Way. The. OBON FESTIVAL July 24th & 25th 12:00pm - 9:00pm. The Radiance of Human Life Rev. Ryoko Osa TEMPLE SCHEDULE. Obon Family Service.

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1 HIGASHI HONGANJI BUDDHIST TEMPLE 505 East Third Street Los Angeles, CA (213) FAX (213) Address Service Requested NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Los Angeles, CA Permit No The Way Vol. 62, No. 6 June 2010 Theme: TEMPLE SCHEDULE July 11 10:00am Shotsuki Service 18 10:00am Obon Family Service 24 OBON FESTIVAL 25 11:00am Obon/Hatsubon Service 25 OBON FESTIVAL Obon Family Service Sunday, July 18, :00am OBON FESTIVAL July 24th & 25th 12:00pm - 9:00pm The Radiance of Human Life Rev. Ryoko Osa Senior Care Facilities One of the important tasks of the ministers of the Los Angeles Buddhist Church Federation is to go to retirement facilities to make presentations of the Buddhadharma to their residents. As one of those ministers, I have the opportunity to visit such facilities. My impression is that the facilities here in the United States are much brighter, cleaner, and generally happier than similar facilities in Japan. In Japan, such facilities have names like Best Life Kyoto, or Heartful Kyoto and you wouldn t know just from the name what kind of facilities they are. Here in Southern California, such facilities have names like Keiro Home or Japanese Retirement Home, and give the impression that they are more like residences rather than strict care facilities. Also, the naming of such facilities using words like Keiro (Respect for the elderly) shows a respect for the residents there. I think it would be good if Japan could learn from America and make such facilities more like home and provide that feeling of respect for their residents. The first time I entered such a facility in Japan was about ten years ago. It was when I went to a facility in Fukuoka to visit my grandmother. Because we lived faraway from each other, I had only met her twice before then, and so it would have been difficult to recognize each other. Even though I had no real memories of my grandmother, I wanted to meet her again, in a sense, to find out more about my own roots. I was able to hold her hand once again before she passed away. Whether she recognized me or not, I quickly realized that she had already lost much of her memory. It wasn t only my grandmother. Most of the patients there were already suffering from severe senility. Some were completely bedridden. And even those who could move around on their own seemed to have no life in their eyes. I was deeply shocked. I couldn t help but think, why are these people still living? At the same time, I thought that (Please see RADIANCE, page 3)

2 Page 2 Betsuin News Mother s Day Family Service & Pancake Breakfast We had a very pleasant Mother s Day Pancake Breakfast and Family Service. Many members came early in the morning to cook breakfast for all of the mothers and their families. We enjoyed a delicious selection of pancakes, eggs, ham, fried rice, strawberries, yogurt, granola, orange juice, and coffee. All the meals were served warm and fresh and the social hall was full of smiles and happy bellies. After breakfast, everyone went upstairs for our Mother s Day Family Service. This year, Greg Elliot presented a very refreshing and memorable reflection of his mother and experiences growing up as well as his relationship with his mother as he has continued into adulthood. Thank you, Greg, for sharing your wonderful Mother s Day stories with us! Thank you to everyone who helped cook and serve Mother s Day breakfast! We received support from several of our organizations, including ABA, YABA, Jr. YBA, and Sangha Teens. Special thanks to Elaine Harada and David Ikeda for making sure everything was ready for Sunday! Thank you to the Murata Family for their donation of fresh strawberries. We appreciate everyone s support! Tanjo-E & Hatsumairi Service This year s Tanjo-e and Hatsumairi Service was held on Sunday, May 16th. Special messages were delivered by Rinban Noriaki Ito and Rev. Nobuko Miyoshi. Congratulations to our newest members Galilea Marquez, Noa Edwards, and Anthony Saletta. They participated in our Hatsumairi ceremony with their families. Galilea and Noa have already begun participating in our Dharma School program and we look forward to seeing Anthony grow and including him in Dharma School as he gets older. Special thanks to Mr. Shin Ito for chairing service and to Toban A for hosting and preparing delicious chirashi otoki lunch for everyone. info@hhbt-la.org DHARMA SCHOOL UPDATE Dharma School went on a spring field trip to see Oceans at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. The kids all enjoyed the movie and had fun discussing the various sea creatures with each other. In June, we will celebrate Father s Day and the 2010 Graduates. Toward the end of the month, we will begin preparing for Obon! Dharma School is open to all children and we welcome you to join us on Sundays! visit our website at

3 (RADIANCE, con t. from page 1) something was wrong with the way I was reflecting on this experience. Urbanization All of you, I m sure, have heard the story of Śākyamuni Buddha s experience of the Four Gates. According to his biography, his parents wished that he would have only a happy upbringing and so they hid from him any experiences of the four principal causes of suffering, birth, aging, illness, and death. In today s world, we can see parallels to the Buddha s experience and the urban lifestyles of many of us. In olden days in Japan, babies were born at home and family members took their last breaths at home. In contrast, in today s urbanized societies, babies are born in hospitals, the elderly go to hospitals and care facilities, illness is treated at hospitals, and death usually occurs also at hospitals. In addition, funerals and memorial services are now often held at specialized facilities set up for such observances, rather than having them at temples or at family homes. It is because of such trends that I had never before been to such an elderly care facility, and that the experience was so shocking to me. We now live in societies in which one s personal welfare is much more important than community welfare. This trend towards urbanization and modernization serves as a major obstacle that prevents us from learning about life through our interactions with those we live together with. The Meaning of Life Is there any meaning in prolonging life for those who have lost the ability to think? My question here is based on a lifestyle in which human life is measured by one s capabilities. It is the view that says, a productive life is good; a life that causes difficulties for others, that is dependent on others, is bad. In this system that measures human life based on one s productivity, simply living (without doing anything productive) is bad. It says life must have value, purpose, and meaning. At the forefront of such an attitude is the thought that any human being must have a reason for living. To realize that each of us has our own special mission in life can serve as hope and as a catalyst for living with enthusiasm and energy. But sifted through the screen of the system of productivity, if one falls short of the goals, there is the danger that it can lead to depression. If it is true that one must have meaning and values in life, then those who fail to discover that would be excluded from living in society. Generally speaking, most people want to be good and this enables them to contribute to the advancement of society. It s true that countries and societies would fall apart if its citizens didn t live with such attitudes. I would agree that such things as value, purpose, and meaning can be measured in how people conduct themselves in everyday life. But can values, purpose, and meaning be attributed to life itself? And furthermore, do we as human beings have the ability to measure such things? I believe that human beings cannot see the meaning of life, nor measure the value of human life. The reason why is that life is the product of one s causes and conditions. Those causes and conditions that affect a life are as countless as the sands on the banks of the Ganges River. No life exists outside of the influence of such causes and conditions. In the midst of that interconnectedness, we influence our surroundings; we create karmic conditions. For there to be life, there had to be those causes and conditions that created that life. It is here that there is interconnectedness and karmic causes and conditions. Even if we aren t consciously doing anything, we are presenting immeasurable amounts of influence on life itself. It isn t value per se; it is reality as it is. A tragic situation will cause sadness and suffering. But if we put aside judgments of good and bad, we see the situation as reality and the product of karmic causes and conditions. From the Buddha s perspective, it isn t so much what we do, but rather, what exists at this moment as immeasurable causes and conditions. This is reality and it is not a matter of whether it s good or bad. The truth is that we are living right here right now. But in order to substantiate our individual consciousness, we place meaning and value to our lives. The Buddha s teaching does not Page 3 ask us to question how we are living, but rather, to question human existence itself. Buddhism would hope that we awaken to the reality that we are living right now, that we are being given the opportunity to enjoy this life we have. If we cannot help but be preoccupied with whether life has value and meaning, we are asked to change our perspective to reflect on life itself. Through our encounter with the Buddha s teaching, our being able to taste of the truth of the Buddhadharma is in itself the receiving of meaning and value in life. The Variety of Colored Rays Emanating from the Lotus of the Pure Land It can be said that each life, whether in the present or in the past, is influenced by karmic conditions and in turn exerts influence on others. Even a person who lives a bad life from a societal perspective, receives and creates karma like anyone else. The Buddhist attitude, therefore, is that all life is equal in value, all lives are radiant just as they are. Our eyes may distinguish between good and bad lives, but the Buddha would see all lives as beautiful and precious. In the Amida Sutra, there is a passage which describes the huge and beautiful lotus flowers that decorate the beautiful lakes in the Pure Land. It says, blue flowers send forth blue rays of light, yellow flowers yellow rays, red flowers red rays, and white flowers white rays. All are pure and beautiful, every one of them emits wonderful fragrances. I don t believe that what is being taught here is that the unique qualities and characteristics of each person are beautiful like the lotus flowers of the Pure Land. Rather, I think that what is being said here is that regardless of the differences, regardless of societal standards like value and purpose, each life is worthy of respect. Each life is likened to a beautiful ray of light emitted by those lotus flowers of the Pure Land; each life becomes that brightly shining light; each (Please see RADIANCE, page 5) visit our website at

4 Page 4 The Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple and the 2010 Obon Festival Committee would like to invite all members and friends of our Betsuin to join in the 51 st Annual Obon Festival. This year s celebration will be on Saturday and Sunday, July 24 th and 25 th from 12:00 to 9:00pm. This Buddhist Celebration is a traditional religious observance that honors our ancestors. Our temple grounds will be decorated with hundreds of Manto-e lanterns for the two-day festivities. The Obon Hatsubon (First Obon) Services will be held on Sunday, July 25 th at 11:00am. The traditional Manto-e Services will be held outside at 6:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The festival will begin at 12:00pm. Come enjoy a variety of ethnic foods such as sushi, udon, chicken and beef 51st Annual Obon Festival teriyaki, chili rice, tamales, kurimanju, shaved ice, and kintoki, as well as hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, and baked desserts. There will be plenty of food for everyone to enjoy during all of the festivities. Festival-goers of all ages can enjoy games, shopping at the Big Bargain Sale, and fresh fruits, vegetables, plants, and cut flowers at the Farmer s Market. There will also be plenty of entertainment with cultural performances throughout the festival. The program will include taiko, Japanese dance, tea ceremony, and much more. In the evening, the festival grounds will be full of dancers to join in Bon Odori. Everyone is encouraged to join in and dance both days from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Wrapping up the event on Sunday at 8:30pm will be the raffle drawing. There will be great prizes to win such as the Special Prize - Hawaii Tour Package for 2, First Prize Vizio p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Second Prize Apple ipad WiFi 8GB, Third Prize HP Mini 10.1 Netbook computer, Fourth Prize Apple ipod Touch 8GB, Fifth Prize Sony blu-ray DVD player, and many other exciting and valuable prizes. Be sure to send in your raffle tickets, so you can have a chance to win one of these great prizes. Extra raffle tickets are available in the temple office. We are all very excited about the 51 st Annual Obon Festival and hope you will accept our invitation to join us for this very special celebration. Obon Festival Committee Manto-E Lanterns Orders are now being accepted for Manto-e Lanterns for our Annual Obon Festival. Each lantern costs $ if you have not received an order form, they are available in the temple office. Please call to reserve your lantern at your earliest convenience. Big Bargain Sale Please bring items to the temple between Sunday, June 20 th (Father s Day/Graduation Service) and Sunday, July 11 th (July Shotsuki Service). If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer to help us, please call (626) Emily Matsumura and Irene Ota Bon Odori Practice Don t be shy, come join the fun! Learn all the latest dance steps for this year s Bon Odori. Wednesdays 7:00pm 6/30 7/7 7/14 Fridays 7:00pm 7/2 7/9 7/16 Lessons will be taught in the temple social hall. Please bring your tenugui, uchiwa, and kachi-kachi to practice if you have them. If not, please come and we ll share! Obon Gift Certificates Obon gift certifcates can be purchased for $5.00 each. They are great to give to friends and family to use over the weekend. Gift certificates can be used toward the purchase of food at our Obon only and are available through the temple office. SUBMISSION DEADLINE! Submissions for are due the 15th of each month for the following month s issue. Articles and announcements for our August Issue are due July 15th, Submissions may be subject to printing restrictions and staff approval. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!

5 Girls Scout Awardees Our sangha has a long history with scouting. There were five Higashi Boy Scouts that achieved the Eagle Award in the mid seventies. Two former Boy Scouts are still very active here at Higashi that you may not be aware of. Rinban and our president Ron Sato were members of this troop. Speed forward to the present day and we still have active Girl Scouts within our sangha. Kamryn Ikeda is the first Higashi member to obtain the Gold Award with the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. The Gold Award is the highest achievement that a Girl Scout can obtain. The second member to obtain her Gold is Jenna Tomita. Jenna also marched in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, I believe this is a first for a Higashi member. Please extend a warm congratulations to these two members. A formal plaque is hung upstairs on the corridor wall recognizing their overdue accomplishments. Gassho, Ted Oyama Belmont Service Unit Manager-GSGLA (RADIANCE, con t. from page 3) life glows in its radiance. Living life in today s world where one s productivity is constantly being questioned, if a person were to devalue himself, he would not be able to accept himself as he is. Consequently, he would not be able to accept others either. What this means is that he is not aware of the radiance of neither himself nor others. It is natural that people search for one s own merits, but what is more important is that the person be able to see that radiance and the preciousness of the lives of both himself and others. We who live everyday life here today may be able to realize the eyes of the Buddha who sees the radiance in all of life. But it is so difficult to see that radiance ourselves. It is so easy then, to forget to see through the Buddha s eyes, to receive the wishes the Buddha has for us. This is why it is so important to continue to receive the teachings of those who lived before us and to listen diligently to the words of the Buddha. Translation by Rinban Noriaki Ito Page 5 Our deepest condolences to the family and relatives of Mr. Masaharu Nagata (91) April 27, 2010 Mr. George Yoshi Arakaki (90) May 4, 2010 Mrs. Kouko Fukumoto (73) May 4, 2010 Mrs. Kimie Izumida (92) May 9, 2010 Mrs. Hatsuki Doi Kawahira (90) May 11, 2010 Mr. Haruo Harry Higashi (90) May 13, 2010 Namu Amida Butsu

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