You may view previous editions of the bulletin from the listing to the right.
For those of you that are going to the convention in Spokane, the buss ride is $57.00 per person. Your check should be made out to IOBT and given to Mary Nakamura. The bus will leave on February 10th at 8:00 a.m. from the church parking lot. We will stop at wildhorse in Pendleton for 1 hour before going to Spokane, but NOT on the way back. There are 39 people signed up to attend the convention, with 35 going on the bus. If you have any questions, please call Mary Ann Shimojima.
Are we having fun or whaaat? Welcome to February. Last month, we were able to host a very successful High School Retreat, focused on Buddhist Service, Ritual and Education. Thanks to the efforts and support of our IOBT Sangha, the Retreat participants and staff were overwhelmed by our kindness and hospitality. The interest and enthusiasm of the young adult participants was contagious and has left a very positive influence on our Temple members as well. I am grateful to both the Retreat participants and staff, and to our Sangha. Sometimes, saying Thank You is just not enough. During these times, Namo Amida Butsu does indeed hold more true to the depth of the sense of gratitude felt. As in the words of Retreat participant Melissa, "Sometimes 'Thanks' just don't cut it." Namandab.....Namandab....Namandab
February 5th is the Nirvana Day Service. Nirvana can be translated as "the extinction". The Nirvana Day Service is a memorial of the death of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. After his death at the age of 80, his disciples came from all directions, and his cremated ashes were divided into 8 parts. These were enshrined into stupas or mounds in his memory. As time went on, these were further divided and distributed. The stupa atop the San Francisco Buddhist Temple holds a portion of the Buddha's ashes. The retreat participants were able to visit these remains during the original retreat this past summer. This service will also be a Shotsuki Service for the month of February. Please join us.
Remember there will be Meditation or Service the following Sunday, Feb. 12, as we will be attending the Northwest District Conference in Spokane, Feb. 10-12. I'll see you on the bus.
Feb. 21-26 is the BCA Ministers and National Council Meeting in Sacramento, CA. These national gatherings are both inspiring and educational. I am able to benefit from the experience of so many knowledgeable ministers and lay leaders. Here, Sunday Activities will go on as usual, with Meditation at 9:00, Dharma School Service at 10:30, and the Adult Service at 11:00.
"We are not to be content with tradition as merely something lifeless handed down from the past and preserved only because it is past. Shinran perceives that tradition is a communication from those who have gone before..." (Shoshinge - the Heart of Shin Buddhism, Dr. Alfred Bloom, p. 97).
.......GASSHO...........RAIHAI
When we recite the Nembutsu, we put our hands together and bow. To put our hands together is the Gassho. To bow is the Raihai.
It's a little difficult for me to start this newsletter - generally I'm in a happier mood, but losing my best friend and partner of 58 years, Joe, is sad, but I'm a survivor. I have my family of five and eleven grandchildren around so they are my life support. Also, thanks for the Temple, Rev. Fujimoto, friends and my relatives for all your kind condolences - it was appreciated very much.
Now for a happier note, I heard that the Youth Retreat Reunion, which lasted three full days of chanting sutras, meditation, and how to be better service chairpersons, was a success and enjoyed by the 11 delegates and 4 coordinators. They all joined as guest for the Hoonko Service with Rev. Oshita as guest speaker. After the services, a luncheon was served with Ontario Town as Tobans. Since this was a special service with the retreat guests - we would like to thank all those who brought side dishes for Hoonko and also for the Retreat. Thanks to Lois Saito, Jayne Kameshige, and Mary Ann Shimojima, who were in charge for the retreat.
Wednesday Activity Day is still going on with Ontario Country ladies doing their duty for the month of January. Mae Nakano made 'Curly Noodle Dinner", Toshiko Horiuchi a fancy "Barasushi", and Joan Suyematsu made "Ham & Pork Meatballs". Might mention that Diane Gilbert made "Spaghetti" at the end of December. Card playing is still growing strong and enjoyed by all. We'd like to invite all the single people to come out and have lunch with us on Wednesday at noontime. Lots of homemade goodies!
Looks like we have a chartered bus going to the NW Buddhist Convention held in Spokane, WA, sponsored by the Spokane Buddhist Church. The convention is set for February 10-12th. Heard that some seats are available if you want to hook a ride - contact Mary Ann Shimojima.
Temple General Meeting will be held on January 29th. We like to acknowledge Mike Iseri and Randy Kameshige for doing their job as Co-Chairpersons for the Temple. Thanks to all other board members, too. All your time and effort is appreciated very much. For lunch, the main dish and rice will be provided and rest of Sangha will bring side dishes and desserts. You don't want to miss these potlucks because we do have wide assortments of dishes brought in which we do enjoy.
Don't forget Fujinkai Meeting on February 5th after adult services.
Jan 8: Sandy Belknap was chairman for the 1st day back in the new year.
Jan. 13-15: The BCA Youth Retreat/Reunion was held in Ontario. Many thanks to all who helped clean the parsonage and the Ichiban, to all those who cooked all the delicious foods, who picked up the youth and the assistance ministers and Rev. Oshita. The kids had a grand week-end thanks to many of you!
Jan. 15: We had a combined/family service with Rinban Bob Oshita as our guest minister for Ho-Onko. The kids led some of the parts of the Shoshige and did a great job. We had a good turn out and it was a great service followed by a yummy lunch. Again, thanks to all the ladies who prepared the luncheon.
Jan. 22: Mary Ann Shimojima was chairman. During part of the class time, Brady Kameshige and Laurel Saito shared the past retreat week-end events with the rest of the students.
Jan. 29: Karen Hata will be chairman.
Feb. 5: This is the Dharma School Valentines party. Lunch will be serviced to the students and their parents.Feb. 12: No church. Northwest Buddhist Convention held in Spokane, WA.
The 2006 BCA Reunion Retreat was a great way to start off this New Year. I am pleased of the retreat our church held, and the friendliness of our members. Our 13 guests from around the West never stopped mentioning how warm and welcoming our Sangha is. Our days were filled with much learning and precious time with our friends. Apart from the services, Thank you, Connie Shimojima, for the tour through FRCC. Everyone seemed to have a very nice time. I want to thank all the helpers who contributed to this retreat. Everything was smooth and organized. All of the preparing of meals and snacks was excellent. I feel that all of you have created a "home away from home" for our guests. I also want to personally thank George and Dixie Iseri for letting all of us use their Ichiban room. Again, thanks to all who helped make this retreat possible; IOBT would not be possible without all of you.
Thanks for your attendance and participation at the ABA Party! If you didn't attend, you missed out on shrimp/bok choy okazu, oysters, mafa chicken, roast beef, rice, brocolli and ice cream. Special thanks to the following for their donations of time or drink: Roy Oyama (Crown Royal), George Iseri (Bud Light), Ray Nakamoto (Bar Tending), John Tameno (Bar Tending), Yasu Teramura (Bingo), Tak Kuwahara (Binto), and Larry Matsumura/Matsys for a job well done!!!
Good morning, friends!
My name is Andre Pereira. Pereira in English is Pear Tree. I have been working as an Associate Professor of Agronomy in a State University in Brazil since 1987. I was born in Campinas, State of Sao Paulo, in August of 1961. It's been such a long time since then that I can hardly remember the exact day I happened to land on this planet, where we are all doomed to impermanence.
In 2001, right after my father's passing on September 3rd, I was reflecting upon the mystery of this so impenetrable and short-lived existence of us all, when suddenly I heard on the radio that an American researcher from Oregon was going to give a talk about potato water management on the 24th of September. My father always dreamed about coming to the USA and strongly encouraged me to have not only compassion for others but also passion for the English language.
I really thought at that time that something mystical, magical, and unfathomable had driven me to that radio to be able to listen to the news related to the American scientist, Dr. Clinton Shock. I immediately cancelled my trip to a small city, where my family lives, and attended his presentation. This event motivated me to write up a proposal on potato irrigation issues and allowed me to get financial support from the Brazilian Government to do research at the OSU Agricultural Field Station. That's what brought me here in June 2004.
As you know, I have been attending services here at the Idaho Oregon Buddhist Temple since the Obon Festival, last year. Each Sunday, I have benefited from the experience of being here, listening and learning from all of you, but especially, the Sensei, Kathy Chatterton and Connie.
I appreciate the fact that you have gone out of your way to help me feel welcome in your temple. Learning about Buddhism has become a priority for me and will guide my journey through life along a compassionate and loving path. The Buddhist philosophy that I have come to understand fits very well with my own philosophy of life.
I was always afraid of getting myself committed to any particular religion because life has been showing me that religion can be one of the most hypocritical neuroses of the human race. Many people on Earth make war in the name of God, instead of peace in the name of compassion.
There is a well-known saying in Brazil that my parents kept passing onto me during the hard process of educating a rebellious teenager, who gave them gray hair and many sleepless nights. The saying goes like this "One should not strive to become an important man, but rather a good man."
I think that Buddhism, besides being a religion for those who seek humility and compassion without attachment, is a philosophy of life that shows you the path of a loving existence. It seems to be based on the awareness of our impermanence on Earth - the only way to make people become better than they used to be.
I have been noticing that when people realize that they can die at any time - they become angels in order to redeem themselves from any past wrongdoing. Therefore, such an axiomatic principle should be put into practice every single day so that we can truly achieve enlightenment and prevent others from suffering because of us.
The only certainty that exists is that we are all going to die someday. This awareness is the key to our development of compassion and genuine humility that can be naturally sown on the garden of people's lives. To me, the only doctrine that truly conveys this wisdom is Buddhism, which I intend to incorporate into my daily life until my time is through.
It was a delightful experience to get to know this doctrine and share the magic of life with you all. From many miles away from 3 days on, I will be recalling all the delightful moments that I experienced in this Temple. I always wanted to come into this Temple after having passed in front of it many times. Having the courage to do with my unforgettable American friend, Sandy Shelton, turned out to be one of the best choices I have ever made in my life.
An unrelenting state of kindness and gratitude is another fundamental key factor that provides rapture and elation for every human being. This key factor is very much disseminated by Buddhism and tenderly demonstrated by the bow each Buddhist humbly takes at the alter of the Temple. I am deeply grateful for being a part of this very nice and loving Buddhist community in Ontario. By the way, speaking of gratitude, it's time now for me to say, thank you very much indeed for having me, and for allowing me to take all of you in my heart to Brazil.
Sympathy and Condolences go out to the Joe H. Nagaki and Debbie Ogura Families.
Designated Memorial Service Years for 2006. To schedule a family memorial service, please contact Reverend Fujimoto. 1 Year = 2005, 3 year = 2004, 7 year = 2000, 13 year = 1994, 17 year = 1990, 25 year = 1982, 33 year = 1974 and 50 year = 1957.
Idaho Oregon Buddhist Temple
286 SE 4th Directions
PO Box 397 (mailing address)
Ontario, Oregon 97914
541-889-8562 (office)
541-889-8662 (fax)
10:00 am - IOBT Choir Practice
10:30 am - Adult Study
10:30 am - Dharma School Service
11:00 am - Adult Service
11:00 am - Dharma School Class
Site design, hosting and maintenance by JW2E - Web sites for small business.