Sangha News. Meandering. November In this Issue

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1 November 2017 Sangha News Meandering During a recent flight I was watching the countryside passing by down below. In particular I was noticing a river that had so many bends and turns it would make any slithering snake look straight by comparison. I was thinking how I tend to think of rivers, especially in Alberta, as flowing fast and in a rather straight-line. Coming from Manitoba, where the landscape tends to be rather flat, I remembered canoeing on rivers that twisted and turned endlessly. Canoeing on them meant a journey of several miles where in reality the distance that was traveled point-to-point was only a fraction of the distance that was paddled. Yet there was always the anticipation of what was around the next bend, perhaps coming upon some wildlife or a beautiful sunset. In this Issue Sensei Message P.1 Buddhism 101 P.2 Guest Speaker - Dr. Jeff Wilson P.2 Buddhaful Day T-Shirt P.3 Dharma Time for Kids P.3 Grey Cup Party P Women s Convention P.3 Volunteer Opportunities P.3 Temple Refuge Circle P.4 Temple Library P.4 Toshi Takahashi P.4 Troll Falls Hike P.5 Chow Mein Dinner P.5 Bishop s JSBTC Message P.6 Calendar of Events P.7 Donations P.8 Sometimes I think we approach life much like the fastflowing straight rivers. We want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible because we believe the destination is when we will finally achieve that elusive happiness goal. As the saying goes: we often forget that life is a journey, not a destination. Now, I did appreciate the direct route that the plane I was on was taking because I had to be at my destination for our Minister s Association meeting. Instead of continually speeding forward through life with only the destination in mind, perhaps we need to take more time to meander? Perhaps we should be more like the rivers that twist and turn on the way to wherever? Meandering with openness and a willingness to experience and appreciate places, people and things that we might tend to overlook or ignore because we are so focused on the destination. One common analogy that is used in Buddhism is one of the river encountering some obstruction such as a rock. The river does not try to overpower the rock, instead it merely flows around it. That is not to say we shouldn t have goals or objectives; however, some of life s greatest pleasures just might be found in the most unlikely places if we are willing to meander. Have a happy journey! In Gassho Sensei James

2 Buddhism 101 Interested in Buddhism and how it can be a part of your daily life? Then join us on Thursdays, 7:30 8:30 pm as the fundamentals of Buddhism will be introduced and discussed. There are currently 8 consecutive sessions in progress, ending November 30, 2017, so mark it on your calendar and come on out! Each evening will be a combination of short DVD clips followed by a question and answer/ discussion time. No prior knowledge or experience is required, just an open and curious mind! Guest Speaker Series: Dr. Jeff Wilson Refugee Shinran An exploration of how the specific events in the lives of Shinran and Rennyo led them to fashion Buddhist principles of radical welcome, and how this relates to the present world situation of refugees, homelessness, and social instability. Thursday, November 2, :30 p.m. (658 1st Avenue N.E.) Open to the Public. Free admission. Refreshments after. Dr. Jeff Wilson is a Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo. He is the author of Mindful America and Buddhism of the Heart. Page 2

3 Purchase a Have a Buddhaful Day T-Shirt Contact Mickey at mhkuta@outlook.com to purchase yours today! Cost: $20.00 Dharma Time for Kids A goal for Dharma Time this year is to host an activity for the kids every Sunday. Lessons will be approximately every-other week, and informal play time/social time for the kids with games and puzzles will be on the other Sundays. Please check the Temple website as it will more specific information as planning progresses. 2nd Annual Grey Cup Party When: Sunday, November 26, 3:00pm Where: Temple basement 16th World Buddhist Women s Convention We are getting together for our second Grey Cup party. Lester and Avro have challenged each other to a chili cook off, so come out and help us judge while cheering on your team! BYOBeer and Lawn (comfortable) Chair. A Signup Genius will be sent out closer to the date. Committee Volunteers The is honored to be hosting the Annual General Meeting for the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada (JSBTC), the JSBTC Women s Federation and the Ministerial Association meting in April of If you are able to help on this committee, please contact Dan McCormack at dan37mcc@gmail.com. Funeral Service Toban / Volunteers Running a temple is not easy! A successful temple requires effort from many people, most of whom are volunteers. Toban (Japanese for it s your turn ) is a way to spread the work of the temple among all the members. Currently we have toban list for main services, to make sure that our wonderful lunches are prepared, served and cleaned up after. There is also an ad hoc cleaning toban for regular maintenance and cleaning. The Board has realized that the temple needs a special group to address the requirements of providing funeral services. James Sensei has prepared a guide for the spiritual/service needs for a funeral, but we also must consider the practicalities of running a funeral. We have prepared a fairly detailed list of the things that need to be done before, during, and after the funeral service, and now we need a group of people that we can call on to help. If you have a flexible schedule and are able to help on relatively short notice, please consider signing up for this toban. If you are interested, please Laura Sugimoto, and she will provide the summary of activities, laura.a.sugimoto@gmail.com or call her at Page 3

4 Temple Refuge Circle On behalf of the Temple Refuge Circle: Tea is an act complete in its simplicity. When I drink tea, there is only me and the tea. The rest of the world dissolves. There are no worries about the future. No dwelling on past mistakes. Tea is simple: loose-leaf tea, hot pure water, a cup. I inhale the scent, tiny delicate pieces of the tea floating above the cup. I drink the tea, the essence of the leaves becoming a part of me. I am informed by the tea, changed. This is the act of life, in one pure moment, and in this act the truth of the world suddenly becomes revealed: all the complexity, pain, drama of life is a pretense, invented in our minds for no good purpose. There is only the tea, and me, converging. - Thich Nhat Hanh Temple Library Come for tea, stay for a book! LIBRARY DAYS ARE CHANGING! The library will now be open the THIRD SUNDAY of every month (so as not to conflict with cleaning days). After service, every third Sunday, please come downstairs to browse through our Temple library while you have a cup of tea. We invite you to sit and talk about a Buddhist book you ve read. Two books I recommend: Jodo Shinshu Handbook for Layman - a series of short question and answers covering topics from Religion and Human Life to Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-Ha Buddhism on Air: Televised Kaleidoscope of a Growing Religion by Kenneth Tanaka (with information on how to access the TV series available online) Toshi Takahashi Mrs. Toshi Takahashi, a long time Temple member, passed away on September 29, 2017 at the age of 88. Mrs. Takahashi was born in Nemuro, a small fishing village in Hokkaido, Japan. She married Tomeo in 1955 and together they moved to Raymond, Alberta in 1960, then on to Calgary in They were very active Temple members and contributed in a variety of ways. Mrs. Takahashi was a dedicated Fujinkai member and worked tirelessly with other Fujinkai ladies to support events such as Chicken Teriyaki dinners, the Chinook Charity Bazar and other Temple activities. Her husband Tomeo, who was a carpenter, made most of our alter furnishings. The original alter table was replaced during the Temple renovation but we continue to use the ministers tables, the base of the Buddha, and the bell stand. We will miss her ever-present smile and her kindness but these naijin pieces will continue remind us of Mrs. and Mr. Takahashi. Page 4

5 Troll Falls Hike - Oct 14 Arranged by members of the Sangha Engagement Committee, a group of fellow Sangha members took off to the Trails in beautiful Kananaskis and hiked there way to the magestic Troll Falls. The weather was amazing and so were the conversations. We look forward to the next group hike! Thanks to all who came out and enjoyed this lovely activity! Chow Mein Dinner - Oct 21 Thank you to those you who came to eat or volunteered to make this annual event a success! It is only through the hard work of dedicated volunteers that the temple is able to exist. 200 people came to eat or get take outs this year. We are still finalizing our numbers but we made about $8000 to go toward our renovations fund. Marjorie Zingle, a friend of Cindy Nagata, was the Westjet tickets winner! Congratulations Marjorie! Page 5

6 2017 Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada Day I hope everyone enjoys the beginning of the new fall season, which illustrates the transient nature of all life. Leaves change their color and eventually fall to the ground. The fallen leaves then provide nourishment for the tree. In the spring, new leaves will spring from its branches to display its beautiful greenery... At the present time, there are a number of issues throughout the world, specifically to do with racism, terrorist activities, nuclear threats, hate, and violence. These concerns remind me of a story of a bird in the Amida Sutra. It reads; Furthermore, Shariputra, in the land of Ultimate Bliss there are various birds of brilliant coloring, such as white egrets, peacocks, parrots, sharikas, kalavinkas, and jivamjivakas. The birds sing six times a day in exquisite voices. Their very singing expresses Amitabha s teachings, such as the Five Roots of Goodness, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. When the people of the land of Ultimate Bliss hear the birds voices, all of their thoughts are dedicated to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. To further illustrate, there is s story of a mythical bird, jivamjibakas, which goes like this Once upon a time, there lived a strange bird in a huge banyan tree. which stood beside a river. The strange bird had two heads, and only one body. Once, while the bird was flying high in the sky, he saw an apple-shaped fruit lying on the bank of the river. The bird swooped down, picked up the fruit and began to eat it. It was the most delicious fruit the bird had ever eaten. As the bird had two heads, the other head protested, I m your brother head. Why don t you let me also eat this tasty fruit? The first head of the bird replied, Shut up. You know that we ve only one stomach. Whichever head eats, the fruit will go to the same stomach. So it doesn t matter which head eats it. Moreover, I m the one who found this fruit. So I have the first right to eat it. Hearing this, the other head became silent. But this kind of selfishness on the part of the first head displeased him very much. One day, while flying, the other head spotted a tree bearing poisonous fruit. The other head immediately descended upon the tree and plucked the fruit from it. Please don t eat this poisonous fruit, cried the first head. If you eat it, both of us will die, because we have a common stomach to digest it. Shut up! shouted the other head. Since I ve plucked this fruit, I ve every right to eat it. The first head began to weep, but the other head didn t care. He wanted to take revenge. He ate the poisonous fruit. As a result, both died. I leave the story like this for you. the reader to figure out. Namo Amida Butsu Rev. Tatsuya Aoki Bishop, Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada Page 6

7 November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Guest Speaker - Dr. Jeff Wilson Shotsuki Service Circle Buddhism Circle Buddhism 101 Morning Service 19 Morning Service Library is Open Circle Buddhism Morning Service Circle Buddhism 101 December Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Shotsuki Service Circle Evening Service Morning Service - Bodhi Day Evening Service Library is Open Page 7

8 September Donations Apologies for any Errors or Omissions Anonymous Robert Alexander Belle Auld Yuri Delisle Frank Dodge Heather French Jane Hilton Susan Huntley Regular Donations Erin Nagata Ken & Mary Nishi Jackie Robb Jackie & Barrie Robb Neil Sbine Pasley Sherry Soltys Sugimoto & Company Shigeko Tanaka Melanie Giggs Laura Sugimoto Loc Nguyen James Martin Ken Madden Canada Helps Donations Matthew Stewart Kayo Nitta Kiyoko Miyanishi - Memory of Sutezo Miyanishi Gassho Brian Nagata Capital Campaign Avenue N.E. Phone: Support Our Temple It is the s hope to continue living & teaching a life of dharma for many years but we can only do so through the support & generosity of our membership. Mailing Address: Street NE Calgary, AB Canada T2E 3Y1 Web: calgary-buddhist.ab.ca calgarybuddhisttemple@gmail.com Page 8