WEST LOS ANGELES BUDDHIST TEMPLE BULLETIN
Transcription
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. 49, No. 9 September 2006 Special Events in September 2006 OHIGAN SEMINAR HIGAN-E SERVICE Saturday, September 16 Sunday, September 17, 10:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Hamburger lunch to follow (see details inside) REV. USUKI’S PAGE A Gift Though I turn to the Pure Land teachings, There is no truth within my heart. Within this deceitful and untrue self, There is no trace of purity. The appearance of goodness and diligence Is a matter of mere external form. The abundance of greed, anger, and falsehood Fills this self of deceit and lies. The deceitful heart, like snake and scorpion, Cannot perform self-generated good acts; Without the compassion of Tathagatha I have neither repentance nor shame. Within this shameless, unrepenting self There is no genuine, sincere heart. But the Name of Amida is a gift Whose virtues permeate the universe. - Shinran Shonin (continued next page) (Rev. Usuki’s Page continued) I hope you enjoyed the many activities of the long summer season, danced at Obon festivals, escaped the crowd and somehow found relief from the exceptional heat. September is here once again which marks the beginning of a regular schedule for family, business, school and the temple. We’re already scheduled for many events for the remainder of 2006 and planning new activities for 2007. Reflecting back on the summer, we are thankful and fortunate to be able to go to many beautiful places, enjoy retirement, or for many of us, go back to work and resume our career so we can maintain the security of our lives and family. We are able to enjoy what seems to be an endless abundance filled with overwhelming options in our life. What we have today is certainly an unprecedented gift of life when contrasted to the lives of our predecessors. As we have received this gift we have also come to learn the art of spending money and time wisely. We have learned to maximize on the luxury of going places, looking for best buys, attending the sports activities of grandchildren and perfecting personal hobbies. The art of giving and sharing is our form of giving thanks for everything we have. In this sense we have reached the plateau of our physical world. The person that we are in this world is what Shinran Shonin describes as a “good person” of self-generated good effort. Despite thinking that we have reached the ultimate reward, there is more to consider – a true gift which is beyond our own efforts, that has made everything we have possible. Shinran teaches that as long as there is the smallest remnant of thinking about the good done by our own effort, it becomes a form of attachment that is ultimately false and empty. Such attachment leads to thinking that the doer is the ultimate physical and spiritual provider. As we feed our mind in this way with the many rewards of our current world, we continue to reaffirm self-importance and self-centeredness. This is not to say that we should condemn ourselves for our efforts or negate the fruits of our labors or eschew the good life. The true gift of life is to understand this reality of life, that our world is neither constant nor permanent and all things achieved come from the many causes and conditions that are provided by the workings of many people and things from the past and present. Shinran himself admitted that the most difficult challenge was to give up competitive pride and self-praising ego. The true gift of life is provided to us in the form of truly understanding and accepting the absolute Wisdom and Compassion of Amida Buddha that exposes the ego and embraces all beings at all times and at all places “as is” and naturally. This is the absolute and pure Wisdom and Compassion we can live in without fear and anxiety when we find ourselves without the comforts and security we enjoy today, or when suddenly things take a turn for the worse. To become truly aware of this gift is to live in awareness of Gratitude – Namo Amida Butsu. It is the inspiration for daily existence and for the future. This is expressed in Shinran’s passage: Without the compassion of Tathagatha I have neither repentance nor shame Namo Amida Butsu SHINSHU CORNER Shinran Shonin’s Lament Shinran’s profound realization of evil and sin became manifest as he awakened to Shinjin, true entrusting in Amida Buddha, that is true and real. It was the momentous encounter between the lowliest, most evil and the highest, most excellent truth. If we fail to fully appreciate this encounter and see Shinran only as swinging back and forth between the extremes of despair and joy, he would be nothing more than a physical case. The deep lament in Shinran cannot be understood separately from the existence of deep joy in his life. The sorrowful lamentation regarding the fathomless depth of blind passion is the very substance of the profound joy in having had a fruitful encounter with Amida Buddha. Unless we also see this unitary experience in Shinran, we fail to understand his religious life. It is indeed sorrowful to give way to impulses with the excuse that one is by nature possessed of blind passion – excusing acts that should not be committed, words that should not be said, and thoughts that should not be harbored – and to say that one may follow one’s desires in any way whatever. It is like offering more wine before the person who has become sober or urging him to take even more poison before the poison has abated. “Here’s some medicine, so drink all the poison you like” – words like these should never be said. - Shinran Shonin (End of Rev. Usuki’s Page) 2 Jeff Wilson Italian food (probably prepared by Mexicans), and listening to music from Africa. There’s a show on the Discovery Channel called “Dirty Jobs.” The premise is that the host goes around visiting people who have really dirty, smelly, messy jobs: plumbers, trash collectors, worm farmers, and so on. He hangs out with them, tries his hand at doing their job (usually poorly), and demonstrates just how awful their jobs are. But the point isn’t just to laugh at how miserable these jobs are or to feel glad that we don’t have jobs as gross as theirs. The real point of “Dirty Jobs” is that thousands of people are working everyday at really undesirable jobs so that we can enjoy the relative comfort, hygiene, and convenience of modern life. The host wants us to acknowledge their sacrifices and feel thankful to them for enabling us to live in a way that isn’t “dirty.” When we think of interconnection, sometimes we tend to think of the amazing aspects, like eating food and listening to music from another part of the world. But there are also the very mundane or even unappealing aspects as well. Interconnection means that I can have a clean job (such as being a teacher) only because someone else has a dirty job (hauling away my trash) that supports me. Even if we aren’t aware of it, what those people are doing affects us. Interconnection also means that even if we aren’t aware of it, what we do impacts others too. Somehow, on some level, what I do affects the violence in the Middle East, the homeless people down on Skid Row, the migrants working in the fields, and everyone else. We all share this inner togetherness. REFLECTION For me, an important part of Buddhism is waking up to the myriad ways in which I am interconnected with others. When shows like “Dirty Jobs” reveal to me my indebtedness, I feel humbled and thankful. Then, I try my best to act in ways that will make positive contributions to everyone who shares this inner togetherness with me. Just as a limited being such as myself can’t know all the factors that support my life, I can’t know what impact I am continually having on others. But to the extent that I am awakened to the presence of others— known and unknown—enabling me to live, I can work at returning a small portion of that gift with compassion and gratitude.▲▲▲ I really admire this show “Dirty Jobs.” Before I watched it, I didn’t have a clear sense for how many factors must come together to allow me to live as well as I do. Sure, I saw the guys haul off the trash and recycling every week from behind my building, and every now and then I had to call a plumber for help. But all the while there were so many people I wasn’t aware of who toiled in dirty jobs so that I could eat, enjoy my home, receive electricity, gas, and water, wear decent clothes, and basically do virtually anything and everything that I do. THE AUTHOR: Mr. Jeff Wilson is a PhD candidate in Buddhism at the University of North Carolina. Jeff and his wife Kristen are East Coast natives and were active participants at New York Buddhist Church before moving to the WLA area in June, 2005 and becoming affiliated with WLA Buddhist Temple. Jeff is currently working on his PhD dissertation and Kristen works at UCLA. Jeff has written and edited numerous Buddhist publications and is a contributor to the well-known Buddhist magazine Tricycle (WLA’s subscription is available in the Temple office). One particularly interesting booklet written by Jeff is A Journey into Other Power, a publication of the American Buddhist Study Center Publication Series. He was also the featured English speaker at our very first WLA Fall Ohigan Seminar last September. During the past Spring Quarter, Jeff taught a course in Buddhism at North Carolina State. As of July 31, he is at Ryukoku University in Kyoto to conduct research for his thesis. He returns in November. In Buddhism, these connections between us and other people are called interconnection. The late Shin thinker Kaneko Daiei also used the term “inner togetherness.” Whether or not we are aware of them, our whole lives exist only because of the existence of other lives. The whole world comes together in my living, which is especially apparent in our modern globalized situation, where I can type this message for an American temple on my Japanese computer while wearing Chinese clothing, eating some D D D D D D D Jon J. Muth, “Zen Shorts,” Scholastic Press, New York, 2005 D D D stories. The lessons in these Zen stories may be less than obvious to some children. In fact some stories might even be good for some of us parents to read and think about! FROM THE INSIDE FLAP OF BOOKJACKET: “When Stillwater, a giant panda, moves into Addy, Michael, and Karl's neighborhood, he tells them the most amazing stories! He tells Addy the tale of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber. He tells Michael of a farmer who knows that luck can be neither judged nor predicted. And to Karl he tells the tale of a monk who carries the weight of a burden long past. With vibrant watercolors and elegant ink drawings, Jon J Muth— and Stillwater the bear—imaginatively present three classic Zen stories that abound with enlightenment and love.” ▲▲▲ You can see this is a children’s book but it is probably wise for parents to help the child understand the meaning of the (A copy of this book is available in the Temple Library.) 3 D BUDDHIST EDUCATION COMMITTEE NEWS Please mark your calendar for our Fall Ohigan Seminar on Saturday, September 16 from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm (including lunch). Rev. Kyogyo Miura will speak in nihongo and Rev. Marvin Harada will speak in English. For details and sign-up, please see the flyer below. BEC would like to thank Mrs. Kay Kafka for her translation work. We greatly appreciate all her help with bilingual flyers and other materials. dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu - Haru Matsumune FALL OHIGAN SEMINAR 秋季お彼岸セミナー 土曜日 2006 年 9 月 16 日 Saturday, September 16, 2006 9:30 am - 1:00 pm 午前 9 時半 - 午後 1 時 ウエストロスアンゼルス仏教会 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple Seminar in English 日本語のセミナー Rev. Marvin Harada 三浦教行先生 Resident Minister Orange County Buddhist Church ガーデナ仏教会 Ontario, Oregon native Rev. Harada has been at OCBC 20 years, having started there 9/1/1986 after returning from studies in Japan. 三浦教行先生はここ 10 年以上ガーデナ仏教 His educational background includes: BA, Religious Studies, University of Oregon; MA, Buddhist Studies, IBS; Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin; MA, Shinshu Studies, Ryukoku University. 会にて勤められています。同時にクリーブラ ンドそしてファーラ/ハンフォード仏教会に ても勤務されています、バイセリアにて監修 をされていたこともが有ります。 先生は 1970 年 3 月に龍谷大学にて学士号 を、1970 年 10 月に本派本願寺の、伝道員布 教師の称号を習得されています。 We are requesting $10/person, which helps defray costs and includes lunch. 会費は一人$10 をお願い致します、 この中にはこの日の昼食代が含まれています。 West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple 2003 Corinth Avenue; LA 90025 (310) 477-7274 • [email protected] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WLABT Ohigan Seminar (9/16/06) Registration deadline: Tuesday, 9/5/2006 Name Phone number e-mail address 日本語 Eng ( ) ( ) ( ) Please enclose $10/person. Please write separate checks for your Ohigan Service donation and your Ohigan Seminar registration. 4 PRESIDENT YUKI SAKURAI’S PAGE Words of gratitude Domo arigato gozaimashita. The long awaited 2006 Obon Festival has come and gone, leaving many pleasant memories. Thanks to Tosh Ishioka, Obon chairman; Kei Okamoto, Obon Special Treasurer; our Rev. Fumiaki Usuki; and to the cooperation of our members, friends, and relatives, who made it possible to have a successful Obon Festival. Our parking lot transformed into a wonderland of amusements, foods and drum performances, and our cultural exhibits expanded this year to include Japanese gardens. The Obon Odori was held on the street this year, so it gave people more room to walk around, greet old friends and enjoy the increased offering of delicious foods this year. Thanks to Vance Nishimoto for extending electrical power coverage over our new booth layout and new lighting on LaGrange Ave. Dr. Jack Fujimoto, our capable master of ceremony for our Obon Odori program, kept the audience informed on the nature of the various dances and kept the program running smoothly. Grace Mizushima and her assistant teachers led the joyful dancers through the intricate Obon Odori steps. The colorful WLABT dancers in their yukata and happi were joined by dancers from various temples and groups and kept the audience enthralled. The old yagura was made like new with a coat of bright red paint applied by Mas Sasaki and other Buddhist Men helpers, and added much to the ambience of beautiful Obon festivities. The swaying lanterns completed the picturesque evening at West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple. Thank you everyone for helping make this year’s WLA Obon Festival a big success. WLA Responds to BCA Emergency Appeal In the July 2006 issue of the Wheel of Dharma, the monthly BCA newspaper all BCA members receive, you no doubt read about the urgent appeal for immediate financial assistance sent in May by Bishop Ogui and BCA President Gordon Bermant to all BCA temples, ministers and presidents. The assistance needed was (1) an immediate improvement in the number of gifts toward CAMPAIGN BCA – THE 21ST CENTURY, and (2) for temples to grant a short-term loan to the BCA to help pay off the construction loan for the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC) building in Berkeley scheduled to complete this June 30. The JSC, according to Bishop Ogui and President Bermant, is to become the focal point for the growth of Shin Buddhism throughout the Western Hemisphere. For (1) above, the WLA Board approved action to have our WLA Campaign Committee send out another appeal for gifts from our membership. For (2), the Board directed the Finance Committee plus selected other individuals to meet and study BCA’s request, and report back to the Board with a recommendation. This emergency committee called on two BCA officials residing in Southern District to attend a meeting on June 8 of the committee and other interested parties which included most of the WLA Board. The purpose was to get a fuller understanding of BCA’s problem and what it was asking the temples to do. Following presentations by the officials, there was a question-and-answer session to clarify any remaining questions. The BCA officials then left, and the President presided over a meeting of those present to discuss the problem. There was a sense of real urgency because the BCA needed temple loans committed by June 16 in order for the BCA to meet the June 30 deadline. Therefore, after due deliberation, since a quorum of the Board was present at this meeting, a motion was made, seconded and carried (by written ballot) to extend a loan to the BCA. Rick Stambul, WLA’s Legal Counsel, was requested to insure this transaction is properly documented with the amount and terms determined at this meeting. If you are interested in more details, please contact me or the WLA Finance Committee chairperson, Sho Matsumi. On July 5 the BCA announced twenty temples had responded in little over a month after the appeal went out with sufficient loans and gifts to help meet BCA’s June 30 construction loan payment deadline. WLA was among these twenty temples. Seventeen temples (including WLA) extended loans ranging from $25,000 to 105,000 and totaling $1,197,000. Five temples gave gifts ranging from $10,000 to 100,000 and totaling $320,000. (Note: Some temples gave both loans and gifts.) Added to this were loans of $1,680,000 and gifts of 200,000 from other sources. One reason for the shortfall of funds on June 30 is that CAMPAIGN BCA – THE 21ST CENTURY has been slower than expected in bringing in gifts. After more than four years since the Campaign started, less than 10% of BCA membership has donated gifts, so Bishop Ogui has requested all temples renew their efforts to encourage gifts and/or pledges. So please consider making a generous gift when you receive CAMPAIGN appeals from our CAMPAIGN Committee. - Yuki Sakurai 5 Temple. From pre-teens to seniors, and for active and sometimes, anxious,drummers, Rev. Fumiaki Usuki has instilled a spirit that causes a bridging of generations. DR. JACK FUJIMOTO’S REPORTS Temple Facilities Usage President Yuki Sakurai formed an ad hoc TEMPLE FACILITIES OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE to clarify the guidelines on use of Temple facilities, both long term and short term. To that end, this committee will continue to meet to review and clarify guidelines on Temple facilities use. The committee is chaired by Dr. Jack Fujimoto, with Temple Legal Counsel Rick Stambul, Sho Matsumi and Victor Naramura as members The Obon Festival this year has been a fine focal point for bringing together the young and old. Sushi making found a few younger ladies helping their seniors in the fine art of rolling maki-zushi. Rev. Usuki and Tosh Ishioka invited the community to join in helping this effort of bridging generations with participation from the local Nikkei community. The JIS community center, the local Y, the Hui Aikane group from Betsuin, and Scouts were another aspect of bridging the generations. Recommendations will be offered to the Temple Board and when approved find their way into Temple policy manuals and a revised Member’s Handbook. The Obon dancing on LaGrange truly brought many of the young and old together to culminate in the joy of working together. Temple members are encouraged to share ideas on this subject with Dr. Jack Fujimoto. Another Temple activity that seeks to bring intergenerational goodwill has been the Gourmet Academy. Thanks to Mrs. Torako Akutagawa and Mrs. Yoshiko Iwashita, several sessions of food-making demonstrations have brought enjoyment to some of our younger Temple members. But, we need to continue to cultivate the seniors to present their art of fine cooking. As Mary Hahn told me, her yomogi plant that was given to her after Mrs. Akutagawa’s mochi session is now thriving beautifully, and she wishes to learn more ways to use the plant as well as preparing some Japanese foods for New Year’s Day. Nominations For 2007 Temple Leadership For years 2007 and 2008, Vance Nishimoto is scheduled to take the helm of the Temple as President. Much as Vance has served as President-Elect, he will be seeking a successor as his President-Elect. The Nominations Committee will be meeting in the coming months to confer with Temple members to serve on Vance’s Executive Board as well as on the many committees and departments that support the President and Rev. Fumiaki Usuki in operating the Temple. The Academy wishes to learn what food preparation activities Temple members can demonstrate to bridge the young with old. Ideas can be shared with Rev. Usuki. The task of the Nominations Committee will be made much easier if Temple members volunteer for governance positions by notifying any member of the Committee. Otherwise, when we ask, please say “YES”. These are some of the intergenerational activities that come to mind. Some will continue to flourish and enhance the joy of belonging to the Temple while others may languish. But, there is no doubt that more and different ideas should be shared to cultivate the spirit of bridging the generations. Intergenerational Activities – A Point Of View The Taiko Group has activated ties among the various generations that we have in the D D D D D D D D D D D Kiyo Teramaye BWA APRON PROJECT BWA NEWS BWA thanks Jr. YBA Advisor Jim Shimomaye for giving us the empty cloth rice sacks after the annual mochi tsuki fund raiser. The idea of making aprons out of these sacks floundered a bit, but Sumiye Suzuki took over the project and with the help of Barbara Tanaka and Chiyo Nishina, the aprons were cut out, sewed and sold in a month. Thank you, ladies! Obon Co-Chairs Lorraine Soda/Kiyoko Nakamura would like to report that our Sushi project for the Obon Festival was a success. They would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members and non-members who helped to make this possible. BWA in turn would like to commend Lorraine and Kiyoko for their dedication and hard work supervising every detail to insure success of this project. The proceeds were given to the Temple and 80+ Lunch program. Thank you all. Everyone, take a well-deserved rest in August! Mrs. Sumiye Suzuki is pictured here modeling one of the aprons she sewed. Elsewhere in this Bulletin is the story of her life which includes very hard times in Manchuria at the end of WW II. D D D D D Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives. - Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) Physician, philosopher, musician, Nobel laureate (quoted from wordsmith.org) 6 MRS. SUMIYE SUZUKI -- MEMORIES The Japanese families in Tsuka gathered in one part of the city and became a close knit community as they helped each other. The Suzukis were fortunate in that they received a small stipend from the brick company. Others were not so fortunate. Temple member, Mrs. Sumiye Suzuki, celebrated her 90th birthday this year. Still very bright and alert, she graciously agreed to share her interesting life story with our reporter. Like many Issei men, her father came to America in the late 1800s leaving wife and baby son in Japan. After a few years of working on a farm, he was able to send for his wife and son. The family settled in an agricultural area, now San Fernando, where Sumiye-san and two sisters were born. In 1943 Mr. Suzuki was drafted into the Japanese army. While stationed in Manchuria, he was able to send post cards. But he was sent to Taiwan and the family lost all communication. Neither knew if the other had survived until they were reunited in Oshima, Japan in 1946 three years later. The Chinese government took over Manchuria following the surrender of Japan. A year passed and finally the government gave the order for the Japanese families to return to Japan. On September 1, 1946 Sumiye-san, Jane (age 6), Nancy (age 4), and Kenny (age 3) began their 50-day trek to the port city of Koroto. Putting the children and the elderly on a horse drawn wagon, the adults walked to the railroad station. They were to ride on flat rail cars which had no sides. Putting their few bags around the perimeter, everyone sat in the center. Fortunately, the train moved slowly. Some days they walked, and slept out in the open, waking up damp with dew. Since they were traveling under government orders, Chinese troops provided food and security. Above: Four year old Sumiye-san with mother in their watermelon field in San Fernando in 1920 When Sumiye-san was 14 the family went back to Japan. The eldest son remained in the U.S. The group arrived in Koroto and boarded an American freighter and sailed to Kyushu. They arrived at Sasebo but there were too many ships waiting to dock and unload. Their ship was sent to Hiroshima where they disembarked and stayed at a large army base. Sumiye-san and daughter Jane clearly remember how good their first Japanese meal with mugi gohan was. Sumiye-san was able to send a telegram to her family with news of their return to Japan. The family settled on a farm in Yamaguchi-ken. Sumiye-san completed girls’ high school and worked in a wealthy home where she learned to sew and witness life of the privileged. In 1938 she married Kanenori Suzuki, a young manager in a brick building firm. His work would take him and his young bride to Manchuria. They lived in relative comfort in small Japanese communities in the large cities. Sumiye-san was a U.S. citizen so her three children born in Manchuria fortunately had dual citizenship (U.S. and Japan). After a few days, Sumiye-san and the children boarded the train to go catch the ferry home to Oshima. Arriving too late to catch the last ferry, they stayed overnight at a ryokan where they heard the news that Mr. Suzuki had returned half a year earlier. He was healthy and living on the family farm. The word of his family’s safe return reached Mr. Suzuki and the next morning he met them with manju that he had spent the night making. Wheat grown on the farm had been ground for flour, and there being no azuki, probably sweet potato had been used instead. There were tears of joy! Their faces lighted up as Mrs. Suzuki and Jane remembered that morning for this article. The family was able to travel with Mr. Suzuki as his work took him to various cities. They lived as far north as Songo and were living in Tsuka when WWII broke out. The Suzukis survived on Oshima growing vegetables on their farm and receiving ‘CARE’ packages from relatives in the U.S. They took care of their elderly parents in Japan. After they deceased, the Suzuki family returned to the United States in 1957. The three children enjoyed life in the states going to school and working with their parents rebuilding their lives. But war was again to shatter their lives. In 1966 twenty-three year old Kenny was killed during the Vietnam War. Mr. Suzuki passed away in 1995. Mrs. Suzuki continues to live in her home tending to her ‘dichondra’ lawn, flowers, and fruit trees and gratefully shares in the lives of her daughters, grandchildren, and extended family. 7 TAIKO MILESTONE (Editor’s Note: Since the last issue of the Bulletin, the WLA Taiko program reached a major milestone. It is described in the following article that was written for the BCA Wheel of Dharma and Rafu Shimpo newspapers.) In asking Rev. Usuki why he wanted to make so many taiko, he replied: “As a newly-assigned minister to the WLA temple, I was so impressed by the spirit of the temple members, I wanted to create a program for everyone, both young and old. I asked if they were interested in doing taiko and many indicated that they were. So, though I knew nothing about taiko and taikomaking, they gave me the energy to commit to making taiko for them." The Spirit of Temple Members Spark the Construction of 20 Taiko Don! Don! Don! Don! Thunderous sounds resonate from the basement of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple. These are the sounds emanating from the 20 taiko that were recently built by the resident minister, Rev. Fumiaki Usuki, with the help of a long-time temple member, Ichiro Ouchi. The taiko were built for the taiko class that was started in January, 2005. The class is being taught by Shin3, a performance group out of LA Betsuin. Shin3 commented, “The making of 20 taiko in a relatively short period of time is a remarkable feat. Each taiko requires 50-100 hours of painstaking work...and this is on top of Rev. Usuki’s busy, full-time ministerial duties.” The building of the taiko was made possible by the generous sponsorships by various members and organizations of the WLA temple. The West L.A. taiko class performed on the 20 taiko at the temple’s Obon festivities. - Elaine Fukumoto Ichiro Ouchi (left) and Rev. Fumiaki Usuki (right). Shin3’s Audrey Nakasone and Elaine Fukumoto in the center surrounded by twenty taiko. Missing is Shin3 member Joyce Layne. sponsored the building of many of the Taiko by their unselfish donations: Thank you all! And special thanks must go to our teachers, M. Elaine Fukumoto, Joyce Layne, and Audrey Nakasone, all of whom gave selflessly of their time and hard work, and particularly from their hearts to inspire our new group. Thanks also gladly goes to Beverly Yahata, one of our own Taiko members, who served as Treasurer for the Group, a most time-consuming task. WEST L.A. TEMPLE TAIKO GROUP OBON PERFORMANCE PURE JINEN! Richard Stambul It was only the second public appearance of our own West LA Taiko Group and it was a great success. More than 20 Taiko drummers gathered together at our Obon Festival on both July 29 and 30. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, it wasn’t so much a “performance” (although we did perform and play) as it was an experience of many people acting (and sounding) as “one”. We were, without thought or pretense, finding jinen hōni in real Buddhist terms, “just as we are”, “authentic.” As Elaine Fukumoto said so aptly after the Group’s Obon appearance: “It was evident in everyone’s faces........yes they were working hard.....but there seemed to be a Joy in their efforts....this was Kangi-e in action. A “Gathering of Joy” in every aspect of.Obon.” I would only add that it was indeed a WLA Temple Taiko “Ode to Joy”. Special thanks goes to Rev. F. Usuki and Ichiro Ouchi who performed the impossible by constructing more than twenty (20) Taiko for our Group: An incredible accomplishment. Thanks also goes to those in our Sangha who Thank you all. 8 OBON 2006 California Bank and Trust Fukui Mortuary George's Hardware Giant Robot Hashimoto Nursery Hide Sushi Hurry Curry of Tokyo Jo-Mi Plumbing Keiro Kubota Nikkei Mortuary Lulu Mike's Flatbed Service Morinaga Nutritional Food Inc. Patch of Green Safe and Save Market Sakura Restaurant Satsuma Oriental Imports Sawtelle Kitchen Sawtelle Tempura House Scotty's Flowers and Gifts Taka Hair Salon Union Bank of California Volcano Tea Yamaguchi Oriental Imports Tosh Ishioka The Obon Festival was a HUGE SUCCESS with a new look and great community participation. The Obon dancing was held on the street. In the parking lot there was a large tented eating area surrounded by the various food and game booths. Six new booths/attractions were added: (1) Boy Scout Troop #39 – Chicken Salad/Bibimbap; (2) WLA JACC, JIS, and WLA JACL – Girafffe Jump House; (3) WLA Kendo Dojo – Jump House; (4) WLA Hot Rodders – Kalbi Beef; (5) Mr. Keisuke Imamura – Blueberry Imagawayaki; (6) Westside Family YMCA – Basketball Toss. Another outstanding addition was the interesting photo display by Margarita Nieto – “Gardens Telling Stories – Japanese Gardens and Gardeners of Sawtelle.” Entertainment by the Kinnara and WLA Taiko groups added to the festivities. A BIG THANK YOU to all of the hard working committee members and the participants of the food and game booths. The outstanding support for setup and take-down of the booths was greatly appreciated. A very special thanks to Vance Nishimoto for taking care of the electrical challenge created by the street dancing and additional tents. Lastly, we would like to thank the merchants and banks for the very generous donations they make each year to our raffle booth. The WLA Buddhist Temple gratefully acknowledges the many donors listed above who contributed so many prizes this year. Your generosity is truly appreciated. OBON DRAWING TOP WINNERS 1st prize: Nobu Misono 2nd prize: L. Mizuno 3rd prize: Mary Ikeda OBON DRAWING DONORS Aki Restaurant Baba's Lawnmower Shop Congratulations to these winners and the many others who were lucky winners of the drawing. GARDEN CLEANUP IN PREPARATION FOR OBON Garden Committee chairman Tsukasa Mukai and longtime committee member Taizo Kishi survey progress. Bay City Gardeners swarm over Temple garden. THANKS TO THE BINGO COMMITTEE In most months of the year, the WLA Bingo Committee, under the chairmanship of Bob Fujimoto, gather to conduct the monthly Bingo fund raisers. Current committee members are Kay and Rob Kafka, Judy Okita, Ichiro Ouchi, Monica Saito, and Leo Tanaka. Their efforts made it possible recently to transfer $10,000 into the Temple account to help pay the costs of expanding Obon facilities (tents, tables) this year. Third Friday of each month. Come support your Temple. September 15, 7:30 p.m. 9 OBON BOOTH CONSTRUCTION Crew begins assembly of frame for four new “Big Top” tents added this year. Completed “Big Top”. Four of these were erected to shade the large new outdoor eating area in the parking lot. WLA TAIKO AT OBON, THEIR SECOND PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SINCE THEY FORMED Photo courtesy of Bruce Hatakeyama BON ODORI SNAPSHOTS (more next issue. Submit photos (digital preferred) before Sep 1.) ▲ Grace Mizushima, head odori instructor. ▲ Kathy Nishimoto. Rev. Iwohara (Venice) in back. ▲ Laraine Miyata. Kimiko Usuki and Rev. Usuki follow in her footsteps. ◄ Gene Kafka, WLA taiko drummer. Rev. Ben Mayeda, BCA Minister Emeritus, and WLA member, watches the dancers. Great to see you looking so good, Reverend Ben. ------► 10 We have been kindly asked to write a short piece about why we dance in the Obon Festival. There are many reasons. greatly enjoy visiting the other Obon Odoris and experiencing the varieties of observance and service. In particular, Senshin’s invitation to light oil-lamps in memory of others is very affecting (and the cold post-dance somen is refreshing!) First is the hospitality and graciousness of the temples in allowing us to participate. When my wife, Annie, suggested six years ago that anyone was welcome to attend West L.A. Buddhist Temple odori practices, my response was “go right ahead!” I’ve never been a dancer, a few fox-trot lessons when I was a kid notwithstanding. Of course, we also get a great kick out of the variety of dance styles on display: the robust, flamboyant and sometimes free-form stylings of some of the men; the economic grace of the ladies; the classical flourishes of some of the more serious students; the exuberance of the young people; the confused steps of the little kids. They are all beautiful. Yet Annie talked me into joining a practice one evening, and I found the moves counter-intuitive, baffling to the point of frustration. Suffice to say that my patience was not exemplary. I quit. Annie persevered, though, and I gradually rejoined, eventually figuring out that “back right” meant “saluting” with my left hand, etc. Eureka! In sum, we dance for many reasons, and for no reason at all (tada.) We feel privileged to be a part of Obon, and it is, without a doubt, the happiest time of year for us. WHY WE DANCE AT OBON Rip Rense and Annie Chuck In time, to my surprise, I came to love it to the point where we attend the Obon Odoris all over Southern California. But this is not so much frivolity to us. We do not regard the event as a mere party, though we relish the festivity of it. We have learned about the history of Obon, the Ullambana Sutra, the traditions as they exist in Japan and United States, and the purpose of affirming life and acknowledging departed persons who have influenced us, whether positively or negatively. Not long after we began attending Obon Festivals, we purchased the anniversary CD produced by Senshin Buddhist Temple, in order to read the lyrics to the songs, and understand a little about their histories. We also took advantage of a talk about Obon given in Little Tokyo by Rev. Mas Kodani, which we found very rewarding. Rev. Kodani’s well-known notions of “tada odore,” or “just dance,” were illuminating. The idea of reaching a point unfettered by ego, and just being in the moment, is one that we embraced long ago as a general approach to life (intellectually, if not always in practice.) Applying it to the dancing seemed natural. Rip and Annie at WLA’s 2006 Bon Odori D D D D D 80 PLUS YARD SALE The 80 Plus Yard Sale was a HUGE SUCCESS. A very special thank you to the Buddhist Men, BWA, Asoka, and other members and friends who worked so hard to set up on Friday and to sell and clean up on Saturday. So whether we are doing Tanko Bushi or Shiawase Samba or Hokkai no Abarembo, we are always mindful of those moments free of both embarrassment and showing off, the times when you “tada odore.” Such moments do not always happen, or even often, and when they do, they are fleeting. Over in the snap of a finger, as per Rev. Kodani’s metaphor. Yet they do, as he points out, put us “in the moment,” in the same “tada” existence as all the stuff of life. We greatly appreciate the generous donations of goods from members and friends. If you have items you no longer use - small appliances, clothes, jewelry, toys, kitchen items, etc. please keep us in mind for the next yard sale. Thank you again for your wonderful support. - Yard Sale Committee But this is not to make too much of a complicated thing out of the proceedings. This is hardly a solemn, ascetic ritual, but rather, as the Jodoshinshu term for Obon, Kangi-e, goes, “a gathering of joy.” We relish joining everyone in the great circle around the yagura---the symbolism of human cooperation is very moving---and we love the intoxicating colors of the yukatas, the brash taiko displays, the smoke from the chicken teriyaki, the cool kintoki. (We haven’t been brave enough to try the chili rice or spam musubi yet, though.) (l to r) Chiyo Nitta, Masako Ishioka, and Lorraine Soda are the Yard Sale Committee that works year round collecting, organizing, and pricing the donated goods. While West L.A. is our “home” (which we recently formalized by joining the temple), we 11 WLA BUDDHIST TEMPLE T SHIRTS !!!SALE!!! REDUCED PRICE OF $10.00 Following the success of our Obon Festival sales of our official WLA Temple T-Shirts, we have a limited supply still available at the reduced price of $10 from the original price of $15. We’ve sold out of the Medium size, but have all other sizes still available. Remember, these are the finest quality Hanes Beefy T-Shirts, 100% cotton, pre-shrunk, in six spectacular colors (T Shirts are white). The design on the back-side represents our own WLA Buddhist Temple viewed looking west from Corinth Avenue and includes our lantern and garden. The kanji 自然 stands for jinen which means “just as you are,” “authentic,” and “to be spontaneous.” Over the front left pocket area of the T Shirt appears a discreet depiction of the Jodo Shinshu wisteria symbol in (WLA Temple) red with the text, “WLA Buddhist Temple 2006” appearing under it. THESE TEES WILL SOON BECOME COLLECTOR’S ITEMS. Thank you to all who bought our 2006 T-Shirts. May our first Temple T Shirt be a reminder to cherish with gratitude the Joy of Dancing and being “Just As You Are.” Thank you for your continuing support. Namu Amida Butsu. Please complete this Order Form and send it with your check (payable to “WLA Buddhist Temple”) to: West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple/Temple T Shirts, 2003 Corinth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025, OR simply pay for and pick up your FOR SALE T-Shirts @ $10. each at the Temple. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TEMPLE T SHIRT ORDER FORM Name: _________________________________________ Phone number: ____________________ Street Address: _________________________________________ City & Zip Code: ____________________ Please insert the number of T Shirts you want to order for each size: XS________Sml________Lrg________XL________XXL________ TOTAL Number of T Shirts ________ X $10.00 each = $ ________ check enclosed. 12 SEPTEMBER SHOTSUKI HOYO - 10 a.m. Saturday, September 9, 2006 Arita, Kaneto Fukuhara, Ume Fukumoto, Jimmy Hada, Wasano Ishii, Sadako Ishioka, Masako Iwasaki, Karl Kamibayashi, Yoshiko Kato, Kei Kazumura, Yoshio Kazumura, Shizue Kojima, Hatsu Kojima, Hisashi Kondo, Frank Koshiyama, Hisano Koshiyama, Harry Kurokawa, Fusae Maeda, Yoneo Mataga, Tameichi Mayeda, Tsutaye Mayetani, Sadaichi Miyahara, Karo Mochizuki, Shinsaku Mori, Hachijiro Murata, Takeo Nagatome, Seikichi Nakagawa, Michiko Nakamura, Takano Nakashima, Chima Nicho, Ei Ohnoki, Pat Okanishi, Naosuke Okubo, Nobuichi Sakahara, Matsukichi Sakurai, Matasaku Sasaki, Takeo Sasaki, Tatsuo Shimomaye, Wataru Shintaku, Sadako Soda, Steven Takemoto, Mamoru Takenoshita, Shintaro Tanaka, George Totani, Wakano Ueno, Shotaro Yabuta, Robert Yuzuki, Minoru JULY SHOTSUKI HOYO DONATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 20 30 20 20 20 20 5 5 20 35 Fujioka, June Hada, Isamu Hayashi, Shizuko Ishihara, Haruko Iwamoto, Takao Kiriyama, Tak Koyama, Shinkichi Koyama, Shinkichi Kozawa, Nobuko Kurosaki, Fusaye 25 20 50 20 20 10 20 20 30 20 Masuda, Helen Mayeda, Rev. Ben Nakamura, Margie Nakamura, Reiko Nekoda, Rev. Ensei Nishikawa, Fumiko Nunokawa, Ruth Ozamoto, George Sakamoto, Kay Sakurai, Yuki 20 20 30 30 20 30 20 21 Seike, Kazuko Sumida, Nagako Suzuki, Sumiye Takahashi, Miyoye Tashima, Harry Yahata, Beverly Yamamoto, Ikuko Loose 20 Suzuki, Sumiye 20 Takahashi, Miyoye JULY FLOWER DONATIONS 20 20 Hayashi, Shizko Kurosaki, Fusaye CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF: MRS. TOMIKO IWAMOTO 8/28/11 – 6/20/06 MR. SHOJI ICHIKAWA 5/22/25 – 7/15/06 MR. TUSSY TSUGINORI UMEDA 5/21/16 – 8/4/06 13 SPECIAL DONATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (NOTE: Special donations received and deposited in August will appear in the October 2006 issue.) June 2006 Jacqueline Marie Pierce Special donation 30.00 Japanese Institute of Sawtelle Classroom use from August 2006 to June 2007 Masao Sasaki 7th Yoshiko Iwashita Gourmet Academy 20.00 Ikebana Class Classroom use 30.00 Roy Higa 33rd Donna & Neil Higashida Social Hall use Chiyoko Nitta Funeral service for Satoshi Nitta Chidori Kagawa 13th year Memorial for Rich Masaki Kagawa Isamu Hada Father’s Day Service Laraine Miyata Funeral service for Tatsuye Miyata Jacqueline Marie Pierce Special donation Miyoye Takahashi 3rd year Memorial for Larry Shinji Takahashi 100.00 Ben, Hisako, Gail Yamanaka 1st year Memorial for Gregory Arata Yamanaka 100.00 Ted Yamanaka 1st year Memorial for Gregory Arata Yamanaka 100.00 Venice/SFV Scouts Social Hall use 100.00 Chiyo Nitta 49th day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta 200.00 Lorraine Soda 49th day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta 25.00 M/M Tosh Ishioka 49th day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta 30.00 M/M Sei Shohara 49th day Memorial for Satoshi Nitta 30.00 year Memorial for Koyoshi Sasaki year Memorial for Tomohiko Higa 3,000.00 150.00 200.00 100.00 1,000.00 100.00 20.00 600.00 50.00 July 2006 Gabriel Fairfoot Hula Dance Group Ikebana Class Iwamoto Family Ritsuko Uto Southern District BWA Hideko Ichikawa Miyuki Kosaka Jane Makinodan Leo Yamanaka Minobu Nishimori Hatsuko Goto Special donation Facility use Classroom use Funeral service for Tomiko Iwamoto 17th year Memorial for Masayuki Uto 25.00 100.00 30.00 800.00 75.00 Kubota Nikkei Mortuary, Inc. Use of altar pieces for 2006 SD Buddhist Conference Funeral and Burial Service for Shoji Ichikawa Obon Obon Obon Obon Obon Obon Hisao & Yuri Honda Obon 25.00 Marie Sakamoto Obon Obon 50.00 50.00 Thomas Yasuda & Marjorie Morikawa Obon 500.00 Angel Maid Bakery Obon 50.00 Baba’s Lawnmower Shop Obon 100.00 Jonathon Ahearn Obon 100.00 Motoko Saneto WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Aliya Assilbayeva Evan Kitahara Rip Rense and Annie Chuck Miwa Takahashi Gail Yamanaka 15 50.00 200.00 20.00 25.00 50.00 100.00 30.00 100.00 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 SEPTEMBER 2006 9/2&3 SD Jr. YBA Conference at Arizona Bulletin Folding Toban: BWA Office hours: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Phone: 310-477-7274 E-mail: [email protected] Website: wlabt.org 3 SD Jr. YBA Conference at Arizona 4 Labor Day Holiday 5 7:30 p.m. Temple Board Meeting 9/1-3 World BWA Convention in Hawaii 6 7 8 1:00 pm Study Class 7:30 pm SD Council (English) Meeting at Gardena 7:30 pm Taiko 9 10 am Shotsuki Hoyo SD DSTL Conference at Oxnard Temple Closed 10 First Day of 2006-07 Dharma School year 9:30 a.m. Sunday Service/Dharma School/ Study Class (E) BWA Meeting following Study Class 12 Noon Shigin Kinryu Kai 2 11 12 10:00 am SD Ministers’ Meeting at Betsuin 13 7:30 pm Taiko 1:00 pm Study Class (English) 7:30 pm Buddhist Men Meeting Rev. Usuki Off 17 14 18 19 10 am HIGAN-E SERVICE Toban: Buddhist Men Hamburger Lunch to follow 20 7:30 pm Taiko 21 15 7:30 p.m BINGO . 16 9:30 am – 1 pm Ohigan Seminar Speakers: Reverends Kyogyo Miura (J), Marvin Harada (E) Rev. Usuki Off 22 23 29 30 1:00 pm Study Class (English) Rev. Usuki Off 24 9:30 am Sunday Service/Dharma School/ Study Class (E) 25 12 Noon 80-Plus Lunch 26 27 7:30 pm Taiko BWA to Las Vegas 12 Noon Shigin Kinyo Kai Rev. Usuki Off 7:30 pm Asoka Fujinkai Meeting 28 1:00 pm Study Class (English) Rev. Usuki Off
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