GOLDEN CHAIN. Resident Minister: Rev. Carol Myokei Himaka September 2018

Transcription

1 GOLDEN CHAIN Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church Alvarado Niles Road Union City, CA Church Office: (510) Reverend s Cell Phone: (510) Reverend s revhimaka@gmail.com Website: Resident Minister: Rev. Carol Myokei Himaka September 2018 I am a link in the Buddha s golden chain of love that stretches around the world. I must keep my link bright and strong. I will try to be kind and gentle to every living thing and protect all who are weaker than myself. I will try to think pure and beautiful thoughts, to say pure and beautiful words, and to do pure and beautiful deeds, knowing that on what I do now depends not only my happiness or unhappiness, but also that of others. May every link in the Buddha s golden chain of love become bright and strong,and may we all attain perfect peace. I ve chosen an article that has been previously published, but deserves to be repeated. Please enjoy. Throughout the history of Jodo Shinshu there are a few extraordinary people called Myokonin. They are kind of like saints because of their incomphensible understanding of the deepest meaning of the Nembutsu. They are known to have deep, spiritual lives based upon always being mindful of how they live guided by the Compassion and Wisdom of the Nembutsu. Sometimes the actions of these people can seem odd since they do not see things based upon the worldly values that most of us take for granted. O-karu was such a person. Her story is recounted by Rev. Hoyu Ishida. It involves her actions and how they were sharply critcized by some of the people of her village who did not understand her motivation. This is often the case with Myokonin. They are criticized or ridiculed because they do not act the way normal people do. The fifth day of the fifth month is Boy s Festival Day. The custom on Mutsure Island on that day was to go to the beach with a meal prepared the night before, and enjoy the day fishing and digging shell-fish. O-karu also went out with her family and spent a pleasant day digging shell-fish. Some islanders criticized her for this, saying, She acts as if she appreciates Buddha-dharma, but she takes the lives of more shell-fish than we do. How can she say she is grateful while she is taking life like that, against the Buddhist precepts? To preserve the shell-fish, the salt water in which they are kept has to be changed frequently. One night, when an islander was scooping up sea water for this purpose, he saw someone emptying a basket in the darkness. Filled with curiosity, he crept closer, and found O-karu throwing the shell-fish she had dug up that morning back into the ocean. Go back to the sea, she was saying, Go back home, little shell-fish. Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu.... Everyone assumed O-karu was having a good time digging the shell-fish and eating them, just as they were, and looked down on her for that reason.

2 Fishing and digging shell-fish was prohibited on the island except during the Boy s Festival Day and O-karu did not want to spoil the islanders once-a-year pleasure, so she participated in the event whole-heartedly. She then waited until midnight to set free the shell-fish she had dug. O-karu was not concerned about what others thought. She was concerned solely about what she did. She was thus living in two worlds: physically in this mundane world and spiritually in the world of Amida Buddha. - from Myokonin O-karu and her poems of Shinjin, by Hoyu Ishida. I like this story because it is an example of how Jodo Shinshu believers come to see their lives within the Great Wisdom and Compassion of the Amida Buddha and the Vow. It also shows us how they have the courage to act on that belief, with kindness toward others. Their actions in life are not fixed or determined by rules or laws as set out by some doctrine, but reflect a living awareness of their own karmic limitations and the potential benefits achievable when we are nurtured by compassion and wisdom. Namo Amida Butsu. Rev. Carol Himaka *************************************************************** The Dharma discussions are back! All are welcome! Free lunch will be served. We will meet 11:30am 1:30pm Sundays, Sept. 30, October 21, & Nov. 18. September 30, 2018 Meet SACBC s new Assistant to the Minister, Kathy Velasco. She will share her experiences in studying the Dharma at the Institute of Buddhist Studies and talk briefly about her IBS Masters thesis: The Transformation of the Pure Land in the Development of Lay Buddhist Practice in China. Gluttons for punishment can find the article in Pacific World, New Series, No. 11, 1995, p October 21, 2018 Ms. Elaine Donlin will lead this Dharma Discussion: Settling Ourselves in Unsettling Times Many people don't realize how much stress is building up until they suddenly feel overwhelmed. What do the Buddhist teachings say about this and, more importantly,what are the strategies for coping when we feel overwhelmed and need to quickly relax our mind and body. November 18, 2018 How do we express the Nembutsu in our lives? Kindness, Compassion, and Gratitude are key concepts in Jodo Shinshu. How might we practice as lay Buddhists in the East Bay? All are welcome! Attend any or all of these entertaining and educational discussions. Come to the Hondo classroom area after service from 11:30 to 1pm. A light lunch will be provided, IF you RSVP to Bill at by the preceding Thursday.

3 SEPTEMBER SHOTSUKI HOYO Family, relatives and friends are invited to attend the monthly memorial service for the following on Sunday September 9, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. DECEASED FAMILY 1943 Ken Enta Enta Family 1963 Senzaburo Kotake Mrs. Jean Kotake 1968 Suekichi Shimamura Ms. Merry Shimamura 1969 Shizue Tanaka Kitani Family 1986 Dorothy Kishiyama Kishiyama Family 1987 Chuck Shikano Shikano Family 1989 Yonetaro Tsurui Mrs. Alice Nagata 1990 Hideko Kajikawa Kajikawa Family 1990 Yutaka Handa Mr. Bill Handa 1990 Mary Shimamura Mr. Dave Shimamura 1991 Elsie Hamano Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth Hall 2000 Fumiyo Hisaoka Hisaoka Family 2001 Frank Fujitani Fujitani Family 2004 Fusako Shinagawa Mr. Roy Shinagawa & Mr. & Mrs. Brad Myers 2005 Takashi Fred Tsurui Mrs. Joy Tsurui 2008 Ayako Hashimoto Dr. Walter Hashimoto 2009 Ted Inouye Mrs. Jenny Clark 2009 Muriel Sydney Brozowski Ms. Laura Brozowski 2009 Kari Mariye Morita Mrs. Keiko Okubo 2011 Masao Kato Mrs. Kyung Ja Kato 2013 Edwin Tanaka Mr. Mike Tanaka 2016 Ippei Usui Mrs. Wakae Usui 2017 Michiwo Nakashima Mrs. Dianna Nakashima Kyuta Kishiyama Kishiyama Family Cory Keiji Naruo Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Naruo Chujiro Kamimoto Mr. & Mrs. Art Sakai NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU NAMO AMIDA BUTSU Memorial Service 2018 Memorial year for those who passed away in: year year year year year year year year year If this is a special service year for a departed relative, please contact If this is a special service year for a departed relative, please contact Rev. Matsubayashi through the office at ( ) or sacbc@sbcglobal.net

4 Services for September 2018 September 2, 2018 No Service ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ September 9, 2018 Shotsuki Hoyo 10 A.M. At this monthly memorial service, we will honor those loved ones who passed away in the month of September. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ September 16, 2018 Fall Ohigan Service 10 A.M. Ohigan marks the Fall Autumnal Equinox. This is the time when the Earth and the Sun are situated such that the hours of Daylight is equal to the hours of Night. Ancient Japanese Buddhist nobles marked this auspicious time by practicing the 6 Paramitas and dedicating their spiritual path to the Pure Land. August & September birthdays will be celebrated. Dharma School will have registration for Appreciation Lunch will follow Service. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ September 23, 2018 Bishop s Memorial Service 10 A.M. This Memorial Service is dedicated to all past and present Buddhist Churches of America ministers who have served as Bishop of the BCA ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ September 30, 2018 Dharma Discussion (11:30-1:30) After service, lunch will be served to start the Dharma Discussion. Kathy Velasco who was officially appointed as a Minister s Assistant will share her Master s Thesis which was earned at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Please RSVP if attending to Bill Sawasaki ( ) or sacbc@sbcglobal.net by September 27.

5 To all our SACBC and Associate members and families, A very big ARIGATO to everyone who came out to support our most important fundraiser of the year. We had a delightful weekend full of sun, good food and guests who came from near and far. On behalf of the SACBC Bazaar Committee, THANK YOU, because we could not have done it without you. It was a huge success with everyone s unselfish help of time and support. We sold out of many items this year; manju and sushi, sweet corn, ramen and udon, garlic noodles and curry rice. We did a stellar job selling the TeriBurgers and Hot Dogs and beer (near sellout). Our famous teriyaki chicken was down to the last boxful on Sunday. As we all get older, we see people who can no longer do the physical construction and yet they still come out. They are the Dharma Elves that do things behind the scenes. They still want to come and help, so we are asking the younger folks (you know those in their 40 s, 50 s and 60 s) to come learn from them. It s time to step up and let the original construction crew rest and watch us thrive next year. The week before bazaar we see the same faces, every day of the week - thank you. Do you ever go home? We are doing our best to streamline the preparations and processes, and have seen good progress. Such as, taking less time for set up with pop-up tents for a few booths; and that we can tear down in one day instead of two. So we want to say THANK YOU to everyone who gave up their weekend for bazaar, who came early and stayed late, who worked more than one shift or booth, who built it and tore it down; who came to the bazaar meetings, who donated to Silent Auction, and to those who will be there to help with next year s bazaar. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu! With Gassho, John Arai and Karen Suyama Bazaar Co-Chairs

6 THANK YOU FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2018 BAZAAR!! Our annual Bazaar was a great success thanks to everyone s time and generous donations. The preliminary gross revenue of about $84,000 is historically one of our better years! Of that total, credit card sales were over $16,000 and continues to increase each year. Once again our co-chairs Karen Suyama and John Arai dedicated countless hours to make our 56th annual Bazaar a big success. Under their leadership, the Bazaar Committee made sure everything ran smoothly. As some you may have heard, other churches ran into issues with their bazaars and it s fortunate that we were able to pro-actively avoid any problems. Despite the ever increasing challenges of putting on a Bazaar in today s world, Karen and John managed to keep everything on track with a big assist in the kitchen from Royce Mori. Change is not always easy but we ll need to keep up with the times for future Bazaars. Speaking of future Bazaars, we ll need to figure out how to keep staffing it. In the past, we ve had dedicated members who did most of the work. Now many of these members are aging out and we have a smaller core group of members who are critical to getting the essential things done. Non-member volunteers are also now needed to supplement Bazaar staffing. A big thanks to Cindy Sakihara and Karen Fujii who managed our volunteer program to get us the needed help. A successful Bazaar also depends on everyone s individual efforts whether you re a long time member, newer member, associate member, friend of the church, or a volunteer. Everyone s dedication and hard work is greatly appreciated. Also thanks to everyone who donated to our Bazaar including items for our very successful Silent Auction that grows every year thanks to Karen Fujii s efforts. The opportunity to get together and work with everyone and have some fun also makes the Bazaar a very special event for our Sangha. A very big THANK YOU to all who made our 2018 Bazaar a big success! In Gassho, Ken ************************************************************************************ SACBC Bazaar Bookstore - THANK YOU!!! We would like to thank and acknowledge the following donors of books and other items for the Bazaar Bookstore: Shizuko Yamauchi, Lani Uemura, Judy Tokubo, Jessie Sakai, Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Hirabayashi, Karen Fujii, Nancy Dodd, and the BWA Rummage Sale. If we have overlooked someone, please accept our apology and THANK YOU! We would also like to thank those who donated anonymously. We thank Hiroko Kimotsuki, Sonni Giang, Stan Kung, Elaine Abad, Tracy Inouye and Early McCauley for their help in the Bookstore. We especially want to thank Cindy Sakihara for her outstanding job in coordinating the volunteer at the Bazaar!! We are pleased to report that the Bazaar Bookstore sold $1,834 from the sale of donated books and other items. THANK YOU!!! Larry Gissible, SACBC Bazaar Bookstore

7 september 2018 sacbc activities calendar Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 NO SERVICE 3 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY (office closed) (Faafouina) :00a Dharma Family Service Shotsuki Hoyo 12:30p Jr YBA Bay Dist. Meeting (SACBC) :00a Fall Ohigan Service Dharma School Registration & Appreciation Luncheon (following service) :00p Golden Chain Deadline (Onami Taiko) :00a Bishop s Memorial Service (Faafouina) :00a Dharma Family Service 11:30a Dharma Discussion

8 october 2018 sacbc activities calendar Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat (SACBC JLS) 6 9:00a BWA Rummage Sale 7 10:00a Dharma Family Service Shotsuki Hoyo 11:00a BWA Rummage Sale (SACBC) :00a Dharma Family Service :00p Golden Chain Deadline (Heiwa Taiko) 20 Bonsai Show 21 10:00a Dharma Family Service 11:30a Dharma Discussion (Logan HS V-ball) :00a Athletic Assn Service Otoki following service

9

10