Naomi Seijo Nakano is our reverend.
She offers Japanese Buddhist classes at the Central Coast Buddhist Church in Guadalupe.
Minister’s Message -July 2024
This page is updated every month.
Keep up to date with the previous minister’s message, on our blog.
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“…May I, along with the entire Sangha,
with sincere heart and mind, rely on that
which can be truly relied on in life –
The Three Treasures.
I rely on the Buddha…
I rely on the Dharma
I rely on the Sangha…”
~Excerpts of Three Treasures
You have to come or drive by the church. The church looks different
and it is so beautiful! We have a new roof on the office, Boy Scout room
and the church. The church’s front has had a new “face lift” and all three
buildings have been painted. It looks like a brand new building. It is the
same structure, but it has been transformed into a “pure land” for us. to
hear the teachings of the Buddha.
The church may have gone through major renovations, however, it
remains our avenue of peace, quietude, safety and strength. The church
remains our treasure, where we can find a friendship that is more
precious than jewels. We can reminisce with memories that are filled with
tears of happiness and sadness and laughter. It remains open and
welcoming to the “newbies” as well as for those who have been coming
for years. We all come to hear and learn the Buddha Dharma.
These shared experiences and memories are rewards shared by many
generations of Nembutsu followers. Although many have passed from
this earthly realm, it is the family members who have inherited the
family’s principle of Dana. They gave unselfishly, so we could continue
having the Dharma and never asked for anything in return. We, in turn,
continue their teachings. Whatever we can do to keep the Dharma alive,
to share with others and to be available to those seeking a new path, we
continue to be a church of gathering of like-minded Sangha, socially and
for our own reliance on the Buddha. How fortunate we are to have a Sangha with the ideal of Oneness,
many people working as parts of a machine to accomplish a goal and
working together as One. Our Sangha is strong but more mature.
Although it may take a bit longer to do things and maybe more work, it is
well worth the effort. Guadalupe Buddhist Church (Guadie) is soon
having its Obon. It takes hours of planning, organizing, recruiting,
advertising and hours of volunteerism to put on this affair. We are asked
to buy and sell dinner tickets and raffle tickets. But the food is always
good and the dessert is scrumptious. The profits benefit the church so
that we can remain strong and vital for the Sangha.
It is not always just working the Obon, for we do have fun. Obon is a
time to remember those who have gone before us in sharing our respect
and honor to all who believed in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. We
share with a sincere heart and mind our Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu
with gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation for seeing the future so
that we can continue and thrive.
As I said we do have some fun. We dance to “release” the stress, but
definitely, we dance for our departed loved ones in gratitude and with
compassion. We dance in allowing our true selves to break out of the
shell we hide behind. Truth be told, we are ALL foolish beings. We dance
to break that outer shell and show our true selves, foolish and imperfect.
Even though maturity gets the best of us at times, we can still sit and
move our arms and legs to the music and movement of the dances. Many
times I have heard that it is the fool who watches while the other fools
dance, and being One in being foolish beings, why not dance? We can
“chair dancers” or be dancing fools, who cares? It is Namu Amida Butsu.
We shall see each other soon, either at Obon or when you are
comfortable returning to church.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano