Naomi Seijo Nakano is our reverend.
She offers Japanese Buddhist classes at the Central Coast Buddhist Church in San Luis Obispo.
Minister’s Message -April 2025 This page is updated every month.
Keep up to date with the previous minister’s message, on our blog.
……………………..
And now here is my secret,
A very simple secret; it is
Only with the heart that one
Can see properly; what is
Essential is invisible to the eye.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1900-1944
French novelist and aviator
Every third Sunday, we hold our Shotsuki Hoyo (monthly memorial service), and it is
always followed by an otoki (light lunch where we eat the same foods and have good
conversations). What starts out as a simple meal turns into a feast. Many people bring
something to share. We sit, eat and have a good time, however do we ever show our
appreciation to those who share so much with us?
Every so often we have strangers who want “to see the temple”. On one Sunday as
we were closing, a stranger wanted to “see the temple. He appeared to be homeless
and wanted to rest his weary body. This person did not cause any trouble and did ask if
he could come in. He seemed tired. This person was looking for a quiet place.
We offered him a plate of food and he accepted it with graciousness. He sat on the
front step of the temple, cleaned up after himself and he quietly left. His action of
appreciation came by the way of “thank you”. I believe he was so grateful that he
received a meal with “no strings attached”. There was no lecture or questions asked.
We did not allow this person to enter the temple because of how he appeared. It was
a decision based on appearance. We tend to make subjective judgments on how one
looks, dress, speech, gender, actions and even their hairstyles. We evaluate situations
and circumstances based on our judgments. Yet, we must always think safety first, for
the sangha and for the temple.
The church member’s instinctive action of offering of food was that of kindness and
generosity and not “ego-driven”. We take for granted for all that is shared, yet at times
our action of appreciation is missing. It is the simple “gochiso sama desu” (thanking
everything and everyone for what we enjoyed eating) at the end of the meal that can
express our thanks and appreciation. This gesture is being lost.
Our actions of gratitude and appreciation can be our reward. We share food with
each other, and we share our food with those in need. Even though there is another
denominational church down the block who also has an otoki, we tend to draw different
people. It must be getting around that Guad (as we like to call it, for short) has a better
otoki. Yet no matter, we greet each person with kindness and appreciation for coming to
our Sunday service or wanting “to see”.
Our members still get fed and sharing a plate with a stranger is our Dana. We give
and share without asking for anything in return. We get a feeling of satisfaction of
making others happy, nourished and maybe finding moments of calm from their hectic
and chaotic world. Our action of appreciation is in our “itadakimasu” and putting our
palms together in Gassho. It is our Namu Amida Butsu that we share our thankfulness,
gratitude and appreciation for everything received and shared.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano