THE GEPPO. Why Shinran Shonin s Life Matters

Transcription

1 THE GEPPO A publication of the Ogden Buddhist Temple 155 North Street Ogden, UT / P.O. Box 3248 Ogden, UT Temple President: Thomas F. Supervising Reverend: Rev. Jerry Hirano Minister s Assistant: Annette K. Rev. Hirano contact info: Office Annette s Emergency Contact (omitted online) Home Emergency Minister s Assistant: Geoffrey R. NEW Web Site: ogdenbuddhistchurch.org Minister s Assistant: James A. Temple ogdenbuddhisttemple@gmail.com Junior Minister s Assistant: Charles A. Why Shinran Shonin s Life Matters ~ As written by Reverend Jerry K. Hirano in the May 2016 issue of Buddhist Thoughts This, then, is the true teaching easy to practice for small, foolish beings; it is the straightway easy to traverse for the dull and ignorant. Among all teachings the Great Sage preached in his lifetime, none surpasses this ocean of virtues. Let the one who seeks to abandon the defiled and aspire for the pure; who is confused in practice and vacillating in faith; whose mind is dark and whose understanding deficient; whose evils are heavy and whose karmic obstructions manifold let such persons embrace above all the Tathagata s exhortations, take refuge without fail in the most excellent direct path, devote themselves solely to this practice, and revere only this shinjin. Kyogyoshinsho CWS pg. 3 T his passage is from the magnum opus written by the founder of our sect of Buddhism, Shinran Shonin. It highlights who Jodo Shinshu is specifically taught for. I have realized that the person Shinran Shonin is describing in this passage is me. It is as though when I read this passage it says, This, then, is the true teaching easy to practice for Jerry Hirano; I believe that for one to truly consider themselves a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, one must be able to see this also. This month we will be celebrating Gotan-E (Shinran Shonin s Birthday). Why should this monk born over 800 years ago be remembered? What have I received from Shinran Shonin s teachings? Having been born and raised a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, it was through Jodo Shinshu that I learned about Buddhism. Within Buddhism I have found one of the most non-judgmental, compassionate teachings in the history of mankind. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni has said, There are 84,000 paths to enlightenment. What he means by 84,000 paths is that there is an infinite number of ways to awaken to Truth. Each of us human beings are individuals; consisting of our own histories and various causes and conditions which make up our lives. We each have our own stories and truths that make us who we are. Buddhism recognizes that the teachings must be flexible to encompass so many different viewpoints. There cannot be only one true and real teaching. Just as there cannot be only one story or history to identify each and every one of us, yet, why is Jodo Shinshu out of those 84,000 paths the right truth for my life? The essence of the Buddhist teaching is found within Jodo Shinshu. Jodo Shinshu has enabled me to see myself as the foolish being (Bombu in Japanese). The focus of Amida practice is to enlighten foolish beings such as myself. I know without a doubt that I am a foolish being, filled with greed, anger, ignorance; however, I recognize how my life has been blessed and I am alive as a result of the wondrous compassionate embrace of Amida Buddha, the essence of the relationships that surround me and allow me to exist. This teaching of the compassion is directed towards the foolish being filled with Reverend Hirano s article continued on next page.

2 greed, anger and ignorance resonates with the truth I have found in my life. Jodo Shinshu has shown me my life is not about just me, the foolish being, but in the relationships the world has given me. The words, the terminology, the rituals, the traditions all resonate with who I am. This is why I am Jodo Shinshu Buddhist. I hope that the members of our Sangha will all be able to feel gratitude for the teachings of this our teacher Shinran Shonin. PRESIDENT S MESSAGE I Hope you are all doing well this summer. This year s Obon Odori Festival is July 16 th. Food sales will be held from 4:00 through 6:30 pm, Taiko s first performance begins at 7:30 pm, and dancing begins at 8:00 pm. Please note Obon Dance practice in calendar. Obon, Hatsubon and July Shotsuki Hoyo service will be held at the Church on Sunday, July 17 at 1:30 pm. Before service, gravesite visits will precede at the Syracuse cemetery at 10:30 am, followed by Washington Heights at 11:00 am, and concluding at the Ogden cemetery at 11:30 am. The BWA will serve lunch after the gravesite visits and prior to service. The Obon weekend requires a lot of effort so any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. We ll have outside church clean-up the previous Sunday (10 July) at 8:00 am and Obon food preparation days will be July 14 and 15 beginning at 6:00 pm. If you have any questions regarding how you can help, contact Annette K., Ruth S. or myself. In Gassho, Thomas F. BWA NEWS Greetings from the Ogden BWA Thanks to everyone who supported us with our annual sushi fundraiser May 15 th. A big thank you to the BWA ladies that came out to help prepare and assemble the sushi, it always takes a village for fundraisers and it is greatly appreciated. The next big event is the Obon Festival, can t believe it is time already! The BWA will be making and selling Manju. Any help will be welcome. The schedule is as follows for anyone that wants to come and help: Yaki Manju, July 2 9:00am Fukashi and Mochi Manju, July 10 We also will be making a quilt to raffle off at the Bazaar in October, we will be starting this after our next meeting on August 21 10:00am. Thanks again for all the support and have a great summer and see you at Obon! More BWA news continued on next page. GEPPO ~ Page 2

3 BWA DONATIONS (Omitted for Online Version) DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS Superintendent Message In May, we honored our new Dharma School student, Aleigha, during our Hatsumairi (infant presentation) on May 15 th during the Gotan-E service. We are excited to have a new Dharma School baby! The Dharma School hosted the Salt Lake Temple Dharma School for our annual Lagoon Day on June 5 th. The boys and dads especially enjoyed riding the new Cannibal ride. We appreciate everyone who attended and contributed musubi and salads. Our thanks to Kris and Steve Y. and Betty and Kirk Y. for making all the food arrangements, bringing all the equipment and drinks for this great annual event. And, thanks to Betty Y. for dealing with all the tickets sales. Our appreciation goes out to Stan and Tami H. for picking up and getting the chicken into the park for all the hungry kids and parents. Over 50 kids and parents attended the event, and everyone had a great time. On Sunday, June 12 th, we honored our graduates at our last Dharma School service for the school year. We are so proud of Brandon T., our high school graduate this year. Brandon graduated from Syracuse High School, a member of the Jr. ROTC program. Brandon has enlisted in the US Air Force and will start basic training at Lackland AFB, TX, this summer. We are truly going to miss Brandon s smile and his willingness to help anyone and with anything at the temple. Congratulations, Brandon! Our college graduates this year are Daley Y. and Trenton Y., both graduating from the University of Utah. Daley Y. graduated from the University of Utah School of Architecture and Planning with her BS in Multi-Disciplinary Design. Daley has designed a multi-functional toy, beneficial to help the development of fine motor and cognitive skills in children with different impairments, learning the same skills. Congratulations to Daley, and we look forward to hearing more great things as she establishes her career! More Dharma School news continued on next page. GEPPO Page 3

4 Trenton Y. graduated from the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business, with his BS in Accounting. Trenton completed internships with Northrop Grumman and Grant Thornton s Denver office this past year. Trenton is already working on his master s degree at the University of Utah. He has already accomplished much, and we look forward to seeing more of his great business career accomplishments! In addition to the graduates, we honored our Dharma School students with attendance awards. Congratulations to Madison Y. and Andrew K. for achieving perfect attendance this year. Also, our congratulations to Marlene H. for achieving an attendance award, just missing one day during the Dharma School year. For our temple project for the year, the Dharma School students and parents will be painting the multi-purpose room stage. On June 12 th, we prepped the stage before Dharma School service. On Saturday, June 25 th, we invite all temple members to come out to help do the actual painting, starting at 9 a.m. As we wind down the Dharma School year, we want to thank Annette K., minister s assistant, for all she does to pull off our Dharma School services, week after week, doing all the behind the scenes coordination and organization so we can conduct service each week. This year, she organized a large mandala project for our students. (Her article will be coming in the next GEPPO! Look forward to it!) She is amazing! I want to thank the Sangha for helping out with another successful school year for our kids. All of our parents are so great, stepping up to help out with planned and unplanned events. We are a relatively small Sangha. However, since returning to the Ogden temple, I have been very surprised to see how much activity occurs at our temple. I am grateful to all of you for helping out for the benefit of our kids, the future of our temple. In Gassho, LaVerne K. Dharma School Donations (Omitted for Online Version) More Dharma School news continued on next page. GEPPO ~ Page 4

5 Dharma School June Birthday s! Brandon T. Marlane H. GEPPO ~ Page 5

6 Reminder: Summer Lawn Mowing Schedule Date Scheduled People July 3, 2016 Tom F., Stan H., Alex H. July 10, 2016 Obon Outdoor Clean-Up Everybody pitch in! July 17, 2016 Obon Service Mow lawn after service July 24, 2016 James A., Charles A., Geoff R. July 31, 2016 Mike K., Todd H., Roland S. August 7, 2016 Steve K., Blaine Y., Bart H. August 14, 2016 Kirk Y., Trenton Y., Steve Y. August 21, 2016 Tom F., Stan H., Alex H. August 28, 2016 James A., Charles A., Geoff R. A Special THANK YOU From our Treasurer, Betty Y. It is amazing to see how our members and non-members support our temple! If it was not for the generosity of each of you, our temple could not survive! Our recent YARD SALE was a complete success! We made about $1, for our temple! A special THANK YOU to Mitzie T. for cleaning out her house and making a huge donation to our church. Also, thank you to Kathy W. for obtaining the Queen of Yard Sales title and helping to facilitate this event. Every little bit helps! On behalf of myself and the board, HAPPY 90 TH BIRTHDAY! YOSHIE Y. We hope all your birthday wishes come true! GEPPO ~ Page 6

7 In Memory The Ogden Buddhist Temple Sangha extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the following member who recently passed away. May the family members find solace and comfort in the Nembutsu. Namo Amida Butsu Yoshiko Yokota - May 10, 2016 OBON DONATIONS NEEDED It is time again for the board to ask our members is they can help! Obon is a very important part of our heritage and tradition! However, it takes a lot of people working together to make each Obon even better than the last! We welcome any help as we prepare for this huge event! Please feel free to come anytime to help! There is always a job that needs to be done! If you can help us by offsetting some of the costs of Obon, it makes a big difference! If you are able to donate any of the following items, please let any board member know. 3-1 gallon bottles soy sauce 2-5 gallon buckets soy sauce 3 - large bottles Yoshida Sauce 2-25 pounds sugar 2 - large boxes salt 3 - large bottles Mirin 1 - gallon bottle Seasoned Rice Vinegar (green label) 1 56-oz Toasted Sesame Oil 30 Cans Spam 6 - Double-pack Somen Noodles 8-20 pound bags rice 1 - large box Dashi No Moto 5 - Costco size bags Edamame 2 boxes Small sized gloves 2-6 boxes Medium sized gloves 2-4 boxes Large sized gloves 2 - Costco-size bottles vegetable oil Cash donation to offset the cost of meat GEPPO ~ Page 7

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9 OBON SERVICE Sunday, July 1, 2016 Cemetery Service Schedule: 10:30 am Syracuse 11:00 am Washington Terrace 11:30 am Ogden 12:00 pm Otoki Lunch 1:30 pm Obon / Hatsubon Service July Shotsuki Hoyo 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. GEPPO ~ Page 9

10 July Shotsuki Hoyo July 17, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. July Shotsuki Hoyo Obon and Hatsubon Memorial Service July 17, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. July 21 July 7 July 22 July 17 July 10 July 5 July 3 July 3 July 28 July 12 July 6 July 20 July 1 July 1 July 30 July 14 July 25 July 25 July 7 July 3 July 8 July 30 July 23 July 10 July 22 July Ryuji Dick Hirasuna 1990 Bessie Toki Hokoda 1995 Mito Imaizumi 1961 Kantaro Inouye 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 2010 Jack Nisogi 1991 Tome Sakiyama 2015 Roy Hideo Shiki 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 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: Roy Hideo Shiki Sam Osamu Yamamoto Yuriko Inouye Scott Harada Yoshiko Yokota AUGUST Shotsuki Hoyo will be observed in September For those years not having a specific memorial service such as 2 nd, 4 th, 5 th, etc. the temple is holding these monthly Shotsuki Hoyo. 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 passes away in: year year year year year year year year year Corrections/Additions to the Shotsuki Hoyo list, please contact Ruth Schriock, GEPPO Page 10

11 OBON MEMORIAL LANTERNS The Ogden Buddhist Church is selling Memorial Lanterns for our OBON Festival. You can purchase a lantern in the name 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. This is a GREAT way to pay tribute to your ancestors and to watch them DANCE right alongside of you! Obon Memorial Lantern Order Form You can purchase a lantern to honor a friend or 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 names below) Lanterns are $5.00 per name Please fill out this form and return it to Ellen K. or any board member. You can also mail this form with your payment to: Ogden Buddhist Church P.O. Box 3248 Ogden, UT GEPPO Page 11

12 July 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 7:00 p.m. Obon Dance Practice 2 9:00 am BWA Manju making No Service :00 p.m. Obon Dance Practice 7 8 7:00 p.m. Obon Dance Practice Salt Lake Obon Festival 9 No Service 9:00 am Obon Yard Clean-Up 10:00 am BWA Manju Making :00 p.m. Obon Dance Practice 12 7:30 pm OBC Board Meeting 13 7:00 p.m. Obon Dance Practice 14 6:00 pm Obon Prep 15 6:00 pm Obon Prep 16 Ogden OBON Festival 4 10 pm (Prep at 9:00 am) Syracuse Cemetery 10:30 am Washington Heights Cemetery 11:00am Ogden Cemetery 11:30 am Obon Lunch 12:00 pm Obon Service 1:30 pm NO Toban Cleaning Group: Obon Cleaning Committee GEPPO Page 14

13 August 2016 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday *JACL Credit Union 6 Volleyball Tournament* No Service :30 pm OBC Board Meeting No Service No Service 10:00 am BWA Meeting No Service Toban Cleaning Group: Tom & Marcie F. (Toban Cleaning Leader) Steve & Ellen K. Christy K.-F. GEPPO Page 15

14 May/June 2016 Issue The information that follows is included in the GEPPO as a courtesy of the Interfaith Works. GEPPO Page 16