THE GEPPO A publication of the Ogden Buddhist Temple 155 North Street Ogden, UT 84404 801/392-7132 Supervising Reverend: Rev. Jerry Hirano Temple President: James Aoki Rev. Hirano contact info: Office 363-4742 Minister s Assistant: Annette Koga Home 299-8727 Web site: www.slbuddhist.org/ogden/ Emergency 718-5755 Sitting Namo Amida Butsu By J.K. Hirano Those who feel uncertain of birth should say the nembutsu aspiring first for their own birth. Those who feel that their own birth is completely settled should, mindful of the Buddha s benevolence, hold the nembutsu in their hearts and say it to respond in gratitude to that benevolence, with the wish, May there be peace in te world, and may the Buddha s teaching spread! Please consider this carefully. Shinran Shonin, CWS 560 The question, What is Namo Amida Butsu? can be very difficult. Yet it is so simple to just say Namo Amida Butsu. When I say Namo Amida Butsu, what is it that I am doing? When I was a child, I would listen to the sensei tell us, Please join me in Gassho. I would put my hands together and when he said, Namo Amida Butsu, I would repeat, Namo Amida Butsu. This would happen three times. Later in my life, as I was riding on a plane hoping that I would be able to see my mother before she died, I imagined her in her bed dying, and suddenly Namo Amida Butsu came from my mouth. Sometimes when I am just breathing in and out, I can hear Namo Amida Butsu in my head. Is the nembutsu which we call Namo Amida Butsu something that I am doing or is it something that is around me that comes through me? The air I breathe is all around me, but it becomes a part of me when I breathe in and out. Breathing is said to be an involuntary physical act, meaning that whether or not we try, we just breathe. However, I am hooked up to a CPAP machine at night, because the doctor says that sometimes I stop breathing in my sleep. So is it me that is breathing or is it the machine? In a Butsu or is it Namo Amida Butsu that is coming through me? It is hard to say which is the cause and which the effect. In other words, is shinjin the result of nembutsu or is nembutsu the result of shinjin? Within Shinran s Mattosho, (Lamp for the Latter Ages), he states in reference to the saying of the nembutsu as an act separate from shinjin, The reason is that the practice of nembutsu is saying it perhaps once, perhaps ten times, on hearing and realizing the birth into the Pure land is attained by saying the name fulfilled in the Primal Vow. To hear this Vow and be completely without doubt is the one moment of shinjin. Thus, although shinjin and nembutsu are two, since shinjin is to hear and not doubt that you are saved by only a single pronouncing, which is the fulfillment of practice, there is no shinjin separate from nembutsu. No matter what the cause or reason in Jodo Shinshu may be, it is often said to just say namo amida butsu. If you are unsure of how or why, just do it. I believe the same can be said for the sitting meditation of Soto Zen. There are some who do not want to take part in meditation. They say that meditation is a self- powered practice while Jodo Shinshu teaches the other power of the Nembutsu. I do not believe meditation or nembutsu is a practice per se. It is not the means to attain enlightenment. Rather it is a way to express that which has already been awakened to. Within the Soto Zen school founded by Dogen Zenji, about the same time as Shinran Shonin was developing his thoughts on the Nembutsu, the type of meditation they do is called Shikantaza which is usually translated as just sitting. Dogen states in his Fukanzazengi, (Universally recommended practices for Zazen), The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice [in the traditional buddhist sense]. It is simply the
dharma gate of peace and bliss, the practice-realization of totally culminated awakening. In my mind, there is no difference between this type of sitting to our saying the nembutsu. This practice-realization of totally culminated awakening is shinjin. To recite the nembutsu as a response or with a deep sense of gratitude that comes from something more then myself is my nembutsu practice. We may say this nembutsu comes from the mind of Amida to my mind. In a similar manner when I sit it is an expression of the awakening of the mind of Amida within me. To sit or to say Namo Amida Butsu, I believe they are the same. As I sit, I breathe in and out. As I recite Namo Amida Butsu, it is as my breath. Both are the manifestation of the great compassion that embraces us all. I sit in Namo Amida Butsu. PRESIDENT S MESSAGE By James Aoki Is it summer? Did summer finally arrive? The reason I am happy to see our summer is that we have a busy but awesome summer planned for our members, friends, and guests. The weekends in July are fully booked. July starts with the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple Obon Dance on Saturday, July 12 th, the JACL National Convention is being held in Salt Lake from July 16 th thru the 19 h, many of the workshops are open to the public. Then the fun begins in Ogden on Saturday, July 26 th we are having our annual Obon Dance festival and our world famous cooks will be at work creating their culinary works of art. At the conclusion of the last dance, we will be selecting the winners of the Building Maintenance Fund drawing. So, if you have not purchased your tickets to support the Building Maintenance Fund please contact one of the board members and help support our Temple. We will be visiting the different Cemeteries prior to our Obon service on Sunday morning. The finale to our major summer activities will be the Mountain States District Conference which we are hosting in Ogden this year. The dates of the Conference are Saturday, August 2 nd and 3 rd. We are honored to have Bishop Ogui from BCA attending our District Conference and our other special guest who will be leading our Conference workshops and guest speaker at our closing service is Dr. Greg Krech from the ToDo Institute in Middlebury, VA. I know we are all busy during the summer but there are many of our members working hard to make these events a success and your support is necessary and is greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing you at the temple. In Gassho, James THANK YOU All the lanterns on the north side of the temple have been re-wired and are all in working order thanks to James Aoki, Steve Kato, Mike Koga, Steve Yamada and Kirk Yamashita. Thanks guys!
BWA NEWS By Ruth Kawashima I would like to thank everyone who attended our Fujinkai Memorial and Eshinniko Service on June 15 to honor all the hard working women who have done so much for our temple. I would also like to thank Rev. Hirano for giving such a meaningful sermon for our service. Thanks to the ladies who helped with the luncheon - making such delicious salads and cupcakes - Fran Hamada, Marie Hirabayashi, Marion Hori, Ellen Kato, Annette Koga, Linda Russell and Marilyn Yoshida. We had a very successful mochi workshop. We all learned that it takes a lot of muscle power to make good mochi. We will be making manju for Obon on Sunday, July 13 starting at 8:00 a.m. I would like to ask as many of our members who are able to come and help. Anyone who would like to learn is welcome to join us. I am happy to announce that 2 girls from Mountain States District will be going to Japan in July as part of the BCA FBWA Student Exchange Program. Courtney Sugihara, daughter of Bill & Pam Sugihara and Jennifer Fong, daughter of Bruce & Christy Fong will be representing our district. This was very last minute when an emergency arose because the current district was unable to find students who could attend after arrangements had already been made in Japan. As part of the exchange program, Mountain States will be hosting 2 young girls from Japan next summer. This situation is was very unusual so since this was not our regular rotation for the exchange, Mountain States will have the opportunity to offer this again in 2010 for 2 girls. This will be announced early so all the girls will have an opportunity to apply. This will be an amazing trip for both girls and we look forward to the reports of their trip when they return. Next BWA meeting: Sunday, September 7 at 10:00 a.m. Gassho, Ruth Kawashima BWA DONATIONS Omitted for online version
BWA Donation List (cont.) Omitted for online version PANDEMIC FLU REGISTRATION FOR PEOPLE WITH SPEICAL NEEDS By Alice Hirai James Aoki asked me to follow up on the presentation on the Pandemic Flu Plan given on May 18 th at church. Lance Peterson from the Weber County Sheriff s Department has set up a Utah Special Needs Registry. He is part of the Weber-Morgan County Pandemic Flu Task Force who encourages anyone who falls in the category of needing extra assistance such as being: homebound, disabled, on oxygen, in a wheelchair, etc. to be registered so help can be on its way. James realizes that most members of the church has some contact with family, other members, or friends, but the concern comes when these family and friends become victims themselves during a disaster and are not able to help the people with special needs. This is where the sheriffs can take the important role of being a back-up to those in need. James feels as a Sangha that we need to take care of our members. As a Sangha, please take time to help register a member of any age who requires special assistance. To register, you can go to the web site: www.specialneedsutah ~ there is a Utah Special Needs Registry form you can fill out or you can call 211. For those who would like me to help please don t hesitate to call me, Alice Hirai, 801-395-1529 and I will be glad to help anyway I can. I appreciate James who cares about the well-being of our Sangha. He is the one who encouraged me to make sure our members are taken care of.
DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS Dharma School has come to a close this year! What an exciting year we had. We did lots of new things, made lots of new friends, and create lots of great memories! We hope that everyone comes out next year to help make our Dharma School even bigger and better! At our closing party, awards were given out for PERFECT ATTENDANCE! Perfect Attendance: Trenton Yamashita, Madison Yamashita and Catherine Aoki 1 Day Missed: KayLe Yamada 2 Days Missed: MacKenzie Hirai and Alex Hirai CONGRATULATIONS! Dharma School will begin this fall with our annual picnic with Salt Lake. Look for more information to come! SCRIPS Reminder SCRIP orders can be e-mailed to Suzan Yoshimura at Yoshimurab@aol.com anytime before the due date. Order Deadline Scrip s Received July 6 July 13 August 3 August 10 Dhrma School Donations Omitted for online version Jr. YBA/YBA Donation Omitted for online version
Church Lawn Mowing Schedule By Steven Kato Thanks to all who volunteered to help with Temple lawn care. The first person listed will coordinate with the others when the lawn will be mowed during that scheduled week. If you have a conflict with your scheduled time, please call Steve Kato or Mike Koga. Week of 15-Jun-08 22-Jun-08 29-Jun-08 6-Jul-08 13-Jul-08 20-Jul-08 27-Jul-08 Thanks again!!! People Last day of Dharma school (15 June) - mow lawn after service James Aoki Charles Aoki Sheldon Shimizu Kirk Yamashita Steve Yamada Stan Hirai Mike Koga Steve Kato Todd Heslop Kirk Yamashita Steve Yamada Stan Hirai Obon Clean-up (Sunday, 20 July) - mow during Clean-up Obon Service is 27 July and Mt. States Conf. is 1-3 Aug - mow after Obon Service or during the week James Aoki 3-Aug-08 Charles Aoki Tom Fujikawa Steve Kato 10-Aug-08 Geoff Russell Blaine Yoshimura Kirk Yamashita 17-Aug-08 Stan Hirai Steve Yamada Mike Koga 24-Aug-08 Tom Fujikawa Geoff Russell James Aoki 31-Aug-08 Charles Aoki Todd Heslop Steve Kato 7-Sep-08 Blaine Yoshimura Mike Koga 14-Sep-08 Dharma school re-starts (14 Sept) - mow after service
OBON 2008 It is this GREAT time of year ~ that we celebrate our ancestors and the family that has passed on before us! Please make sure you read all the information regarding this year s OBON festivities. Obon Festival Saturday, July 26, 2008 Japanese Food Starting at 4:00 p.m. (Chicken & Beef Teriyaki Bowls, Spam Musubi, Somen, Manju) Ogden Buddhist Taiko 7:30 p.m. & Intermission Bon Odori (Bon Dancing) 8:00 p.m. Ogden Buddhist Temple 155 North Street
Obon Memorial Lanterns The Ogden Buddhist Church is selling Memorial Lanterns for Obon. You can purchase a lantern in the memory 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. OBON MEMORIAL LANTERNS ORDER FORM You can purchase a lantern to honor a 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 name) Lanterns are $5.000 per name. Please fill out this form and return with payment to Ellen Kato or any board member. Obon Dance Practice Obon Dance Practice will be held on the following nights at 7:00 p.m.: June 30, July 2, 7, 9, 11, 16, 18, 21, and 23 Please come out and learn the dances. There is always a lot of fun, great friends, and treats too! OBON PREPARATIONS We will be doing food prep and getting the church set up for Obon at the following times: 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 24 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 25 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 26 Volunteers are needed both nights and especially on Saturday. Please come and lend a hand when you can. THANKS!
Ogden Buddhist Temple 2008 Obon Food Donation List The Board would appreciate it if Temple Members could donate the following items to be used in food preparation for the 2008 Obon Festival, which will be held at the Temple on July 26th. Items must be brought to the temple by July 14th. Item Needed Ajinomoto Black Pepper Double packages Somen 1-pound bag Furikake 50-pound bag Granulated Sugar Plastic Forks (Strong) 500 count 20-pound bag Rice One gallon Seasoned Rice Vinegar (Green Label) Spam One 6-packs of cans Sushi Nori One 50-count package Large Size ~ Toasted Sesame Oil Large bottle White Pepper 1-pound White Sesame Seeds Quantity Needed One box One large can Three packages One Two One box Six bags One Eleven packs Twelve packs One can One One bag THANK YOU to several temple members who have already donated some of the necessary items. $$$ In addition, monetary donations to help defray costs of the perishable items (meat, etc.) are welcomed. $$$ How to donate: In Person: The list will be posted outside the kitchen door. Add your name in the column next to the item you wish to donate. If you are donating more than one of an item, please add your name next to each one. By Phone: Call the Ogden Buddhist Temple office (392-7132) and leave a message with the item you wish to donate. We will add your name to the list. By e-mail: Send an e-mail to Ruth Kawashima (rakawashima@hotmail.com) and she will add your name to the list. The Board thanks you in advance for your generous support of the Temple and its activities.
OBON SERVICE Sunday, July 27, 2008 Cemetery Service Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Syracuse 9:30 a.m. Washington Terrace 10:00 a.m. Ogden 11:00 a.m. Obon / Hatsubon Service July Shotsuki Hoyo Otoki Lunch prepared by Ogden BWA to follow LAS VEGAS OBON The Salt Lake Temple has arranged for a bus to go to Las Vegas to participate in their Obon Festival. Their Obon is held indoors in an air conditioned school gymnasium. It is attended by many, many different temples from many different states. The bus will leave on Friday, August 8 and take everyone to the Obon on Saturday, August 9. The bus will return on Sunday, August 10. The cost is $100 for the bus and $89 per night for the hotel. They need a count ASAP. If you are interested in going, please contact Ruth Kawashima at 801-292-6042. Sensei Social Our Sensei Social s have come to a close for this year. The board feels that our sensei socials have been very successful. We all got to know a little more about Reverend Hirano. We also got to spend some quality time with friends. We will be continuing this new tradition next year. Look for further information coming soon! THANK YOU to Kirk and Betty Yamashita, James and Marisa Aoki, and Jeannie Painter for providing the treats for the past three socials. Yum, Yum, Yum!
July Shotsuki Hoyo July Shotsuki Hoyo July 27, 2008, 11:00 a.m. Obon and Hatsubon Memorial Service July 27, 2008, 11:00 a.m. July 7 July 22 July 10 July 5 July 3 July 3 July 28 July 12 July 6 July 20 July 1 July 1 July 14 July 25 July 7 July 3 July 8 July 30 July 23 July 22 July 17 1990 Bessie Toki Hokoda 1995 Mito Imaizumi 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 1991 Tome Sakiyama 2004 Emma Yayoi Stewart 1971 Heibei Sugimoto 1984 John N. Takabayashi 1982 Tome Taura 1999 Minoru Watanabe 2005 Lily Watari 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: Tomio Yamada Dick Hideki Kishimoto Takeharu Inouye Shizu Nakano Miya Kiyoshi Kay Shimada Judy Naoko Takara Helen Fujiko Yoshinaga AUGUST Shotsuki Hoyo will be observed in September For those years not having a specific memorial service such as 2nd, 4th, 5th, etc. the temple is holding these monthly Shotsuki Hoyo (Monthly Memorial Service). 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: 363-4742, Home: 299-8727, Emergency: 718-5755 2008 Memorial Service Schedule for those who passed away in: 2007-1 year 1996-13 year 1976-33 year 2006-3 year 1992-17 year 1959-50 year 2002 7 year 1984 25 year 1909 100 year
BAZAAR FOOD DONATIONS The health department informed us at last year s bazaar that we are not allowed to sell home cooked food items to the public (such as cakes, pies, breads, cookies, etc), unless that member has a food handler s license. These donated items make up a large portion of the income from the bazaar so we are trying to arrange for a class to be held at the church, taught by the health department that will give everyone an opportunity to obtain a food handler s license. Please watch for an announcement about the class which will be held sometime after Obon. National JACL Conference The Salt Lake City JACL chapters are proud to welcome all the delegates, families, and friends of the Japanese American Citizen's League to our town. Set among the most picturesque landscapes in the United States, this event will be one to remember! Please visit the conference web site at: http://www.mwt.com/jacl/ for information and registration information. The 2008 Youth Convention will also take place at the same time. You can visit the youth area through the link above. Mountain States District Conference The Ogden Buddhist Church is proud to host this year s Mountain States District Conference! We will hold the conference at the beautiful Ogden Marriott Hotel in Downtown Ogden. The downtown area has recently gone through a big renovation and we are so excited to show off our new town! The highlight of downtown is the new Salomon Center. Check out their web site for further information - http://www.salomoncenter.com/ Across the way is the Treehouse Museum - http://www.treehousemuseum.org/home.html There is also the GREAT outdoors of Utah! You outdoor enthusiast will have a hard time deciding what to do. The conference itself will be fabulous and you will be enlightened by the speakers we have planned. The food will be great, the company will be fun, and the atmosphere will be one you will not want to miss! We hope to see all of you in August!
Mountain States District Conference Ogden Buddhist Church August 2 3rd 2008 Registration Form Name: Street Address: City: State: Zip Code: Temple: Hotel Information: Ogden Marriott Hotel 247 24th Street Ogden, UT 84401 (888)825-3163 Mountain States Conference Reservations Link: http://marriott.com/slcog?groupcode=msdmsda&app=revlink Please return completed registration form by June 30, 2008 ** Please note: Registration Deadline has been extended to July 10, 2008 ** Mail: E-mail: Ogden Buddhist Church franhamada@msn.com 155 North Street or Ogden, Utah 84404 garussell@mac.com For questions, please contact: Fran Hamada: (801) 497-1482 Geoff Russell: (801) 499-0175 James Aoki: (801) 920-3576
37th Mountain States District Conference Agenda- Tentative Friday, August 1st 1:00 PM Arrive at Hotel (Check-in) Naikan Workshop for Care Givers and Mental Health Professionals with Gregg Krech and Carmela Hirano at S a l t L a k e B u d d h i s t Te m p l e. ( N o t e: This is not a part of the formal conference and is available to the general public. The workshop fee has not been set, but will be in the $50-100 range per person. Saturday, August 2 nd 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 10:30 AM Noon 1:00 2:30 PM 2:30 3:00 PM 3:00 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM Registration and Continental Breakfast at Ogden Temple. There is no fee for conference registration. Mountain States BWA Meeting Opening Service with Bishop Socho Ogui General Meeting Lunch- bento at Ogden Temple Naikan Workshop I (Gregg Krech) Break Naikan Workshop II (Gregg Krech) Social Hour- Ogden Buddhist Temple Dinner- Ogden Buddhist Temple Group Activity Sunday, August 3 rd 8:30 AM 10:00 AM Noon Breakfast (Dharma School) at Ogden Temple Closing Service Guest Speaker: Gregg Krech Certification Presentation: Socho Ogui Lunch at Ogden Buddhist Temple Until Next Conference in SLC 09
37th Mountain States District Conference Activities for Youth There is a wide range of activities for youth near the conference hotel. The Junction, Ogden s new downtown entertainment center is within walking distance of the hotel. It offers bowling, indoor surfing, indoor sky-diving, miniature golf, billiards and a game center. There is also a Megaplex Theater with 13 screens and restaurants. Toadz Game Center in Marriott Slaterville offers laser tag, outdoor miniature golf, go karts and a driving range. Member Spotlight HAYLEE HANNAH HOCH is the granddaughter of long time temple member Mrs. Mildred Miya! Although Haylee just graduated from Freemont High School her accomplishments are greater than most students her age. Haylee signed a softball full ride scholarship with the University of Utah, was part of the 2008 Region I Champions batting.550, and was recently named KUTV Prep Athlete of the Week with Reese Stein ~ all during her senior year ~ while still maintaining a GPA of 3.65 making high honor roll! She is registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse and Who s Who of American High School Students. Some of her accomplishments include: 2005 Freshman All-Region Rookie MVP, Prep Star featured in Ogden Standard Examiner, 2007 State Leader in all-time career home runs (21), 2005 Two-time Utah ASA State 16U champion - Utah Express, 2006 Home run leader - state single season record (2 short of all-time state career record), All-Star team B Triple Crown World Series, NFPSA 2006 National Championships, 2006 Utah State ASA 16U State Championships - Batted.919. The Ogden Buddhist Church would like to congratulate Haylee on all her accomplishments and wish her the best of luck at the University of Utah! If you have a member that you would like highlighted, please contact Kris Yamada at KYamadaUT@comcast.net.
JULY, 2008 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 1 2 7 p.m. Dance Practice 3 Fri 4 4 th of July Sat 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 p.m. Dance Practice 7:30 p.m. Board Meeting 7 p.m. Dance Practice 7 p.m. Dance Practice Salt Lake OBON 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 8 a.m. BWA Manju making 7 p.m. Dance Practice 7 p.m. Dance Practice 8 a.m. Yard Clean-up 20 27 7 p.m. Dance Practice 21 22 23 7 p.m. Dance Practice 24 6 p.m - Obon Food Prep Pioneer Day 28 29 30 31 ~~~~~ JACL National Convention ~~~~~ 25 6 p.m - Obon Food Prep 7 a.m. Obon Prep 26 OBON FESTIVAL 4 10 p.m. Cemetery Service Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Syracuse 9:30 a.m. Washington Terrace 10:00 a.m. Ogden 11:00 a.m. Obon / Hatsubon Service July Shotsuki Hoyo ****TOBAN CLEANING**** Vern Waters & Mary McGreal (Toban Cleaning Leader) Obon Cleanup Committee Obon Cleanup Committee
AUGUST, 2008 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Mountain States 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Conference 10 11 12 7:30 p.m. Board Meeting 13 14 15 GEPPO articles due 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 SL Temple Golf Tournament 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 ****TOBAN CLEANING**** Tom & Marcie Fujikawa (Toban Cleaning Leader) Robyn & Kent Fujikawa Steve & Ellen Kato Valerie Kato