You may view previous editions of the bulletin from the listing to the right.
The BCA celebration of Shinran Shonin's 750th Memorial in San Jose was a tremendous success. It was an honor to represent the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple on such a rare and special occasion. New music was prominent over the weekend, as was artwork, poetry, and people. It was an extension of our Northwest Convention, magnified and multiplied. The feeling was one of gratitude for the efforts of the past and confidence to step into the future.
We enter a new phase of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America, with new facilities and new goals. We aim to continue to move beyond our ethnic boundaries to bring the Nembutsu teachings to anyone who would dare to listen. Please read the current Wheel of Dharma to get a glimpse of all that took place in San Jose. It brings a smile to see our Peace and Tranquility banner hanging prominently in so many of the pictures!
April will bring many more occasions and opportunities for Sangha building and personal growth. Thank you to all of you who make attendance and effort here at the temple a regular part of your lives. For those of you who are considering spending a little more time and energy here, please do so, as we could use all the help we can get. The effort is worthwhile and the return to you is great as well.
April 4th will be our annual Hanamatsuri Service and Program. Hanamatsuri, meaning Flower Festival, is one of our very special annual services. We celebrate the birth of the historical Shakyamuni Buddha who was born as the Prince Siddhartha Gautama. King Suddhodana and Queen Maya were childless for 20 years and they were elated that the Queen had become pregnant. When the baby was born, sweet rain fell from the skies. The proud King named his son Siddhartha, "every wish fulfilled".
We commemorate the birth by decorating a table with flowering plants and small stuffed animals to depict Lumbini Garden where the baby Buddha was born. We are each invited to pour sweet tea over the image of the baby Buddha as a re-enactment of the sweet rain that fell that day. By doing so, we acknowledge the birth of a very special person who was able to find the path to awakening to the truths of life. His awakening is encouragement to us to seek the path that leads us to a life that is beyond frivolous and empty.
Please bring a small plant or stuffed animal to help us decorate our own Lumbini Garden. We courage each other to live a life of meaning and depth over one that is not.
Gassho,
Rev. Dennis
March 14th: I had Mrs. Seiko Go teach the children how to make a scarf using their hands and no knitting needles. The children caught on real fast and had fun learning something new.
March 21st: Spring Ohigan with guest minister Rev. Jay Shineki. The day before was Hideo and Ruth Harada's 60th wedding anniversary party, so their son, Rev. Marvin, was here. Sunday service was a real treat as we had Rev. Marvin, Rev. Jay and Rev. Dennis, who are friends from way back.
April 4th: Hanamatsuri with service at 11:00 a.m. Bring your little stuffed animals, small plants or flowers for our own Lumbini's garden. We will have lunch and a program to follow.
In keeping with the 750th Shinran Shonin Memorial, we maintained the theme "Yononaka Annon Nare: May Peace and Tranquility Prevail Throughout the World".
We had the pleasure of having Socho Koshin and Mrs. Mayumi Ogui as our guests, along with Rev. Dr. Nobuo and Mrs. Tomoko Haneda. Delegates from the Northwest District were present along with other delegates from Canada and Utah. One of the early pleasures was receiving registration from the University of Washington YBA which included not only UW, but other schools, and some of our own Temple youth who are now in college.
Friday night registration was held at the Temple, where guests were greeted with dinner. Not having a hotel/convention center that could house everyone and conduct the convention all in one place, the Temple was where we provided "hospitality" food and refreshments after their long trips.
Meanwhile, youth and adult teams alike met at the Ontario Middle School gym for a friendly dodgeball tournament. Seeing this brought back memories of the 60's and 70's when we'd have large youth delegations and basketball and volleyball tournaments at northwest conventions. The joy and enthusiasm on the participants' faces actually brought tears to my eyes, finally seeing a rebirth of athletic team competition at convention.
Saturday marked the beginning of activities at Four Rivers Cultural Center. Guests were met with wide varieties of homemade goodies not only for the morning, but for breaks all day long. The opening service was held in FRCC's theatre where the onaijin was displayed with prominence not only in its size and appearance, but with the presence of ministers, ministers assistants and youth ministers assistants.
The Gatha Project performed during opening service was dedicated to Mrs. Chizuko Iwanaga, arranger of Nembutsu. This project had its early beginnings in 2008 with Rev. Joshin Dennis Fujimoto toying with the notion of combining the basic elements of this gatha with not only Nembutsu chanting, but with singing and Taiko. The vision did not stop there; the effort would be a combined effort of ALL Northwest Temples and not just Idaho-Oregon. With assistance from Donna Sasaki of Tacoma Buddhist Temple, a master CD was created for all the Temples to rehearse from. Early in the morning before opening service, a final rehearsal was held, together as a group. When performed before the entire audience, the spirit of Oneness shined through so clearly, with voices from all the Temples loud and clear.
Dr. Haneda was well received for his keynote address "Shinran's Peace and Tranquility That Comes Out of His Dynamic and Creative Life", following the opening service. The participation of Socho Ogui, Dr. Haneda, our NW Ministers and others was outstanding. Several workshop choices were avilable during three different sessions. The Peace and Tranquility Art Project went all day with contributions from everyone. The basic backdrop was that of a tree. Members of the Sangha made their own additions to make the project whole. This was yet another group effort which demonstrated not only Peace and Tranquility, but the concept of interdependence as we examined the end result and the path the participants had taken from the roots up.
Before the banquet, many gathered in the FRCC lobby for the social hour. Throughout the day, interaction of not only old friends, but new friends was apparent. The presence of the BCA Bookstore and manager Jeffrey Kimoto along with Darcie Kameda of Hoseki Designs and bookstore volunteer Johnny added a very large selection of merchandise from which to choose. Robert Noguchi, Campaign Manager, was on hand to bring us up to date on current status. And representatives from Kintetsu were available to provide information about the tour movements to Japan for the 750th in 2011.
Unlike some banquets where there is a mad dash for seats, the reserved seats created a more casual atmosphere for our guests. Socho Ogui's address kept the audience alert and entertained. The performance by the UW YBA was a real treat.
The evening was full with the FRCC museum being open, art display by Temple members, two movies (Hula Girls adn Amerian Pasttime), and a Casino Night complete with a craps table and nine blackjack tables. And, some of the youth opted to go bowling. The agenda was full and was designed to have something for everyone.
Sunday, things were winding down. Closing service would be the last service before lunch and goodbyes. So well received was the gatha project, they were called upon to perform again at closing service. IOBT's Polyphonic Choir also performed a number at closing service as well.
Many aspects of the convention were noteworthy, but when you look at the entire event, the interaction of so many guests was apparent. Their spirits were high. They were enthusiastic. They were excited. They were happy. In visiting with subcommittee chairman, they generally didn't feel their contributions were extraordinary. Yet, with the coordination of efforts including registration, transportation, workshops, services and performances, fun activities, great food and all the other contributions to the cause, everything seemed to be in sync. Everyone did their part. So well did things go that the end result far exceeded the sum of their parts. It was a wonderful example of the Sangha coming together, organizers and attendees alike, to make this convention a rousing success.
The atmosphere was so positive that osaisen collected for the Zaidan Fund was unusually high compared to previous efforts. Bookstore sales far exceeded projections. And, Campaign BCA raised over $11,000 in the course of the event which helped to exceed the district's goal. Not only that, but another $5,000 was contributed after the event as a direct result of the convention.
Something that makes Ontario unique is that its a small town where friends and neighbors help each other at every turn. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, as host hotels went out of their way to accommodate our guests. While the Best Western was not a host hotel, they also put their best foot forward in welcoming our guests. FRCC has had many Japanese on their board over the years, some of whom are Temple members. The caterer for FRCC is a Temple member. And, many of the helpers with transportation, catering and slide show production were our non-Buddhist friends and relatives. So, the success of this event is a credit not only to our Temple members, but to all who attended and also a credit to others in our community who worked so hard to help us. We sincerely appreciate the generous support of you all for a most memorial convention.
Mike Iseri, IOBT NW Convention Chairman
Dear Ministers and Temple Presidents:
I hope this letter finds you and your Sangha cherishing the light of Amida's guiding compassion. recently, I was contacted by temple members Fred and Nancy Nakatani regarding their 8 year old granddaughter Natalie, who is battling leukemia.
With the urgency immediate, the Buddhist Temple of San Diego held a Bone Marrow registry and screening on February 7 in hopes to find a bone marrow match for Natalie. The event was very successful. Now I am urging your temple and Sangha members to help SAVE A LIFE.
The San Diego temple acted very quickly to setup the screening event. The screening was administered by the San Diego Blood Bank. If your temple sets up a screening, please check with your local blood bank or similar agency on procedural setup.
Natalie is of Japanese-Chinese ethnicity. The family lives in Pleasant Hill, CA. Natalie is currently receiving chemo treatments in San Francisco. Unfortunately, with the agressiveness of the disease, her doctors say the best option is receiving bone marrow from a donor match.
Although we were aiming for an ethnic match, the turnout of various ethnic groups was wide-spread. It was very encouraging to see the number of people of various ethnic groups, not knowing who Natalie is, stepping forward to help save a life.
Understanding the urgent need to outreach the public and knowing that bone marrow candidates must be between the ages of 18-61, the screening process is fast and simple: fill out necessary paperwork, swab the inside of both cheeks for samples and then personnel will explain the procedure moving forward if you are asked to return as a viable candidate for donating bone marrow.
If your temple has conducted a Bone Marrow Screening, then individuals are automatically registered in the Bone Marrow registry. In the event a candidate has moved and has not updated their contact information with the registry, it may be likely that their name has been removed. Please have your members check with the agency on current contact information. A candidate will also be removed from the list when they reach the age of 60.
A web site is now available online introducing Natalie and others who face the similar disease. The facebook page is: Save Natalie
I would like to thank Socho Ogui and Michael Endo for allowing me to share this information with you. If you need further assistance or would like more information, I will be happy to offer much support. Please get the word out and participate in the Bone Marrow Screening.
Every bit is a big boost in helping save not only Natalie's life, but the lives of others.
With deepest appreciation in Gassho,
Ralph Honda, Buddhist Temple of San Diego, rkhayh@aol.com
Mary Nakamura, Karen Hata, Delores Wood, Midge Teramura, Shiz Inouye, Kazuko Kuramoto, Jimmy and Kiku Hondo and Hideo Harada and Ruth Harada
Designated Memorial Service Years for 2010. To schedule a family memorial service, please contact Reverend Fujimoto. 1 Year = 2009, 3 year = 2008, 7 year = 2004, 13 year = 1998, 17 year = 1994, 25 year = 1986, 33 year = 1978 and 50 year = 1961.
Idaho Oregon Buddhist Temple
286 SE 4th Directions
PO Box 397 (mailing address)
Ontario, Oregon 97914
541-889-8562 (office)
541-889-8662 (fax)
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