September - Mountain View Buddhist Temple
Transcription
September 2013 The ECHO Volume 52 Number 8 M O U N TA I N September Highlights 8/26 Mon, 7:30 PM Religious Planning Meeting 9/11 Wed, 7:30 PM Temple Board Meeting 9/15 Sun, 10:00 AM Fall Ohigan Service 9/29/13 Sun, 9:30AM Sangha Day Picnic NO SERVICES AT TEMPLE BUDDHIST TEMPLE Using GPS to Make Our Way in Life As you are all aware, Socho Umezu has assigned me to be the resident minister of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. 9/1 Sun, 10:00 AM Shotsuki Hoyo VIEW By Rev. Yushi Mukojima My wife Mika and I were full of anxiety when we left the Buddhist Temple of San Diego because for eight years, this Sangha cared for us as if we were their own family. In the eleven years since arriving in the US, I’ve been fortunate to share the Nembutsu and many valuable and meaningful experiences at the Seabrook, Visalia and San Diego temples. It is truly an honor and privilege to join the Mountain View Sangha to share our experiences, happy or sad, as together we embrace the Nembutsu as a compass in our lives. Although we may feel inexperienced, we will do our best. I sincerely ask for your guidance and support. Imagine our relief and gratitude that the Mountain View Sangha welcomed us and our daughter Kurumi and son Oji so warmly! Welcome Reverend Mukojima By Bob Imai Reverend Mukojima began his career with the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) in November 2001. He was assigned as the resident minister to the Seabrook Buddhist Temple in New Jersey in March of 2002. In This Issue Rev. Mukojima’s Msg President’s Msg Senior News ABA News Calendar (Sep/Oct) BWA 1, 4-5 1, 7 11 7 2, 13 5 It is my pleasure to announce that the Minister Selection Committee, with the approval of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple Board has accepted Bishop’s Umezu’s appointment of Reverend Yushi Mukojima to the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. Reverend Mukojima started his new responsibilities as our resident minister on August 1st, 2013. One year later, he was transferred to the Visalia Buddhist Temple in Central California. Visalia is a farming community just south of Fresno. After a few years at Visalia he was transferred to the Buddhist Temple of San Diego. Prior to his move to the United States, Reverend Mukojima served as a minister in the Buddhist Churches of South America from 1998— 2001, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reverend Mukojima received his education from Ryukoku University in Japan where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Buddhist History. He received his Tokudo ordination in August 1994; Kyoshi in September 1997; and Kaikyoshi in December 1998. He was born in Osaka, Japan and grew up in Fukui. He comes from a family rich in the Jodo Shinshu tradition. His father is the head minister of the family temple in Fukui. Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org T he E C H O s e pt em b e r 2 0 13 Mou nt a in Vi ew B u d d h i s t Te mpl e Page 2 Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org V olume 52 Number 8 Page 3 Religious Planning—September 2013 September 1, 2013, Sunday 10:00 AM —Shotsuki Hoyo September 8, 2013, Sunday 10:00 AM—1st Day of Dharma School! 8:30AM—Mothers’ Day Brunch September 15, 2013, Sunday 10:00 AM—Fall Ohigan Service September 22, 2013, Sunday 10:00 AM September 29, 2013, Sunday 10:00 AM—Sangha Day Picnic NO SERVICES AT TEMPLE Shotsuki Hoyo Service O-asaji (Morning Chanting)—8:30 AM Adult Discussion—11:00 AM Dharma School—11:00 AM Another Successful Obon Bazaar and Festival As one of the chairmen of this year’s bazaar, I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude for another successful Obon Festival this year. I am so relieved and grateful for our members, outside organizations, and volunteers that continue to help in the various booths and activities. An event like this could not happen without the help of lots of people—from my cochair, Russell Okuno, to all the chairs of the different booths and bazaar activities to the many volunteers that worked so tirelessly the bazaar weekend, and in the weeks leading up to the bazaar. This event is an important annual fundraiser for our Temple. I see it also a time for us to come together and strengthen our MVBT Sangha by carrying out longstanding traditions (and making new traditions!), deepening existing friendships (and making new friends!), and really just enjoying the good food, cultural activities, games, and entertainment together. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves this year. Until next year, everybody! Gassho, Richard Endo A huge thank you to all of you. Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 4 T he E C H O Using GPS to Make Our Way in Life (Cont’d fr P.1) Since moving to Mountain View, Mika and I have enjoyed exploring the area. Although we don’t have our bearings yet, I am fortunate to have a car with GPS. It is a remarkable tool. Most new cars and smart phones use GPS to display a detailed map clearly showing where I am at any given moment. I can really enjoy a comfortable drive because no matter where I go, I’ll always reach my destination. Simply input an address, and the GPS will show the preferred route, even announcing loudly and clearly, “Turn right at the next intersection” so one doesn’t need to read the display while driving. It also calculates distance and shows our estimated arrival time. When we drive to an unfamiliar place, we arrive successfully because the system guides us. It is wonderful to have such an aid that keeps us from getting lost. Just a decade ago, we depended on fold-out paper maps. As a child, I remember my father always driving with my mother telling him where to turn as she consulted the map. In Japan, the roads are often narrow and many streets are unnamed, so it’s very difficult to find a new place. I still remember my mother complaining because there were many times when my father wouldn’t follow her directions! When I went back to Japan several years ago, my father would sigh and say, “My GPS often yells at me. I want a quieter one…” But recently he told me he finally purchased a real GPS, so I am sure that he can now drive confidently to an unfamiliar place without being criticized by my mother. Speaking of directions, if you were asked, “Where are you headed in life?” how would you respond? Could you answer quickly and confidently? As we go through life, it is very important to know where we are going, but sometimes we might not even be aware that we are lost. Shin Buddhism teaches us to “Live with the Pure Land as our destination,” and it clearly shows us the direction to the Pure Land. The Pure Land is the world of ultimate enlightenment where we return to when our lives end. And the Pure Land should be our spiritual support and nourishment throughout life. There might be some who feel that it is an actual world in the far distant future. However, it is definitely not far away. For example, if I were to die tonight, I would be born in the Pure Land in the moment of my passing. There might be others who insist, “The Pure Land only exists in the afterlife,” or “The Pure Land only exists in this world.” There are many on either side of this argument. But the Pure Land actually exists throughout the three worlds—the past, present, and future—and continues to work on each one of us. So we should realize that it cannot be defined so easily. Ultimate enlightenment is to be found in the afterlife when we discard our blind passions such as greed, anger, and ignorance. But remember that the Pure Land is not far away. If we open our Dharma Eyes, we can see that the Pure Land is here and now and working on us. The Pure Land is a pure world of enlightenment without the defilement of the blind passions; a world that transcends love and hatred; a brilliant world where all life becomes one; and where all life is revealed to be precious. When we reflect deeply upon ourselves through the Buddha’s teaching, we cannot help but realize that we are always limited by the darkness of blind passions. Living without true awareness, we live selfishly, consuming that which we desire and excluding those things that are inconvenient. We hurt others and even ourselves. This is our ugly attachment to the self. However, Shin Buddhism teaches us to live humbly while reflecting seriously upon our true selves who must necessarily live confused in the darkness of blind passions. Being guided to the true world of the Pure Land, we can see our own lies and self-delusions. In that respect, we can say that a person who truly sees his ego-nature has already begun to live in the Pure Land, which transcends his own calculation here and now. We sincerely want to live with our mind and heart in the Pure Land. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we ordinary people have limitations. From his writing Notes on Once-calling and Many-calling Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org V olume 52 Number 8 Page 5 Using GPS to Make Our Way in Life (Cont’d fr P.4) Shinran Shonin writes, "Foolish beings, we are full of ignorance and blind passion. Our desires are countless, and anger, wrath, jealousy, and envy are overwhelming, arising, without pause. To the very last moment of life, they do not cease, or disappear, or exhaust themselves.” It is impossible to be completely free from the world of darkness because our minds are always veiled by the thick clouds of self-centered passions. Therefore, we often lose sight of which direction we should take. When this happens, who or what can we possibly rely on? Shinran Shonin taught us clearly, “The one who knows and understands all about us—the one who shows us the purpose of our life, the direction in our life, and the place where we are now in life—is Amida Buddha.” Amida Buddha is always guiding us toward the true world by calling to us with his immeasurable light and life. His calling voice is the Nembutsu: Namo Amida Butsu. Living with the Nembutsu means that we live moving in the direction of the Pure Land…that true world where we transcend our selfish and ego-nature while being nurtured by the Nembutsu the Nembutsu which is filled with Amida Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. We can definitely say that the Nembutsu is the light which pierces the darkness around us. It is much like a GPS system as we navigate our way through life. Shin Buddhism does not say that we are only saved only when we are born into the Pure Land in the afterlife. Although we will achieve this true enlightenment when we die, our life is a journey moving toward the Pure Land with great peace of mind. Being alive means we must encounter suffering and sadness because things don’t turn out as we wish. However, when we begin to realize that the light of Amida Buddha’s wisdom and compassion always gently embraces us, guides us, and never abandons us no matter what might happen, we receive the great power of the Nembutsu which can overcome all difficulties with great joy, gratitude, and peace of mind. It means that we who are alive now are saved NOW. This is the essence of Shin Buddhist teaching. Because of this realization, I feel happy and grateful despite the gravity of responsibility of our new life in beautiful Mountain View. It is my sincere wish to live resolutely and move forward in brilliant light together with our new Sangha, dependent on the Nembutsu as our guide. In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all who have supported my family and to the Mountain View members who have made us feel so welcome since our arrival. In Gassho, Reverend Yushi Mukojima BWA Welcomes Rev. Mukojima and Family! A warm welcome to our new minister Rev. Yushi & Mrs. Mika Mukojima and their beautiful children Kurumi & Oji. We look forward to a long and happy relationship. MVBT had another successful Obon-Bazaar. Thank you to all those that helped BWA. Also, thank you BWA ladies for all the hard work you’ve done. Our BWA chapter was saddened by the passing of our member Grace Mayeda. Our heartfelt condolences and sincere gratitude for the very generous donation from the Mayeda family. DONATIONS Gratefully Acknowledged Rev. Dean & Linda Koyama Mayeda Family NEXT MEETING Sep 14, 2013, 9AM in YBA Hall Buddhist Women’s Association Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 6 T he E C H O THANK YOU FOR THE PLANTS To Temple members and friends for the tremendous response. The plant donations for the bazaar Flower shop has been gratifying. We again had a very successful year, due to the generosity of many. MVBT FLOWER SHOP Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org V olume 52 Number 8 Page 7 Welcome Reverend Mukojima (Cont’d fr P.1) Reverend Mukojima is married with two young children (a girl 5 and a boy 1 year old). The Mukojima family arrived in Mountain View, Monday, July 22nd. The family is acclimating to the new environment and have met a number of Temple members over the last many weeks. I’m very excited to see the next ministerial chapter in the history of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple. Please give the Mukojima family a warm welcome! Gassho Bob Imai Save the Date! October 19th—Oh What a Night! SAVE THE DATE: ABA DANCE Saturday, October 19, 2013 Oh What a Night! Sangha Hall MVBT 8:00PM to 12:00AM midnight Doors open 7:30PM See ole friends and make some new ones. Dance a little or a lot! Have light complimentary refreshments. Have drinks, non alcoholic or alcoholic, your choice! Enjoy the music of a real live band, Something’ Else. This band played for our previous two dances and like fine wine keeps getting better and better! Check it out! There will be a cash bar so all attendees must be 21 or over. Past attendees ranged in age from 21 to 80+. Proceeds will go to the Temple to help pay for the renovations. $45/person at the door $35/person thru online presales. Register online http://sites.google.com/site/abadance http.//www.aba-dance.com Thank you to new member Jean Shimoguchi for organizing the wine tasting and Shakespeare activity in Santa Cruz. To quote someone who attended “Great wine tasting, nice dinner and excellent play, we had a great time.” A big thank you for those of you who remembered to bring your Asian food items to the Temple, We certainly appreciate your support and generosity. Thank you to the ABA members who helped at Obon/Bazaar. Many members take several roles of responsibility! Great job to those individuals and to all who helped! Welcome Back to Dharma School! Welcome Rev. Mukojima! Remarkably, the summer is almost over and Dharma School will begin again on Sunday, September 8th! Mark you calendars for the start of the new Dharma School Year, the parent meeting immediately following service, and the welcome lunch to welcome our new minister, Rev. Mukojima, and his family. It will be an exciting day! Thanks so much to our parent volunteers, Linda Uyechi, for organizing the volunteers for the bazaar game booths, and Debbie Kitani, for gathering the school work from the teachers and setting up the display in YBA Hall for Obon. We'd also like to thank Margie Nishimoto and Traci Inouye for coordinating the dinner for the Obon clean up crew, and Liane and Jason Detering for recruiting parents to remove and then replace all the tables and chairs throughout the temple and classroom complex. Your help is very much appreciated! We would especially like to thank Mrs. Amy Imai and Mrs. Aggie Hirotsu for cooking the delicious dinner for the Obon Clean Up crew. Your dedication and cooking abilities are endless! Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 8 T he E C H O Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 9 V olume 52 Number 8 YBA Starts the New Year The YBA would like to welcome Reverend Mukojima and his family. We are very excited to work with him! Our YBA Cabinet Installation will be on September 8th. Additionally, we had our first YBA meeting of the year, following the Mukojima family lunch. We will be running the children's games at the upcoming Sangha Day Picnic on September 29th. Get excited for some fun relay races and water balloon tosses! The YBA would also like to congratulate Kaylyn Arima and the rest of YAC 9 for attending the YAC retreat over the summer. After a weeklong retreat of learning and practice, she is now a Youth Minister’s Assistant! warm welcome to all the new High School Freshmen! This year 17 YBA members attended the CCYBA's volleyball mixer over the Labor Day Weekend. Incoming and Outgoing YBA Presidents In gassho, Haley Sawamura and Jennifer Adachi We also wish good luck to all the new College Freshmen and a Amazon and MVBT—Fundraise While You Shop Are you an Amazon shopper? If so, please use the Amazon link on the MVBT home page to get to the Amazon site before you select your item and make a purchase. Your purchase will help MVBT earn some income—at no additional cost . Even if you’re not an Amazon shopper, give it a try. Go to http://www.mvbuddhisttemple.org and then press the Amazon logo. Questions? Please contact Steve Tsuchida steve@tsuchidafamily.com (408) 996-8839 Get Your MVBT Commemorative Shirt Only While Supplies Last! Did you miss a chance to buy MVBT Commemorative Obon T shirt during the Bazaar this year? You're in luck! Only a few child sizes are left but adult sizes S, M, and L are still available. On sale in the Temple Office for a bargain price of $10 each or $15 for two. These are high quality 100% cotton shirts featuring the signature MVBT temple logo in back and お盆 二千十三年 Questions? Please contact (translation: Obon 2013) on front left chest. Wear it to the upcoming Sangha Day Picnic, the CD Nembutsu Family Conference, and whenever you want to show your pride and love for our Temple! Eileen Fujikawa 408-996-0845 fujikawabachan@gmail.com お盆 二千十三年 All proceeds go to the Obon Fund. Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org T he E C H O Page 10 Shotsuki Hoyo (Monthly Memorial Service) September Monthly Memorial Service Sunday Sept 1, 2013 10:00 am The Shotsuki (Monthly Memorial) Services are conducted and sponsored by the temple in memory of the past members who have passed away during a given month. It is not meant to be a substitute for families to observe their Family Memorial Service for their loved ones. The Shotsuki loved ones are: Kent Abe Shigeo Kashima Tsuyo Okumura Thomas Arakaki Itsume Kawamoto Kin’ichi Okuno Masataro Fujii Shina Kinaga Toshiko Okuno Masao Fukumoto Sumiye Kito Chiyo Ozawa Dorothy Furuichi Albert Kobayashi Haruno Saito Masuo Hamada Toshio Kochi Harry Sakae Hiroshi Haruta John Kondo Warren Sakae Mary Haruta Kazuo Kurashige Kitao Sakai Ronald Higaki Chiyomi Masuda Miyuki Sakano Akira Hiroshige Haru Matsuzaki Shimano Satake Matsujiro Hiroshige Kazuo Mayeda George M. Sato Minoru Hiroshige Yoshino Miyamoto Koma Shinke Takeshi Hori Kakuemon Nagasaki Hisayo Shinta Minoru Horino John Nagatoishi Nancy Irene Smith Edith Hoshi Toshio Nakagawa Hiroshi Sugimoto Aya Ichinaga Edward Nakano Sam Sugimoto Misaye Ikebe Janice Nakashima Dora Suzuki George Ikemiya Magoji Nakashima George Takaki Akira Inamori Alice Nishimura June Tokunaga Atsushi Inouye Tomisaburo Oda Jack Tsuchida Kiyoye Inouye Frank Ogata Nobuko Tsuchida Asa Ishimaru Iyano Ogawa Yukiye Watanabe Satoshi Ishimaru Chieko Okamoto Tom Yamaji George Izumi Mineko Okamoto Yumi Yokoo Kimiko Kashima Alfred Okubo Totaro Yoshida If a name has been inadvertently left off or you would like to add a family member to the Mountain View Buddhist Temple list of Shotsuki names, please contact Rev. Mukojima. E-mail ymukojima@gmail.com Phone (temple office) (650) 964-9426 Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org V o lu me 5 2 Nu mb er 8 Page 11 Senior Activities Resume on September 5th! SENIOR CRAFT HOURS Thursdays, 9:00AM-12:00PM Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 5th! Please join the group and enjoy the morning with good friends and fellowship. Everyone is welcome. We have patient friends, willing and ready to teach you whether it be card playing or craft. Good for the mind too. Light refreshment of coffee, tea and desserts are always provided. Everyone is welcome to join in and share new ideas. We are always looking to make new friends. 9/12/13 MANJU MAKING Starting at 8:30AM, we will be making manju for the coming Midori Kai function. We will be asking for your support again. Thank you . 6:30AM. Price is $87. Call Chuck Uyeda for reservation. 10/16-17 COARSEGOLD TRIP Looking ahead a fun-filled trip to Coarsegold (CA) on Wednesday/ Thursday October 16th and 17th. Our first stop is a guided tour of Forestiere Garden, complete with under ground rooms, courtyard and garden. Next stop to Bright Dawn Center, hosted by Reverend Sunnan Kubose. Then we will stay overnight at Chukchansi Gold Casino. On Thursday, we move onto Hilmar Cheese Factory near Turlock, a tour and a hosted lunch. The final stop will be a short stop at Ghirardelli Outlet in Lathrop. We will be home 3:45PM. LINE DANCING Thursdays, 9:30AM-10:00AM Instruction led by Naomi Ariyama. An invigorating half-hour. SENIOR KNITTERS Whether you are a beginner or an expert in knitting and crocheting, Debbie Kitani has been very helpful to the Senior Craft Class every Thursday morning. Debbie has many new ideas and her knowledge will make your knitting and crocheting enjoyable. COOKBOOKS FOR SALE Available at the Temple office. A great gift and only $18! Enjoy the overnighter with your many friends. Bus leaves at 7:00AM, so be on the Temple grounds at The time is passing so fast, and before you know it, we will be getting ready for bazaar. Jeanne Activities & Crafts Toban & Echo Schedule Toban Echo Article Deadline SEP Zones 6 & 7 Sep 20 (Fri) Sep 13(Fri) Congratulations! OCT Zones 8 & 9 Oct 18 (Fri) Oct 11 (Fri) To all One Hundred and Fifty participants of the 150 Club, thank you for helping Mountain View Buddhist Temple. NOV Zones 10 & 11 Nov 20 (Fri) Nov 15 (Wed) Please note the revised article deadline, printing dates and email submission process. This will provide time to layout and production. Thank you. Gassho—Glenn Kitasoe Email all articles to echo@mvbuddhisttemple.org The winner for July is Namie Takatsuka. Senior $195/person. Please contact Chuck Uyeda to make reservation. 9/18-19 RENO TRIP Cost is $87 not $78 as first reported. We are taking sign ups for this trip and still have space available. 150 Club News Ohara, who is in charge of the Bazaar Craft Booth, is asking for donations. We have many talented and crafters that have helped in the past. Again, thank you all for your continued support. Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 12 T he E C H O Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org T he E C H O o ct o be r 2 0 13 Mou nt a in Vi ew B u d d h i s t Te mpl e Page 13 Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Page 18 Welcome Back! Dharma School Starts September 8th Find a pdf version online at: www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Highlights in This Issue Rev. Mukojima’s Msg In gassho, The Echo Staff President’s Msg Senior News 1, 7 11 ABA News 7 Calendar (Sep/Oct) BWA 1, 4-5 2, 13 5 T I M E DAT E D M AT E R I A L RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED www.mvbuddhisttemple.org Mountain View, CA 94043 575 North Shoreline Boulevard MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA PERMIT #225 U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mountain View Buddhist Temple NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION Mountain View Buddhist Temple 575 N. Shoreline Blvd Mountain View, CA 94043 (650) 964-9426 www.mvbuddhisttemple.org
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