WHEEL OF DHARMA - Buddhist Churches of America

WHEEL
OF DHARMA
Official Publication of the Buddhist Churches of America
1710 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
VOLUME 39 DECEMBER 2013 2013 IHOPE Gathering
at the Jodo Shinshu Center
A Season of
Appreciation
S
By Rev. Kodo Umezu, BCA Bishop
ince I took office as Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of
America (BCA) in April, 2012, I have conducted the
Affirmation Ceremony or Kieshiki* at 14 temples and
churches. In an Affirmation Ceremony, a person receives a
Buddhist name, or Homyo. I have conferred 204 Buddhist
Names. It has been so great and encouraging to see many
people expressing their desire to be identified as Buddhists. By
receiving a Buddhist Name, they reaffirm their spiritual foundation and express their appreciation of the Dharma. As I visited various places and met with people, I saw more and more
sangha members expressing their interest in Buddhism, especially in Shinran Shonin’s teaching.
However, we must not just look at numbers. Many years
ago when I was a minister at the Buddhist Church of Oakland,
after one Sunday service that was poorly attended I said to my
eldest daughter, Amy, “Not too many people came today.” I
think my voice sounded really disappointed and negative. Right
away Amy responded, “Daddy, I was there!” Her comment
really struck me hard. I thought to myself, “Yes, she was there.
What am I thinking?”
As a minister I often think about how well services are attended. But am I really speaking to each person as a precious
seeker? I was so shocked to see myself just looking at the
numbers. I came to realize that no matter how many people are
in attendance, I must conduct each service as my one and only
opportunity to share my appreciation. I must treat each attendee with the highest respect and welcome all as fellow
travelers.
I know that each and every one of us is given this life to
live, a life that we can live only once. We must listen to our own
voice coming from deep inside, seeking the true and real fulfillment of our existence. Shinran Shonin was able to find the
path to the true fulfillment by listening to the nembutsu teaching. My wish is not only to see more people receive their Buddhist names, but to see more people have opportunities to hear
the nembutsu teaching and to receive its profound message.
Continued on Page 6
President’s
Message
Members of the Lodi Buddhist Church with Rev. Kodo Umezu
and Rev. Katsu Kusunoki standing in the background.
D
By Ron Murakami
BCA President
White River
Buddhist Temple
ISSUE 12
Translated from the Japanese article
by Rev. Ryuta Furumoto
T
hirty-one ministers gathered
Nov. 5 to Nov. 8, at the Jodo
Shinshu Center in Berkeley,
California to spend four days learning
together and sharing experiences at the
2013 International Hongwanji Overseas
Propagation Exchange (IHOPE) Gathering.
This was the second such gathering
held for Hongwanji ministers actively
serving in the four overseas districts of
Canada, Hawaii, South America, and the
BCA. This year’s gathering was also attended by several ministers from Japan,
including aspiring overseas ministers in
the International Ministerial Orientation
Program (IMOP) and a representative
from the Hongwanji International Department.
Our conversations at the 2013
IHOPE Gathering focused on the role
of Hongwanji ministers in providing
spiritual care at the end-of-life, as well as
the inspiration we find in Buddhist
scriptures, such as the Amida Sutra.
Participating ministers shared their
practical experiences serving families in
end-of-life situations and shared strategies for conveying traditional teachings
using idiomatic English expressions.
In order to take advantage of the
gathering of ministers from the four
districts as an opportunity to share the
Dharma, an international panel of ministers addressed questions gathered
from all the represented regions about
Jodo Shinshu teachings and temple activities in a live broadcast on the USTREAM website. (A video archive of
the conversation can be viewed by
searching for “IHOPE Q&A” at http://
www.ustream.tv/). A video recording of
the IHOPE participants chanting the
beautiful Ojo Raisan liturgy has also been
posted on YouTube.com (Search for
“2013 IHOPE Raisan”—be sure to include the quotation marks in your
search). These experiments with using
online technology are part of a larger
project to find ways of introducing the
Jodo Shinshu teachings to wider audience as the Pure Land Buddhist tradition
receives more attention in the landscape
of American Buddhism.
Head of the 2013 IHOPE Planning
Committee Bishop Tatsuya Aoki of the
Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of
Canada described the goal of the gathering in the following words: “As overseas
ministers serving in these four districts,
there are common challenges we all face
in sharing the Dharma. We have each
developed our own strategies for addressing those problems, so coming together to share ideas helps us to be more
effective in our ministries. What’s more,
when we gather together all of our individual abilities and perspectives, we discover a great strength that transcends all
of our individualities. That strength
greatly contributes to the spread of the
Nembutsu teaching in our world.”
One participating minister from
Hawaii commented that he learned a
great deal through meeting ministers
from other overseas districts: “I normally don’t have an opportunity to meet
ministers from other districts, so I found
the conversations with colleagues from
all over the world that I had at this
gathering to be very stimulating. I look
forward to putting the new things I have
learned here into practice as soon as I
get back to my temple.”
The Best Temple in BCA
ue to the timing of the
December
National
Board Meeting, a report
on the meeting will have to wait
until the January issue of the Wheel
of Dharma. However, we’ll have
focused on and hopefully come to
an understanding on changes required to respond to the Affordable
Care Act (“Obamacare”) with respect to health care insurance for
ministers, and approval of the Fis-
cal Year 2014/2015 BCA budget.
For some among our BCA sangha,
these may be two of the least interesting issues we face, but they can
have significant impact on temples
and sanghas. Temples with ministers are responsible for each minister’s health insurance while temples
contribute about 63% of the total
budget. In addition, many individuals are dealing with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act
for their own health insurance so
most people understand how complicated and contentious the issue
has become. Don’t hesitate to ask
your district representatives about
these issues and if further information is needed, contact either the
BCA headquarters administration
or Executive Committee members.
In late October, Karen and I
journeyed to the Sacramento area
to visit Northern California District
temples. Thanks to the help of Rev.
Bob and Patti Oshita, as well as the
support of temple presidents, ministers, and minister’s assistants, we
were able to visit six out of seven
temples and to meet with members
from all the temples. It was a rare
opportunity and privilege for us; it’s
unlikely we’ll ever have this opportunity again and it led to many useful discussions and sharing of ideas.
Continued on Page 6
PAGE 2 WHEEL OF DHARMA
GUADALUPE BUDDHIST CHURCH
One of the earliest churches founded in America, this church celebrated its 100th Year Anniversary in 2009.
With the dwindling number of members, the small core group, which has not changed for
thirteen years, has kept the obon and other activities going by sheer rote and tenacity.
Always relying on the Amida Buddha for lessons learned and for compassion, we exist.
Namo Amida Butsu.
Note: This series introducing BCA temples correlates to the 2013 BCA Calendar.
Guadalupe Buddhist Church
1072 Olivera St.
Guadalupe, CA 93434
(805) 343-1053
www.guadalupebuddhistchurch.org
A Fork in the Road and Gassho
By Rev. Ron Miyamura,
Midwest Buddhist Temple
W
hen I am asked about
Buddhism and Shin
Buddhism, there are
so many ways to respond, but one
of my favorite ways to explain
Buddhism is to share stories.
For how one might understand Buddhism, I share the story
of “A Fork in the Road” which
goes like this: “There is a man
sitting on a rock in the forest
along a path where the path
divides, to the left of the rock and
to the right of the rock. One day,
the man sees a little girl being
chased by a wild man swinging a
machete. The little girl disappears
into the forest, and then suddenly
is running towards the man and
cries out, ‘there is a wild man
chasing me’ and the little girl runs
to the left. A moment later, the
wild man comes running up and
says, ‘I am going to kill that girl,
which way did she go?”…..end of
story.
How would you answer the
wild man? Is it more important to
always tell the truth? Or if you
mis-directed the wild man, would
he come back and kill you? In
short, there is no “right” answer.
The important part is that one
has to take responsibility for
whatever response you gave the
wild man. One always has to be
responsible for one’s thoughts,
words and actions.
Buddhism is like your
response. There is no right or
wrong answer, the important
lesson is to be responsible. In a
similar way, Buddhism does not
give you the answer, it only
provides some guidelines.
For how one might understand Shin Buddhism, I often
relate this perspective. We all like
to think that we should not kill,
yet, we all have to kill. Whenever
we eat, we have to kill plants and
animals; or if we don’t eat, we
would be starving ourselves
which would be to kill myself.
Thus, no matter what we do, we
have to kill.
There is no logical way to
resolve this dilemma. Certainly we
can all rationalize why we kill, but
that seems hollow somehow. So,
the religious and spiritual
question is how do we understand
and accept that I have to kill.
Either, I kill plants and animals or
I kill myself.
Perhaps the way to resolve
this question is to put my hands
together in Gassho (palms and
thumbs together and bow) and to
humbly acknowledge the
sacrifices of others. Among the
many characteristics of Shin
Buddhism is humility, and the
gesture of humility is Gassho.
Putting our palms together is
symbolically using the left hand
which is the human hand, and the
right hand which is the Buddha
hand. Putting the palms together
is the gesture of Oneness (two
separate parts coming together as
one). Then the gesture is to bow
one’s head, the gesture of
humility. To bow one’s head has
so many results, among them is to
lower one’s eyes which allows one
to “listen” more.
If one were a Japanese
Buddhist, one would say “itadakimasu” which might be translated
from Monshu Ohtani, Lady
Ohtani or other officials of the
Hongwanji for various occasions,
requesting guest lecturers from
Japan, and arranging for tours of
the Hongwanji or accommodations at the Hongwanji for BCA
members who visit Japan. As a liaison with the Hongwanji, Michael
also oversees coordination of the
Hongwanji sponsored Young
Buddhist International Cultural
Study Exchange (YBICSE) Program and the annual student exchange program between the BCA
Federation of Buddhist Women’s
Associations and the Japan Buddhist Women’s Federation.
One very meaningful responsibility Michael has is a weekly
visit to the BCA memorial monument at Colma Cemetery to clean
the monument and offer flowers.
Michael is a Buddhist Church
of Oakland Board member and
Minister’s Assistant, as well as being a past president. He received
tokudo ordination in 2002 and
kyoshi certification in 2007 at
Hongwanji.
Yumi Hatta began her job as
CBE Program Assistant in 2008,
working with the CBE staff and
volunteers at the Jodo Shinshu
Center (JSC) to strengthen BCA’s
array of educational programs,
special initiatives and resource development projects. Since April
2012 she has been based at BCA
National Headquarters, assisting
with CBE program coordination
within the Office of the Bishop.
However, she still spends time at
the JSC, especially when CBE
programs are in session.
DECEMBER 2013
BCA NATIONAL
BOARD 2013
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Ron Murakami, President
Dr. Kent Matsuda, President-elect
Susan Bottari, Vice President
Ken Tanimoto, Vice President
Pauline Sakuma, Secretary
Treasurer, TBA
Rev. Kodo Umezu, Bishop
Rev. Jerry Hirano, Chair,
Ministers Association
BAY - DISTRICT 1
Susan Bottari, Karen Suyama,
Jon Takagaki
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA - DISTRICT 2
Todd Fukuda, Ellen Tanimoto,
Gary Mukai
COAST - DISTRICT 3
Gary Omori, Ken Tanimoto,
Janice Doi
EASTERN - DISTRICT 4
Dr. Erick Ishii, Dr. Linda Engstrom,
Nancy T. Okada
MOUNTAIN STATES - DISTRICT 5
Kirk Yamashita, Dot Richeda,
Joni Sakaguchi/Gail Ida
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - DISTRICT 6
Tad Shibata, Cathy Fujimori,
Mary Ann Miyao
NORTHWEST - DISTRICT 7
Pauline K. Sakuma, Mark Achterman,
Paul Mori
SOUTHERN - DISTRICT 8
Barbara Fukuji, Mick Kubota,
James Okazaki
DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE
Dr. Kent Matsuda (2014)
Tom Nishikawa (2014)
Ellen Tanimoto (2014)
Calvin Doi (2015)
Richard Endo (2015)
Steven Terusaki (2015)
Charlene Grinolds (2016)
Jeffery Matsuoka (2016)
Richard Stambul (2016)
May Peace and Tranquility
Prevail Throughout the World
Continued on Page 6
Secretary to the Office
of the Bishop and CBE
Program Assistant
T
By Ron Murakami
his article highlights the
Secretary to the Office of
the Bishop, Michael Endo,
and the Center for Buddhist Education (CBE) Program Assistant,
Julie Yumi Hatta as part of a short
series introducing our Buddhist
Churches of America (BCA) staff
members.
Michael Endo joined the BCA
staff in May of 1996, and works
out of the BCA National Headquarters in San Francisco. As Secretary to the Office of the Bishop,
Michael’s duties include maintaining and coordinating the day-today schedule of the Bishop and
also involve preparing letters, reports, and other written communications such as letters of congratulations,
condolence,
commendation, and greetings for
members, temples and affiliated
organizations of the BCA. Many
temples directly experience the
results of Michael’s work since he
oversees the preparation and distribution of the Certificates of
Congratulations for graduating
high school and college/university
students as well as scouting and
Dharma School certificates, and
the processing of Kieshiki Affirmation Ceremony applications.
Michael also serves as a liaison
between the Office of the Bishop
and the Hongwanji headquarters
in Kyoto. This responsibility involves communication and coordination with the Hongwanji International Department and other
departments on a variety of matters including ministerial assignments, requesting special messages
BCA Bookstore News
By Gayle Noguchi
Now available: Quiet Mind – A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation compiled and edited by Susan Piver, hardcover,
$14.
In 2014, do you hope to reduce stress, improve your health, and increase your sense of well-being? Scientific
and medical research has shown that these are some of the benefits of regularly meditating. If you would like to
meditate, but don’t know quite where to begin, this book is for you. Quiet Mind offers six different meditation practices presented by six renowned Buddhist teachers. The book also includes suggestions for creating a daily practice,
frequently asked questions, and a CD of guided instruction. Although meditation is not practiced by Shin Buddhists
as a vehicle for awakening, this book helps you enjoy the positive impact meditating can have on your daily life.
To order, go to www.bcabookstore.com or [email protected]/510-809-1435. The BCA Bookstore is open
Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Like us on Facebook.
Continued on Page 6
Wheel of Dharma
(USPS 017-700)
Official Publication of the Buddhist Churches of America
BCA National Headquarters
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Wheel of Dharma (USPS 017-700) is published monthly by Buddhist Churches of America, 1710 Octavia St., San Francisco,
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WHEEL OF DHARMA POLICY
HARDCOPY PUBLICATION LICENSE:
Authors who submit articles for publication in the Wheel of Dharma (“WOD”)
thereby grant WOD a royalty-free non-exclusive paid up license, worldwide, in
perpetuity and in all media (the “License”) to use, edit and republish the
article(s) and to grant sublicenses to any 3rd party to do so on the same terms.
WOD grants 3rd parties an identical License to republish its articles so long as
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WOD grants 3rd parties an identical License to republish only the first three
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English Editor: Rev. Ron Kobata
Japanese Editor: Rev. Ryuta Furumoto
Print Production: Jeffrey Kimoto
DECEMBER 2013 WHEEL OF DHARMA
PAGE 3
News and Highlights・December 2013
IMOP Training Concludes
On November 22, the closing service and awarding of certificates to the 2013 International Ministerial Orientation Program (IMOP) was held. Several BCA ministers and
Jodo Shinshu Center staff members participated in the chanting of Ojoraisan as this
year’s program came to a close. IMOP, initiated by the Hongwanji in 2008, trains
Japanese ministers to become Kaikyoshi in the mainland U.S.A., Hawaii, and Canada.
They take a wide variety of classes, from Buddhism in America, to hospice and end of
life care, to temple management. Other activities include delivering Dharma messages
in English and participating in a short internship at a temple to complete their training.
CBE Co-Director’s Message
by Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara
There is a saying, “There is no ‘I’ in the word ‘BUDDHA’.” This may imply that the
core essence of Buddha’s teaching is to be released from a self-centered and egoistic
viewpoint; or it might suggest how difficult it is for us, who exclaim “me, me, me” in
our daily life, to become a Buddha. But in spite of this, CBE has two programs with
“I” in their acronyms.
One is the International Hongwanji Overseas Propagation Exchange, or IHOPE
for short. It was held at the Jodo Shinshu Center from November 5-8, 2013. Thirty
ministers from BCA, Hawaii, Canada, South America, and Japan voluntarily participated. As the title shows, this event aims at the exchange of knowledge and experiences among ministers. We had active discussions on designated topics. We not only
learned a lot from each other, we also established and enjoyed friendship with ministers from other overseas districts. I would like to note that the Hongwanji, ministers,
and sangha members made generous donations to financially support this event. I
hope that we can provide something of value in return, and that we can have another
IHOPE gathering in the future. (Please also read the front page article on IHOPE.)
Ministers from four overseas districts participate in chanting at the IHOPE gathering last November.
IMOP activities: A visit to Seattle Buddhist Church, Betsuin (above) for a talk with
Rev. Donald Castro. From left to right are Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara, IMOP Coordinator, Rev. Ryuhei Endo, Rev. Jo Takeuchi and Rev. Yoshinari Inohara from Tsukiji
Hongwanji in Tokyo, Rev. Castro, Rev. Yuko Kubo, Rev. Miho Sekiya, and Rev. Daido
Baba. (Center:) The reverends received their completion certificates from Rev. Kodo
Umezu, BCA Bishop (at far right). (Below:) The ministers enjoyed a traditional
Thanksgiving meal at their farewell gathering on November 22.
MINISTERS’ WORDS OF APPRECIATION TO BCA:
I received many treasures from this IMOP program. I had many encounters with numerous people.
I won’t forget your smiles and kindness. I’m looking forward to seeing you as a kaikyoshi minister.
Thank you very, very much for everything. In Gassho, Rev. Daido Baba
I had many wonderful experiences. I was very moved
that ministers of the past
tried to spread the Nembutsu at the risk of their
lives. I hope I can be a BCA
minister and do my best. I’ll
never forget Ogui sensei’s
words: “Don’t be afraid to
grope in the dark.”
Rev. Yuko Kubo
IMOP was like a jack-inthe-box for me, filled with surprises every day. After all, I realized that the box was filled with
smiles, warmth and insights from people who had good wishes for us ministers-in-training. Thank
you so much all of you for your support in sharing the teachings and the Dharma community here
in America. I am grateful for all that I received. With these experiences, I look forward to serving
BCA with you in the coming future. Gassho, Miho Sekiya
I am grateful to have participated in this
IMOP program. I can’t express how
much I appreciate this opportunity you
gave us. We IMOP students received
lectures in English and visited many
temples in various areas, so I could experience practical Buddhism and Jodo
Shinshu in the U.S. During this time I
met and talked to so many great kaikyoshi
senseis and wonderful people. I really
think I have advanced on my Nembutsu
path. I will try to improve myself in order to come back to the U.S. Again,
thank you very much. Rev. Ryuhei Endo
The other program with “I” is IMOP, the International Ministerial Orientation
Program. IMOP is effective in that Japanese ministers who are foreign to Jodo Shinshu in the U.S. can actually be immersed in it for a period of three months.
On their arrival at the San Francisco International Airport I saw their anxious
faces, probably due to the prospect of living in a foreign county and studying in English. However, at the 2013 IMOP closing service, they were all smiles. The fulfillment from what they learned and experienced appeared on their smiling faces and
were expressed in their words of appreciation. As the IMOP coordinator, I would like
to extend my deepest gratitude to all who directly and indirectly supported this program. I hope that the four ministers will become truly appreciative of the Nembutsu
teaching and enthusiastically share it with others during their missionary activities.
Gassho.
THE INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES & BCA CENTER FOR BUDDHIST EDUCATION PRESENT
PACIFIC SEMINAR - 21ST CENTURY - SPRING SESSION
“The Benefits of a Life of Shinjin”
Guest Speaker:
Prof. Nobuhiro Sencho Fukagawa
Department of Shin Buddhist Studies, Faculty of Letters
Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan
Resident Minister, Sainen-ji Temple, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Saturday, March 22, 2014 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Gardena Buddhist Church 1517 W. 166th Street, Gardena, CA 90247
Visit : www.BuddhistChurchesofAmerica.org Click on CBE
Hosted by the BCA Southern District Ministers Association & Buddhist Education Committee
PACIFIC SEMINAR - 21ST CENTURY - SUMMER SESSION
“Sea of Suffering, Ocean of Compassion”
Keynote Speakers: Rev.Tetsuo Unno & Prof. Mark Unno
Honored Guests: Rev. Dr. Taitetsu Unno & Mrs. Alice Unno
Friday – Sunday, July 4-6, 2014
Special Venue: Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA
More information coming soon at www.BuddhistChurchesofAmerica.org
Hoonko Service - Thursday, January 16 @ 5 pm
at the Jodo Shinshu Center. Free and open to the public. Please join us!
Domo Arigato!
Thank you!
CBE Volunteers
BCA CBE Vehicle Donors
CBE 500 Club Members, and
All CBE Supporters!
The CBE email address is now [email protected]
Center for Buddhist Education 2140 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704 www.BuddhistChurchesofAmerica.org E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 510.809.1460
PAGE 4 WHEEL OF DHARMA
Monpo – Listen to the Dharma
By Rev. Kaz Nakata
Los Angeles Hompa
Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
A
t our LA “Nishi” Betsuin, we
recite the Three Treasures every
Sunday. It reads, “Hard is it to
be born into human life. Now we are
living it. Difficult is it to hear the teaching of the Buddha. Now we hear
it…”
We are taught that monpo is fundamental in our Jodo Shinshu tradition. If it is so important, some of you may wonder that why the Three
Treasures tells us that it is “difficult.” Our ministers and guest speakers
deliver Dharma talks both in English and Japanese. Some of you may
even view Dharma talks on the internet. So, there are many opportunities to listen to the Dharma. I would like to take this opportunity to write
about the essence of monpo.
I am sure that most of you, particularly the Dharma school students,
may know the individual who is known as the “Master of Monpo” (the
best listener) in the Buddhist tradition. His name is Ananda who was one
of Shakyamuni Buddha’s ten disciples. Ananda took great efforts to listen to as many of Shakyamuni’s Dharma talks as possible. In reading the
Jodo Shinshu sutras, one may notice that these sutras begin with, “Thus
I heard…” Many of the other Buddhist sutras also begin with the same,
“Thus I heard...” Many Buddhist scholars believe that the “I” referred to
in the sutras to be Ananda. Although Ananda had listened to and
memorized most of Shakyamuni Buddha’s Dharma talks over the course
of 25 years until the Buddha’s death, Ananda did not attain enlightenment. His approach to Buddhism was an intellectual understanding.
Ananda only understood/memorized the teachings that the Buddha
expounded, but did not consider it as his life’s lessons.
So, is the way of one’s approach a critical factor for enlightenment?
In Buddhism, the phrase “listen to the Dharma” is traditionally known
as “monpo”. The kanji character of monpo is 聞法. The first character 聞
(mon) means “listen/hear”. The second character 法 (po) means “Dharma”. Why would we need to know what the kanji characters are as
English speakers? It is my belief that the kanji characters will help us to
effectively view Buddhism more meaningfully.
The kanji character 聞consists of two components. One is an outer
component, 門, and the other is an inner component, 耳. The outer
component is read, mon, meaning “gate”. It looks like the swinging saloon doors in the western cowboy movies that I have seen. The inner
component, we read as mimi, means “ear.” So, the complete kanji character 聞reads as “an ear in the gate.”
Can you figure out why the monpo kanji means “an ear in the gate?”
Physically, our ears are opened for business 24/7. This is why we can
wake up when we hear the alarm sound in the morning.
Although our ears “open” 24/7, we sometimes hear but we don’t
listen. Why does that happen? This is because the ears in the gate were
closed. We do not listen with intent in our minds. Our minds are not set
to listen even though our ears can physically take in sound vibrations.
Fortunately or unfortunately, our ears respond well to worthwhile
information but do not respond well to seemingly meaningless information. Our mind intentionally opens and closes the gates of our ears. This
is why the Three Treasures reminds us that it is difficult to listen to the
Dharma because our ears open and close through our own biases. The
Three Treasures, however, goes on to read, “now we hear it.”
The Hongwanji Eighth Monshu, Rennyo Shonin’s deciple, Junsei,
recorded Rennyo’s daily sayings “Rennyo Shonin Goichidai Kikigaki.” In the
book, Junsei wrote Rennyo Shonin’s explanation of monpo. Rennyo explains, “There are many people who memorize the Dharma to gain knowledge or for
intellectual understanding.
There are few people who listen to the Dharma (monpo) to reflect upon their own
Continued on Page 6
Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple Honors
Six New Eagle Scouts from Troop 252
By Joan Nakano,
Seattle Buddhist Church Betsuin
E
arning the rank of Eagle
Scout is a performance
based
achievement
whose standards have been well
maintained over the years. A
scout must successfully complete
both a service project that benefits
his community and requirements
in citizenship training, character
development, and personal fitness
before his eighteenth birthday.
Brandon is the son of Nelson
and Myong Harano of Maltby, is a
2013 graduate of Monroe High
School, and served as President of
the Seattle Betsuin Young Buddhist Association. This fall, Brandon will be attending the University of California-San Diego to
pursue a degree in Communications.
Carter is the son of Dennis
and Pam Shigaya of Bellevue, is a
2013 graduate of Newport High
Eagle Court of Honor – July 31, 2013
From left to right: Brandon Harano, Keanu Keltner, Carter Shigaya, Drew
Tosaya, Evan Ko, Curtis Yokoyama
in Bellevue. He is attending
Western Washington University
to pursue a degree in Environmental Sciences with a minor in
Engineering Technology or Marine Sciences.
Evan is the son of Jeff and
Tina Ko of Issaquah, graduated
from Issaquah High school. Evan
is enrolled at the University of
Washington.
Keanu is the son of Marc and
Jan Keltner of Kent, graduated
from Kentlake High School. He is
attending Central Washington
University to pursue a degree in
Business Administration.
Curtis is the son of Kevin and
Kari Ann Yokoyama of Sammamish, graduated from Overlake
High School in Redmond. He is
an active member of the Seattle
Betsuin Young Buddhist Association, and a recipient of the Seattle
Betsuin Tsujihara Memorial
Scholarship, Curtis is enrolled in
the honors program at Notre
Dame de Namur (NDNU) University in Belmont California
where he is pursuing a degree in
Computer Science/Software Engineering.
Drew is the son of Gary and
Julianne Tosaya of Kenmore,
graduated from Inglemoor High
School. Drew is a recipient of the
Seattle Betsuin Tsujihara Memorial Scholarship. He is attending
the Rochester Institute of Technology to pursue a degree in
Computer Engineering.
Since 1951, the Seattle Betsuin
Buddhist Temple sponsored
Troop 252 has been giving boys
the knowledge, skills and life lessons that will help them mature
and succeed as they become
adults. Brandon, Carter, Evan,
Keanu, Curtis and Drew become
the Troop’s 101st thru 106th Eagle Scouts.
Walk to Feed the Hungry
Held in San Francisco
I
By Jean Fukunaga,
Buddhist Church of
San Francisco
t was a beautiful Oct. 19 day
for this fourth annual walk
fundraiser coordinated by the
Buddhist Global Relief organization. The Buddhist Global Relief’s
mission is to combat chronic
hunger and malnutrition and
sponsors projects that promote
hunger relief for poor communities around the world. BGR was
initiated by Venerable Bhikkhu
Bodhi, founder of the Karuna
Buddhist Vihara.
The four-mile pilgrimage to
various Buddhist centers in San
Francisco began at 1 p.m. There
were approximately 100 walkers
including 35 girls from the Instilling Goodness and Developing
Virtue Girl’s School of the City of
10,000 Buddhas, another 10-15
students from the Vietnamese
Educational Cultural Association,
Reverend Ronald Kobata, Julie
Yumi Hatta, Jean Fukunaga and
Jack Dairiki from the Buddhist
Church of San Francisco, and
Kevin Cheung, the official photographer.
We met at the beautiful Buddha room in the Gold Mountain
Monastery on Sacramento Street
Photo by Kevin Cheung
in Chinatown. After checking in
and getting our refreshments and
snacks, a Gold Mountain Monastery member welcomed us and
gave a brief presentation of its
history and current services.
After a group photo was taken,
we started our walk at 1 p.m. up
steep Sacramento Street, a stop at
Continued on Page 6
DECEMBER 2013
Bay District Buddhist
Women’s League District
Conference at
Southern Alameda
County Buddhist Church
By Karen Suyama,
Bay District BWL President,
Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church
The Bay District Buddhist Women’s
League held their district conference on
Nov. 9, at Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church. The theme was “Caring for
Our Sangha,” which described Sangha as
everyone from our family to the community,
everyone who touches our lives.
Guest speakers included Rev. Ronald
Nakasone, Ph.D, whose intriguing presentation was titled “Anticipating the Past, Remembering the Future.” He said, our parents
and grandparents no doubt foresaw the
present Sangha: non-Japanese speaking and
ethnically diverse, just as we “see” in our
children and grandchildren what the future
Sangha will likely be; even more ethnically
diverse and culturally diffused, and wired in
real-time to the furthest reaches of the world.
He wanted us to think about what we want
this Sangha to be in 20 years or 50 years.
Another thing to think about was, how do
we preserve our rich Japanese traditions in
light of increasing ethnic and cultural diversity.
Our second guest speaker, Nancy
Hikoyeda, Dr.PH, MPH talked in great detail
about “Family Caregiving for Older Adults.”
What are the types of caregiving, and how
many of us are caregivers. Can you guess
how many billions (yes, billions) of hours we
provide as unpaid caregivers of our parents/
grandparents? How many of us know how to
really help them and be able to do what’s
best for them. What common health problems do we see in the recipients, and how
does it affect their daily life. She gave us information on the impact of caregiving, what
it does to a caregiver’s personal and mental
health, and how it affects their work and social/leisure activities. She provided us with
good recommendations and wonderful resources to help the caregiver. Please know
that there is a lot of information out there.
Our third guest speaker, Allan Hikoyeda,
J.D. talked about the “Legal Considerations
in Caring for Our Sangha.” His discussions
covered estate planning and management,
caregiving and related considerations, and
how to be a good consumer of services. He
reviewed some forms with us and why you
may need an Advance Health Care Directive
form, a Power of Attorney, and why you
would talk to the care recipient about any
specific wishes in the event of death. He also
provided some very good resources to get
more information about the above forms,
and how to research something to be a responsible and good consumer. Also quickly
covered was how to select an attorney, accountant, financial advisor or fiduciary; and
why to be prepared for any professional
consultations.
It was a very good day.
DECEMBER 2013 WHEEL OF DHARMA
PAGE 5
CHSR Symposium
Dr. Richard Payne, Institute of Buddhist Studies Dean, and
Rev. Dr. Daijaku Kinst, IBS Chaplaincy Program Director, participated in the Ryukoku University International Symposium
2013, on Sept. 26-27, at the Omiya Campus, Kyoto, Japan. The
program was sponsored by the International Center for Humanities, Science, and Religion (CHSR).
The theme of the symposium was “Practical Ministry and
Chaplaincy: Buddhist Compassion in Response to Human Distress.” Professor Tomoyasu Naito, Head of the Department of
Shin Buddhist Studies and Practical Shin Buddhist Studies, spoke
on the importance of peace of mind in his address, “Meeting
Together at One Place and the Meaning of Peace of Mind in the
Jodo Shinshu Tradition.”
Dr. Payne’s paper was titled, “To Whom Does Kisagotami
Speak? Audience Reception, Interpretation, and Therapeutic Action?” He spoke on the importance of tailoring ones response to
the specific person and circumstances one encounters. Dr. Kisnst
discussed the IBS chaplaincy program models for pastoral care
based directly on Buddhist teachings in her papers “What Makes
Buddhist Chaplaincy Buddhist? Developing an Educational
Foundation for Buddhist Chaplains in a Multi-Tradition and
Multi-Faith Setting.”
Responses were made by Professor Nobuhiro Fukagawa and
Professor Akio Tatsudani for Dr. Kinst and Dr. Payne’s papers
respectively. Professor Naoki Nabeshima, Director of CHSR,
joined in on the discussion following the presentations.
“The conference provided the exploration of different aspects
of Buddhist practical ministry and chaplaincy and the important
ways we can learn from one another, stated Dr. Kinst.
Exciting News
from the Institute
of Buddhist Studies
By Rev. Seigen Yamaoka
A topic that often comes up in conversation when BCA
ministers find themselves at a gathering is that the cost of the
educational package necessary to become a BCA minister is an
increasing obstacle for our ministerial aspirants. The Board of
Trustees of the Institute of Buddhist Studies approved on Nov. 8,
the start of the “Friends of IBS” annual giving program, for the
purpose of raising supplemental funds for the “IBS Ministerial
Scholarship Fund.”
The “Friends of IBS” plan is to reach out to friends and affiliates, past and present, to ask for their help in financially assisting the ministerial education of those students who desire to serve
the Buddhist Churches of America as ministers. We are asking
everyone to consider what can be comfortably donated annually,
for if we pool our resources, small amounts become significant.
Details for the “Friends of IBS” annual program will be
forthcoming; however, we are grateful to those who have only
heard of the initiation of the program, and have submitted their
gifts. Personally, I find this an exciting indication that there are
some people who were just waiting for IBS to initiate this kind of
program to aid ministerial aspirants. We ask that you consider
how you can help.
In Gassho
By Michael Pappas, Executive Director SF Interfaith Council
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
The San Francisco Interfaith Council’s 9th Interfaith Thanksgiving Service hosted on Nov. 28 at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco. A truly
beautiful gathering of traditions in celebration and giving thanks on this
special day! (Photo by Nat Snow)
Photo courtesy of Kevin Uyemura
Annual Baby Boomers’ Seminar at JSC
By Joanne C. Makishima
Mountain View
Buddhist Temple
“Eat well and play well.”
That was one of several quotable moments experienced on
Nov. 2 by the attendees of the
7th Annual Baby Boomers’
Seminar at the Jodo Shinshu
Center. Nearly 60 participants
were inspired, challenged, and
entertained by Reverend Mas
Kodani, whose irreverent and
irrepressible style encouraged
us to be “bakatares” and to be
aware of how our egos permeate our daily lives. Reverend
Kodani, recently retired BCA
Minister Emeritus and formerly of Senshin Buddhist
Temple, captured the Seminar
theme, “Wake Up and Be
Alive,” by focusing on the realities of death. As Sensei explained, “Death is the only issue after birth.” “If you don’t
think about death, you’re not
living—only existing.” With
that, the tone for the day was
set.
During the session on
Jodo Shinshu Funeral Rituals
and Meanings, we became familiar with the items on the
Onaijin and gained an understanding of various symbols.
The burning of incense represents both life and death; for
when it begins to burn, it begins to die. Kodani Sensei explained how offering one
pinch of incense versus the
traditional three pinches is a
tribute to the time in camp
when incense was scarce. We
also learned that although the
practice of giving koden is now
a widely accepted practice
throughout the Japanese
American community, it is
actually of Buddhist origin
because “ko” refers to incense, and “den” refers to the
chanting of sutras. Speaking
of chanting, Sensei asserted
that chanting is the definition
of oneness—everyone going
in the same direction but with
different pitches. Finally, that
the purpose of the funeral
service should be to mourn
rather than celebrate the passing of someone was a pervasive theme of this session.
Therefore, offering the sentiment “sabishiku narimasu”
(“You’re going to be very
lonely”) is a true and appropriate acknowledgement of
the changing of one’s life.
We were next guided
through a history of Bon
Odori from Buddhist, Japanese, and Japanese-American
perspectives. “Bon Odori is a
dance of sheer joy—without
calculation, without embarrassment, without flaunting. It
is not a ‘look at me’ dance. It
is a dance of connection, not
solo performance. When one
is made to ‘just dance’, he remembers the dead as a present
reality rather than a disembodied spirit to be placated or
avoided. Joy is being connected; happiness is the ego-self
getting its way. Joy connects,
happiness flaunts.” From this
standpoint, we were encouraged to “just dance” together
in a circle around the Kodo to
“Bon Odori no Uta.” As a
NorCal native, I never knew
there was a SoCal version of
the dance, which has a few
more steps than the one we
traditionally do up North.
And so we each, in our own
way, did our own thing and
just danced, as an expression
of sheer joy, of course!
Our final session was a
history and demonstration of
Gagaku, an ancient form of
Asian music which dates back
to the pre-Nara period. Sensei
himself described the music as
“cacophonous and shrieking”
due to the uniqueness of the
Continued on Page 6
Hearing the Dharma at Seattle’s
Women in Buddhism Conference
By Edythe Vassall,
Berkeley Buddhist Temple
To entrust oneself to the Wisdom and Compassion of Amida
Buddha is to become one with
Amida Buddha. All benefits come
from Amida Buddha, not from us.
These words were spoken
at the Women in Buddhism
Conference on Oct. 19 at the
Seattle Buddhist Church Betsuin. The conference theme
was Rita no Kokoro in Japanese;
in English, “The Heart and
Mind that Benefits Others.”
There were about 90 attendees, including several men.
The three guest speakers
were Rev. Patricia Usuki,
Resident Minister of the San
Fernando Valley Hongwanji
Buddhist Temple in California; Rev. Mariko Nishiyama,
Resident Minister of the Pearl
City Hongwanji Buddhist
Temple in Hawaii; and Naomi
Kasumi, Associate Professor
of Fine Arts at Seattle University. Each spoke at individual
sessions, then all three sat on a
panel and answered questions
from the audience. Midori
Takagi, Associate Professor
Photo courtesy of Seattle Betsuin BWA
of History at Fairhaven College, Western Washington
University, gave the opening
address and facilitated the
panel discussion.
The program began with a
brief service led by Rev. Don
Castro, Rimban of Seattle
Betsuin. After the introduction of the speakers, Ms. Takagi gave a fascinating, in-depth
history of the life of Lady
Takeko Kujo (1887-1928).
Lady Kujo was the daughter of the twenty-first monshu
(head of the Nishi Hongwanji
Temple in Kyoto, Japan). She
was well-educated and privileged, but not free from sorrow. Ms. Takagi vividly described the suffering in Lady
Kujo’s life; the loneliness of
being raised separate from
other children, the loss of her
closest companion at a young
age, the ten-year separation
from her husband. Dedicating
her life to Jodo Shinshu, Lady
Kujo grounded herself in the
Nembutsu and turned her
suffering into compassionate,
humanitarian action for others. She composed poetry,
prose, and gathas (songs)
about the Nembutsu teaching.
She wrote:
Loneliness will not call on us
unexpectedly when we know our
limits. And when we become aware
of a strength greater than ours, we
can manifest greater strength in our
individual efforts.
Lady Kujo founded the
Buddhist Women’s Associa-
tion (BWA) in the early 1900s
in order to unite Jodo Shinshu
women in Japan and in the
sanghas that were beginning
to form worldwide. When the
Great Kanto Earthquake
struck in 1923, she committed
her energy and resources to
help those affected. Later she
founded Asoka Hospital, one
of Japan’s first modern hospitals. Lady Kujo dedicated
herself to charitable work. In
the course of helping poor
people in the slums of Tokyo
she contracted blood poisoning, and died at the young age
of 41. Lady Kujo’s life was an
expression of rita no kokoro,
the heart and mind that benefits others.
Rev. Patti Usuki discussed
the meaning of several of the
short texts in Lady Kujo’s
book Muyuge: Flower Without
Suffering, relating them to
present-day life. Here are a
few examples of Rev. Usuki’s
interpretations (with the original texts’ titles in parentheses):
The truth of suffering allows us
to empathize with others. (Anxiety)
Reflecting on our true nature
Continued on Page 6
PAGE 6 WHEEL OF DHARMA
Rev. Umezu
Continued from Front Page
As we turn the last pages
on the year 2013, let us once
again pay attention to our
own life and reaffirm our religious and spiritual foundation so that the years to come
will be fully satisfying and
meaningful. Please enjoy this
season of appreciation. I
wish you the best for the year
Rev. Miyamura
Continued from Page 4
as “humbly receive”
meaning to gratefully receive
the life forms placed before
me that nourish and sustain
my body. This word has
many meanings and more a
word to acknowledge all the
causes and conditions which
brought about this food to
be placed before me. It is a
word that expresses gratitude
and acknowledges the
sacrifices of others.
For me, the only way to
resolve the dilemma of
killing in order to eat is a
Boomers
Continued from Page 5
traditional instruments and
pentatonic scale used. The
music was at first as described;
but as our ears adjusted, the
beauty of its historical significance emerged. Performing
along with Kodani Sensei were
David Nishijima, Dii Lewis,
Pam Matsuoka, Ron Harrison,
all of whom are currently
members of either the Kinnara
or the Northern California/
Berkeley Gagaku groups. We
President’s Message
Continued from Front Page
It gave me the chance to hear
about concerns, issues, and
successes from dedicated
people who help make up the
core leadership of their temples. We were treated very
well and will be forever indebted for the hospitality and
friendship we received. We
were impressed by the pride
shown for individual temples
and for the first time heard
people say their temple is the
best in BCA. We witnessed
friendly rivalries that are inspiring the temples to work
harder out of a sense of togetherness and local pride. It
was wonderful to experience
the fondness these members
have for their temples when
BCA Staff
Continued from Page 2
Yumi maintains the CBE
News wikisite (bcasites.net)
publicizing events, resources
and other educational news.
She also emails the CBE ENews to the BCA community
and the public. Part of her
focus at CBE has been to fa-
2014.
*Kieshiki – In this Jodo
Shinshu Buddhist ceremony, one
takes the important step of affirming one’s reverence for the Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha, and one’s
determination to walk the path to
Buddhahood. The Affirmation
Ceremony is performed by the
BCA Bishop before the altar of
Amida Buddha, the embodiment
of Infinite Wisdom and Compassion. When conducted by the
Monshu, spiritual head of the
Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha denomination, the ceremony is referred to as the Confirmation
Ceremony. In the Kieshiki, one
receives a Buddhist name (Homyo). A homyo has three parts:
the word Shaku, followed by two
Buddhist terms. Shaku comes
from Shakyamuni. It signifies
that the person is a follower of
Shakyamuni Buddha and a
member of the sangha; a community that transcends race or nationality.
spiritual understanding of
humbly acknowledging the
sacrifices of others. It is also
a reminder of the interdependence of the universe.
This is another way of
realizing that it is my ego
that thinks, “I am the center
of the universe.” It is Shin
Buddhism that is telling us
the reality is that I am a part
of the universe, and not the
center of the universe.
Buddhism is a religion of
discovery, like Siddharta
Gautama discovering
Enlightenment. Enlightenment was always there, but it
took Siddharta to discover it.
Shin Buddhism continues
the idea of discovery thru
gratitude and humility.
The gesture of Gassho
captures so much of what
Shin Buddhism is trying to
teach us. Just like when we
Gassho when we eat, we
accept the sacrifices of
plants and animals which
gives us nourishment.
Gassho acknowledges
gratitude, and when we bow
our heads, we express our
humbleness. The added
benefit of Gassho is to bow
our heads so we are less
likely to talk, and much
more likely to listen, and that
can be the start of Listening
to the Dharma.
ended the day with a delicious
dinner of mizutaki, which was
cooked family style, followed
by a rousing game of “Battle of
the Sexes,” with the winners
(the men) being first in line for
dessert.
Returning to the opening
quote, we ate (and drank) well
throughout the day, thanks to
the planning and hard work by
the kitchen crew—Judy Kono,
Yuki Otake, Mieko Nakano,
and Vic Iwamura. The Planning Committee met once a
month for a year to make sure
this seminar was relevant and
memorable. Many thanks to
Reverend Kiyo Kuwahara,
Maya Lawrence, Ken Tanimoto, Judy Kono, Yumi Hatta,
Edythe Vassall, Ken Nakano,
Dennis Tsukagawa, Judy
Tokubo, Sam Sanada, and the
late Sensei Tom Okamoto for
enabling us to play well and to
“Wake Up and Be Alive.” And
finally, our appreciation to
Reverend Mas Kodani, who
showed us ourselves and gave
us transformative food for
thought. “What you are is
what you come in contact with
in life.”
they expressed how their
temple is the best. What a
great feeling; it speaks well
for the whole district. The
temples are very fortunate to
have such dedicated members.
From our travels these
past two years, we’ve heard
comments and recommendations on many different issues. I’ve taken to heart what
each person has had to say
and we’re working to convey
their messages to others.
One distinct starting place
has been to work with committee chairs to emphasize
projects that can directly respond to temple needs and to
encourage a budget that provides for the essential needs
of our national organization
while also trying to minimize
the financial burden on our
temples and churches.
The nearing of winter
and the quickly approaching
end of the calendar year has
come as a surprise this year.
The past eleven months have
been both busy and special,
and December is a unique
month that encourages us to
reflect on the past year to
help put our life into perspective. While this is a time
of year commonly dedicated
to changing and directing our
focus, I hope people will be
able to appreciate today just
as it is. This year may or may
not be much different than
previous ones; however, despite the difficulties we’ve
faced, I’m sure each person
has much for which they can
be grateful.
cilitate joint activities among
BCA groups such as IBS,
BCA districts, and temples for
programs like Pacific Seminar
21st Century, special projects
such as Rev. Sonam Bhutia’s
tour in June 2012, and other
collaborations within the
Buddhist and broader community. This past year, Yumi
helped facilitate BCA fundraising and production sup-
port to the independent film
documentary
production,
“Streams of Light - Shin Buddhism in America” by Rev.
Kentaro Sugao and Ebisu
Filmes, which is available at
the BCA Bookstore.
Yumi is a Buddhist
Church of San Francisco
Board member and Co-President of the Buddhist Women’s
Association.
In Gassho
Seattle BWA
Continued from Page 5
allows us to be humble. (Introspection of Evil)
Seeing our limitations allows
us to be grateful. (Awakening)
We are empowered, but our
own strength is limited. We are
empowered by all life—all the beings that help us survive. (The
Expenditure of Strength)
Every moment is new.
(Dawn)
Persevere in your work and
you will succeed. (In the Shadow of
a Rock)
There is not a moment to
waste. (Introspection)
Rev. Usuki also presented
interesting quotes from BCA
women she interviewed for
her own book Currents of
Change: American Buddhist
Women Speak Out on Jodo
Shinshu. We briefly discussed
the purpose and the future of
the BWA—then it was time
for the next session.
Rev. Mariko Nishiyama
spoke about the need to
bring Buddhism to people
who are suffering in today’s
world. We can find ourselves
Walk
Continued from Page 4
Grace Cathedral on California
Street, followed by a stop at
the American Buddhist Cultural Association and Buddha’s Light International Association on Van Ness
Avenue for refreshments and
snacks. We were welcomed by
the members of this organization who gave a brief presentation about their organization, services and upcoming
events.
Our next stop was the
Buddhist Church of San
Francisco on Pine Street,
where Reverend Kobata gave
a presentation of the church
history and services. Susan
Carson, board member of
the What If? organization, an
affiliate of the Buddhist
Global Relief, gave a presentation about their program.
The What If organization is a
non-profit that partners with
the Ti Plas Kazo community
in Haiti to bring much needed food and educational opportunities to impoverished
children. We took turns in
Rev. Nakata
Continued from Page 4
life as their life lessons. So, there are
only a few people who rarely encounter the life of awakening
through the Dharma (56)”
Shinran Shonin made
reference to “listening” in
his book, Study of Single Recitation and Multiple Recitation
(Ichinen Tanen Moni).
He wrote, “[In Jodo Shinshu)] you will know you have
truly listened when after listening
to the teachings of Amida’s primal vows, there is no doubt in
your mind.
Also, listening is the Dharma to symbolize Shinjin.”
DECEMBER 2013
overwhelmed by the sad
events that happen daily.
Likewise, there was much
suffering in the time of Shinran Shonin. We can do our
best, but our limited love and
compassion cannot save others. Shinran Shonin realized
this. He believed that nurturing minds and sharing the
benefits of the Nembutsu
with others was only the way
to help. But in today’s world,
can we simply tell a person
who is suffering, “Just say the
Nembutsu”? Not really. Can
we ignore a person who is
suffering? As Buddhists we
try not to, yet we cannot save
anyone from suffering by
ourselves. While we do what
we can, we should realize, as
Shinran Shonin and as Lady
Kujo did, that the working of
Amida Buddha is behind the
small good deeds that we do.
Naomi Kasumi presented
a slide show of her artwork in
her session. Her MEM: memory • memorial project is a series
of art installations which she
has shown in India, Japan,
and the United States. She
explained the ritualistic process she employs to create
her artwork. The creative
process became a method of
healing from her guilt and
grief from having had an
abortion, which she considers a transgression against the
sacredness of life. Ms. Kasumi identified images of
jizo—Japanese stone statues
that are viewed as protectors
of travelers and children—as
a part of her cultural heritage
and the inspiration behind
one of her contemporary art
installations.
The Women in Buddhism
Conference achieved its objective as being a day to gain
understanding of the connection between Buddhism and
women’s everyday lives. The
Women in Buddhism Committee, the Seattle Betsuin
BWA, and the Seattle Betsuin
Religious Department presented an excellent program.
There is a common misconception that Buddhist
Women’s Conferences are
for women only. It isn’t so.
BWA conferences are for everyone who wants to hear the
Dharma and gain a deeper
understanding of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
viewing Buddha relics located in the church stupa. BCSF
members served the refreshments to the walkers.
The group proceeded to
the front of the Soto Zen
Buddhism
International
Center located a few blocks
from the BCSF, where another group photo was taken.
We then continued on to the
Peace Pagoda in Japan Town
for a few more photo ops.
From Japantown our pilgrimage took us to the Vietnamese Buddhist Association on Duboce Street. We
entered their main hall that
was built into a renovated
two story Victorian structure.
A member of their association welcomed us and informed us that their association and temple was
originally established to provide services to Vietnamese
refugees. Elise DeGrand, executive director of Lotus
Outreach, another partner
organization of Buddhist
Global Relief, gave a brief
presentation about her organization’s work in Cambodia
to provide education, health
and safety of at-risk exploited
women and children in the
developing world. Charlie of
the Martin de Porres House
of Hospitality, the organization that will receive a portion of the proceeds from
this year’s walk, gave a brief
presentation of his organization that feeds the hungry in
San Francisco.
After the presentations,
we had refreshments, fruits
and snacks. Our last stop at 6
p.m. was in front of the San
Francisco Zen Center on
Page Street where the last
group photo was taken.
I enjoyed this walk, visiting the different beautiful
temples, and meeting walkers
from various Buddhist backgrounds, including ones
from Berkeley, Fremont,
Millbrae, and the City of
10,000 Buddhas. The girls
from the Instilling Goodness
and Developing Virtue Girls’
Schools who carried one of
the banners for Walk to Feed
the Hungry, showed enthusiasm and spirit by giving loud
cheers during the walk when
passing automobile drivers
honked showing their support of the walk.
This thought is known
as “listening equals awakening”
(Mon Soku Shin).
If Shinran Shonin and
Rennyo Shonin existed in
this 21st century, they would
affirm that,
“Even if you would encounter
thousands of Dharma talks, if
you do not listen (monpo) to
them, you are just taking in in-
formation. It is as if you are not
listening to anything at all. To be
an intellectual (ie: PhD) in Buddhism does not mean you have
become a Buddha.
By listening to the Dharma,
we need to live our own life more
deeply and meaningfully which is
the way of Buddhahood.”
Gassho
How many Buddhists does it
take to change a light bulb?
100, two to change it, and
ninety-eight to explain how
they do it differently!
リー ドレー 仏 教 会 開 教 使
「念仏者は無碍の一道なり」
坂本秀士
しま したが 、最善 を尽 くし、 滞りな く式 を終え ました 。
り 、た く さ ん の人 々 が お 葬式 に 見 え ま し た 。 私 は 、 か な り 緊 張
中。 真宗 の教え をア ートを 通して 紹介 してい る。
え を 聞き 始 め 、 僧侶 に な る 。二 児 の 母 。 龍 谷 大 学 博 士 課 程 在 籍
久 保 裕子 、 広 島 県出 身 。 京 都市 立 芸 術 大 学 に 在 学 中 に 真 宗 の 教
お 話 を 聞 いて と て も 感銘 を 受 け まし た 。 そ れ で 私 も 皆 さ ん の 仲
先 生 方 や 戦時 中 に 収 容所 に 入 っ てお ら れ た ご 門 徒 さ ん た ち か ら
響 な ど 、 日本 と は 違 った 状 況 の 中で の 伝 道 に ご 苦 労 さ れ て い る
反 省 さ せ られ ま し た 。人 種 の 多 様性 や キ リ ス ト 教 の 考 え 方 の 影
さ せて い た だ く機 会 が あっ て と て も緊 張 し ま し た 。 で も 、 メ ン
が でき ま し た 。イ ン タ ーン の 時 以 外で も 各 地 の お 寺 で ご 法 話 を
ハ ワイ に 行 か せて い た だい て 、 ま た違 っ た 海 外 寺 院 を 知 る こ と
（ 馬場 ） と て も有 意 義 な時 間 を 過 ごせ ま し た 。 イ ン タ ー ン で は
式の 直 後 、 私た ち は お 墓へ と 向 か い ま し た 。 霊 柩 車 が 先 頭 に
さ んの 車 が 霊 柩車 に 続 き まし た 。 私 も 車 を 運 転 し て 、 そ の 列 に
中 央 仏教 学 院 へ 進学 。 大 阪 のお 寺 で 法 務 員 と し て 勤 め た 後 、 龍
遠 藤 竜平 、 埼 玉 県出 身 。 高 校卒 業 後 、 人 生 に 思 う と こ ろ が あ り
に なり ました 。
間 と な っ て一 緒 に お 念仏 の 教 え を伝 え て い き た い 、 と 思 う よ う
で お話 す る の は難 し か った で す が 、そ の お か げ で Ｉ Ｍ Ｏ Ｐ の プ
バ ーの 方 々 に 温か く 迎 えて も ら え て話 し や す か っ た で す 。 英 語
た ち、 そ れ に 次の 車 、 そ して 次 の 車 と 、 続 い て い き ま す 。 た く
加わ りまし た。
り ます 。 信 号 や停 止 線 で 霊柩 車 は 、 止 ま り ま せ ん で し た 。 信 号
しか し 、 お 墓へ 行 く 途 中で 、 私 は あ る こ と に 気 付 い た の で あ
に 移 住。 ボ ス ト ン大 学 卒 業 後、 日 本 の 企 業 に 勤 め る 。 求 道 、 聞
関 谷 美帆 、 東 京 都出 身 。 中 学生 時 に 父 の 転 勤 で シ リ コ ン バ レ ー
に 来 ま し た。 そ の 時 に私 が 僧 侶 だと い う こ と を 知 ら れ た 桑 原 先
０ １２ 年の ３月に 龍大 の語 学研修 プロ グラ ムで 浄土真 宗セ ン ター
と な り ま した 。 私 は 龍谷 大 学 の 社会 人 コ ー ス で 学 ん で い て 、 ２
も 刺激 を う け まし た 。 ＩＭ Ｏ Ｐ で はサ ン フ ラ ン シ ス コ 、 サ ン ノ
（ 久保 ） 海 外 開教 の ま った だ 中 を 間近 に 見 る こ と が で き て と て
―開 教使 志望の 動機 は何で すか？
§
さ っ た の で、 私 も 先 生の よ う に なり た い と い う こ と で 開 教 使 を
国 で の 伝 道の こ と や ＩＭ Ｏ Ｐ の プロ グ ラ ム の こ と を 教 え て く だ
先 生 は な んて 優 し い んだ と 感 動 しま し た 。 そ の と き に 先 生 が 米
生 が 私 に 食事 を ご ち そう し て く ださ っ た の で す 。 私 は 開 教 使 の
道の現 場は 活気が あり ます。 とても 充実 した三 ヶ月間 でし た。
た 。そ れ は 善 財童 子 の 求道 の 旅 の よう に 思 え ま し た 。 米 国 の 伝
多 くの 方 か ら お話 を 聞 くこ と が で き学 び を 深 め る 事 が で き ま し
ゼ 、ロ サ ン ゼ ルス 、 ハ ワイ 、 シ ア トル な ど の 様 々 な お 寺 を 訪 れ
がわか った のでと ても よかっ たです 。
ロ グラ ム 終 了 後、 日 本 に帰 っ て 開 教使 任 用 の 準 備 期 間 中 の 課 題
や 停止 線 の 所 に警 察 官 が いて 、 「 行 き な さ い ！ 行 き な さ い ！ 」
法を 重ね た後、 企業 を辞し て中央 仏教 学院で 学ぶ。
みなさん、こんにちは！
を迎えることとなりまし
今年も、これで最後の月
と 合図 を 送 っ てい る の で す。 私 は 大 変 驚 き ま し た 。 日 本 で は 、
本 当 に こ の四 年 間 、 親切 に し て くだ さ り あ り が と う ご ざ い ま し
た 。今 、この 場を お借り してお 礼を 申し上 げます 。
（ 遠 藤 ） 桑原 先 生 に お会 い し た こと が Ｉ Ｍ Ｏ Ｐ に 参 加 す る ご 縁
た。そして、この月は、
警 察官 が 葬 式 の行 列 の た めに 他 の 車 を 止 め る こ と は ま ず な い か
谷大 学入 学、仏 教学 を専攻 。龍大 在学 中に開 教使過 程を 受講。
教使としての最後の月で
私にとって米国仏教団開
（ 馬 場） 私 は高 校 生の 時か ら 開教 使に な りた い と思 っ てい ま し
志 すよ うにな りまし た。
わ れわ れ 浄 土 真宗 の 念 仏 者た ち は 、 特 権 を 与 え ら れ て い る の で
そし て 、 あ る考 え が 浮 かん だ の で あ り ま す 。 も し か す る と 、
都 市 開教 に 専 念 する こ と に しま し た 。 私 は そ ん な 父 か ら 影 響 を
ゼ ル スに 滞 在 し て別 院 に 出 入り し て い た そ う で す が 日 本 に 戻 り
ら で す 。 私は 中 学 時 代に 日 本 か らカ リ フ ォ ル ニ ア に 引 越 す こ と
（ 関 谷 ） 世界 の 人 々 に私 が 出 遇 えた 仏 教 を 広 め た い と 思 っ た か
し 、英 語 学 校 に行 く 事 がで き て 語 学力 が 上 が っ た よ う に 思 い ま
さ んを は じ め 、い ろ ん な分 野 の 専 門家 と 会 う こ と が で き ま し た
そ の 中 で も私 に と っ て最 も 印 象 深か っ た も の は 、 米 国 版 紅 白 歌
し ん ど い ので す が 、 この 世 の 中 にあ の よ う な 忙 し い お 寺 が 存 在
と 言い ま す の は、 お 浄 土 への 旅 が 、 す で に こ の 世 で 保 障 さ れ て
来 涅槃 に 入 る のを 約 束 さ れた 位 ） に 達 し ま す 。 そ し て 、 わ れ わ
確か に 、 わ れわ れ 浄 土 真宗 の 念 仏 者 は 、 こ の 世 で 正 定 聚 （ 将
願 寺 に勤 め る こ とに な り ま した 。 け れ ど も 、 親 鸞 聖 人 七 五 〇 回
へ 進 むか ど う か 迷っ て い ま した が 、 い ろ い ろ な 事 情 で 京 都 の 本
お寺を回ったこともあります。大学院を卒業して 開教使の道
サ ン ゼル ス 別院 では 、 いく つか の 大き な イベ ン ト が あり ま し た 。 れが こ の世 の命 が 尽き る 時、 確実 に お浄 土に 行 く の で あ りま す 。 海 外 実 習 に 行 き ま し た 。 ブ ラ ジ ル を 中 心 に 南 米 を 一 人 旅 し て 各
す る と い うこ と を 知 り大 変 に 驚 きま し た 。 サ ー ビ ス の 他 に 、 ロ
いる からで ありま す。
た し 、龍 谷 大 学 で海 外 開 教 使課 程 を 受 講 し て ハ ワ イ 開 教 区 へ も
寺 の 青少 年 国 際 研修 団 の プ ログ ラ ム で カ ナ ダ 開 教 区 に 行 き ま し
う に 思 い ます 。 日 本 で社 会 人 に なっ て か ら は 、 仏 教 の 講 演 や お
に 関 心 が あっ て 、 そ れが 仏 教 の 教え を 学 ぶ き っ か け と な っ た よ
た こ と や 、ど う し た ら世 の 中 か ら争 い が な く な る か と い う こ と
ま い も す るべ し 」 と いう 言 葉 の よう に 自 身 に つ い て 気 付 か さ れ
れ ま し た 。そ こ で 「 さる べ き 業 縁の も よ お さ ば 、 い か な る ふ る
に な り 、 当時 起 こ っ た湾 岸 戦 争 のこ と な ど で 様 々 と 考 え さ せ ら
に 行っ て 、 人 々と 触 れ 合う こ と で 、開 教 の 現 状 を 肌 で 感 じ る こ
（ 関谷 ） と て も充 実 し てい ま し た 。毎 日 新 し い 事 を 学 び 、 お 寺
るので 、お かげで 仏教 の 理解 が深ま りま した。
も よか っ た で す。 学 ん だ事 が た だ ちに ご 法 話 の 作 成 に い か さ れ
す 。ま た 週 一 回、 桑 原 先生 が 真 宗 の勉 強 会 を し て く だ さ っ た の
（ 遠藤 ） 視 野 が広 が り まし た 。 研 修中 は 開 教 使 の 先 生 や ご 門 徒
り ま し た 。最 初 に 赴 任し た ロ サ ンゼ ル ス 別 院 で は ほ と ん ど 毎 日
受け、開教使を志すようになったのです。 高校生の時は本願
あ たえ ら れ て いる よ う な 感じ で す 。 と て も 、 と て も 心 地 よ か っ
その 時 、 私 たち は 特 別 な人 の よ う な 感 じ が し ま し た 。 特 権 を
らで ありま す。
た です ！ 私 た ちは 特 別 な んだ か ら 、 信 号 や 停 止 線 で 止 ま る 必 要
た 。 実家 が お 寺 で、 父 も 海 外開 教 に 興 味 が あ り 、 若 い 頃 ロ サ ン
もあります。みなさん、
なし ！
法 事 や 葬 式が あ り 、 忙し い 時 に はそ れ ぞ れ の 開 教 使 が ３ つ か ら
はな いかと ？
この四年間を顧みますと、それは、まさしく驚きの連続であ
４ つ の 法 要を 一 日 に こな さ な け れば な り ま せ ん で し た 。 と て も
合 戦 で あ りま す 。 四 十年 以 上 続 き、 毎 年 約 八 百 人 の 人 々 が こ の
た ので す ！ そ こへ 行 く こ とが 保 障 さ れ て い る の で 、 何 の 邪 魔 も
よ って 、霊柩 車に 続く 行列は 、ま さし くお浄 土へ の行 列 であ っ
グラ ムを 受講す るこ とにし ました 。
教 使 にチ ャ レ ン ジし て み た いと 思 い ま し て 本 願 寺 を 辞 し て プ ロ
大 遠 忌法 要 を 通 して 多 く の 海外 か ら の 参 拝 者 と 出 遇 い 、 再 び 開
き る 場 で とて も 安 心 でき ま す 。 この 教 え が 広 が る お 手 伝 い が し
て ふ る さ との よ う な もの で あ り 、浄 土 真 宗 の 教 え は お ま か せ で
寺 に行 き、 坐禅を して 、仏 道を求 めて きま した 。仏 教 は私 に とっ
他 の国 か ら 来 た方 た ち と文 化 や 宗 教に つ い て デ ィ ス カ ッ シ ョ ン
とが で きま した 。 最初 のひ と 月は 主 に 英 語 学校 へ 通 う の で すが 、
紅 白 を楽 し みに お寺 へ 来ら れま す 。こ の 紅白 歌 合 戦 に関 わ っ て 、
た と え 時 は過 ぎ て も 日本 人 の 心 は永 遠 に 続 い て い く ん だ な あ と
な く、 止 ま る 必要 も な い 。何 と 有 難 い こ と で し ょ う か ！ わ れ わ
す るク ラ ス が あり 、 そ こで 仏 教 に つい て 興 味 を 持 っ て も ら え た
れ は、 阿 弥 陀 さま や 祖 先 から 、 そ の よ う な 貴 重 な 功 徳 を い た だ
ン も実 際 の 布 教の 現 場 に立 つ 事 が でき て と て も 勉 強 に な り ま し
こと はとて も新 鮮で した 。また 、サ クラ メント 別院 での イン タ ー
い う こ と を感 じ ま し た。 そ し て 、ロ サ ン ゼ ル ス に お き ま し て 、
た い と 思 い、 勤 め て いた 会 社 を 退社 し 、 中 央 仏 教 学 院 に 進 み 、
た。
ん 学 びが 深 ま り まし た 。 日 本に い る 時 は 北 米 の 開 教 状 況 や 伝 道
や り や 友 情、 シ ェ ア など お 念 仏 のみ 教 え の 法 友 ・ 朋 友 の 姿 だ と
お も て な しを う け て 、と て も 感 激し ま し た 。 そ れ は ま さ に 思 い
で す 。 各 お寺 を 訪 れ たと き お 寺 の皆 さ ん か ら あ た た か い 歓 迎 と
教 え に 生 きな が ら 人 々と 笑 顔 で 接し て い け る 開 教 使 に な り た い
（ 馬 場 ） この Ｉ Ｍ Ｏ Ｐで 出 遇 っ た先 生 方 の よ う に 、 お 念 仏 の み
に あ る Hongwanji Office
（桑原浄信開教使）のもとで運
営されている。これまでに八名がＩＭＯＰを修了し、北米開
に よ り ２ ０ ０ ８ 年 を 初 年 度 と し て 開 始 さ れ 、 浄 土 真 宗 セ ン ター
〇回大遠忌の国際伝道に関する記念事業の一環として本願寺
の環境にて育成されるべきとの理念に基づき、親鸞聖人七五
ntation Programの 略 で 開 教 使 を 目 指 す 日 本 人 僧 侶 を 対
象とした養成プログラムである。開教使は日本ではなく現地
― どの ような 開教使 にな りたい ですか ？
方 法 など に 批 判 的な と こ ろ があ り ま し た が 、 こ ち ら に 来 て み て
感 じま した。
教区では楠開教使（ローダイ仏教会）、坂本開教使（リード
Ｉ Ｍ Ｏ Ｐ と は 、 International Ministerial Orie
初 め て分 か る 事 が多 々 あ っ て、 自 分 の 視 野 が せ ま か っ た こ と を
（ 久 保 ） 私は 絵 を 描 くの で 、 ア ート を 通 し て 浄 土 真 宗 の 教 え を
レー仏教会）、菅原開教使（フローリン仏教会）の三名が伝
月の
伝 え ら れ たら い い な と思 い ま す 。お 浄 土 や 阿 弥 陀 さ ま を 絵 画 で
道活動に従事している。プログラム参加者は９月から
約三ヶ月間、浄土真宗センターに滞在し研修を受ける。最初
た だ き ま した が 、 課 題や 研 究 、 ご法 話 の 作 成 な ど い つ も 精 一 杯
仏 教 学 院 、龍 大 、 Ｉ ＭＯ Ｐ な ど いろ い ろ な と こ ろ で 学 ば せ て い
（ 遠 藤 ） 目の 前 の こ とを 一 生 懸 命に や っ て い き た い で す 。 中 央
スピスなどの訪問も行われる。更にインターンシップ研修も
れる日曜礼拝への参加、他宗の寺院、病院、敬老ホーム、ホ
に必要な各種知識を習得していく。また各地の仏教会で行わ
スラム教の聖職者、各種専門家などによる講義を受け、伝道
現役・引退開教使、門信徒、他宗派の僧侶、キリスト教やイ
の一ヶ月は語学学校に通い英語力の基礎を築く。その後は、
や る よ う に努 め て き まし た 。 そ れで 今 の 私 が あ る の で 、 こ れ か
ま す 。 お 念仏 の 教 え や声 明 な ど 、浄 土 真 宗 が 持 っ て い る 素 晴 ら
力 を 共 有 でき る か ト ライ ア ル ＆ エラ ー で や っ て い き た い と 思 い
（ 関 谷 ） 私は 仏 教 が 好き な の で 、英 語 圏 で い か に 日 本 仏 教 の 魅
確 信 し て いま すの で、 開 教使 志望 者だ け でな く 将 来 的に 日 本 の
の伝道活動のヒントとなるような事柄を得ることができると
「海外で様々なことを学び、経験することによってこれから
ラムを修了後に日本へ帰国し開教使任用の手続きに入る。
活動や開教使の生活等を実地で学ぶ。これらの所定カリキュ
今後し てい ければ 」と 桑原主 任は話 す。
お 寺で 伝 道 活 動に 従 事 され る 方 々 をも 対 象 と し た プ ロ グ ラ ム に
し い も の を楽 し く 共 有し な が ら 、一 人 の 仏 教 者 と し て 厳 し い 現
― ＩＭ ＯＰの プログ ラム はどう でした か？
代 を生 きる人 々に誠 実に 寄り添 ってい けた らと願 ってま す。
あり、北米開教区やハワイ開教区の仏教会へ赴き、仏教会の
ら も今 できる ことを がん ばりた いです 。
展 開さ れるの ではな いか と期待 してい ます 。
表 現 す る と、 言 葉 の 違い と い う 枠を 超 え て 分 か り 合 え る 世 界 が
こ ち らの お 寺 の 先生 や ご 門 徒さ ん た ち と 接 し た こ と で 、 た い へ
開 教師 の道を 本格的 に目 指すよ うにな りま した。
私 は 寺 報 の担 当 で あ りま し た 。 友人 が 地 下 室 で 深 夜 ま で メ イ リ
（ 久 保） 私 は 昨 年Ｉ Ｂ Ｓ （ 仏教 大 学 院 ） に 一 年 間 の 交 換 留 学 で
いて いるの です。
非常 にた くさん の祖先 や阿 弥陀さ まが、 絶え 間なく われわ れ
来 た こと が き っ かけ で す 。 龍大 の 博 士 課 程 の 研 究 の 一 環 で Ｉ Ｂ
ン グ を 手 伝っ て く れ たこ と を 今 でも 思 い 出 し ま す 。 三 千 五 百 部
以 上 の 寺 報で す 。 と ても 私 ひ と りで は メ イ リ ン グ を こ な す こ と
を、お 浄土 へと導 いてい てく ださい ます。 みな さん、 だから 、
坂 本秀 士、 １９６ ６ 年生 ま れ。 滋 賀県 東 近江 市 、西 明 寺衆 徒。 お 寺
の 次 男 。 趣味 は 、 骨董 品 集 め。 特 に 、瓢 箪 や お 皿に 興 味 があ る 。
２ ０ ０９ 年 月 にロ サ ンゼ ルス 別院 に赴 任、 ２０ １２ 年に リー ド レ ー
仏 教会 へ転 任、ダ イヌ ーバ仏 教会 の監 督 も勤 め る。 ２ ０１ ３ 年 月
日 に 米 国仏 教 団 開教 使 を 辞し 日 本 へ帰 国 す る 予定 。
南無阿 弥陀 仏、南 無阿弥 陀仏 、南無 阿弥陀 仏
わた し たち は、 た だ念 仏 をし て感 謝 を示 せば い い の で あ りま す 。 Ｓ へ 来 た の で す が 、 英 語 で 真 宗 や 仏 教 を 学 べ た こ と に 加 え て 、
は で き ま せん 。 友 人 、ロ ス 別 院 のメ ン バ ー が い つ も 助 け て 下 さ
い ま し た 。彼 ら の 助 けが な か っ たら 、 ま ず 私 に は で き な か っ た
で す 。今 、 この 場を お 借り して 、 彼ら に 感謝 し た い と思 い ま す 。
あ りが とうご ざい ました 。
そ し て ２０ １ ２ 年 にロ サ ン ゼ ルス 別 院 か ら リ ー ド レ ー 仏 教 会
へ と 転 勤 とな り 、 最 初は 環 境 の 変化 に と ま ど い ま し た 。 リ ー ド
レ ー で は ロサ ン ゼ ル スに 比 べ て 時間 が ゆ っ く り と 過 ぎ た よ う に
思 え ま し たし 、 サ ー ビス の 仕 方 もロ サ ン ゼ ル ス の も の と は か な
た お か げ で、 徐 々 に リー ド レ ー に慣 れ る こ と が で き ま し た 。 そ
り 違い まし た。 けれど もお 寺の 皆さん が私 に優 しくし て くだ さ っ
今月のインタビ ューの コーナ ーでは 、日本 人の開 教使志 望の
ＩＭＯＰ受講生インタビュー
た 法 話 に つい て 感 想 やコ メ ン ト など を く だ さ っ た か ら で す 。 皆
四 名の 先 生 た ちに お 話 を うか が っ た 。 四 名 は 浄 土 真 宗 セ ン タ ー
■プ ロフィ ール
竜平 師。
人 が い わ れる 「 念 仏 者は 無 碍 の 一道 な り （ 歎 異 抄 ） 」 と い う お
の 実家 、 一 六 〇年 続 く 奈 良の 筆 屋 を 手 伝 い 聞 法 生 活 を 送 っ て い
を 取得 後 、 本 願寺 派 宗 務 所に 勤 め る 。 二 児 の 父 。 現 在 は 奥 さ ん
馬 場大 道 、 千 葉県 出 身 。 お寺 の 四 男 。 龍 谷 大 学 、 真 宗 学 で 修 士
ち ょ う ど、 １ か 月 ほど 前 の こ とで す 、 私 は ダ イ ヌ ー バ 仏 教 会
で お 葬式 を させ てい た だき まし た 。前 田 博さ ん の お 葬式 で し た 。 る。
前 田 さ ん は、 か つ て 米 国 仏 教 団 の理 事 長 を し て お ら れ た 方 で あ
11
こ で リ ー ドレ ー 仏 教 会の 月 報 に 法話 を 掲 載 し 始 め 、 月 に 一 度 、
仏 教 勉 強 会と 、 日 本 語の 法 話 会 もす る こ と に し ま し た 。 フ レ ズ
ノ の 仏 教 ラジ オ 放 送 も、 私 に と って 良 い 思 い 出 と な り ま し た 。
さ ん が 勉 強会 や お 参 りに 参 加 し 、ラ ジ オ を 聞 い て く だ さ っ て い
日に三ヶ
に滞在して開教使になるための研修を受け、
22
先 生た ち 。 右 より 馬 場 大 道師 、 関 谷 美 帆 師 、 久 保 裕 子 師 、 遠 藤
月
る こ と が 励み と な り 今ま で や っ てこ れ ま し た 。 あ り が と う ご ざ
こ の 法 輪誌 で の 最 後の 法 話 は 、つ い 先 日 、 私 が さ せ て い た だ
月 の研 修 を 終 え、 無 事 に 帰国 の 途 に つ い た 。 。 写 真 は 受 講 生 の
12
い まし た。
毎 回 、 何 人か の 聴 取 者の 方 が 電 話を く だ さ り 、 そ の 日 放 送 さ れ
11
言 葉を 味あわ せて いただ くご縁 とな りまし た。
き ま し た お葬 式 の 時 の話 を さ せ てい た だ き ま す 。 そ れ は 親 鸞 聖
11
浄土真宗センタ-にて
ＩＨＯＰＥ参加開教使達
31
2013年12月号
輪
法
総長メッセージ
米 国仏 教団
総長
梅津 廣道
昨年四月に総長職に就いてから今まで、十四ヶ所で帰依式
（ ＊注 ） を行 い 、 合 計 二百 四 名 に 法 名を 授 与 い た し まし た 。 こ
れ だけ の 方々 が 仏 前 で 三宝 に 帰 依 す るこ と を 決 意 さ れた こ と を
喜 ぶと 同 時に 力 強 く 感 じま し た 。 自 ら仏 教 徒 と し て の歩 み を 始
め ようと する人 たち の数が 増えて きて いるよ うに 思えま す。
とこ ろ で、 私 た ち 現 代人 は す べ て 数で 判 断 す る き らい が あ り
ま す。 メ ンバ ー の 数 が 減っ た と か 増 えた と か 、 お 参 りの 数 が 多
れ ます 。 団体 の 場 合 あ る程 度 は 仕 方 がな い か も し れ ませ ん が 、
か った と か少 な か っ た とい う 具 合 に 、仏 教 の 繁 盛 も 数で 決 め ら
気 をつけ なけれ ばな らない ことだ と思 います 。
二〇一三年度教化標語
「真実明に帰命せよ」
月 下旬に 浄土 真宗本 願寺派 の園 城義孝 （その きぎ こう） 総
月 に浄 土真宗 本願 寺派総
日にはロサンゼルス別院を
（カリフォルニア州バークレー市）で開催され三十名が集っ
た。
今会は二回目となり、北米、カナダ、ハワイ、南米の四開
をビデオ撮影し、インターネットで公開した。以前にも増し
て浄土教が注目されてきている北米での仏教ムーブメントの
の参加もあった。研修会では死を看取るターミナルケアや阿
際伝道講座の受講者や本願寺派国際部の翻訳者など日本から
決するためのノウハウがあります。それを共有することで、
教区も伝道に関する同じような問題点があり、またそれを解
研修会を企画したカナダ開教区の青木龍也総長は「どの開
となっ た。
中において、浄 土真宗を広めるためのたいへん有意義な試み
弥陀経の講義およびディスカッションが行われ、各開教使の
の 一生 が 台無 し に な り ます 。 人 身 受 け がた し 、 仏 法 あい が た し
教区で布教に従事する現役開教使に加え、海外開教を志す国
ていた時のことです。ある日曜礼拝の後、お参りの数が少なかっ
で す。 恥 ずべ し と 思 わ され る こ の ご ろ です 。 ど う か 今年 一 年 を
歳 位の 長 女が す ぐに 、 「ダ デ ィ、 振 り 返 ら せ て い た だ き 、 新 し い 年 に は 、 三 宝 を 大 切 に し て 、 仏
ま しょう 。ど うか皆 さまよ いお 年をお 迎えく ださ い。
法 を聞 か せて い た だ き なが ら 、 新 し い 思い で 歩 ま せ てい た だ き
ぶ やい たら、 そば に いた 当 時
た のが 気 にな っ て 、 「 今日 は お 参 り が少 な か っ た な ぁ。 」 と つ
ン と何 か で殴 ら れ た 気 たし ま し た 。 「あ ぁ 、 そ う だ った 。 自 分
帰 依式 ― 本 願 寺 でご 門 主 さ ま よ りお か み そ り をし て い た
私 がい た じゃ な い 。 」 とコ メ ン ト し まし た 。 そ の 時 、頭 を ゴ ツ
の 考えは 間違っ てい た。」 と気 づかさ れまし た。
＊
は その 機 会が す く な い ので 、 特 別 に 帰 依式 と い う 儀 式が 行 わ れ
だ いて 法 名を 授 与 さ れ るの を 帰 敬 式 と よび ま す 。 海 外の 寺 院 で
お参 り の数 よ り も 、 お参 り し て く ださ っ て い る 方 に何 を 語 ろ
か くお 寺 に足 を 運 ん で くだ さ っ た 方 を相 手 に 、 数 が 少な い か ら
こ とを 喜 ばせ て い た だ きま す 。 法 名 は 釈と い う 字 の あと に 仏 教
法 名を 頂 くこ と で 、 仏 教徒 と し て の 自 覚を 深 め 、 仏 弟子 と な る
を 頭に 頂 く） を し て 、 法名 の 授 与 が な され ま す 。 こ の式 を 受 け
ま す。 そ の儀 式 で は 、 開教 総 長 が 、 頂 経（ ち ょ う き ょう － 経 典
う とし て いる の か が 大 事で は な い か と気 づ か さ れ ま した 。 せ っ
とかいうことだけで、法座を
台無しにしないようにしなけ
ればならないと思いを新たに
し たこと でした 。
ろんのこと、いろいろな個性が集まると、個々を超えた大き
効果的な布教法が確立されていくことが期待できるのはもち
われお念仏の道を
有難い御法縁に遇
タントや大学の教
ちが仏教徒として
授を交え、自分た
教えに生かされて
如何にお念仏のみ
を自らの経験を通
いるかということ
はありませんから、この研修でいろいろな方から話を聞くこ
く学んだことを試してみたいです。」と新しい出会いから多
した 。
して参加者と討議
慶讃法要には
周年らしく約
名
程が参集し、初代
びお念仏の声を相
開教使関法善師及
の仏教徒がセミナーを開催した。南カリフォルニアシニアＹ
月
れた一世の御門徒
名の大学生が
続すべく御尽力さ
会に 集った 。
ＢＡの主催で
ＵＣＬＡやロングビーチ大の生徒などを中心に、サクラメ
ントやベイエリアの大学からも参加があった。講師はガーデ
ナ仏教会の開教使アシスタント、クワン・コーリー氏で阿弥
陀仏や両親への感謝を表す事の大切さを説いた。シニアＹＢ
Ａの代表、原テリンさん（ＵＣＬＡ、サクラメント別院）は
労に 感謝 を表 し た。
サクラメントを中心とする北カリフォルニア教区のお寺対抗
日（土）にサクラメント別院に２００名が集まり、
葉をつくってみました。」
ルが恒例行事となっており、どの仏教会のメンバーも「うち
Ｂ Ｃ Ａ の各 仏 教 会 で は 寄付 金 集 め と し て テ リ ヤ キ チ キ ン セ ー
テリ ヤキ チキン コンテ スト が開催 された 。
仏のお慈悲が今働いて
行事の一環として、
そこで北カリフォルニア教区では仏教会同士の交流を深める
どのお寺のチキン
のお 寺のチ キンが 一番お いしい 」と自慢 しあう のが 常で あ る。
統料理、ターキーやグ
いる感覚を表現した。
レイビーソースなどを
いのかを競うコン
がもっとも美味し
周年記念慶讃法
優勝したのはス
て座 って いる。
利きが審査員とし
者など、三名の味
関係者や政府関係
上にはレストラン
のもの。ステージ
のを待っている時
だきます」を言う
で参加者が「いた
ント別院のホール
写真はサクラメ
テストを開催した。
料理し、すべての命や
日（日）にアリゾナ仏教会の創立
事を 楽し んだ。
「いただきます」と食
はたらきに感謝をして
夕食時には感謝祭の伝
であることと、阿弥陀
と、お念仏が報恩感謝
ナンマンダビングと言
グの音がにているので、
祭日のサンクスギビン
ンダブと、感謝を表す
を表すお念仏のナンマ
にしたと話す。「感謝
サ ン ク スギ ビ ン グ デ ー に 近 い の で セ ミ ナ ー の テ ー マ を 「 感 謝 」
月
要お よび総 永代経 法要 が梅津 総長の 導師 で勤修 され た。
名 の門 信 徒 が 阿 弥 陀様 と 親 鸞 聖 人 の 御 前 で 梅 津 総 長
同 仏 教会 は 現 在 ロ サ ンゼ ル ス 別 院 の 監 督 下 に あ る 。 前 日 の ９
で審査員部門と観
トックトン仏教会
取っ た。
客部門の二冠王を
より法名をいただき、浄土真宗の門徒としての自覚を新たに
仏者としての生き方」と題した公開講座が開かれ、梅津総長
仏教会駐在）、そして、元々はキリスト教徒として育ったが
をはじめ、ロサンゼルス別院の高田興芳開教使（元アリゾナ
し、お念仏の日暮を送ることを誓った。その後、「様々な念
日には
方など先人のご苦
日（土）にガーデナ仏教
「 イタ ダ キ マ ス ！ ナ ン マ ン ダ ビ ン グ 」 と い う テ ー マ で 大 学 生
くを 学んだ ようだ 。
とができてとても刺激をうけました。自坊に帰ったらさっそ
ハワイからの参加者は「普段、他教区の開教使と会うこと
を語 る。
歩む開教使アシス
8
な 力 が 生ま れ て き ま す 。 そ の 力 が 念 仏 の み 教 え が 世 界 に 弘 ま っ
11
てゆくことに大きく貢献していくのです。」と研修会の目的
月
80
長 が訪 米し、 サンフ ラン シスコ 、ロサ ンゼ ルスの 各寺 院を視
お念仏の教えを分かち合った。
参拝された後、洗心仏教会、ウエストＬ．Ａ．仏教会へ訪問、
§
開 教使 や門信 徒から 歓迎 をうけ た。
園城総長は「以前来た時は浄土真宗センターの建設が計画
されていたころでしたが、こうやってセンターが建ち、仏教
教育のプログラムが行われているのを見ると、お念仏の教え
が広まっているように感じます。」と海外開教の可能性に期
待 をよ せた。
開教のチャンスに活かそうと、インターネット放送を利用し
換が活発に行われた。また各国の伝道者が集まる研修を海外
現場での経験談や真宗用語の英語での表現方法などの意見交
ＩＨＯＰＥ参加開教使達 浄土真宗センタ-にて
経典 から二字を いただいて 名前とする のです。 釈は釈 尊の 釈で 、
80
察 、参 拝され た。園 城総 長は昨 年
い て積 極的に 聞かれ た。
日にはサンマテオ
24
仏教会の日曜礼拝に出勤、ご法話をされ、米国の真宗門徒と
教会、浄土真宗センターを訪問された。
で梅津総長と会談、サンフランシスコ仏教会、バークレー仏
日（金）にサンフランシスコ着、ＢＣＡ本部
§
米 して 開教使 及び門 信徒 から各 寺院の 現状 と将来 の展 望につ
げ る宗 門の代 表とし て海 外開教 の現状 を把 握され るべ く、訪
長 に就 任、「 念仏の 声を 世界の 子や孫 に」 のスロ ーガ ンを掲
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Email [email protected]
月 日 火 から 日 金 の 日間 、海 外 開教 使 の研 修会 、 て 世 界 各 国 の 視 聴 者 か ら よ せ ら れ た 真 宗 教 義 に 関 す る 質 問 に
(
)
(
)
「本願寺国際伝道研鑽会（ＩＨＯＰ Ｅ）」が浄土真 宗センター
答える時間を設けたほか、参加者全員でお勤めする往生礼賛
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園城総長は
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人生の一日一日も、それを大
仏 弟子も しく は仏家 の一員 とな ること を意味 しま す。
80
5
22
2013年 12月号
事にできなければ、せっかく
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12
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ロサンゼルス別院にて別院幼稚園の子供たちと
だいぶ前のことですが、私がオークランド仏教会にお世話になっ
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発行所
米国仏教団
Buddhist Churches of America
1710 Octavia Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
電話(415)776-5600
FAX(415)771-6293
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2013年12月号
輪
法