Long Beach Buddhist Church Newsletter May 2018 Transmitting the Dharma and Spirit of Dedication Since Long Beach Buddhist Church let me join the Sangha in May 2014, four years have passed. During the last four years,we saw some members pass away while we saw some other join the congregation. We saw a new novice join our sangha while we saw some stop coming to the church. We saw some young members join the board while we saw some elder board members stop attending the meeting. When I was a teenager, seeing all the neighbors and members of the temple, I knew from early childhood passing away was always heart-breaking. I always said, I wish all things would stay the same just the way they were when my grandparents and parents were alive. Life seemed so ruthless sometimes because all the things I wanted to protect kept disappearing from my life and, instead, it kept bringing something new that I was not familiar with. It hurt me deeply. But, in fact, all sentient beings are hurt by change as they long for permanence as we travel in the beginningless cycle of birth and death. The relative world of new and old, sorrow and hope, uprising and declining will continue to hurt us and cause us great pain until we open up our mind to the deeper and broader meaning of life beyond the world of the binding senses and emotional appetites. I'd like to express my deep respect to the members and the board of Long Beach Buddhist Church for gracefully allowing the waves of change to come and reshape our sangha, transmitting the essence of who we are as Buddhists. We will continue to pursue Buddhist teachings by sharing our aspirations, wisdom and sometimes questions by further strengthening ties with the membership, the society and fellow Buddhist and non-buddhist friends in the community who support Long Beach Buddhist Church. Although fund-raising, meditations, study group, liturgies and classes of many kinds will continue to be the instruments for us to express our dedication as Buddhists, Bon Odori which started last year will uniquely be the symbolic stronghold to protect our Buddhist spirits as Japanese and Japanese-Americans. We are grateful for the members and all their friends for generously offering their help to make this church a place where Dharma and the spirit of dedication can be taught and passed down to new generations and members who are yet to join us. Gassho, Rev. Yukinori Gyokei Yokoyama Dear Members and Friends First of all, I appreciate your confidence in the leadership of the Board of Directors for this coming year. We are working very hard to improve the church and the programs that are presented. Our first fundraiser of the year, our Chow Mein Dinner, was a huge success. We enjoyed the best sales ever for this event. I would like to express the appreciation of the board for your donations and all the help in the preparation and serving all the dinners we sold. Ladies Guild did very well during our Bake Sale. Our next fundraiser is the Food Sale in June. Again, we ask for your participation in this next fundraiser also. The church will be holding an Obon festival again this year, under the leadership of Robert Yasumura. We look forward to seeing you during this special event. Susan Eastman, President Long Beach Buddhist Church
MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS Thank you for your continued support and participation to help us improve Long Beach Buddhist Church The next food sale is Chicken & Chirashi Zushi Sale on June 3rd from 12:00 noon 4:00 pm $10 per plate
SPIRITUAL GROWTH Sangha: Priests and monks helping us spiritually Rev. Devin Seigaku Amato Rev. Devin Seigaku Amato has been serving our Sangha for almost 2 years. Being a non- Japanese priest, he proved himself to the congregation by showing his dedication to the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Seigaku is scheduled to have a Dharma combat (Hossenshiki) to have other priests test his experience, dedication and insight sometime next year. With this, he will attain a status of Zagen, which is one step away from the full-fledged priest. During the next several months, Rev. Yokoyama will be help conduct a memorial service. Rev. Taimei Ohara Rev. Ohara is a priest friend of Rev. Yokoayma who helped the church conduct its 60 th anniversary last November. He has been connecting us with the priests and other resources in Japan to help us improve our Sangha. If you ever go to Japan, please visit his Saikoji temple, Toyohashi, Aichi and you are most certainly going to be welcomed. Rev. Peter Hata Rev. Hata has been sharing his enthusiasm with Rev. Yokoyama to share Dharma through the paths of Shin Buddhism and Zen Buddhism and the practice of mindfulness. The next session is scheduled on the day of Fall Ohigan at Higashi Honganji in Los Angeles. Rev. Yokoyama hopes to invite Rev. Hata and other Federation priests to Long Beach Buddhist Church to share various Buddhist teachings. Rev. James Myoun Ford Rev. James Myoun Ford has been a good friend and a mentor of Rev. Yokoyama on Western Buddhism. He is a retired minister of the Unitarian Church and also a North American Soto Zen teacher at Blue Cliff Zen Sangha. He generously shares his experience and insight with Rev. Yokoyama to understand the Westerner's views on Buddhism and how we can share the universal value of Buddhist practice in the West. Rev. Kithulpe Ariyadhamma Rev. Kithulpe Ariyadhamma has been sharing his enthusiasm to develop friendship between his English Dharma School in Sri Lanka and Long Beach Buddhist Church. Rev. Ariyadhaamma and Rev. Yokoyama both are continuing a dialogue to nurture understanding of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, which hopefully will help us explore the essence of Buddhist teachings. Rev. Ariyadhamma is planning to visit Long Beach Buddhist Church in December this year.
Founding Members of Long Beach Buddhist Church Mrs. Masako Kotsubo, Mrs. Fusaye Hashimoto, and Mrs. Ruby Mio, and Mrs. Yoshiko Nakamura are honorary board members and advisors of the church. They are the witnesses of the entire history of Long Beach Buddhist Church. Their presence and continued dedication to the church have been a great inspiration to all of members. May they enjoy the good health and happiness. Terminal Islanders Our regular church members Ms. Fusaye Hashimoto, Ms. Asako Miki, Ms. Alice Nagano, and Ms. Rene LePage who share their roots to Terminal Island. They have been sharing the history of the Island with us. Long Beach Buddhist Church will continue to value its historical connection with the Terminal Island. Mr. Frank Ramos Despite his intensely busy schedule, Mr. Ramos continues to dedicate himself to the maintenance of the church garden. His aspiration to dedicate a garden to the elder members of the church has transformed the garden into a beautiful expression of Dharma. Flowers, trees, birds, and even pebbles and stones are all inviting us to the deeper understanding of Dharma. We hope the members and visitors will continue to enjoy and appreciate his work. Mr. Robert Yasumura Mr. Robert Yasumura is the chairperson of Bon Odori committee and the beloved friend of many of the community members. Thanks to him and Mr. Fukuhara and Mrs. Donovan, we were able to bring back the Bon Odori to Long Beach Buddhist Church with its core spiritual essence that is subtly embedded in the Japanese culture and passed down to the Japanese-American community. The Fukuharas and their friends Mr. Fukuhara has been generously supporting Long Beach Buddhist Church by building a fence, sign board, and Yagura with his son, Tony, his brother, Tracey and his friends. We appreciate their dedication to the church. Ms. June Donovan Ms. June Donovan has been helping Long Beach Buddhist Church bring back its Bon Odori dance. She and her friends have been generously sharing their Bon Odori dance skills and limitless passion for Bon Odori with us all.
Mr. Osamu Nishimura Mr. Osamu Nishimura has been generously helping us us with repairs and installment of new restrooms, parking lights and so much more! His hard work has made this church a beautiful, safe and visitor-friendly place. Mrs. Michiko Honda and Mrs. Patricia Ornelas Mrs. Michiko Honda and Mrs. Patricia Ornelas, mother and daughter, made a huge difference in our church during the last four years by pushing forward the project to re-do the social hall floor, re-pave the parking lot and install new doors etc. Much of the change we see today was initiated by them and we'd like to thank them both for their dedication. Ms. Atsuko Yomogida Mrs. Atsuko Yomogida is the one who ensures that the church keeps running, doing all the onerous desk work. She makes sure all the bills are paid and the all the needs are met. Her son, Darren, and daughter, Liane, have both been a tremendous help to the church also. Ms. Donna Matoi Ms. Donna Matoi has started her lesson to introduce Zentangle. A meditative practice of art widely known in the West. Donna has been a great help throughout the Bon Odori preparation and various church events. We are thankful for her dedication to our Sangha members. Mr. Paul Sumida With his mother, Mrs. Shizuko Sumida, Paul has been improving the condition of the cooking area in the Sangha hall by extending water lines, etc. He serves the church quietly but with a clear vision of what needs to be done. Thanks to his contribution, the efficiency of the cooking process for our food sale improved. He has also provided tremendous support for the Bon Odori preparation. Mrs. Joanne Leivici Since she joined the board, she has kept track of our discussion taking minute and making sure necessary actions are taken to execute our decisions. It was with her great commitment that the church has been able to follow through on the decisions by the board, leading us to renovations and improvement. Miya and Aya Yasumura With their parents, Mr. Robert Yasumura and Mrs. Yuri Yasumura, Miya and Aya come to the church service and events frequently. They have been extremely helpful with our fundraisers and other big events in the church. They are essential members of Long Beach Buddhist Church who connect us with the generations of the grand children. Thank you, Miya and Aya! Mrs. Keiko Shibata Mrs. Keiko Shibata has certainly inherited the spirit that her father and Rev. Osada shared back when they tirelessly dedicated themselves a fund to establish this church. She and her husband, William, have been dedicating themselves to the founding members of the church and elder community of Long Beach Buddhist Church by serving food, coordinating a casino tour, and on and on. Omimai Flowers, Visitations and Service
Wishing you good health and happiness We have several members who have not been able to come to the church due to health-related reasons. Please know that all the church members are thinking of you and keep sending you good wishes and thoughts. Please feel free to let us know if you'd like to a visit or a service at home. Also, if you know anyone caring his or her family, relatives, or friends who may enjoy a bouquet in their room as an offering from the church, please let us know! Merging Point of Eastern and Western Buddhism In the history of Long Beach Buddhist Church, there were times when the minister directed the practice toward emerging Western Buddhism and then in most part maintained the Eastern and Japanese Buddhism. As Western Buddhism is now over 50 years old, and the Japanese-American Buddhism is marking its 100 th anniversary. The depth of history of both streams of Buddhism are giving birth to a whole new level of Buddhist understanding and practice. With healthy open-mindedness and faith to the teachings of Buddhism, our Sangha can further grow spiritually within the context of American ways of life. Ms. Mary Cook and Mr. Cameron Voss Ms. Mary Cook and Mr. Cameron Voss both serve at the Beacon House where they serve over 100 men who have suffered from addiction and homelessness. They have also been learning the teachings of Buddhism from the tradition of one of the two most influential Buddhist masters in the West, Thich Nhat Hanh. Their dedication and compassion to the society brings us new insight and understanding on how Buddhism can serve the community and lessen people's suffering. Mr. Christopher Storm and Mr. Stephen Lacy Mr. Christopher Storm and Mr. Stephen Lacy are currently training with Rev. Seigaku Amato and Rev. Yokoyama. Mr. Storm trained at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center for four years in the past. He currently works at the Long Beach Museum of Art. Mr. Stephen Lacy is in fact one of the initial members of the Zen meditation from 2014. For many decades he has been practicing Zen Buddhism and is now taking a further step to become a novice. NA new novices bring with them fresh perspectives essential to keep our practice pure. We hope they can expand their views on Buddhism in this non-denominational Buddhist sangha. Mr. John Renwick Mr. John Renwick is a Dharma friend of Rev. Yokoyama who currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He visited Long Beach in May for a few weeks and practiced with us. He has also hosted Rev. Yokoyama and Leo during their visit to Toronto. He had a Buddhist practice at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center many years ago and now continues to practice Buddhism in Toronto with Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition. Rev. Yokoyama and he are discussing possibilities of extending the activity of sharing Dharma to Canada in the near future. Reverend's Personal Note: LEO My son, Leo, who lives in Kingston, Ontario, Canada with his mother, Mia, is now attending a kindergarten. Since both Mia and I preferred a small class for Leo, he is now attending a local Catholic school. I'm really happy to see him enjoying his school and making new friends in a traditional settings. Any spiritual community in our early life could help us identify ourselves with all sorts of religions and spiritual practice. During his last visit, he showed keen interest in doing emcee for our Sunday service. I wonder if there will be a day he will be a part of our Sunday service. Gassho, Gyokei Yokoyama