Way. The. Eitaikyo Service 10:00am betsuin. New Year Luncheon & General Meeting 12:00pm Quiet cannon rsvp required

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1 HIGASHI HONGANJI BUDDHIST TEMPLE NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Los Angeles, CA Permit No The Way Vol. 66 No. 12 December 2014 HIGASHI HONGANJI LOS ANGELES BETSUIN Celebrating 110 Years in Los Angeles TEMPLE SCHEDULE DECEMBER 21 9:00am Temple Clean up 29 9:00am Mochitsuki (Monday) 31 6:30pm Year-end Service (Joya-e) Toshikoshi Soba-eating Contest JANUARY 1 10:00am New Year Day Service (Shusho-e) 4 10:00am Shotsuki Service 11 10:00am Family Service 18 10:00am Eitaikyo Service New Year Luncheon/ General Meeting 25 10:00am Sunday Service Discussion Group SUnday, january 18th Eitaikyo Service 10:00am betsuin New Year Luncheon & General Meeting 12:00pm Quiet cannon rsvp required Joya-e Year-end Service December 31 6:30pm Shusho-e New Year Day Service January 1 10:00am

2 The Way Volume 66 Number 12 December 2014 HIGASHI HONGANJI BUDDHIST TEMPLE LOS ANGELES BETSUIN What Buddhism Means to Me Greg Elliot The following article is excerpted from a talk that Greg gave on Sunday, November 2, I come from a Christian family. My youngest sister is a Presbyterian minister in the Bay area, and she and I talk religion often. Marin comes from a Buddhist family. After we got married, I began to accompany her to the temple, usually for what I term the Buddhist High Holy Days. The Sunday after 9/11, we heard Rinban Ito talk about how Earth is one small place, and how we have to all work together. I decided then that we needed to come to the temple more often. For me, the reason to come to the temple to come to any religious institution, for that matter is so I can learn things that I can put into practice in my everyday life: things that will make my life and the lives of those around me better. This is what I m looking for in Buddhism. One of the most useful lessons for me is about getting hooked. We all do. Feelings of anger, or bitterness, or (pick a negative emotion) hook us. The trick, say the Buddhist teachers, is to recognize that we re hooked, and then to detach. This lesson crystallized for me in the middle of what I call Greg s Very Bad Day. Nothing had gone right, and as I lurched from failed errand to botched grocery run, I got angrier and angrier. By the time I got to the drug store, I m pretty sure steam was literally coming out of my ears. That s when I heard a voice in my head (my Buddhist self?) asking, Do you really want to be this angry right now? My answer was an immediate No, and I felt all that anger drain away. I ve used other Buddhist lessons to get along better with certain family members (not my sister the minister, but Sangha Voices others) and I even apply these lessons when working with some of my students. Every quarter, I have at least one student who I refer to as my Buddhist Challenge, the student who doesn t listen to a thing I say, then demands to know why my lessons aren t working. If I look, there s always something I can learn from these students. As I ve studied Buddhism in the Tannisho classes, and in my own research I ve had trouble with the idea that life is suffering. Who wants to be a part of a religion that espouses this as a central concept? I later learned that this can be translated to say that all life contains suffering. More to the point, we suffer in large part when we fail to accept that life is change that everything is impermanent. It s when we try to hang on to things that are changing, when we refuse to let go of loved ones who are leaving us, that we suffer. This, too, is a lesson I ve come to embrace, and I ve reduced my suffering in the process. Another major Buddhist concept that s given me pause is the idea of detachment. In order to become enlightened, we re told, we need to detach, not just when we re steaming down the aisle at CVS, but always. This, for me, conjures an image of a hermit on a mountaintop. Not exactly the way I see myself living my life. I want to be fully engaged in whatever I m doing. I want to be up to my eyeballs. Plunging in until I feel like I might drown. (Funny how often I feel exactly that ) How can I be Buddhist and still be fully engaged in my life? That, for me, has become a central question. In the documentary Death Makes Life Possible, the filmmaker interviews a man who s just learned that he has six months to live. Talk about the lesson of (Please see BUDDHISM, page 3) In Gratitude As we close out our 110 th anniversary year, we wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous support throughout We realize that we are just one organization asking for your help, all of you have continued your support of our Betsuin, and we are extremely grateful. Through your generosity, we have been able to make some much needed renovations to our temple. The retiling of social hall and hallways both upstairs and downstairs along with repainting of halls and classrooms has recently been completed. Soon, a total upgrade of our audio and video systems will begin. Special thanks go to those of you who have sacrificed so much of your time to help with our temple respon- (Please see GRATITUDE, page 3) Celebrating 110 Years in Los Angeles For our 110th year in Los Angeles, we are raising funds to put toward several anniversary projects to add to the betterment of our temple. These projects include new flooring and fresh paint for several areas of the temple as well as upgrades to audiovisual equipment to enhance our services. We welcome any contributions to our 110th Anniversary Fund. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to many more years of serving our members and friends. HIGASHI HONGANJI LOS ANGELES BETSUIN

3 Page 2 The Way Betsuin News info@hhbt-la.org Year-end & New Year Events 12/21 9:00am Temple Clean-up 12/29 9:00am Mochitsuki (Monday) 12/31 6:30pm Year-end Service (Joya-e) Toshikoshi Soba-eating Contest 1/1 10:00am New Year s Day Service (Shusho-e) 1/19 10:00am Eitaikyo Service 110th Anniversary New Year Luncheon Hōonko 2014 This year s Hōonko Observances were held during the weekend of November 8 th and 9 th. This gathering is held on a weekend near November 28 th of every year in commemoration of the memorial of Shinran Shōnin. It has traditionally been considered the most important observance in Shinshu Buddhism. Historically, it was said that the calendar of a Honganji temple begins and ends with the Hōonko observance. The word, Hōonko, means a gathering to repay our indebtedness, and is a time to express our gratitude for having the opportunity to encounter the Buddhadharma and to deepen our awareness of the teachings. Saturday evening, we had our Hōonko Gathering, an informal observance of Shinran Shōnin s memorial. This event was sponsored by our ABA organization. The evening began with a short service, a Dharma Talk in English by Rev. Peter Hata followed by dinner and discussion. On Sunday, formal observances were held at 10:00am, with sermons given by Rev. Peter Hata in English and Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa in Japanese. The Overseas District Abbot, Rev. Choyu Otani was here from Brazil to participate and officiate the service. We welcomed him and his wife Satika to Los Angeles (Please see HŌONKO, page 3) Joya-e New Years Eve Service Come celebrate the end of 2014 at our Year-end Service to be held on Wednesday, December 31 st at 6:30pm. It is an opportunity to reflect back on the past year and to prepare to welcome in the New Year. The evening will also include the exciting Toshikoshi Soba- Eating Contest, so come ready! Shusho-e New Years Day Service Shusho-e is the first service of the New Year. It is a tradition in Japan to visit nearby temples and shrines on New Years Day. We welcome you to join us to greet the New Year on Thursday, January 1, 2015 at 10:00am. Following service, stay for a sip of otoso (New Year s sake) to toast 2015 and enjoy ozoni (traditional mochi soup) and exchange New Year s greetings. Eitaikyo Service & New Year Luncheon The Eitaikyo Service will be held on Sunday, January 18 th at 10:00am. This service is held in memory of all temple members who have passed away. It is also held to remember those who have been placed into the Eitaikyo register. Following the service, the 110 th Annual General Meeting and New YearLuncheon will be held at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello. Further information will be mailed to you in January. Hanamatsuri Craft Fair Calling all craft vendors! On Sunday, April 26 th from 10am to 3pm, we will have our Hanamatsuri Craft Fair at the Betsuin! We are looking for vendors who make and sell craft items and would like to be a part of our Craft Fair. For more information, please contact the temple office at or info@ hhbt-la.org. Vendor applications will be available early 2015 and due in March. D*d BABY ANNOUNCEMENT To Parents Hiro & Yuri a New Baby Girl Eri Sky Kanamaru Born on November 9, 2014 CONGRATULATIONS! DHARMA SCHOOL UPDATE In October, we gathered together to celebrate Halloween with other temple members. We had fun sharing our costumes with our friends, making crafts, and decorating sweet treats. After a lunch of hot dogs, chili, nachos, salads, and lots of desserts, we played games! We played a word game where you had to make as many words with the letters H-A-N-A-M-A-T-S-U-R-I as possible. Afterward, we divided into an adult team and kid team and had a relay race holding spoons with giant eyeballs. In addition to our regular party activities, we had a photo booth again this year! The kids and adults all had a fun time posing for pictures with their costumes and other props and got to take home prints of their pictures. After all of our fun games and crafts, we finally got to go trick-or-treating and get lots of candy and prizes. We had a great time at our (Please see DHARMA SCHOOL, page 3) Our deepest condolences to the family and relatives of Mrs. Nobuko Takesuye (97) August 16, 2014 Mr. Jiro Kawashima (95) October 20, 2014 Namu Amida Butsu

4 The Way What I Learned from the Japan Tour Samantha Wada The Hoshidan Tour was a life changing experience for me. It was in Japan that I truly felt connected with Buddhism and identified myself as Buddhist. I have been active in the YBA and have chaired many family services but I had never felt that Buddhism was embedded into me. However, once I started to see the mother temple and listen to the five lectures given by Reverend Conway I became more invested in Buddhism. Hoshidan not only taught me about Japanese culture it also allowed me to confirm my spirituality and connection with the Amida Buddha. There were five lectures given by Reverend Conway and it was during the fourth lecture that I realized my love and appreciation for Buddhism. He shed some light on Higashi s particular values and beliefs, which to my amazement, was exactly what I had been searching for. He explained that it is through those brief moments of insight and understanding that we are able to feel the closest thing to enlightenment and that experiencing that is enough. He said that the nembutsu is a calling back to (BUDDHISM, con t. from page 1) impermanence hitting home. He calmly accepts this, and goes about making the most of those six months, including recording a message to his family to be played at his funeral. His message is meant to help them deal with his passing. Maybe he had it right. Maybe he d found the balance between living life to the fullest and letting go. He seemed to. I hope I don t have to wait until my own impending demise before I m able to find that balance as well. The Way invites you to express your voice by sharing your thoughts about Buddhism or your experience with the temple with our readership. Please send submissions to info@hhbt-la.org. Opinions expressed in our SANGHA VOICES column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Way and Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple. reality and he also taught us the term soji meaning to comprehensively hold so that during those intervals of realization we are returning home. I am so thankful that I was able to do the Kikyoshiki and make Buddhism a permanent part of my life. This trip has changed my whole mindset on life. Reverend Conway taught us that the nembutsu is not a tool, but a teaching. It is the summation of a larger life, a story of how the Amida Buddha became the Amida Buddha and therefore we all must listen to it. The fourth discussion with Reverend Conway taught me many things and I hope that I was able to share some of my experience and newfound knowledge with everyone. This trip had come at a perfect time in my life because I left for college a couple months following. The nine days I spent in Japan on the tour was definitely an experience that I will hold dear for the rest of my life. I came back home feeling light and at peace inside. I am so thankful for being able to take part in the Hoshidan Tour and for being a part of Higashi Honganji. (HŌONKO, con t. from page 2) and are grateful that they were able to join us for this special service. Following service, Toban 2 provided a traditional vegetarian otoki lunch. We hope that you were able to join us for this special occasion. visit our website at and like us on facebook at Page 3 (GRATITUDE, con t. from page 1) sibilities to those on the property committee who spend much time and energy making repairs and preserving the temple s functionality on a weekly basis, to those who come out regularly to maintain our beautiful garden, especially to Mr. Tadahide Kawahira who has been spending many days working alone, to those who come out to help with the polishing of our altar decorations before our special services, to those who help with our various mailings, to those who come to prepare our meals for special services and prepare refreshments for our Shotsuki and Family services, to those who create and facilitate religious, cultural, and social programs for our members to enjoy, to the many who make our Obon Festival and our Golf Tournament so successful, and to others too numerous to mention, we extend our deepest gratitude. Without your support, the temple would not be able to serve our membership and our community in the ways that we wish. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. We hope that you will be able to join us for our Mochitsuki on Monday, December 29, and our special Year-end and New Year services. We ask for your continued support and guidance as we prepare for Gassho, Rinban Noriaki Ito David Ikeda, President Board of Directors (DHARMA SCHOOL, con t. from page 2) party and thank everyone for coming! Special thanks to everyone who helped with the games and cleanup! In November, we are focusing on being thankful for the people and things who make our lives meaningful. We re looking forward to Mochitsuki and all of the other year-end activities! We hope that you will join us! Please join us for Dharma School on Sundays. Dharma School talks will be given by our ministers on Shotsuki Service and Family Service Sundays.

5 Page 4 The Way October was an exciting month for the Lumbini children because they got to celebrate one of their favorite holidays HALLOWEEN! They dressed up as princesses, superheroes, their favorite cartoon characters and much more and had a chance to show off to all of their friends, teachers, and families and parade around school on Halloween. After some fun at school, they walked around Little Tokyo and trick-or-treated in the neighborhood. By the end of the afternoon, so much walking was definitely tiring for their little feet, so they were happy to return to school with their bags full and heavy with lots of sweets! With December here already, Lumbini is taking time to reflect on the past year and think about goals for Next year, we will continue to strive toward educating our children. Lumbini s goal is to give each child an opportunity to expand and grow to his or her fullest potential. We are grateful to have such a dedicated staff as well as very supportive parents and families. We want to thank LUMBINI CORNER the temple for its dedication and support to help make Lumbini such an enjoyable and educational center. Our Year-End Holiday Program will be held on Friday, December 12 th. The children have been working hard on their songs to present to all of their family and friends. They re also looking forward to a special visit from Santa! The end of the year also means that it is time for Mochitsuki! This year s Mochitsuki will be held on Monday, December 29 th at 10:00am. Each of the children will get to make their own mochi to take home and eat for a snack! Parents and family are welcome to join in and help out with all of the fun. Lumbini will be closed for the holidays on December 25 th and January 1 st and closing early on December 24 th and 31 st. We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! If you are interested in enrolling a child between the ages of 2½ to 6 years of age in Lumbini s program, please contact the Lumbini office at Fujima Kansei Odori Kai The fall has been fun as Fujima Kansei students are learning new dances and practicing old basics. We have new students and we re having fun teaching them the basics! Our youngest students are split into various dances and learning odori fundamentals very quickly. The older students are learning new dances, too! Keep an eye out for news about upcoming performances in spring and summer of We ve learned a lot in 2014 and look forward to learning and sharing much more. Happy New Year! 110th Anniversary Fund Donations SEPTEMBER 2014 The Higashi Honganji Betsuin gratefully appreciates the generous donations received in honor of our 110th Anniversary from the following: In the event of an inadvertent omission of a donor's name, please contact the temple. $10,110 Plum Vista, L.P. (In Memory of Mary, Paul, & Robert Murata) LUMBINI CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER OPEN ENROLLMENT! spaces available now FOR CHILDREN AGES 2 1/2 TO 6 YEARS TEL: FAX: missleslie_lumbini@yahoo.com WEBPAGE: open year round: MONDAY through FRIDAY 7:30am to 6:00pm closed national holidays LUMBINI REFERRAL PROGRAM Refer a student to Lumbini and earn $200! Lumbini is initiating a referral incentive program to help increase student enrollment. The program is simple. Refer a new family and once they enroll in Lumbini s program and remain enrolled for a minimum of six months, you will receive $200. The more families you help to enroll, the more you will earn! If you would like more information, please contact Miss Leslie at (213) The referral program is open to all of our members. correction In a previous issue of The Way, we inadvertently listed a donation incorrectly. Our apologies to the following: $100 Yokoe, Tomeharu (for Kinsaburo Yokoe) Help The Way The Way needs your help and welcomes your contributions. With the cost of printing and postage steadily increasing, we request your support in helping to make our newsletter available in the years to come. Please consider making a donation to The Way to offset some of the cost. Thank you for your continued support and readership. Onegai-shimasu!