June 2024 Newsletterđ
June 2 Sunday 10:00 Sunday Service
11:00 Obon Meeting
June 9 Sunday 9:30 to 11:30 Social Sunday
June 16 Sunday 10:00 Shotsuki
11:00 Otoki
12:00 Board Meeting
June 23 Sunday 9:30 to 11:30 Social Sunday
June 26 Wed 6:00 to 8:00 1st Obon Dance Practice More Information Below
June 29 Saturday 1:00 to 5:00 Dungeons and Dragons
June 30 Sunday 9:30 to 11:30 Social Sunday
Donations:
Sets Tomooka, Dues (2024)
James Colon, Sunday Service
Joan Henretta Sunday Service
Lee/Frances Humphrey Sunday Service
Hugh Maenaga Sunday Service
Alice Maxon Sunday Service
Roy Minami Sunday Service
Tomiko Miyamoto Sunday Service
Megan Morimoto Special
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, In Memory of Harry Miyake
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, In Memory of Helen Miyake
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, In Memory of Lance Miyake
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, In Memory of Hideo Miyake
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, Shotsuki (March and April)
Kirk Morri, In Memory of Sam Maenaga and
Peggy Araki
Charles Nakano, Nakano Family Memorial
Maenaga Family (Wendy Steller), In Memory of
Sam Maenaga
Sets Tomooka, In Memory of Shoiki Tomooka
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos, In Memory of Norman
Gabe/Patsy Hoyos Shotsuki (May)
Thank You All for All Your Kind Donations Financial, Materials, and
Labor. It takes us all to carry on the work of our forefathers and keep our church viable.
Social Sundays continue on Sundays we do not have service. The
purpose of Social Sundays is to provide an opportunity for friends
to gather and talk, play games, work puzzles, or as in the last
couple meetings we watched episodes of Shogun and Marco Polo.
Coast District Gotan-e & 125th BCA Anniversary
San Jose Betsuin
On May 19th representatives of our sanga accompanied Rev. Nakano to San Jose to
attend the celebration of the 851st anniversary of Shinran Shoninâs birth coupled with the
125th Anniversary of the BCA by the Coast District of the BCA.
The service was officiated by Bishop Rev. Harada and included all the Coast Districtâs
Ministers and Assistant Ministers. The service was much more elaborate than any Buddhist
service I have seen, including a procession of children and teens presenting flowers, a choir,
and a talk by Rev. Dennis Shinseki who will be retiring this summer. Rev. Shinseki is a very
engaging speaker and spoke of a life in Jodo Shinshu and long relations within the
organization.
The San Jose Betsuin is a large and old temple with many resources and is located next
to Japantown which was also enjoyed.
Obon
Tis the season of Obon
Dance Practice
Obon practice dates for June/July
Veterans Memorial Bldg at 500 N Pine in SM on
Wednesday June 26 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Wednesday July 3 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Wednesday July 10 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Wednesday July 17 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Wednesday July 24 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Saturday July 20 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Guadalupe Buddhist Church.
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Message to the Sangha from the Obon Chair~
Are annual Obon Festival is fast approaching! We will be back at the Veteran’s Memorial
Community Center this year, and there are a few updates to provide in anticipation of our
event next month.
Posters and postcards will also be available this month, so please let us know if you can
help put them up around town. We are also requesting donation of any nice Japanese items,
so we can sell them at the Obon Festival. Please contact Frances or Lee if you want to
coordinate delivery or pickup of donations.
Chicken dinner tickets and raffle books will be distributed to you very soon, if you have not
already received them. Please let Esther know if you didn’t get any, or you need some
more. We ask for your help in making our presale ticket sales a success! Mark your
calendar to turn in your ticket sales money and the raffle ticket stubs all together by July
Shotsuki service, July 21, 2024. And we welcome any “chicken donation” you may be
inclined to give—every bit helps!
Lastly, will be offering tanzaku at our GBC Obon this year! For a $10 donation per name,
you can commemorate the name(s) of your family with a tag that is hung on the lanterns at
Obon We will write them in English unless you can provide your family’s name in kanji. If
you would like to order a tanzaku, contact Esther.
Remember, volunteers are always welcome and appreciated! See you all soon!
In gassho~
Esther
Reverendâs Message
My eyes being hindered by blind passions,
I cannot perceive the light that grasps meâ
Yet the great compassion, without tiring,
Illumines me always.
~Shinran Shoninâs Jodo Wasan, Verse 95
Gary Larson is a cartoonist and some of his drawings need no
explanation or comment. I was sent such a humorous, but poignant
cartoon. The scene shows a very dark, silent ocean and a ship was
heading toward a rocky shoreline. The keeper is running to the lighthouse,
hat flying off his head and he is rushing with light bulbs tucked under his
arms⌠because the guiding lights were burnt out.
When we look at this cartoon, we chuckle. However there is a
message that we can learn from this picture. Everyone needs light to see,
even those who are sightless. However, those sightless people can use
their other senses to âseeâ. Without light, we are limited in our views. If we
visualize a ship traveling in the dark with no warning lights to alert them of
other ships or dangerous shores, there will be a very bad crash. It is
Buddhaâs light in the form of teaching that helps light our way of seeing the
reality of truth and is leading us to seek and see our true self. It is a difficult
task looking at our blind passions of greed, anger and ignorance and who
wants to be reminded of blind passions? However it is this light that shows
us blind passions we have. The good news is that Buddhaâs light can also
help us to change.
This light may come in the form of answers to questions, solutions to
problems or decisions that may be troubling us. This light is also in our
Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu. It is Buddhaâs light that burns within our
hearts and minds. When it seems dark and lonely, we always have
Buddhaâs light and Nembutsu to ease our pain and suffering.
There will be times when this light may seem dim or close to being
extinguished, however Buddhaâs infinite light is always shining, patiently
waiting and guiding until we see and realize. This light is sometimes buried
deep, yet Buddhaâs light continues to burn within our hearts and minds.
This light is always leading and guiding. This infinite light is always with us
to brighten our path, leading us to a better understanding of self as well as
others and it will never abandon us.
In this cartoon, we are this ship lost in darkness and Buddha âputs in a
new light bulbâ to guide us in the right direction. Do we have the courage
to let Buddhaâs light share its brilliance and show us a path of
self-discovery?
No matter how mature I am, there are times when I am still afraid of the
dark. There are âwild thingsâ that lurk in the dark and it is those things we
cannot see that frighten us. It is seeing the truth that can frighten us.
However when a light is âturned onâ and we can see around us, our fears
are relaxed, even though the âwild thingsâ still exist, Light brings us the
ability to see more clearly and see what surrounds us. It is Namu Amida
Butsu that âstills my heart and mindâ. I still get frightened of the dark, but
knowing there is light eases my stress and tension.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano
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