WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN

Transcription

1 WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN 2003 Corinth Avenue Los Angeles, California (310) Fax (310) Web Site: Vol. 50, No. 4 April 2007 REV. USUKI S PAGE I just came back from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) appointment for a bad knee which was operated on 23 years ago. Before I get any older I m planning to have it repaired again. MRI is like a high tech 3- dimensional X-ray machine. When I went to the clinic they said it would take about 45 minutes for the exam and I became anxious about what to do for that length of time. I can usually find ways to keep busy during long durations so I can be productive and not waste time. When I got there I made sure I went to the bathroom and wore comfortable clothes, including shorts, hoping that I didn t have to dress in a patient robe with no behind. Lying down on a patient table with only a paper sheet can be cold, not to mention noisy. I was greeted by a technician and led into a changing room. I was able to put my personal items in a locker and went into the MRI room where I was asked to lie on my back under a huge metal machine. I was told that I had to stay still and if, for any reason, I needed to cough, scratch, or move my body, I was to warn him with a push of a button. So, I decided to do my best to stay put and be a good patient. This was a challenge to stay completely still and not move at all. I cannot remember the last time I tried to stay still for 45 minutes. The thought of meditation immediately came to my mind so I decided to take note of this experience and report it to you. I was also reminded that in my active career, sitting still is a rarity, and I compared it to chanting during service. When I chant I can feel every bit of my body and mind and when MRI EXPERIENCE bothered by a cough or itch I will clear my throat or shift my body. For the MRI, I would have some control and flexibility but in this case I decided to lie still and take in the experience. There would be no clock to help anticipate the end so I would have to guess the time left. I was also given ear plugs because the machine makes constant clicking and motor noises. Entering into the process, I could feel the socks and shoes on my feet, the button in my right hand, the coldness of the bed surface under my left hand, the gurgle in my throat, my eyelids, several aches in various parts of my head, and many more body sensations which I normally cannot feel because I m always on the go. How was I to keep these senses still and quiet? How long is 45 minutes when you have no sense of time? The time came to begin the adventure. The machine warned me that it was ready to start with the bed automatically sliding me in and under the metal canopy. The electronic lights and timer lit up above my eyes. After several preliminary settings, the timer was set for 7 minutes, 40 seconds. So I decided to go into meditation. Of course, when you first begin to calm all the senses and the mind, too many things are in motion and every feeling in the body seems exaggerated. The experience is overwhelming but the idea is to lie still and not move a muscle. I thought that 7:40 was the only time set in the program but the machine went on for four more settings of 11:15, 7:30, and 5:30 minutes and finally the last interval of 5:00 minutes. My first mindful encounter was watching the clock run down in seconds from 7:40. As I counted down the seconds with the clock, I realized that seconds and eventually minutes were being counted down from my life. Seconds were being withdrawn from my savings account (cont d on page 2)

2 WLA Buddhist Temple April 2007 without my approval. The precious moments which we tell ourselves everyday must be enjoyed were going away with no way of stopping them. Time is our boss and it does not wait for my decision. What a humbling moment. The next set of 11:15 minutes was spent with my eyes closed and I decided to let the time go, let it run, and try not to estimate how much was left. At this moment, I realized everything that was happening to my life and each moment of the past were preparing me for the next. This was karma in action and I could actually feel the next moment and understand much of what was unfolding step by step. I could imagine how my life tomorrow and years to come could be made different by this realization and awakening. Meditation is really about nocalculation but I succumbed to my own struggle, judgment, and estimation. What a humbling moment. Now I m into my third set of time of 7:30 minutes. By now my body is numb and I do not own it. I can only feel the sensation of holding on to the button in my right hand but having no control. Feeling like floating on air, my left hand tingles with no feeling of its weight. My feet no longer sense my socks or shoes but I know they are still on. My mind is loose and I do not have the need to sense the time or care about what I want for lunch. Everything is just as is with no expectation and there is no need to qualify or quantify things outside of this experience. What a humbling moment. I was able to guess at this point that I was on the shorter end of the allotted 45 minutes and this wasn t bad. I had not moved a twitch and had had no need to cough, clear my throat, or adjust my shoulders. I was going along fine but it was still a challenge to see whether I could be a good patient and walk away with a sense of accomplishment. What an ego trip. What a humbling moment. I don t want to bore you with other thoughts but when it was all over, the voice over the speaker said Mr. Usuki, it is over and you did an excellent job. What a humbling moment. SHINSHU CORNER Karma Karma means action. When it is understood properly, it is the source of happiness, but when it is misunderstood, it can become the source of unhappiness. To fully appreciate the meaning of karma and dispel any misunderstanding, three points must be made clear. 1. Karma meaning mechanical cause and effect is not the Buddhist idea of karma. Karma in this sense, that to every action there is corresponding reaction, was a popular belief among pre-buddhist people, and people of later ages who failed to appreciate the Buddhist meaning of karma interpreted it in this popular way. 2. Karma as an objective universal truth was taught by the Buddha as being essentially an attitude developed on conditional origination towards circumstances in life. In the popular belief happiness and unhappiness were determined externally by good or bad acts in the past. In Buddhism happiness and unhappiness become attitudes determined by self, freed of any external force. Therefore, it is said that the basis of karma is thought (cetana), meaning that by our thought or will we create future happiness in the present. Therefore, throughout Buddhism the stress is made on the effort or will to create meaningful life. (To be continued ) Shin Buddhist Handbook, p. 95, BCA End of REV. USUKI S PAGE 2

3 WLA Buddhist Temple April

4 WLA Buddhist Temple April 2007 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Vance Nishimoto April will be a very busy month at the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple. Hanamatsuri and Hatsumairi Service will be held on April 8th at 9:30am. This service is held to celebrate the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha and anyone who was born during the past year. So if you know anyone who would like to participate, please have them attend this service. Toban for this service will be our new Sangha Teen group. Eshinni and Kakushinni Memorial Service will be held on April 15th at 10:00am. This service is held in honor of two of the most prominent women in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. And so, we ve invited one of today s prominent women to be the guest speaker at this service, Rev. Patti Usuki. We ve also invited her congregation at San Fernando Valley Buddhist Temple to attend our service. Following service, we will be serving a hamburger lunch for those who attend. This is a busy month for the West LA Youth Club as they will be hosting their annual basketball tournament on April 20th 21st. Please be aware that our Social Hall will be busy over this weekend. I want to hear from our temple members regarding anything to improve the West LA Buddhist Temple. You can call me at (818) or me at In gassho, wlabtpres.vance@verizon.net Vance Nishimoto, WLABT President BUDDHIST EDUCATION COMMITTEE Haru Matsumune Thanks to the efforts of Diane Ohkawahira, the temple was able to host its second annual Open House. We were encouraged to see new faces among the attendees and hope that these newcomers (as well as long-time members) will enjoy participating in temple services, activities, and events. A special thank you to Rev. Usuki for conducting the Onaijin Tour, which proved to be an SRO hit! After summarizing the symbolism of the onaijin, Rev. Usuki led the Open House attendees into the onaijin. It was a memorable opportunity for them to see, close up, the intricacies of the altar objects and perhaps gain greater appreciation for the meaning behind each one. Once again, Mrs. Kay Kafka came to BEC s rescue. Not only does she translate into nihongo, but she provides an electronic file of her work. どうもありがとうございました! Diane Ohkawahira (left) discusses Open House program with President Nishimoto and Haru Matsumune. Third Friday of each month. Come support your Temple. Fri April 20 7:30 p.m. Rev. Usuki at Open House explains onaijin before tour. 4

5 WLA Buddhist Temple April PLUS WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS Born in 1927? This is your lucky year because you are 80 and eligible to join the 80+ group. In this group as is traditional in Japan, come January 1, one adds another year to his/her age. It doesn t seem quite right if your birthday is December 31. But at age 80 what s another year everyone is just happy for another year!! Those over 80 gather on the last Monday of the month, socialize, and enjoy dining on a large, hearty lunch prepared by chief cooks, Chiyo Nitta and Lorraine Soda, and 7 or 8 ladies. Volunteer drivers pick up those in need of transportation. During the busy months of July and December, lunch is NOT served. Birthdays are cause for celebration, especially those past 90. The most recent one to celebrate a birthday was Mrs. Torako Akutagawa who proudly announced that she was 94! Another happy diner is Mrs. Hatayo Shinto who will be 97 this year. BWA NEWS Kiyo Teramaye On Saturday, February 10, nine new members were introduced by the President, Lorraine Soda. Each new member was presented with an onenju by Rev. Usuki. Immediately following the introduction, a Welcome Luncheon was held preceding the monthly meeting where all members had time to get acquainted with each other. Pictured above, left to right, with President Soda are new members Lori Nakama, Kathy Nishimoto, Ida Kaisaki, Yoshiye Kuramoto, Gail Yamanaka, Molly Takahashi, Aiko Tsuboi, and Rev. Usuki. Not pictured are Lily Kamibayashi and Judy Yee. It is most encouraging to see such enthusiasm shown by the new members. We look forward to their active participation. Above left is a smiling Mrs. Akutagawa and Mrs. Shinto is on the lower right. All 80 and over temple members are urged to come and enjoy a hearty meal. Support the 80+ Program by supporting the Annual Yard Sale Saturday, June 23 5 Pictured above are BWA ladies at Omikagi on March 4. For the otoki for Spring Ohigan Service on March 24, BWA once again prepared chirashi for the attendees. Many thanks to the ladies who came out to help with the preparation and distribution. A reminder to members about WLA s Eshinni Ko/Kakushinni Ko service from 10:00 a.m. Sunday, April 15. Guest speaker will be Rev. Patti Usuki of the San Fernando Valley Buddhist Temple. This service will be a joint service with the San Fernando Sangha.

6 WLA Buddhist Temple April 2007 PHOTO ALBUM Nirvana Day Service (left to right) President Vance Nishimoto, Service chairperson Nathan Ohkawahira, Guest Speaker (E) Rev. Jerry Hirano (Salt Lake Buddhist Temple), Guest Speaker (J) Rev. Tetsunen Hirota (retired), Rev. Fumiaki Usuki. Sangha Teens Activity Sangha Teens are being reestablished in our Temple under the leadership of Kathy Nishimoto, the other half of our Temple President. A recent social activity was the Valentine s Dance at Nishi Betsuin. Pictured here are WLA Sangha Teens Kaylie Nishimoto (center) and Kylie Mizushima (right). The Teen on the left is Erica Tokirio, a member of the Venice Sangha Teens. Erica s mother is Vickie (Oshinomi) Tokirio, daughter of late WLA members Ted and Sumi Oshinomi. At present, other members of the WLA Sangha Teens not pictured here are Emily Hoy and Nathan Ohkawahira. 6

7

8 CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF: MR. GORO KUDO March 17, 1927 February 5, 2007 MRS. KATHLEEN HARUYE ENDO March 1, 1949 February 26, 2007

9 April 2007 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 9:30 am Service, Study Class (E) 2 7:30 pm Temple Board Mtg pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko am Shotsuki Hoyo Hanamido Prep 8 9:30 am HANAMATSURI/ HATSUMAIRI YBA Yaki Soba 1 PM BWA Mtg am SD Ministers Mtg at Betsuin pm Study Class (E) 7:00 pm B-Men Mtg 7:30 pm Taiko am ESHINNI KO/ KAKUSHINNI KO MEMORIAL SERVICE (E) Rev. Patti Usuki Toban: BWA; Lunch pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko 20 7:30 pm Bingo 21 Jr. YBA Basketball at OCBC Rev. Usuki at OCBC 22 9:30 am Service, Study Class (E) :30 pm Asoka Fujinkai Mtg 26 1 pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko Rev. Usuki at BCA FDSTL Conference Rev. Usuki in Sacramento 29 No services Noon 80 + Lunch westlabt@verizon.net Office hours: 10 am 4 pm Phone: Web Site: Rev. Usuki at conf Bulletin folding toban: Asoka Fujinkai 4/7 WYBL Conference at OCBC Rev. Usuki at OCBC 10

10 11

11 WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE 2003 Corinth Avenue Los Angeles, CA Return Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Los Angeles, CA Permit No Major Services for April 2007 Sunday, April 8 9:30 a.m. Hanamatsuri/Hatsumairi Yakisoba Lunch YBA Fund Raiser follows Sunday, April 15, 10:00 a.m. Joint service with San Fernando Sangha Eshinni ko/kakushinni ko Memorial Guest Speaker: Rev. Patti Usuki Lunch follows