WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN

WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN
2003 Corinth Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 477-7274
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax (310) 477-6674
Web Site: www.wlabt.org
Vol. 50, No. 1
January 2007
2007
The Year
of the Boar
“Happy New Year!”
from the 2006 Bulletin staff
Reverend Fumiaki Usuki
Reverend Ensei Nekoda
Haru Matsumune
Mas Sasaki
Sei Shohara
Yasuko Shohara
Richard Stambul
Ted & Betty Takahashi
Toshiko Uyekubo
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人のため
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Religious – English, and Advisor
Religious – Japanese
Proofing, Temple Office Support
Printing
Managing Editor
Computer Processing
Assistant Editor
Business & Mailing
Calendar - Japanese
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Hito no tame
しぐれておはす
仏かな
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Standing in the cold rain
Shigurete owasu
Hotoke kana
一茶
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For other’s sake,
Hotoke sama
- Issa
It is raining─winter rain─but Issa does not pass the wayside shrine without bowing his head. The verse
expresses his state of mind as he stands there, in this desolate place, with bent head and clasped
hands. He feels as one (for one they really are) his own poverty and gratitude, the misery and
greatness of man, the suffering and compassion of Buddha (Hotoke sama). And we take all this from
Issa as we would from no one else, because we know that he is fully aware that it is only a bit of stone
before which he feels this profound emotion.
(Source: Haiku by R. H. Blyth)
WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
REV. USUKI’S PAGE
New Year’s Greeting
Where Do We Begin?
When persons doubt as they plant roots of good,
The lotus (in which they gain birth) will not open,
But for those whose Shinjin is pure,
The flower opens, and immediately they see the Buddha…
Carried on the ship of the Eightfold Path,
One crosses the ocean difficult to cross.
One crosses oneself, and also ferries others across,
For this reason, I worship Amida, the one freely working.
- Kyo Gyo Shin Sho (CWS)
Happy New Year to everyone at West Los Angeles
Buddhist Temple and to all
those whom I had the
pleasure of meeting this
past year. This may be an
old cliché but here at the
temple each year keeps
getting better and better as I am allowed to
explore the many opportunities and adventures
that await discovery. Getting to know you more
on a personal basis, watching the children
growing up and also saying goodbye to some as
they move on to college and beyond, sharing the
grief of the loss of a loved one and truly being
allowed to reflect on the depth of our own
suffering and joy have all been an adventure.
With this process we’re allowed to understand
and appreciate the fruit of our relationship
through the causes and conditions of our
existence and the guidance of the Onembutsu
that embraces all of us at all times. As we greet
the coming years while enjoying the day-to-day
adventure, I hope that your gratitude toward all
things in life becomes more apparent and real.
With this understanding I also hope that you
become more conscious of your own spiritual
health and the welfare of the family so that we
can all continue to enjoy this rare life we share.
One enters the Eightfold Path through Right
Understanding of the truth of the dharma and
then initially proceeds in a linear direction
through Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. However,
the Path is not a gradient series of steps that
culminates in enlightenment upon engaging
Right Concentration. Rather, it becomes a circular path that becomes deeper and clearer as we
travel around it on our life’s journey. With Right
Understanding, we cannot help but follow
through with Right Thought, Speech, Action,
and Livelihood. As we live our lives in the
dharma, we accustom ourselves to Right Effort,
Mindfulness, and Concentration. Concentration
leads us back to a closer look at our
Understanding. It takes a lifetime to hone these
skills but the more we practice one, the better
the others become, one after another, around
and around.
As our Understanding becomes clearer, we come
to see that we cannot perfect ourselves only
through our own efforts. It is for this reason
that we can gratefully rely upon the power of
Amida Buddha’s Vow to save all beings. In this
knowledge, we cannot help but continue to follow the Noble Eightfold Path set out for us by
Sakyamuni Buddha while living our lives in the
Nembutsu. Indeed, Shinran likens the Vow to
“the right path, for it leads the multitudes of
beings into the capital of wisdom … it brings
one to ride on the ship of all-knowing wisdom”
(CWS pp. 67-68).
As we reflect on our life, where do we begin our
personal journey with the Buddha? Just as in
any major endeavor we undertake, the commitment and first step are very difficult and we may
feel anxiety and doubt. Thereafter, it is extremely rare that many can finish the job and
complete the mission through their own efforts.
But for those who make this rare journey, our
teacher, Shinran Shonin, tells us of the wonderful joy that awaits us. He also refers to the Buddha’s Eightfold Path as the ship that can carry
us to the Other Shore.
Once we have traveled the path once, it is like
having learned the individual steps of an Obon
dance. We are ready to put it all together in a
smooth-flowing rotation of beauty and joy,
imperfect though it may sometimes be. If we
take a good look at what each component does,
we see that they are all interdependent and
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(cont’d on page 3)
WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
(cont’d from page 2)
connected to each other with each one having
all others incorporated within it.
to communicate to us in his passage from Kyo
Gyo Shin Sho. If this is true, then you have
discovered the ship to the Other Shore and will
become one of the rare persons who can
complete the mission.
Following the Eightfold Path will lead you to let
go of your own hesitation, doubt, and ignorance
and in a natural state, you may feel the
spontaneous working of Amida’s Vow Power just
as you are. Perhaps, this is what Shinran tried
Gassho, Rev. F. Usuki
SHINSHU CORNER
Foolish Being
Since most forms of Mahayana Buddhism speak
only of the formless and nameless dharmakaya,
why did Shinran invoke Amida, the dharmakaya
-as-compassion? The reason lies in the totally
different structure of religious experience and
realization. Zen, for example, aims relentlessly
for the realization of non-self, stripping away
the individualizing characteristics and marks of
all objects, thus transcending the subject-object
dichotomy, or objectifying thought, to bring to
realization the formless and nameless reality.
Whatever reflection or religiosity there is in Zen
thought is meant to deepen the experience of
transcendence in dharmakaya-as-suchness.
essential that we understand what it is to be
“foolish.” Foolish is not a relative term contrasted to intelligent or wise; it applies to one
who, turning to the religious quest to go beyond
samsaric
existence,
discovers
the
utter
impossibility of such a task. In the words of
Shinran, “The Primal Vow was established out
of deep compassion for us who cannot become
freed from the bondage of birth-and-death
through any religious practice, due to the
massiveness of blind passion” (Tannisho III).
Such a person, born of deep religious awakening, is also called a being of karmic evil, because
the roots of his evil are so profound that it is
beyond comprehension (hence, “karmic”), creating countless seen and unseen sufferings for
himself and others (hence, “evil”).
Shin Buddhism, however, speaks from the
standpoint of one bound to karmic self, whether
it is called finite existence philosophically or
foolish being religiously. To such a person–
possessing a self, incapable of religious austerities, and devoid even of potential wisdom–
Amida Buddha, with name and form, directs his
compassion in the Primal Vow. In other words,
dharmakaya-as-compassion
is
moved
to
encounter this foolish being living in the subject-object dichotomous world. Here it is
Because of the powerful bondage that
characterizes the foolish being, traditional paths
to enlightenment are closed and the only avenue
open to him is to “hear” the origin and purpose
of the Primal Vow: the compassionate design of
Amida for the being incapable of any religious
practice that will lead to the supreme
enlightenment…
Notes on “Essentials of Faith Alone,” Shinran Shonin
(END OF REV. USUKI’S PAGE)
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The mind that aspires for Buddhahood is the mind to save sentient beings. The
mind to save sentient beings is the mind to grasp sentient beings and bring them to
birth in the pure land of peace. This mind is the mind aspiring for great
enlightenment. This mind is the mind of great compassion. For this mind arises
from the wisdom of immeasurable light.
Shinran, Chapter on Shinjin, CWS, p.113
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REFLECTION
January 2007
In my understanding, even an ungrateful person will be born in the Pure Land. Amida accepts us just as we are, even when we don’t accept ourselves or others find us unacceptable.
As Shinran noted, Amida knows us as persons
deeply sunk in delusion and attachment, yet
allows us to ride on the power of the Primal Vow
all the same. Shinran affirmed that even
murderers will be accepted into the Pure Land,
so surely the ungrateful will be too.
Jeff Wilson
This year, I spent Thanksgiving with my wife’s family in Georgia. I have always thought of Thanksgiving as the most Shin of
all American holidays. Not
only does it celebrate family and community, it is
specifically based on the idea of recognizing our
indebtedness and expressing gratitude for the
things we receive. Surely this is the heart of
Shin Buddhism. Whether you are saying the
nembutsu at temple or counting your blessings
over a shared turkey dinner, the attitude of
Thanksgiving is what we aim for in Buddhism.
Yet, this doesn’t take away the necessity for
gratitude. Let us look again at the situation of
the little girl. She is ungrateful, but nevertheless
she is embraced by great compassion. Other
Power works to awaken her, through the voice
of her parents, teachers, and friends. She will
not be abandoned. But while she persists in being ungrateful, she is harming herself. Stuck in
a self-centered mindset that greedily wants
things but doesn’t want to acknowledge the
source of her benefit, she is closed-off from the
very human connections that seek to share love
and happiness with her. She thinks of herself as
a solitary unit, missing the joy of her
interconnection with others. Her refusal to say
thank you hurts the feelings of people who care
for her, and worries those entrusted to be her
guides. She is only able to enjoy one half of her
presents: the things themselves. She cannot
enjoy the other, better half: the joy of the receiving itself, which is only felt to its utmost by the
open heart of thankfulness. In short, her life is
worse off because she cannot manifest a
grateful heart.
Gathering with the family also means that many
generations come together in one place. In the
past, it was common for multiple generations to
live in one household or at least one village. But
today we often live separated from much of our
family, and these holidays take on extra meaning because children, parents, and grandparents can be with one another. Family is the
most natural place for us to learn about
indebtedness: even if we can’t see the more
abstract ways in which all people and things
contribute to our lives, we can at least acknowledge the direct effect of parents and ancestors
in bringing us into the world and raising us.
The separation of family members in the modern world is surely part of the difficulty we have
in developing thankful hearts.
When families gather, little dramas naturally
play out as well. One of my sisters-in-law is only
seven years old, so she is still learning about
manners and the way the world works (of
course, at thirty-one I too am still learning these
things). One big problem she has is with saying
“thank you.” When she receives a present, she
is clearly happy, but she has a hard time actually saying thank you in front of other people. It
isn’t clear whether this is embarrassment, greed,
forgetfulness, or what exactly is going on. She
got in trouble at one point and was sent to her
room, followed by a lecture on thankfulness by
her parents.
Sometimes people talk about Pure Land Buddhism as being other-worldly. But to me, it is
heavily oriented toward this world. The other
world is already taken care of completely by
Other Power; there is nothing that we have to do
in relation to the next life. In fact, there is nothing at all we can do, since our birth in the Pure
Land and return to this world to help others
rests solely on the Primal Vow. That means that
Shin Buddhism is fundamentally concerned
with our lives right now, in this situation, dealing with our troubled experiences before the release of nirvana after death. When we are implored to be grateful, I do not understand it as
the key to attaining a reward after death. To me,
it means the key to being happy in this very life.
It is possible to live a long life without ever
learning to be thankful, but it hardly seems like
a real life to me. The true and real life is only
touched when we wake up to our fundamental
indebtedness and learn to live a life that makes
every day Thanksgiving.
This incident got me thinking. How do we
understand this little girl’s lack of gratitude in
reference to Shin Buddhism? We often talk
about how we need to be thankful to Amida and
that it is the heart of entrusting, the grateful
heart, that leads to our birth in the Pure Land.
If my sister-in-law never learns to be grateful,
will she be forever shut out of the Pure Land?
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WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
our day-to-day business, it may seem that we
are going in the wrong direction. This may be
true, but it also may be because we are not
aware of all viewpoints. Don’t expect that we will
all see things as you see things. Therefore, it is
very important that everyone participate and
voice their opinions to ensure that we continue
to have a great temple. Don’t be afraid to tell me
that I’m stupid or wrong, so long as you have a
valid reason to do so. I know that the temple
will not improve if we ignore our members.
2007 TEMPLE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Vance Nishimoto
It’s a new year here at the
West Los Angeles Buddhist
Temple and with the new year
comes a few changes. The
first change is that you have a
new Temple President. My
Vance as Captain
name is Vance Nishimoto and
Hook at the 2005
for those of you who don’t
Dharma School
know me, I am the youngest
Family Fun Night.
son of Akira and Kyo
Nishimoto who settled in the WLA community
and spent all of their lives supporting the
WLABT. I am grateful for the work that my
parents and many other temple members have
put into the temple. I hope that I am able to
perform my duties as president as well as those
who have served before me. I want to thank
Yuki Sakurai for doing an exceptional job as
president these past two years. She served her
term through much adversity and I have the
greatest respect for her.
In order to increase membership, we will need
to reach out to new faces and welcome back
familiar ones. We cannot do this by closing our
doors to the community. I understand that we
are not a community center but we must
actively participate within our community so
that people can see who we are and what we
can provide. Our obon last year was the first of
these activities and proved to be very successful.
I hope that everyone can provide us with some
additional ideas for activities and services that
will attract people to become a part of our
temple.
The Year of the Boar and the Year of the Rat
bring with them many challenges. It’s unsettling
that a pig and a rat are the animals to be
associated with my term of office. I can only say
that I will not be as “lazy as a pig” or as “dirty as
a rat.”
Reverend Usuki has brought a new vitality to
the WLABT. He brings energy and a wealth of
Jodo Shinshu knowledge that will help us all
become better people, not just better Buddhists.
But he needs help. The WLABT website and the
technology improvements are the first steps
towards making it easier to provide Buddhist
and temple information to the members. I hope
to expand these activities so that more
information can be provided.
I hope to accomplish three tasks while I am
president of the temple. These three tasks are,
(a) to honor and maintain what we have, (b) to
increase membership, and (c) to become a better
resource of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
We all have a lot of work ahead and many
challenges, but if we all work together, the
WLABT will continue to be a great place.
We have a great temple that is the result of the
hard work of many people. I want to honor
those people by trying not to screw things up.
So in trying to maintain what we have, I want to
utilize the experience of those temple members
who built what we have today. But as we start
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In gassho,
Vance Nishimoto
WLABT President
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WLA BUDDHIST EDUCATION COMMITTEE (BEC) ANNOUNCEMENT
Contact: Haru Matsumune at the Temple Office (310-477-7274)
h Save This Date g
2007 Open House
Sunday, February 11, 2007
details in the next Bulletin
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WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
hope you’ll agree with me that they put on a
good show. The Dharma School would like to
thank the following for helping us that day:
Asoka Fujinkai (otoki) and BWA (otoki and salad
for lunch).
DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS Grace Mizushima
The WLA Dharma School hosted
the
Southern
District
Dharma
School
Teachers
League workshop on Saturday,
November 18th from 9:30 am to
1:00 pm. We had over 40 in
attendance, including participants from the different temples and some of
our own temple members. The theme of our
workshop was “Myth in Buddhism”. Reverend
Usuki led a very informative and interesting discussion on our theme. He also shared many
elaborate pictures from the internet as well as
different paintings he found in the Social Hall
basement hidden away. The most important
thing we learned at this workshop is that the
Buddhist images of demons and monsters are
much scarier than any character Halloween has
to offer! Thank you, Sensei, for all your hard
work. Thank you also to the WLA Dharma
School teaching staff for coming out early and
setting up, preparing lunch, and cleaning up
afterwards.
Thanks to Haru Matsumune for writing such a
wonderful play for the children, based on the
story “Walking on Water” that appears below:
Three monks decided to practice meditation together. They sat by the side of a lake and closed
their eyes in concentration. Then suddenly, the
first one stood up and said, "I forgot my mat."
He stepped miraculously onto the water in front
of him and walked across the lake to their hut
on the other side.
When he returned, the second monk stood up
and said, "I forgot to put my other underwear
out to dry." He too walked calmly across the
water and returned the same way.
The third monk watched the first two carefully
in what he decided must be the test of his own
abilities. "Is your learning so superior to mine? I
too can match any feat you two can perform,"
he declared loudly and rushed to the water's
edge to walk across it. He promptly fell into the
deep water.
On December
third, at the
Bodhi Day and
Oseibo Taikai
service,
the
Undeterred, the yogi climbed out of the water
and tried again, only to sink into the water. Yet
again he climbed out and yet again he tried,
each time sinking into the water. This went on
for some time as the other two monks watched.
Dharma School
presented its
2005-2006 awards for best
attendance.
They were: Katie Hoy for 3rd and 4th grade class,
Emily Hoy for 5th grade class, and Ryan
Ohkawahira for Nursery to 2nd grade class.
After service, the Dharma School presented a
skit called “Walking on Water.” The children
only had two Sundays to practice the skit, but I
After a while, the second monk turned to the
first and said, "Do you think we should tell him
where the stones are?"
source: www.jokesdigest.com/cgibin/jokepage1.cgi?jid=368
L to R: Mona Narumi, Nathan Ohkawahira, Katie Hoy, Kaylie Nishimoto, Kylie Mizushima,
Nicole Gurzeler, Christopher Pedersen, Nicolas Pedersen, Ryan Ohkawahira’s legs, Justin
Mizushima. Missing is Emily Hoy who took the photo.
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WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
express opinions one way or the other. An
exception to this procedure is donations
received for special reasons, such as funerals,
memorials, weddings, facility use, etc. These will
still show the amounts donated.
WELCOME TO NEW TEMPLE MEMBER,
JACQUELINE PIERCE
Richard Stambul
Our Temple is pleased to welcome one of our
newest members, Jacqueline Pierce, to our
Sangha. She pitched in at our Thanksgiving
Service on November 12th by doing an
exceptional job as our service chairperson. The
accompanying photo was taken just before the
service began showing both Jackie as well as
our magnificent garden and statue of Shinran
Shonin at the front of our Temple. Welcome
Jackie!
A new feature is the New Member column that
starts off this page. If you have other
suggestions for new features, let us know. Along
this line, someone recently suggested we should
have Letters to the Editor. We have always had
one, but no one sends us letters. Well, actually,
maybe three or four did over the 35 years or so
we have been editing this publication, and we
published them.
With the reduction in paper size, the monthly
calendar size got smaller, and the space for
each day got really small, too small for Sunday
when there is much to cram into the space. So
we split the calendar into English and Japanese
versions. Not only that, we have shortened the
usual “Sunday Service/Dharma School” to just
“Service.” For the rare days when one of the
services is not held, it will be so noted.
Together with these changes, it would have been
nice if we could have also redesigned the
masthead at the same time to be something
more attractive and modern. We Buddhists say
everything is impermanent, but our masthead
seems to defy that law. Is there someone out
there that can design us one? Perhaps you can
also help us change composition, layout, fonts,
etc. to make our Bulletin look more attractive to
read.
(Editor’s Note: Our Assistant Editor Richard Stambul
suggested that it would be nice if we could introduce new
Temple members in the Bulletin, and volunteered to do the
first such introduction. We regret missing past new
members with this kind of intro to WLA.)
BULLETIN’S NEW LOOK
Because of the extra time needed to make these
changes, we have not been able to recompose
Rev. Nekoda’s Japanese religious pages to fit the
smaller paper size. We hope to solve this
problem by the next “thick” (March) issue.
Sei Shohara
Finally, we wish to thank all those who have
contributed to getting this Bulletin out regularly.
This includes our correspondents from various
organizations who have generally met our need
to have articles in by the first of the month
preceding the month of publication. That is,
inputs for the February issue are needed on the
first of January. We need the first week of
January to compose, print, and mail, and the
remaining three weeks for the Post Office to
deliver it to you before February.
First, as you immediately noticed, we have
changed the paper size of the Bulletin. There
were several reasons for doing this that need
not take up space here, except to say that they
make life simpler for those who get the Bulletin
out each month. We hope you like this change.
Another change was made that needs some
explanation. If you examine the donation lists in
this issue, you will notice that donations for
regularly scheduled services now show only the
donor’s name; the amounts donated are not
shown. This was done as a result of a decision
by the Temple Board at its December 2006
meeting. This will remain in effect for a trial
period of one year, and then re-evaluated again.
Please let a Board member know if you wish to
If you do not receive your Bulletin in time, You
must complain to the Post Office for your Zip
Code. Once we put the Bulletin in the mail, it is
the responsibility of the delivering Post Office to
get it to you on time.
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WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
2006 BUDDHIST OF THE YEAR
At the Bodhi Day Service & Oseibo Taikai on
December 3, Outgoing Temple President Yuki
Sakurai (left) presented the 2006 Buddhist of the
Year award to Kazuko Seike (center) for many long
years of service to the Temple. Some of the things
Yuki mentioned in the long list of Kazuko’s
contributions included: volunteer on the 80 Plus
Lunch Program, and member of the Funeral
Arrangement, Shotsuki Hoyo, and Uketsuke
committees. She also picks up elderly members to
bring them to the Temple. The list goes on.
(Photo courtesy of Dr. Jack Fujimoto)
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM BUDDHIST
MEN
Eddie Fujihiro, Nat Kawaguchi, Frank
Nunokawa, and Leo Tanaka who became 90!
Masao Sasaki
The photo below shows the three Longevity
celebrants who were able to attend our party,
plus another guest, our retired and really
relaxed former minister Rev. Harold Oda who
became 80! How would you like to look as well
as they do when you reach their age?
A Very Happy New Year to Rev. Usuki and
Temple members.
Year 2007 has potential of being a greater year
than 2006 in Temple activities. Rev. Usuki and
our Buddhist Men member Ichiro Ouchi has
fabricated twenty (20) taiko as promised, and
the three taiko instructors, Elaine Fukumoto,
Joyce Layne, and Audrey Nakasone have kept
the taiko students perplexed with syncopated
rhythms.
Last year’s Obon was an exhilarating event with
dancing in the street again, more booths in the
parking lot, and more participants and guests.
In April this year, a combined service will be
held again with San Fernando Buddhist Temple,
this time at WLA with the guest speaker being
Rev. Patti Usuki.
Jim Shimomaye has done an outstanding job
in putting the Temple on the Internet.
(www.wlabt.org) If you have a computer, log on,
you will be impressed with Jim’s work.
(▲ l to r: Rev. Harold Oda, Leo Tanaka,
Frank Nunokawa, Tak Morimoto)
Our second major activity was the Buddhist
Men & BWA Memorial service that was reported
by Rick Stambul in the last issue of the Bulletin.
The Buddhist Men look forward to 2007 and I’ll
see you at the Temple functions.
(Editor’s note: Rick actually co-authored that article with Dr.
Jack Fujimoto and Mas Sasaki, and we inadvertently
omitted the latter two from the byline. The Bulletin
apologizes to Jack and Mas for this mistake.)
2006 ended for the Buddhist Men with two of
our major activities, the first being the annual
Longevity Party on November 18 honoring seven
members who reached an auspicious age (60,
70, 77, 80, 88, 90, or 99) during 2006. They
were Mike Hara and Tak Morimoto who
became 77, Yas Abe who became 80, and finally
Finally, the 2006 Buddhist Men officers were reelected to serve in 2007 as well. A photo of
officers present to be installed at the Installation
Service is on the page preceding this one.
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WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
2007 YBA Cabinet
▲ Advisor Jim Shimomaye, Mariel Tenorio, Nicole Okita,
Allison Tachiki, Rev. Usuki
▲ New Dharma School student
Nicole Gurzeler with Rev. Usuki
2007 Buddhist Men Cabinet
▲Front row: Rev. Usuki, Hidemi Ohkawahira, Masao Sasaki, Sho
Matsumi, Leo Tanaka, Ichiro Ouchi
Back row: Jack Fujimoto, Sei Shohara, Rick Stambul
Meet 3 Dharma School Mothers
Denice Hoy
Joko Tamura
Jenny Van Le
2007 BWA Cabinet
▲ Beverly Yahata, Yasuko Shohara, Chiyo Nishina, Shirley Ito, Kiyo
Teramaye, Lorraine Soda, Kimi Ishii, Haru Matsumune, Nobuko
Kozawa, Chiyo Nitta, Kazuko Seike
▲ Past President, Beverly Yahata
President Lorraine Soda, Rev. Usuki
Thanks to the contributing photographers: Emily Hoy, Kiyo Teramaye, Rev. Usuki
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January 2007
JANUARY SHOTSUKI HOYO 10 a.m., Saturday, January 6, 2007
Abe, Ichiro
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, Chiyo
Iwashita, Takamori
Kaba, Tadashi
Kageyama, Kiyoko
Kajihara, 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
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
NOVEMBER SHOTSUKI HOYO DONATION ACKNOWLEGMENTS Total: $986.00
{in memory of Doris
Kawaguchi}
Dote, Fumiye
Fujioka, June
Hada, Isamu
Ishibashi, Yoshiko
Ishioka, Tosh
Iwamoto, Takao
Iwashita, Yoshiko
Kato, Reiko
Kimura, Emiko
Kurauchi Takayo
Miyada, Don
Morikawa, Marjorie
Morita, Tetsuo
Mukai, Hajime
Murakami, Katsumi
Nagaoka, Larry
Nakagawa, Fujio
Nakamura, Kaoru
Nakamura, Kathryn
Nakamura, Kiyoko
Nakamura, Reiko
Naramura, Shizue
Nekoda, Rev. Ensei
Nishimoto, Hannah
Nishimoto, Vance
Nomura, Kumiko
Nonoguchi, Hajime
Ohigashi, Yutaka
Okita, Judy
Okitsu, Kaye
Takata, Tsuruo
Tanimura, James
Yahata, Beverly
Yahata, Neal
Yamaji, Hideko
Saisen
NOVEMBER FLOWER DONATIONS Total: $80.00
Ishibashi, Yoshiko
Nonoguchi, Hajime
Okita, Judy
Takata, Tsuruo
DECEMBER SHOTSUKI HOYO DONATION ACKNOWLEGMENTS Total: 1023.00
Abbott, Alice & Sharon
Anonymous
Bodnar, Joseph
Fujikawa, Seigo
Hara, Masazumi
Hayashi, Shizuko
Ikkanda, John
Ikkanda, Roy
Ikkanda, Tom
Inouye, M/M Kyle
Jeffers, Louis
Kimura, Emiko
Kiriyama, M/M Tak
Kosaka, Miyuki
Kotake, Nancy
Masuda, Jane
Matsumoto, Noriko
Miyata, Laraine
Murayama, Atsuko
Murayama, Grace
Taniguchi, Shizuichi
Nekoda, Rev. Ensei
Toth, Toshiko
Nishina, Fumio
Tsuboi, Aiko
Nitta, Jane
Nunokawa, M/M Frank & Tsukuda, Mabel
Nakashima, M/M Akira
Uyekubo, Ichiro
Ohkawahira, Hidemi
Wood, Mabel
Okui, Aki and
Yasuda, Yeiko
Matsumoto, Emiko
Saisen
Shinto, Hatayo
Suzuki, Sumiye
DECEMBER FLOWER DONATIONS Total: $100.00
Hayashi, Shizuko
Yasuda, Yeiko
D
Nishina, Fumio
arigatogozaimashita
D
Suzuki, Sumiye
namoamidabutsu
11
D
Uyekubo, Ichiro
arigatogozaimashita
D
WLA Buddhist Temple
January 2007
2007 CALENDAR - WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Rev. Usuki’s days off – Mon & Tue
Sunday Service and
Dharma School - Every Sun
Shotsuki Hoyo - 1st Sat
Study Class (E) – Every Thu
Professional temple clean-up
- every 1st and 3rd Tue
Temple Board Meeting – 1st Mon
Asoka Fujinkai - 4th Wed
Buddhist Men – 2nd Thu
BWA – 2nd Sun
Sangha Teens
Jr. YBA, YBA, YABA
Taiko – Every Thu
Bingo - 3rd Fri
No Bingo in July & Dec
80 Plus Lunch - Last Mon
No Lunch in July & Dec
Ikebana – 1st, 3rd, & 4th Thu
Japanese School – every Sat.
9:30 am-12:30 pm
Shigin - every Tue
WLA Youth Club – 2nd Wed
________________________________________________________________________________________
JANUARY
BULLETIN FOLDING
YBA
1
2
7
11
14
Mon
Tue
Sun
Thu
Sun
17
20
21
Wed
Sat
Sun
28
Sun
New Year Day Service (doors open at 8:00 a.m.) (Toban: Temple)
Temple closed
Service, Study Class (E)
BCA YAC Meeting – Jodo Shinshu Center - Rev. Usuki in Berkeley
Service, Installation of Temple Cabinet, and
Temple New Year Party (Shinnen Enkai)
Temple Annual Meeting
SD Jr. YBL Seminar I, Host: OCBC
Ho-onko (Shinran Shonin Day) Service (Toban: BWA)
Guest Speaker: (J & E) Rev. Ryuken Furumoto (minister of Arizona BT)
BWA Meeting
Kinryukai New Year Party
10:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
9:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
12 Noon.
________________________________________________________________________________________
FEBRUARY
BULLETIN FOLDING
BWA
11
Sun
18
Sun
23-25
Service – No Study Class
9:30 a.m.
Open House
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Nirvana Day Service (Toban: Dharma School)
9:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker: (E) Rev. Jerry Hirano, (Salt Lake BT), (J) Rev. Tetsunen Hirota
YAC College Retreat at OCBC (Rev. Usuki at OCBC)
________________________________________________________________________________________
MARCH
GENERAL CLEAN-UP
BULLETIN FOLDING
BUDDHIST MEN
4
Sun
7-11
9-11
24
Sat
25
Sun
18
25
Sun
Sun
BWA Shrine Omigaki & Meeting
12:30 p.m.
BCA Ministers’ Meeting and National Council Meeting (Oakland Marriott) Rev. Usuki in Oakland
Bay Cities Cymbidium Club Show
Ohigan Seminar:
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Guest Speakers: (J) Rev. Yushi Mukojima
Chirashi preparation for Higan-e Otoki (BWA)
2:00 p.m.
Ohigan Service (Toban: Asoka Fujinkai)
9:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker: (J & E) Rev. Yushi Mukojima (minister at San Diego BC )
General Temple and Garden Clean-up - No service
8:00 a.m.
Spring Kinryukai Taikai
12 Noon
________________________________________________________________________________________
APRIL
BULLETIN FOLDING
ASOKA FUJINKAI
8
15
Sun
Sun
27-29
29
Sun
Hanamatsuri/Hatsumairi Service (Toban: Buddhist Men)
9:30 a.m.
Eshinni/Kakushinni Memorial Service (Joint Service with San Fernando BT)
10:00 a.m.
Guest Speaker: (E) Rev. Patti Usuki (Toban: BWA)
Hamburger Lunch (Toban: B-Men)
FDSTL Conference (Host: Northern – Sacramento Red Lion) - Rev. Usuki in Sacramento
No Service
________________________________________________________________________________________
MAY
BULLETIN FOLDING
TAIKO
13
20
Sun
Sun
21
27
28
Mon
Sun
Mon
Mother's Day Service (Toban: Sangha Teens)
Gotan-e (Toban: YABA)
Guest speaker: (DS, J & E) Rev. Jim Yanagihara
BWA Meeting
80 Plus Lunch
Temple closed
Memorial Day Cemetery Services- Woodlawn
Inglewood
9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
12 Noon
10:00 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
________________________________________________________________________________________
JUNE
GENERAL CLEAN-UP
BULLETIN FOLDING
TEMPLE
3
14
17
Sun
Thu
Sun
23
24
26
27
Sat
Sun
Tue
Wed
General Temple and Garden Clean-up - No Sunday service
8:00 a.m.
Buddhist Men Omigaki and Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Father's Day/Graduation Service and
Annual Scholarship Presentation (Toban: YBA)
10:00 a.m.
Guest Speaker: (E & J) Rev. David Matsumoto (minister at Berkeley BT)
Hamburger Lunch to follow (Toban: YBA)
80 Plus Yard Sale
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Spring Kinryukai Onshiyu Kai
12 Noon
Start of Bon Odori practice every Tuesday and Thursday
7:30 p.m.
Taiko
7:30 p.m.
________________________________________________________________________________________
JULY
GENERAL CLEAN-UP
NO PUBLICATION
1
3
4
Sun
Tue
11&18 Wed
9-15
13-18
15
Sun
20
Fri
21
Sat
22
Sun
28-29
30
Mon
Obon/Hatsubon Service (Toban: BWA)
No Bon Odori practice
Temple closed
Bon Odori practice Tuesdays and Thursdays to July 19
Taiko
BCA Youth Retreat at Jodo Shinshu Center – Rev Usuki in Berkeley
Buddhist Statue Exhibit (Thomas Matsuda)
No service
Tent Set-Up
Obon Cemetery Service - Woodlawn
Inglewood
Garden Clean-Up, Booth Construction, and Lunch – No Service
Obon Festival and Bon Odori
General Take-Down
9:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
________________________________________________________________________________________
AUGUST
BULLETIN FOLDING
YBA
13–15
18-24
26
Sun
BCA Ministers Summer Fuken (Fresno) Rev. Usuki in Fresno
Rev. Usuki Vacation
Temple Clean-Up
No Sunday Services, No Dharma School, No Taiko, No Study Classes
8:00 p.m.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
SEPTEMBER
BULLETIN FOLDING
BWA
1-2
3
4
8
9
15
16
Sat-Sun
Mon
Tue
Sat
Sun
Sat
Sun
23
29
Sun
Sat
SD Jr. YBA Conference Host: Gardena, Rev. Usuki at conference
Labor Day - Temple closed
Temple Board Meeting
7:30 p.m.
Shotsuki Hoyo
10:00 a.m.
First Day of 2007-2008 Dharma School Year
9:30 a.m.
Ohigan Seminar: (J) Rev. K. Kawawata (minister at W. Covina BT)
9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Ohigan Service, Jr. YBA Cabinet Installation (Toban: Buddhist Men)
10:00 a.m.
Guest Speaker: (J & E) Rev. Kawawata, Lunch to follow (Toban: Buddhist Men)
Kinryukai Tai Kai
12 Noon
SD Buddhist/BWA/Family Conference (Sheraton Marina Hotel in San Diego)
All day
________________________________________________________________________________________
OCTOBER
BULLETIN FOLDING
ASOKA
7
Sun
BWA Meeting
12 Noon
12-14 Sun
FBWA Conference at San Francisco Airport Marriott (Rev. Usuki at conference)
14
Sun
No Service
20
Sat
Buddhist Men/BWA Memorial Service (Toban: BWA)
11:00 a.m.
27
Sat
Family Fun Night (Toban: YBA and Dharma School
5:00 p.m.
28
Sun
Service, No Dharma School
9:30 a.m.
________________________________________________________________________________________
NOVEMBER
BULLETIN FOLDING
BUDDHIST MEN
11
Sun
Thanksgiving Service (E) (Toban: Temple)
9:30 a.m.
Eitaikyo Perpetual Memorial Service – (E & J) (Eitaikyo Committee)
10:15 am.
Wed
Asoka Fujinkai Meeting
7:30 p.m.
17
Sat
Buddhist Men Longevity Party
5:30 p.m.
18
Sun
BWA Meeting
12 Noon
22-25
Thanksgiving Holiday - Temple closed
25
Sun
Kinryukai Bonenkai
12 Noon
________________________________________________________________________________________
DECEMBER
GENERAL CLEAN-UP
BULLETIN FOLDING
TEMPLE
2
8
9
Sun
Sat
Sun
19
Wed
20 & 27
22-27
31
Mon
Bodhi Day Service, Oseibo Taikai, and Lunch (Toban: Dharma School)
Mochi Tsuki (YBA and Temple)
General Temple and Garden Clean-Up - No service
BWA Meeting
Shrine Omigaki and Meeting (Asoka Fujinkai)
No Taiko
Temple closed
Joya-e Year End Service (Toban: Temple)
9:30 a.m.
8 a.m.
10 a.m.
7:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
TEMPLE CLEAN-UP ASSIGNMENTS:
Asoka Fujinkai – Onaijin, Minister’s room, pews
BWA – Kitchen, office
Dharma School/PTC – Class rooms and upstairs hall ways
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 cleanups.
There many other areas that need
attention. Cleanup dates are:
March 3, June 3, August 26,
and December 9.
Dr. Jack Fujimoto
2007 WLA CABINET, COMMITTEES, DEPARTMENTS
A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
35
36
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
yuki sakurai
ichiro ouchi
judy okita
rick stambul
betty takahashi
rev. usuki - advisor
ichiro ouchi
monica saito
barbara tanaka
leo tanaka
J
K
WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE
2007 CABINET, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
president
president-elect
recording secretary
corresponding secretary
treasurer
assistant treasurer
auditor
community relations
legal adviser
vance nishimoto
rick stambul
masako ishioka
beverly yahata
sei shohara
betty takahashi
sho matsumi
ichiro ouchi
rick stambul
judy okita
stig pedersen
COMMITTEES AND DEPARTMENTS
advisory committee
BCA Council representatives
Buddhist education
building/property maintenance
bingo
dharma school
duplex administration
80+ lunch program
eitaikyo (perpetual memorial) service
endowment fund
facilities control committee
funeral arrangement
garden management
historian/photographer
information technology
mailing
ministerial affairs
membership
nominating committee
obon
office management
omimai (visitation)
printing
publication
religious service
safety
sawtelle property
scholarship
shotsuki hoyo (monthly service)
speaker's fund
taiko (drum)
temple finance
21st century campaign
uketsuke (receptionist)
website
yard sale
past presidents
president
haru matsumune**
tosh ishioka*
bob fujimoto*
grace mizushima*
beverly yahata*
chiyo nitta*
lorraine soda
hidemi ohkawahira*
victor naramura*
jack fujimoto**
sam hada*
tsukasa mukai*
tomio totani
jack fujimoto
vance nishimoto*
alice umeda*
sei shohara*
rob kafka**
yuki sakurai*
tosh ishioka*
kathy nishimoto
ted takahashi
haru matsumune*
rev. usuki*
mas sasaki*
sei shohara*
yasuko shohara*
hannah nishimoto*
sho matsumi*
kathy nishimoto*
hidemi ohkawahira*
yasuko shohara*
rick stambul**
sho matsumi*
vance nishimoto**
kiyo teramaye*
jim shimomaye*
chiyo nitta**
president-elect
lillian narumi**
hidemi ohkawahira
kay kafka
haru matsumune
tosh ishioka
tamiko hada
grace fujimoto
sho matsumi
jack fujimoto
rick stambul**
dorothy ikkanda
taizo kishi
mas sasaki
victor naramura
betty takahashi
tom ikkanda
kay kafka**
sam hada
glenn bungo
vance nishimoto
jack fujimoto
torako akutagawa
sei shohara
rev nekoda
kazuko seike
hidemi ohkawahira
marty tachiki
masako ishioka
rob kafka
beverly yahata**
jack fujimoto
beverly yahata**
itsy higa
haru matsumune
masako ishioka**
diane ohkawahira
tak morimoto
rob kafka
diane ohkawahira
betty takahashi
dorothy ikkanda
masako ishioka
terumi iwamoto
yuki sakurai
charlotte sasaki
kazuko seike
sei shohara
yasuko shohara
kazuko seike
tosh ishioka
victor naramura**
toshiko uyekubo
katsumi murakami
sho matsumi
tosh ishioka
yutaka ohigashi
fumio nishina
sei shohara
sho matsumi
kazuko seike
yutaka ohigashi
rick stambul
marty tachiki
hidemi ohkawahira
george oshimo
george ozamoto
shinobu shimomaye
tsuruo takata
noriyuki taniguchi
rick stambul
peter babida
emily hoy
rev. usuki
jack fujimoto
kay kafka
judy okita
chiyo nitta
rob kafka
monica saito
vance nishimoto
masa matsumune
dan sakurai
peter babida
masao sasaki
tak morimoto
rick stambul
victor naramura
marty tachiki
toshiko uyekubo
rev. usuki - advisor
ichiro ouchi
masako ishioka
carolyn endo-tenorio
tracy ohkawahira
connie yahata
sho matsumi
roy higa
kei okamoto
stig pedersen
dorothy ikkanda
kimi ishii
barbara tanaka
leo tanaka
kiyo teramaye
chiyo nishina
mas sasaki
kay kafka
jim shimomaye
yasuko shohara
rick stambul
betty takahashi
ted takahashi
tosh ishioka
vance nishimoto
kay kafka
chiyo nishina
judy okita
kazuko seike
beverly yahata
rob kafka
victor naramura
sei shohara
lori nakama
marty tachiki
kimi ishii
vance nishimoto
lorraine soda**
yutaka ohigashi
marty tachiki
kazuko seike
peter babida
dorothy ikkanda
rev. usuki - advisor
toshiko uyekubo
ORGANIZATIONS
asoka fujinkai
buddhist men
buddhist women's association
young buddhist association
junior young buddhist association
sangha teens
dharma school
taiko
FOOTNOTES
* denotes chairman
** denotes co-chairs
16
kiyoko nakamura
January 2007
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
7
2
3
Thursday
4
8 am Doors Open
1 pm Study Class (E)
10 am New Year
Service
7:30 pm Taiko
8
9:30 am Service/
Study Class (E)
Rev. Usuki Off
14
Wednesday
15
Friday
5
Office closed
10
16
17
7:30 pm Temple
General Mtg
Cabinet Installation/
New Year Party
6
10 am Shotsuki
Hoyo
Rev. Usuki Off
9
10 am
SD Ministers
Meeting at
Betsuin
11 am Service/
Saturday
11
12
13
1 pm Study Class (E)
7 pm B Men Mtg
7:30 pm Taiko
Rev. Usuki Off
Rev. Usuki in Berkeley
18
19
20
7 pm BINGO
1 pm Study Class (E)
7:30 pm Taiko
SD Jr. YBL Seminar I
Host: OCBC
Rev. Usuki Off
21
22
23
9:30 am
HOONKO SERVICE
Rev. R. Furumoto
(E&J)
24
25
7:30 pm
Asoka Fujinkai Mtg
1 pm Study Class (E)
31
Office hours: 10 am – 4 pm
Phone: 310-477-7274
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: www.wlabt.org
26
27
7:30 pm Taiko
Rev. Usuki Off
1 pm BWA Mtg
28
29
9:30 am Service/
Study Class(E)
12 Noon 80 Plus
Lunch
30
12 Noon Kinryukai
New Year Party
Bulletin folding toban: YBA
Rev. Usuki Off
17
18
WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE
2003 Corinth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. Postage
PAID
Los Angeles, CA
Permit No. 20953
Return Service Requested
JANUARY SPECIAL EVENTS
(See Calendar pages for schedules of regular services)
Monday, January 1
Sunday, Jan 14
Sunday, Jan 21
New Year Day Service
Temple New Year Service
and Party
Ho-onko Service
10:00 a.m.
Doors open 8:00 a.m.
Installation of Temple
Cabinet
11:00 a.m.
Guest speaker (J & E):
Rev. Ryuken Furumoto
(Arizona Buddhist Temple)
9:30 a.m.