduled for July 18 th and as always, we d appreciate any help during this very important event. If you d like to assist on Saturday or during the prep days prior, if only for a couple of hours, please contact Annette Koga or Ruth Kawashima. Obon service will be held the next day (Sunday, July 19 th ) at 11:00 am preceded by the services held at Syracuse, Washington Heights and Ogden cemeteries (at 9:00, 9:30, and 10:00 am respectively). Lunch will be served following service. On the horizon, the Mountain States Conference will be held during Labor Day weekend. The Mountain States Conference will be hosted by the Salt Lake Temple but will again be held at the Ogden Temple, due to construction occurring at Salt Lake s Temple. Church services (Ohigan) will restart September 20 th. I d like to provide a brief summary of what occurred at the National Board meeting I attended at the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC) on June 6 th. At this meeting, important topics are discussed, tasks assigned to the National Board committees, and special motions are voted on. A second National Board meeting will be held in December to finalize all motions, which will be then presented for voting at the annual National Council meeting in February Some of the more important topics were as follows: 1) JSC fund raising efforts continue. To date, approximately $17.7 million has been collected but there s still a long way to go. In addition, it was reported that the Center for Buddhist Education (CBE) is also experiencing financial problems. Since the CBE and JSC both critically relate to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism propagation in the United States, it was decided that a single group will manage fund raising efforts for JSC operations/debt repayment, as well as for CBE funding. The Finance committee will investigate options to resolve this shortfall but a substantial increase in BCA assessment is a definite possibility (anywhere from $7 to $10 per member, depending on what other BCA program shortfalls are addressed). As always, I encourage you to donate to Campaign BCA 21 st Century. Further discussion by the National Board is required but it may be determined that your contribution could be applied to either JSC debt repayment or for JSC operation and CBE support. 2) Next year s National Council meeting will be in San Jose, CA, Feb 27-28, Concurrently, a special Shinran Shonin 750 th Memorial Observance will take place and all families from all BCA temples are encouraged to attend. If you have any questions, please contact me for details. I hope everyone has a safe and fun summer with your family and friends. In Gassho, Steven Kato

6 BWA NEWS By Ruth Kawashima This year we will be welcoming two girls from Japan as part of the BWA Student Exchange Program. The girls will be here in August The Ogden BWA will be meeting them for lunch at the Greenery on Thursday, August 13. There will be a joint BBQ with the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple that will be held in Ogden on Saturday, August 15 beginning at 4:00. Everyone is invited. Schedule for making Obon manju: Mochi Manju - Sunday, July 5 at 8:00 a.m. Manju Making - Sunday, July 12 at 8:00 a.m. (Sorry, this date has changed back to the original date) Next BWA Meeting: August 2 at 10:00 a.m. In Gassho, Ruth Kawashima BWA DONATIONS Omitted for Online Version Elsie Shiramizu and Dhyana Estrada 2009 Membership ALL AMERICAN BBQ August 15, :00 p.m. To welcome our 2 exchange students from Japan, the BWA will be sponsoring a joint "All American" BBQ with the Salt Lake BWA. Two girls will be here for a week as part of the BWA Student Exchange program. The BBQ will be held on Saturday, August 15 at the Ogden Temple. It will begin at 4:00 and everyone is invited. This will be wonderful chance for the girls to spend time with members from our two Sangas. We would especially like to invite our college age members as the girls from Japan are college students. Hamburgers and Hotdogs with all the fixins' will be provided and grilled by our "grillmasters." Those attending from Ogden should bring a salad and those from Salt Lake should bring dessert. There will be activities for the young people and the Ogden Taiko Group will be performing. We hope to see all of you there!

7 *To have an article printed in the GEPPO Member Spotlight section, please the information to Kris Yamada at by the second Friday of the month. Every effort will be made to include your article. We appreciate knowing all about the accomplishments of our temple friends and family!* MEMBER SPOTLIGHT CONGRATULATIONS COURTNEY S.! Courtney just graduated from Roy High School! DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS ATTENDANCE AWARDS We are very proud of our students for the dedication to learning about the Nembutsu. Perfect attendance: Alex H., Madison Y., Trenton Y. One day missed: Mackenzie H., KayLe Y. Two days missed: Kyra H., Kobe H. CONGRATULATIONS ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ SCRIP Schedule With your help, our SCRIP program has allowed the Dharma School to purchase classroom supplies and helped our students take youth trips. Remember, by purchasing retail gift cards for your everyday needs or special occasions, Dharma School receives 3%-6% of the total sales from the retailer. Order Deadline Scrips Received July 5 July 12 August 2 August 9 August 23 September 13 October 4 October 11

8 Dharma School Service ~ Chair and Alter Schedule Remember we will be taking our summer Dharma School break from June 28. The Welcome Back Dharma School picnic will be on September 13, 2009 and our first day of Dharma School will be on September 20, We will resume our chair and alter schedule on September 20, ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Dharma School Special Donations Omitted for Online Version ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Food Bank Donations The YBA and the Ogden Buddhist Temple, as a part of the Interfaith Group decided to help out the Food Bank this year. It was very exciting to see the amount of donated food grow each week. In the end, we donated 128 pounds of food! The Food Bank was very appreciative of our kindness. Look for an announcement for next school year. We hope to continue this trend and donated three times that amount! The YBA thanks you for your help in donating this incredible amount of food that will help others in need. If you have any questions, please contact Daley Y. ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ YBA/Jr. YBA ews YBA/Jr. YBA Special Donations Omitted for Online Version

9 SUMMER LAWN CARE SCHEDULE Thanks to all the young men who have volunteered to help on this year s summer lawn care schedule. Our temple appreciates the help in keeping our grounds looking perfect! Week of 21-Jun Jun-09 5-Jul Jul Jul Jul-09 2-Aug-09 9-Aug Aug Aug Aug-09 6-Sep Sep Sep-09 People Last day of Dharma school (21 June) - mow lawn after service Steve Kato, Geoff Russell, and Blaine Yoshimura Mike Koga, Todd Heslop, and Roland Shimada Obon Clean-up (Sunday, 12 July) - mow during Clean-up Obon Service is (19 July) - mow after Obon Service or during the week James Aoki, Charles Aoki, and Tom Fujikawa Kirk Yamashita, Stan Hirai, and Steve Yamada Steve Kato, Roland Shimada, and Todd Heslop Tom Fujikawa, James Aoki, and Geoff Russell Mike Koga, Blaine Yoshimura, and Steve Kato Kirk Yamashita, Stan Hirai, and Steve Yamada James Aoki, Charles Aoki, and Todd Heslop Tom Fujikawa, Geoff Russell, and Steve Yamada Dharma school re-starts (20 Sept) - mow after service OBON DANCE PRACTICE SCHEDULE Everyone is welcome! Practice begins at 7:00 p.m. at the temple. Mon, June 29 & Wednesday, July 1 Mon, Wed & Fri - July 6, 8, 10 Mon & Wed - July 13 & 15 ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ OBON PREP We will be doing food prep and getting the church set up for Obon at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 ~ 6:00p.m. on Friday, July 17 ~ 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 18. Volunteers are needed both nights and especially on Saturday. Please come and lend a hand when you can. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER!

10 Obon Festival Saturday, July 18, 2009 Japanese Food Starting at 4:00 p.m. (Chicken & Beef Teriyaki Bowls, Spam Musubi, Somen, Manju) Ogden Buddhist Taiko 7:30 p.m. & Intermission Bon Odori (Bon Dancing) 8:00 p.m. Ogden Buddhist Temple 155 orth Street

11 2009 OBO DO ATIO LIST The board is again asking our members to help by donating non-perishable items needed to prepare for Obon, which will be held on Saturday, July 18. Items must be brought to the church by July 6. HOW TO DONATE: Please CALL ( ) or BEFORE YOU PURCHASE these items - so items will not be duplicated. Be sure to give your receipt(s) to Betty Yamashita as she can record your non-cash donation. 5 large bottles Yoshida Sauce 1 60-oz bottle Mirin 1 56-oz can Toasted Sesame Oil 1 3-gallon or 5 qt. bottle Vegetable/Canola Oil 1 "Costco" size bottle Garlic Powder 14 Double size package Somen Noodles 7 50-count Sushi Nori Sheets 1 1 pound bags Furikake 1 large bag Nori strips count box Medium Size Latex Gloves count box Large Size Latex Gloves 1 "Costco" size package/case Paper Towels 1 "Costco" size Toilet Paper (individually wrapped) count Plastic Forks $$$ In addition, monetary donations to help defray costs of the perishable items (meat, etc.) are welcome $$$ The entire Ogden Buddhist Church Board thanks everybody for their generous support of the Temple and its activities. Obon Memorial Lanterns The Ogden Buddhist Church is selling Memorial Lanterns for Obon. You can purchase a lantern in the memory of family or friends that are no longer with us. Your lantern will be personalized with their name and hung on the Yagura during the Obon Festival. ORDER FORM IS LOCATED O THE LAST PAGE OF THE GEPPO.

12 In Memory The Ogden Buddhist Temple Sangha extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the following members who recently passed away. May the family memb bers find solace and comfort in the Nembutsu. Namo Amida Butsu Kikue Kixie Oda, Apri 30, 2009 Leo Sumio Iseki, May 10, 2009 Henry E. Riley, May 19, 2009 OBO SERVICE Sunday ~ July 19, 2009 Cemetery Service Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Syracuse 9: :30 a.m. Washington Terrace 10:00 a.m. Ogden 11:000 a.m. Obon / Hatsubon Service July Shotsuki Hoyo Otoki Lunch to follow This special service is held on the Sunday following the Obon Festival. This memorial service is held in dedication and gratitude for all the members of our Sangha who have died over the previous year. Its basis is the same as our Obon Festival. Kangi-E is the name used traditionally in our Jodo Shinshu Tradition. This name represents the joy we feel for Amida Buddha's vow to save all sentient beings and the joy in knowing our deceased Sangha members are likewise embraced in that compassion. "Hatsu bon" literally means the first obon. Hatsubon is a Buddhist ceremony commemorating the first anniversary of a loved one's passing.

13 July Shotsuki Hoyo July 7 July 22 July 10 July 5 July 3 July 3 July 28 July 12 July 6 July 20 July 1 July 1 July 14 July 25 July 7 July 3 July 8 July 30 July 23 July 10 July 22 July 17 July Shotsuki Hoyo July 19, 2009, 11:00 p.m 1990 Bessie Toki Hokoda 1995 Mito Imaizumi 1977 Kinshiro Itakura 1984 Yuki Kawashima 1982 Reiko Koga 1982 Shigeru Sam Matsumura 1986 Taki Mayeda 1977 Manji Miya 1977 Kichiro Morimoto 1965 Monkichi Murakami 1995 Sam Sunao Nagata 1977 Bukatsu Nakahara 1991 Tome Sakiyama 2004 Emma Yayoi Stewart 1971 Heibei Sugimoto 1984 John N. Takabayashi 1982 Tome Taura 1999 Minoru Watanabe 2005 Lily Watari 2007 Tomio Yamada 1986 Hiroshi Yamasaki 2004 Seiichi Yei Obon and Hatsubon Memorial Service July 19, 2008, 11:00 a.m. This memorial service is held in dedication and gratitude for all the members of our Sangha who have died over the previous year. Hatsubon observance will be held for the following members: Masaru Mas Yamada Shigeru Henry Kawaguchi Lily S. Endow Shige Shimada Kikue Kixie Oda Leo Iseki Henry Ed Riley AUGUST Shotsuki Hoyo will be observed in September For those years not having a specific memorial service such as 2nd, 4th, 5th, etc. the temple is holding these monthly Shotsuki Hoyo (Monthly Memorial Service). During these services, the temple will list the names of those members who have died during the month in the preceding years. The families then attend that monthly service in memory of their loved one. These services are not meant to replace the specific memorial services. Please contact Rev. Hirano to make arrangements for those services. Rev. Hirano contact information: Office: , Home: , Emergency: Memorial Service Schedule for those who passed away in: year year year year year year year year year Corrections/Additions to the Shotsuki Hoyo list - please contact Ruth Kawashima,

14 TEMPLE MEMBER PICTURES Thanks to Darlene Monson, our temple pictures of our membership turned out great! We truly appreciate Darlene for all her hard work and talent that she has donated to our temple. THANK YOU! We would like to offer the pictures for purchase. We are offering each 8 X 10 print for $8.00. Or you can order all three prints for $ ALL ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 11, 2009 Orders will be available for pick up at Obon on July 18, ** You can view these pictures in color online at Click on the GEPPO and view the whole July/August issue. ** ORDER FORM IS LOCATED O THE LAST PAGE OF THE GEPPO. Entire Sangha Sangha Members BWA BWA Dharma School

15 JULY, 2009 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat th Of July am Mochi Making 7:00pm OBON Practice 7:00pm OBON Practice 7:00pm OBON Practice SALT LAKE OBO FESTIAL 8 am Mochi Making 8 am Obon yard clean-up 12 7:00pm OBON Practice 13 7:30pm Board Meeting :00pm OBON Practice 16 6:00pm Obon Food Prep 17 6:00pm Obon Food Prep 18 9:00am Food Prep OGDE OBO FESTIAL OBO SERVICE Cemetary: Syracuse 9am Washington Heights 9:30am Ogden 10am. Service: Temple Lunch: 12 pm ****TOBA CLEA I G**** Obon Clean-up Committee (This means all willing volunteers who can come and help clean the temple. We will be cleaing the temple on Sunday, July 12 th.) Reminder of remaining JUNE EVENTS: June 28, 2009 ~ BWA Wendover Bus Trip June 29, 2009 ~ 7:00 p.m. Obon Practice

16 AUGUST, 2009 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30pm Board Meeting :00pm All American Bar-B-Q Japanese BWA Exchange Visitors ****TOBA CLEA I G**** Tom & Marcie Fujikawa (Toban Cleaning Leader) Robyn & Kent Fujikawa Steve & Ellen Kato Valerie Kato LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER: Sept , 2009 ~ Mt. States Conference Sept. 8, 2009 ~ Board Meeting Sept. 13, 2009 ~ Dharma School Welcome Picnic Sept. 20, 2009 ~ OHIGAN Service & Dharma School

17 OBON MEMORIAL LANTERNS ORDER FORM You can purchase a lantern to honor a family member that has passed away. The lantern will be personalized and hung from the Yagura during the Obon Festival. You will be given the lantern at the completion of Obon. YOUR NAME: TOTAL AMOUNT DUE: $ In MEMORY OF: (Please PRINT first and last name) Lanterns are $5.00 per name. Please fill out this form and return with payment to Ellen Kato or any board member. You can also mail the form to Ogden Buddhist Church P.O. Box 3248 Ogden, UT NAME: OGDEN BUDDSHIT TEMPLE PICTURE ORDER FORM Each print will be 8 X 10. Please circle your picture request: ENTIRE SANGHA BWA DHARMA SCHOOL Price: $8.00 per print OR all three prints (one of each) for $20.00 Amount enclosed: $ Please fill out this form and return with payment to Kris Yamada or any board member. You can also mail the form to Ogden Buddhist Church P.O. Box 3248 Ogden, UT *** DUE TO PRI TI G TIME ALL ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 11, 2009 ***