You may view previous editions of the bulletin from the listing to the right.
I have been hearing a lot of, "I love it this time of year!" The colors have been beautiful. Now, crisp and clear is moving towards cold...animals are getting furrier, and we are looking for a few extra layers ourselves. Welcome to December.
The temple is full of activities again this month. The Major Service is the Bodhi Day Family Service that takes place December 7, 11:00. Bodhi Day is the day that Prince Siddhartha became the Buddha at the age of 35. He had left his home in search of Truth. Even though his royal life gave him every material thing he could desire, he felt there was more to life than enjoyment and accumulation. During his search, he also realized that denying the body and severe disciplines did not lead to deeper or higher understandings. He turned to the middle path of meditation with a healthy, nourished body to support a healthy, focused mind. In the Mahayana tradition, it is said that in the early morning of December 8, Siddhartha became the Buddha, the Awakened One. By his example, we are made aware of our own potential...our own Buddha Nature...that can awaken the same Enlightenment.
The Dharma School is having a very special event on December 14. They will be visiting a few of our temple friends in nursing, assisted living, and private homes. They have been very busy making gifts of lap blankets and more to share. This is part of their yearlong theme of DANA, Selfless Giving. We are hopeful that these activities will help make the ideas of Compassion and Dana real and all the more meaningful. Eventually we want to recognize that Compassoin and Dana are not our own thoughtful acts that deserve a pat on the back, but a part of the compassion of Amida that moves and flows continuously. This is a humbling and powerful realization that brings depth to the meaning of Namo Amida Butsu. We each move through the Four Gates of realization just as Siddhartha did, and grow our understanding of life.
December 31 is the Joya-e, or Year End Service. The year-end service is observed to express gratitude for the past year and to reflect on the interdependency of all life, on all the things that have made it possible for us to live this one year. We will again ring the Kansho 108 times. It is symbolically ringing away the 108 passions that afflict man adn bind him to the world of delusion. It is a reminder of the Greed, Anger, and Ignorance that come from our self-centeredness. We do not know whether our lives will be fortunate or unfortunate...whichever it is, Namo Amida Butsu makes life deep, full, and complete.
Gassho,
Rev. Dennis
Looks like fall weather came upon us really fast - all of a sudden you notice all the fall colors. You know the change of season when the Temple's Bodhi tree brilliant yellow leaves begin to drop all of a sudden. With the damp weather that we had, the leaves were sticking to our shoes, and as we entered the temple, the leaves came inside, too. First time I had seen that.
Eitaikyo Services were held on October 26th with Rev. Fujimoto speaking. Thanks to the Payette-Fruitland toban for the lunch that was served - it was appreciated very much.
Annual Temple Clean-up was done on November 1st - after we finished, we were thinking how nice it would be if it would just stay clean, especially the kitchen. The Alter had a lovely shine after a special hand rub to all the brass fixtures, and the Social hall floors were cleaned. Dharma School teachers, parents and students helped wipe down all the chairs. Also, the trees at the parsonage were trimmed. Thanks to everyone who helped!
Fujinkai memorial services will be held on November 23rd. Special invitations (thanks to Susan Inouye who designed the cards) were sent and handed out to all the families and fujinkai members. We're happy that Rev. Laverne Sasaki (retired minister from San Bruno, CA) accepted the invitation as a guest speaker. He will also have discussion time on Saturday afternoon for the MAP members and others who are interested. Saturday evening, a welcome dinner is being planned at Matsy's at 6:00 p.m. Joan Suyematsu is in charge. Lunch will be served after the memorial services with Matsy's catering the main dish. Families with names starting from A-O will bring a side dish and P-Z will bring desserts.
The month of December will be here soon, full of activities - there will be Year End parties, New Years Eve services and New Year services. I don't have all the details for these gatherings, be sure to check around on the December Calendar, ask around, and listen for announcements at the services.
End of the year BWA meeting is scheduled for December 7th after the adult services.
Thanks to the students that helped with the temple clean up on November 1st. The chairs got a good cleaning, especially after the bazaar and everything smells so clean!!
The children have been working on Dana projects. They decorate the tissue boxes for the Fujinkai to take to their nursing home visitations, and have been working on their own gift to the shut-ins, and each student has a chance to express their art talents with the mediums that Rev. Dennis has provided. The children will also participate in the Fujinkai Memorial.
For time to share, I would like to share a piece called "The Dash - Making a Difference With Your Life" by Linda Ellis.
It matters not how much we own. The cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what's true and real. Always try to understand how other people feel.
Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more. Love the people in our lives like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile. Love may not make the world go around, but it sure makes the ride worthwhile.
So, when your eulogy is being read with your life's actions rehashed, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash??
We all have countless opportunities to perform unexpected acts of kindness. Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more. Life is too short to stay angry even for a day or evermore.
Never forget...its not the things you get...but the hearts you touch that will determine your success. Love the people in our lives and treat each other with respect.
So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you'd like to change? One of the most wonderful things about having a positive attitude is the number of people it touches and changes.
So, please take this to heart. Namo Amida Butsu.
Ann Nagaki was born 1927 in Nebraska, but grew up in Colorado. She was one of 8 children. Her favorite food was rice and she remembers being responsible for keeping the wood box filled. After she got married, she came to the Treasure Valley in 1947. She was a housewife and worked on teh family farm for her first job. Ann has been to at least 16 Buddhist Temples. She was the first woman North West temple president and was Fujinkai president twice. Her fondest memories are of her grandchildren and she is proud of Michael.
Thank you to Karen Hata, Delores Wood, Kiku Hondo, Jimmy Hondo, Shiz Inouye, Mary Nakamura and Hideo and Ruth Harada for helping with the 2008 November Bulletin.
Designated Memorial Service Years for 2008. To schedule a family memorial service, please contact Reverend Fujimoto. 1 Year = 2007, 3 year = 2006, 7 year = 2002, 13 year = 1996, 17 year = 1992, 25 year = 1984, 33 year = 1976 and 50 year = 1959.
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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10:30 am - Adult Study
10:30 am - Dharma School Service
11:00 am - Adult Service
11:00 am - Dharma School Class
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