Happy New Year! from the Bulletin staff

Transcription

1 Vol. 51, No. 1 January 2008 Happy New Year! from the Bulletin staff Reverend Fumiaki Usuki Religious English, and Advisor Reverend Ensei Nekoda Religious Japanese Haru Matsumune Proofing, Temple Office Support Mas Sasaki Printing Sei Shohara Managing Editor Yasuko Shohara Computer Processing Richard Stambul Assistant Editor Ted & Betty Takahashi Business & Mailing Toshiko Uyekubo Calendar Japanese With this New Year, we introduce a new look to the masthead at the top of this page. This was designed by Elaine Fukumoto who responded to our request about a year ago for new ideas for the masthead. We are pleased with her design, especially with the addition of the hanging wisteria emblem of our Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. Elaine is one of the dedicated teachers of our Taiko group, and has been editing the English section of Jiho, Los Angeles Betsuin s newsletter, for over a dozen years. 元日や 昨日に遠き 朝ぼらけ Ganjitsu ya kinō ni tōki asaborake The dawn of New Year s Day; Yesterday, How far off! 移竹 Ichiku This is a very simple verse, but it expresses well the distance of the two worlds, the world of today and the world of yesterday. Only a few hours ago and everything was paying bills, work, quarrels, greed; now all is peace and smiles. (From Haiku, Volume 2, Spring by R. H. Blyth)

2 Happy New Year. I sincerely hope you will have a joyous and prosperous year. New Year s Day, or Shusho-E, is set aside for rededicating our minds and bodies to all the activities that will be forthcoming during the year and to thanking everyone and everything for allowing us to be here today. In this sense, whatever you encounter in 2008, though it may be exactly the same as what you have done for many years whether getting up and going to school, work, or shopping, or dealing with your children or fellow workers you will approach it with a new mindset and see different challenges. Although this may simply involve an attitude change, it is still an important process in your life. Personally, I enjoy the New Year because it gives me a new start and an opportunity to look at the same things differently. Isn t this an odd idea? What is really new about the New Year? Nevertheless, I ll take it because doing the same thing over and over again is no fun. The same thing can be said for new technologies and ideas we seem to discover, create, or invent. What is interesting about this concept of discovery is that we are building and creating new ideas and things from all the existing material and laws of nature in this tiny world in the universe. Of course, inventing new medicines, microprocessors, and rockets are tremendous accomplishments. But we also must be humble in achieving such feats. Perhaps we could include them in the process of the Buddhist law of causes and effects and name the process BCE. Sakyamuni Buddha was born about 600 years Before the Common Era when even simple technology was scarce. From his process of trying to understand the true nature of human life, he discovered the Buddha-dharma or the truth of life. He articulated his findings and spoke to many people, and eventually what he said was written down several hundred years after his death. His discourse on humanity was New Year s Greetings Renewing Our Desire for Harmony so profound that the writings became known as sutras, or Buddhist doctrine. However, we must also understand that what he articulated in a concise and understandable way to ordinary people was a philosophy of life that preceded even the dawn of mankind. Therefore, he did not discover, create, or invent the teachings. It is this realization that we must come to accept about Buddhism, namely, that the dharma is intrinsic to the existence of all beings. It is the one constant in this universe of change. The Buddha s discourses on such principles as the nature of impermanence, interdependence, and cause and effect reflect natural laws that are true and constant throughout the universe. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity but, like his apple, all things have been falling to the ground since the formation of the Earth. Just like Sakyamuni, Newton searched for an explanation for a phenomenon that already existed and found a natural law of the universe. We live in a world of continual discovery and invention, and nowadays it seems as though our lives will evolve at a pace that will be difficult to keep up with unless something dramatic happens to slow everything down. But the mystery of life has not changed since Sakyamuni Buddha sat down under the Bodhi Tree, meditated on human suffering, and articulated his findings. The process and the nature of life have been told over and over again for the last 2,500 years, and we need to rely on this Buddha-dharma more then ever now due to the complex lives we have created through science and technology. Therefore, it is most important for all of us in this New Year to take a step back and become mindful of our existence. The teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha and Shinran Shonin are now more critical in our lives than ever before. Finding peace and harmony within the human race, and on this fragile Earth, begins with each of us, individually, as responsible and compassionate beings. We can make a difference when more of us awaken to this reality. 2 (cont d on page 3)

3 (Rev. Usuki s Page continued) Wisdom for the New Year In the sky, there is no distinction between east and west. People create these distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. Mathematical numbers from one to infinity are each complete numbers, and each in itself carries no distinctions of quantity. Yet people make the discrimination for their own convenience in order to be able to indicate varying amounts. One who is to enjoy the purity of both body and mind walks the path to Buddhahood, breaking the net of selfish, impure thoughts and evil desires. He who is calm in mind acquires peacefulness, and thus is able to cultivate his mind day and night with more diligence. Inherently there are no distinctions between the process of life and the process of destruction. People discriminate and call one birth and the other death. In action, there is no discrimination between right and wrong, but people make a distinction for their own convenience. Enlightenment has no definite form or nature by which it can manifest itself, so in enlightenment itself there is nothing to be enlightened. Enlightenment exists solely because of delusion and ignorance. If they disappear, so will Enlightenment. And the opposite is true also: There is no Enlightenment apart from delusion and ignorance; no delusion and ignorance apart from Enlightenment. Being grasped by Unhindered Light is felt, but is beyond conceptual understanding; to be free of any form of calculation is to have realized Other Power. Shinran Shonin Hindered by Worldly desires, Our mental eyes cannot see the Infinite Light. The untiring Great Love of the Buddha, Nevertheless Embraces us with His Boundless Light. Shinran Shonin Happiness that you experienced because things went your way will eventually crumble; The happiness that you experience while being unable to change some difficult circumstance will never crumble. Hasumaro Sasaki (End of Rev. Usuki s Page) 3

4 Wilson his haiku: Jeff Many Shin practitioners are familiar with Issa, one of Japan s greatest haiku masters. Himself a follower of Shinran, Issa s poems often express the deepest emotions of the nembutsu way. For instance, here is one of the old wall s grass trusting beads of dew This is such a simple, small moment, yet it offers deep insight into the Shin approach to life. In the shade of an old wall, some grass clings humbly. It is nourished by the dew s moisture. The key to the poem, and to the life of shinjin that the poem subtly hints at, is in that single word of the second line: trusting. Just as the grass lives on trust in the life-giving properties of the dew, so we are given true and real life in the trusting of power beyond the self. This trust finds expression in both the cosmic and mundane aspects of our experiences. For instance, my family and I moved from Los Angeles to Canada a few months ago so that I could take a new job as a professor. Such life-changes certainly require lots of trust: trust that we would find new friends, trust that we would be able to live comfortably in a foreign country, trust that our love for one another would help us through the difficulties of such a big transition. And trust that wherever we go, we take the nembutsu with us. This is the second time we ve moved away from a temple community. First it was a move to North Carolina a state with no Jodo Shinshu representation after several years of membership at the New York Buddhist Church. Now it is a move to a Canadian town without a Shin temple after two lovely years at West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple, and the opportunity to visit many of the other temples of the Southern District. Each time we ve been sad to leave, and frankly it isn t fun being without regular access to a local sangha. But living away from temples, whether in the South or in Canada, has shown me that ultimately it is your own individual relationship with the Vow that is most essential. Community is a vital expression of the Buddhaway and a wonderful part of the Buddhist experience, but ultimately we have to say goodbye to even the most supportive sangha. Only the embrace of Other Power remains with us always and nurtures us even through the process of death. There is a silver lining to moving to Canada. Now we live about an hour from the Toronto Buddhist Temple, and while we re often busy, we do manage to attend services once or twice a month. Moving has afforded us the opportunity to get to know a new community of nembutsu practitioners. We always enjoy the friendliness and happiness we encounter at Shin temples, whether they are in the East or West, whether North or South of the border. Amida s light pervades throughout the ten directions and I m pleased to report that those who trust in Other Power are worthy fellow practitioners no matter where they live. Whatever old walls shadows we may live in, we can all rely together on the Buddha s compassionate vow. Namu Amida Butsu 4 REV. LEE ROSENTHAL SPEAKS AT WLA On Sunday, November 11, Rev. Rosenthal was the featured guest speaker in English for the annual Thanksgiving Service, and in both languages for the annual Eitaikyo Service that followed. He is shown here on the left after speaking to the Dharma School students, with Karly Bang, Derek Bang, Justin Mizushima, and Nathan Ohkawahira on the right. Rev. Rosenthal is currently resident minister of Vista Buddhist Temple. (Photo by Rev. Usuki)

5 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Vance Nishimoto Happy New Year! We bid farewell to the Year of the Boar and what a year it has been. I hope that the past year was healthy and prosperous for you all and I hope you have seen the results of the hard work performed by many people at the temple. You might have noticed the temple has a new, brighter look to it. I want to thank Tosh Ishioka for his hard work to get the temple painted. In the December issue of Sunset magazine, there was an article about the Sawtelle community also known as Little Osaka. The article mentions the many shops along Sawtelle as well as the West LA Buddhist Temple Mochitsuki. Thank you, Jim Shimomaye and to all of you who come and help make Mochitsuki a success every year. We welcome in the Year of the Rat and we start off the year with our annual New Year s Party and Shinnen Enkai on January 13. Service starts at 11:00 am followed immediately by the New Year s Party. Come join us, as we will have a shamisen performance as well as entertainment provided by our Dharma School and anyone else who wants to celebrate and sing in the New Year. If you would like to attend, please purchase a ticket from your organization president or the WLA Buddhist Temple office at , or by . Ho-onko Service will be on January 20 at 9:30 am with Rev. Akira Hata as our guest speaker. In conjunction with this service, we will have a memorial service in honor of the 750th year of Shinran Shonin s death. Now, a little bit of temple business. Our annual temple board meeting will be on January 16 at 7:30 pm. All temple organizations must turn in their annual financial reports for 2007 at this meeting. We have been listening to a lot of suggestions and are looking for more. If you have an idea, please contact us. You can call me at (818) or me (wlabtpres.vance@verizon.net). In gassho, Vance Nishimoto WLABT President NEW COAT OF PAINT FOR NEW YEAR In the last issue of the Bulletin, there was a photo showing the first of our buildings to start receiving a fresh coat of paint. By the time you receive this issue, this project to paint all our buildings on the west side of Corinth Avenue will have been completed, just in time for New Year. The photo below shows painters working on the right side of our Temple building facing Corinth. NEW MEMBERS ANNE GUILD BOB HARA Photo by Rev. Usuki OPEN HOUSE 11 am 1 pm Sunday, February 10,

6 DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS Grace Mizushima This year s Family Fun Night was held on Saturday, October 27. As usual, the YBA hosted a fun-filled evening for the Dharma School families and friends. Last month s issue of the Bulletin contained photo collages of the event. Some of the highlights were the costume parade, cookie decorating contest, Haunted Temple, games, and finally the piñata. Following were the winners of the costume contest (see photo below). Most Constructive - Construction Worker/Melanie Mizushima (Kylie & Justin Mizushima s cousin); Cutest - King of the Jungle Lion/Shane Kikuta (Amanda, Derek & Karly Bang s cousin); Most Creative - Jelly Beans/Amanda Bang; Best Toy Story Character - Jessie the Cowgirl/Karly Bang; Best Robotic Armor - Bionicle/Derek Bang. And for the Adult Winner (pictured on page 6 of last month s issue) - The Most Oishi Sushi Group/ Russell Tagawa (Sushi Chef) Kathy Tagawa (Sushi Roll) & Kenna Tagawa (Kylie & Justin Mizushima s cousin) dressed as Nemo. New Students I am sorry for the delay in making this announcement, but our WLA Dharma School is GROWING! At this time, I would like to welcome the following new Dharma School students who enrolled as of September 2007: Amanda Bang - 7 th Grade Derek Bang 4 th Grade Karly Bang Pre School Egil Rodriguez Pre School Natalie Gurzeler Pre School Please join me in welcoming all of our new students. We of course welcome anyone who would like to join us; we meet almost every Sunday from 9:30 am except for holidays and when sensei is out of town. Looking for Teachers Now that we are up to 18 students, we are also looking for any volunteers to become Dharma School Teachers to help us with our growing number of children. If you say you don t know anything and don t know what to teach the children, join the club! We are all learning together, both students and teachers. So, please feel free to join us!! Attendance Award Several of the costume winners left to right: Melanie Mizushima, Amanda Bang, Derek Bang, and Kenna Tagawa, with Shane Kikuta in the front row looking longingly at the fish head part of Kenna s costume. Thank you again to the YBA for hosting Family Fun Night. Thank you also to the Dharma School parents for picking up various food dishes for the evening, and finally, thank you to Dr. & Mrs. Brian Tamura (Nicholas & Christopher Pedersen s grandparents) for their generous donation after spending the evening with us. Please join us again next year!! At the Bodhi Day Service & Oseibo Taikai held on December 2, three Dharma School students received attendance awards for the most consistent attendance during the school year. (Photo by Emily Hoy) Award recipients Nathan Ohkawahira (left) and his brother Ryan Ohkawahira are shown above with Rev. Usuki. Missing is Mona Narumi who is presently in Japan. 6

7 BWA PAGE Message from Lorraine As the year comes to an end, I want to take this opportunity to thank the 2007 BWA cabinet and members for the time and effort they all put in over the past year. With their help, we were able to accomplish our goals and fulfill our responsibilities to the Temple and the organization. It was gratifying to know the membership was always there to grab the laboring oars to accomplish whatever tasks were before us. Many, many thanks for the support! Our Obon sushi project was a success. We wish to acknowledge once again the yearly contributions of Hidemi Ohkawahira to that success. For many years, he has awakened in the wee hours of the morning in order to retrieve our seasoned rice from Gardena for both Saturday and Sunday s sushi preparations. And, for those who have enjoyed the presentation of the wellformed sushi slices, we again must credit Hidemi who painstakingly sharpened our sushi knives. Domo Arigato! One of the highlights of the year was the addition of nine new members to the BWA. They were presented with udenenju and the presentation was followed with a bento lunch. From my vantage, the additions signified what I hope will continue to be a trend for not only the BWA, but the Temple as well, a sign of growth and increased participation by many. As is life, we temper the elation of gaining the new members with the loss of one of our pioneers, Mrs. Hatayo Shinto. She was a wonderful, kind, and generous lady. It is unfortunate that most of our newest members will not have had the opportunity to share time and learn from her vast experience. She will be missed. The newly elected cabinet for the year 2008 was installed at our November meeting. After the ceremony, we made our way to Asakuma Restaurant and shared a delicious lunch. A pleasant time was had by all who attended. In looking at the large turnout, I was pleased to see all the members new and older, conversing easily and warmly. My recurring thoughts were (1) the 2008 BWA was placed in wonderful hands and (2) the future of the BWA is bright. Finally, as I leave office, I wish to thank the ladies for giving me the opportunity to be your 7 president. It was challenging, stimulating, and gratifying to be a part of all that we accomplished over the past year. I will always be grateful for your support and am confident that you will provide the same effort for our new president, Haru Matsumune. Haru, much success for 2008! Acknowledgements In Gassho, Lorraine Soda BWA thanks the following who generously gave monetary donations during the year: Buddhist Men, Shizue Naramura, Michiko Takata, Pearl Takayama, Toshiko Uyekubo, Tom Yasuda & Marge Morikawa, and Yeiko Yasuda. Great Cause for Celebration! 2007 was a very auspicious year for the Ichiro and Toshiko Uyekubo family. Four generations: three children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, gathered to celebrate the couple s 70 th wedding anniversary and Toshikosan s 88 th birthday. The couple s life in our WLA community is a story of 50 years of dedication to the temple. Mrs. Uyekubo was recognized in 2004 as Buddhist of the Year and has been active in the Fujinkai for 50 years! (Photo by John Kawai) Delegation to 2008 FBWA Conference Standing: Rev. Patti Usuki Rev. F. Usuki Seated: Yasuko Shohara Haru Matsumune

8 BUDDHIST MEN CELEBRATE LONGEVITY PARTY Richard Stambul Buddhist Men celebrated its annual Longevity Party on Saturday evening, November 17, in the social hall of our WLABT. As you can see from some of the excellent photos taken by President Masao Sasaki at the event, everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. Long ago, we used to refer to our annual longevity party as a Kanreki Party, which traditionally honors those who reach their 60 th birthday during the year. Why 60? Some explain that since the oriental zodiac is made up of 12 animals, one who has been around the circle five times has reached the auspicious age of 60 (12 x 5=60). After 60, Japanese observe ages 70, 77, 80, 88, 90, and 99 as auspicious. Why? We hope someone can tell us. However, as we ve all gotten older we ve had to adapt to a changing world. So we ve dropped the reference to Kanreki since the vast majority of BM have long-since bid farewell to 60. We now call it a Longevity Party and on this evening, we literally spanned the ages. Of those honored this year, the youngest turned 60 and the eldest reached the truly auspicious age of 90. Wow! Adding to the celebration was the fact that Rev. Usuki s actual birthday was that very day! President Masao Sasaki made certain we had two birthday cakes, one honoring our sensei and one for the longevity celebrants. Just look at Rev. U enjoying his cake! Congratulations to all those Buddhist Men who were honored this evening, listed below. Diners at The Last Supper? No it s the Buddhist Men honored at the 2007 Longevity Party (Left to Right): Tom Ikkanda and Hiroshi Endo (90), Ben Yamanaka and Bob Fujimoto (88), Ichiro Ouchi (80), Henry Yamaguchi and Sei Shohara (77), Tsukasa Mukai (missing) and Hidemi Ohkawahira (70), and the youngster, Rick Stambul (60). Thank you, ladies, for all your help! (L to R) Margaret Yamaguchi, Tamiko Yamaguchi, Masako Ishioka, Kayo Ohkawahira, and Charlotte Sasaki Longevity Cake for All! Rev. Usuki dining on his birthday cake with gusto. 8

9 by Rick Stambul Buddhist Men and Rev. Usuki join with friends. Honoree, Jim Shimomaye, President Masao Sasaki, and guests Group Photo at Dinner Milton Iwamoto, Rev. Patti Usuki, (Unknown Hand), Ichiro Ouchi - Photos by Mas Sasaki On Thursday evening, November 8, 2007, the Buddhist Men cabinet and some others hosted Jim Shimomaye to publicly and conspicuously thank him for his selfless hours of dedicated work and good cheer during these past years. Most recently, Jim taught Buddhist Men to cook chicken using our large, portable convection oven. If you think teaching us Buddhist Men how to cook is easy or quick, you don t know our strengths which do not include cooking (Udon is the only exception. Thank you Sam Hada!). We spared no expense to host our honoree. The swank dinner was held at the Daily Grill in Santa Monica which the Buddhist Men cabinet was considering to supply the food for the Longevity Party later in the month. It was attended not only by Buddhist Men and Jim but also by our own Rev. Fumiaki Usuki, his wife, Rev. Patti Usuki, and two of the grand women of our temple, Charlotte Sasaki and Yasuko Shohara. 2008, THE YEAR OF THE RAT No doubt you will be hearing this year referred to as the Year of the Rat and wonder what this is all about. In this space we will try to shed some light on this. The rat is the first of the twelve animals in the oriental zodiac. Let us pause here and dispense with any notions that this zodiac has any real connection with Buddhism, particularly with our Jodo Shinshu sect that takes a very strong stand against superstition, magic, fortune telling and the like. Perhaps it s best for us to think of it as a quaint cultural thing, and that s what we cover here. An amusing connection with Buddhism occurs in folk tales about the zodiac animals. Conspicuous by its absence is the cat. With despised creatures such as rats and snakes included in the zodiac, why is the cat absent? The folk tale says that when the Buddha was on his death-bed, the saddened people and animals hurried to his side, but of all the species of animals, only the twelve in the zodiac came, so they were honored to represent the characteristics of each year in the 12-year cycle. The cat did not believe in the Buddha and was one of those that stayed away. The rat is the first of the animals because it was the first to reach the Buddha s bedside. However it did this by trickery. The rat jumped on the cow s back as they both hurried to the Buddha, and just as they arrived, the rat jumped off to scurry to the bed first, robbing the cow of the honor of being first. After one passes through 12 years of life, one completes a cycle of the zodiac and starts another cycle. Each cycle is associated with one of the five ancient elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and fire. After five cycles (60 years) then, one has completed going through the elements, a major life milestone. We call it Kanreki. 9

10 JANUARY SHOTSUKI HOYO, 10 a.m. January 5, 2008 Abe, Ichiro Akutagawa, Kazue Baba, Hiroshi Barbeiro, David Fujimoto, Ken Fujimoto, Larry Hanamoto, Michiye Hashimoto, Gizo Ichiho, Kameichi Ige, Takeo Ii, Fukuso Ikeda, Takeo Inaba, George Ishiwata, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Chito Iwashita, Takamori Kaba, Tadashi Kageyama, Kiyoko Kajiwara, Rinzaburo Kakehashi, Rokuzo Kawasaki, Toshio Kawasaki, Yukio Kimura, Kazuyoshi Kondo, Sasaichi Kosaka, Ichitaro Kuramoto, Hiroshi Masuda, Minoru Matsumiya, Rinzaemon Matsumoto, Ruby Mayeda, Hisa Mayetani, Toki Middo, Masunaga Middo, Sakae Middo, Wasaku Minazumi, Yoshiko Misono, Sukenari Nakagawa, Chita Nakagawa, Gisuke Nakagawa, Ichino Nakamura, Kiyoko Nakamura, Natsue Nakamura, Yutaro Nomura, Sekizo Ohara, Kiku Oka, Noboru Okumoto, Kanzaburo Ono, Kimiko Ono, Tonaichi Oshinomi, Michiko Ozamoto, Keijiro Ozamoto, Sadako Sakahara, Gosaku Sakahara, Rose Sasaki, Fumiko Sasaki, Kameji Shirai, George Sunada, Teruko Suzuki, Yoshifuru Takami, Sakutaro Takami, Suye Takazumi, Teruo Takeuchi, Norie Takimoto, Kumaichi Tanaka, Takako Tochioka, Tadao Totani, Tokumatsu Toya, Craig Uyeda, Mitsutaro Uyeda, Tsutako Watarida, Itaro Yahata, Nobu Yahata, Tsuneko Yamanaka, Koyomi Yamane, Nobuko Yamatoku, Kazuo Yoshida, Miyo CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF: MRS. HIDEYE KITAJIMA August 2, 2007 BCA CALENDARS The 2008 BCA calendar will be arriving in mid- December 2007 for distribution to WLABT members of the BCA. Please pick yours up during a service or other activity at the Temple. You can also stop by the Office when you re nearby, but you may want to call the Office to see if the calendars have arrived yet. The reason for this request is that each calendar costs nearly two dollars to mail, so you will be helping to reduce costs by doing this. Thank you! INVITATION TO THE 80-PLUS LUNCH Once a month, usually on the last Monday, Temple volunteers with great culinary skills prepare wonderful lunches for those becoming 80 years old anytime during the year. In the past, some have waited until they passed their 80th birthday, but this is completely unnecessary. If you become 80 anytime in 2008, you are welcome to come to the first plus lunch on Monday, January 28, at noon. BINGO One of the Temple fund-raisers at WLABT is the monthly BINGO games. They are usually held on the third Friday of each month. We hope you will come out and support the Temple while having some great fun ($$$). NEXT BINGO: Friday, January 18, 7:00 p.m. 10

11 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple 2008 TEMPLE CABINET, COMMITTEES, DEPARTMENTS Jack Fujimoto (cont d next page) 11

12 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple 2008 TEMPLE CABINET, COMMITTEES, DEPARTMENTS (cont d) End 12

13 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple January

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15 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple January 2008 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Bulletin folding toban: YBA 1 8 am Doors Open 10 am New Year Service Temple Closed Rev. Usuki off 5 10 am Shotsuki Hoyo 6 9:30 am Service/ B-Men Installation/ Study Class (E) am SD Ministers mtg at Betsuin pm Study Class (E) 7 pm B-Men mtg noon BWA mtg Rev. Usuki off 7:30 pm Taiko Rev. Usuki off am Service/ Cabinet Installation/ New Year Party 14 Rev. Usuki off 15 Rev. Usuki off 16 7:30 pm Temple Annual mtg 17 1 pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko 18 7 pm Bingo :30 am 750th MEMORIAL and HO-ONKO SERVICE for SHINRAN Rev. A. Hata (E&J) 21 Rev. Usuki off 22 Rev. Usuki off pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko NO Service 1 pm Shigin Kinryukai noon 80 Plus Lunch pm Study Class (E) 7:30 pm Taiko Office hours: 10 am - 4 pm Phone: westlabt@verizon.net Website: 17

16 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple 18

17 2008 CALENDAR - WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE Rev. Usuki s days off: Mon and Tue SDMA Meeting (LA Betsuin): 2nd Tue Sunday Service, Dharma School, and Study Class (E): every Sun Shotsuki Hoyo: 1st Sat Study Class (E): every Thu Temple Board Meeting: 1st Mon 80 Plus Lunch: last Mon No Lunch in July and Dec Asoka Fujinkai: 4th Wed Buddhist Men: 2nd Thu BWA: 1st or 2nd Sun Sangha Teens:? Jr. YBA, YBA, YABA:? Taiko: every Thu Bingo: 3rd Fri No Bingo in July and Dec Ikebana: 1st, 3rd, and 4th Thu Japanese School: every Sat 9:30 am-12:30 pm Shigin: every Tue WLA Youth Club: 2nd Wed Professional Temple clean-up: 1st and 3rd Tue JANUARY BULLETIN FOLDING YBA 1 Tue 8:00 am doors open 10:00 am New Year s Day Service (Toban: Temple) 2 Wed Temple closed 3 Thu No Study Class, No Taiko 6 Sun 9:30 am Service, Buddhist Men Installation, Study Class 13 Sun 11:00 am Service, Installation of Temple Cabinet, and Temple New Year Party (Shinnen Enkai) 16 Wed 7:30 pm Temple Annual Meeting 20 Sun 9:30 am 750th Memorial Service and Ho-onko for Shinran Shonin (Toban: BWA) Guest Speaker: (J & E) Rev. Akira Hata (retired) 27 Sun 1:00 pm Shigin Kinryukai FEBRUARY BULLETIN FOLDING BWA 8 Fri 7:30 pm BCA Southern District Council Meeting at Venice 9 Sat 10:00 am Shotsuki Hoyo 10 Sun 9:30 am Service, No Study Class 11:00 am Open House -1:00 pm 16 Sat 12 noon S.D. Jr. YBA 17 Sun 9:30 am Nirvana Day Service (Toban: Dharma School) Guest Speaker: (E) Rev. ( BT), (J) Rev. ( BT) 20 Wed 7:30 pm Asoka Fujinkai Meeting 26-3/2 Tue-Sun BCA Ministers Meeting and National Council Meeting: Rev. Usuki at Portland MARCH GENERAL CLEAN-UP BULLETIN FOLDING BUDDHIST MEN 2 Sun No Service (Rev. Usuki at National Council Meeting) 8 Sat 10:00 am Shotsuki Hoyo 9 Sun 12:30 pm BWA Shrine Omigaki and Meeting 15 Sat 9:30 am Ohigan Seminar: (J) Rev. Kenn Koizumi (LA Nishi Betsuin) - 1:00 pm (E) Rev. ( BT) 2:00 pm Chirashi preparation for Ohigan Service Otoki (BWA) 12 noon SD Jr. YBA Seminar II at Senshin 16 Sun 9:30 am Ohigan Service (Toban: Asoka Fujinkai) Guest Speaker: (J) Rev. Shinji Okada (Pasadena BC), (E) Rev. ( BT) 22 Sat All day Rev. Usuki at LA Nishi Betsuin - Ohigan Seminar 23 Sun 8:00 am General Temple and Garden Clean-up (No Svc: Rev. Usuki at LA Betsuin - Ohigan Svc) 1:00 pm Shigin Kinryukai Fri-Sun All Day Bay Cities Gardeners Association Cymbidium and Bonsai Show APRIL BULLETIN FOLDING ASOKA FUJINKAI 6 Sun 9:30 am Hanamatsuri/Hatsumairi Service (Toban: Buddhist Men) 13 Sun 9:30 am Eshinni/Kakushinni Memorial Service (Toban: BWA) Guest Speaker: (J) Rev. ( BT), (E) Rev. ( BT) 20 Sun 10:00 am Service and Lunch: San Fernando Valley Hongwanji BT visits WLABT 19

18 MAY BULLETIN FOLDING TAIKO 2-4 Fri-Sun FDSTL Conference (Host: Bay District): Rev. Usuki at San Mateo Marriott 9 Fri 7:30 pm BCA Southern District Council Meeting at Venice 10 Sat 10:00 am Shotsuki Hoyo 11 Sun 9:30 am Mother's Day Service (Toban: Sangha Teens) 18 Sun 9:30 am Gotan-e (Toban: YABA) Guest speaker: (E) Rev. ( BT), (J) Rev. ( BT) 19 Mon 12 noon 80 Plus Lunch 23 Fri All Day BCA Southern District Council Golf Tournament at Long Beach 25 Sun Temple closed (Memorial Day weekend) 26 Mon Memorial Day Cemetery Services 10:00 am Woodlawn 11:30 am Inglewood 31 Sat Rev. Usuki at Fresno Betsuin JUNE GENERAL CLEAN-UP BULLETIN FOLDING TEMPLE 1 Sun 8:00 am General Temple and Garden Clean-up (No Service: Rev. Usuki at Fresno Betsuin) 7 Sat All Day S.D. Conference at Sportsmen s Lodge, Studio City (Host: SFVHBT) 12 Thu 7:00 pm Buddhist Men Shrine Omigaki and Meeting 14 Sat 10:00 am Shotsuki Hoyo 15 Sun 10:00 am Father's Day/Graduation Service and Scholarship Presentation (Toban: YBA) Guest Speaker: (E & J) Rev. ( BT) Lunch to follow (Toban: YBA) Mon-Fri BCA Ministers Fuken: Rev. Usuki at New York 21 Sat 9:00 am - 3:00 pm 80 Plus Yard Sale 24 Tue 7:30 pm Start of Bon Odori practice every Tuesday and Thursday (EXCEPT July 3) 25 Wed 7:30 pm Taiko (Wednesdays during Obon practice weeks) 28 Sat Obon: Senshin Sat-Sun Obon: Sun Valley JULY GARDEN CLEAN-UP No PUBLICATION 1 Tue 7:30 pm Bon Odori practice Tuesdays and Thursdays to July 17 2,9,16 Wed 7:30 pm Taiko 3 Thu No Bon Odori practice 4-5 Fri-Sat Temple Closed (4th of July) 5-6 Sat-Sun Obon: San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple 6 Sun 9:30 am Obon/Hatsubon Service (Toban: BWA) 12 Sat 10:00 am Shotsuki Hoyo Sat-Sun Obon: LA Nishi Betsuin, Oxnard (Sat 7/12 only) 13 Sun No Service (Rev. Usuki at Pasadena) 18 Fri 7:00 pm Tent Set-up 19 Sat Obon Cemetery Services 9:30 am Woodlawn 11:00 am Inglewood Sat-Sun Obon: Venice, OCBC, and Pasadena 20 Sun 8:00 am Garden Clean-Up, Booth Construction, and Lunch (No Service) Sat-Sun WLABT Obon Festival and Bon Odori 28 Mon 7:00 pm General Take-Down AUGUST BULLETIN FOLDING YBA No Sunday Services, No Dharma School, No Taiko, No Study Classes 2-3 Sat-Sun Obon: Gardena, San Diego (Sat 8/2 only) 2-9 Sat-Sat LABCC Camp 17 Sun 1:00 pm Shigin Dokokai Sat-Sun SD Jr. YBL Conference (Host: Nishi), Rev. Usuki at conference 31 Sun 8:00 am General Temple and Garden Clean-Up 20

19 SEPTEMBER BULLETIN FOLDING BWA 1 Mon Temple Closed (Labor Day) 2 Tue Temple Board Meeting 7 Sun 9:30 am First Day of Dharma School Year 12 Fri 7:30 pm BCA Southern District Council Meeting at Venice 13 Sat 9:30 am Ohigan Seminar Guest Speaker: -1:00 pm (J) Rev. ( BT), (E) Rev. ( BT) 14 Sun 10:00 am Ohigan Service, YBA Cabinet Installation (Toban: Buddhist Men) Guest Speaker: (J & E) Rev. ; Lunch to follow (Toban: Buddhist Men) 21 Sun 1:00 pm Shigin Kinryukai OCTOBER BULLETIN FOLDING ASOKA FUJINKAI Sat FBWA Delegates Meeting (Host: Bay District) 11 Sat 1:00 pm Tri-Temple Seminar at WLA (Toban: WLABT) -4:00 pm Fri-Thu Rev. Usuki in Toronto (Toronto Buddhist Temple and vacation) 25 Sat 11:00 am Buddhist Men/BWA Memorial Service (Toban: Buddhist Men) 5:00 pm Family Fun Night (Toban: YBA and Dharma School) 26 Sun 9:30 am Service, No Dharma School NOVEMBER BULLETIN FOLDING BUDDHIST MEN 2 Sun 10:00 am Service at San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple: WLABT visits SFVHBT 9 Sun 9:30 am Thanksgiving Service (E) (Toban: Temple) 11:00 am Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service (E & J) (Eitaikyo Committee) 14 Fri 7:30 pm BCA Southern District Council Meeting at Venice 15 Sat 5:30 pm Buddhist Men Longevity Party 16 Sun 10:00 am Service and Lunch: Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple visits WLABT 19 Wed 7:30 pm Asoka Fujinkai Meeting We-Su Temple Closed (Thanksgiving) DECEMBER GENERAL CLEAN-UP BULLETIN FOLDING TEMPLE 7 Sun 9:30 am Bodhi Day Service, Oseibo Taikai, and Lunch (Toban: Dharma School) 13 Sat Mochi Tsuki (YBA and Temple) 14 Sun 8:00 am General Temple and Garden Clean-Up (No Service) 17 Wed 7:00 pm Asoka Fujinkai Shrine Omigaki and Meeting 18,25 Thu No Taiko We-Su Temple Closed 31 Wed 8:00 pm Joya-e Year-End Service (Toban: Temple) TEMPLE CLEAN-UP ASSIGNMENTS: Asoka Fujinkai Onaijin, Minister s room, pews BWA Kitchen, office Dharma School/PTC Classrooms and upstairs hallways Jr. YBA, Sangha Teens, YBA, YABA All windows: main building & social hall Taiko Basement and stairways Buddhist Men Mop floors, clean patio area, dumpster area, parking lot, garage Garden Maintenance Group - Temple and minister s residence gardens YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! Temple members not in any organizations are encouraged to help at these general clean-ups. There are many other areas that need attention. Clean-up dates are March 23, June 1, August 31, and December

20 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 TEMPLE SPECIAL SERVICES (See Calendar page for schedules of regular services) January 2008 Sunday, January 13, 11:00 a.m. Service, Temple Cabinet Installation, New Year Party Sunday, January 20, 9:30 a.m. 750 th Memorial and Ho-onko Service for Shinran Shonin Guest Speaker: Rev. Akira Hata