March 2025 Newsletterđ
Feb 28 Friday 8 to 4 STREAMING BCA National Council
Mar 1 Saturday 8 to 4 STREAMING BCA National Council
Mar 2 Sunday 10:00 STREAMING Sunday Service From National Council
Mar 9 Sunday 9:30 Social Sunday Remember Daylight Savings Time Starts Set clocks FORWARD 1 hour
Mar 19 Wednesday 12:00 Board Meeting
Mar 23 Sunday 10:00 Shotsuki Service & Otoki
Mar 29 Saturday 1:00 Dungeons & Dragonsđ
Mar 30 Sunday 9:30 Social Sunday
Membership
Dues: For individuals, it is $225. For a family, it is $400. For members over 80 years old, it is $180. If
dues are received September 30th and before, it will count for the current year. If dues are received
October 1st and after, it will count toward the next year.
Donations:
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.
2025 BCA National Council Conference
The 2025 BCA National Council Conference is this Friday and /saturday with Service and Closing
Ceremonies on Sunday. The Meeting will be held virtually and I will be at the Dining Hall Streaming
(Church presidents are expected to attend) So this presents a unique opportunity if you would like to
see how these conferences work just drop by the dining hall and I will cast the conference on the
Television so you can observe, sorry, you will not be able to vote, but you can watch as long or as
short as you would like. The sessions are scheduled 8 to 4 with a lunch break around 12. You could
text me at 805 636-2554 to see if the sessions are on time.
Social Sundays
Social Sundays are Sunday Mornings where members of the Sangha gather in the dining hall to
socialize and are planned for March 9th, 23rd and 30th All are welcome activities vary depending on the whims of those present. Typically there are snacks, tea and coffee available.
In Memoriam
I was informed that Mrs. Yoshiko Miwa passed away. She was 110 years old and grew up in
Guadalupe and had a long and involved history with the church as her father was a reverend in the
early days of our church.
It was her family that donated part of the onaijin and two large paintings on the side of the onaijin
and had many interactions with the families of the Sangha still attending currently. I do not have
details of her passing or services for her.
April of last year the Wheel of Dharma had a very nice article about her, this is the URL for the
article in the BCA website
https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/post/honoring-yoshiko-miwa-a-bca-supercentenarian
Ministerâs Message
Here is the Pure Land
The Pure Land is here
I smile in mindfulness
And dwell in the present momentâŚ
~âFinding Our True Home; Living in the Pure Land Here and Nowâ (2003)
By Thich Nhat Hanh
We all have some type of pain. It could be physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual and we do
not experience this pain in the same way. In 1980, there was an article in Science magazine titled âHow
Mindfulness Disconnects Our Sense of Self from Our Feeling of Painâ. The author was Eric Kube.
In this article, the author wrote about a study on Nepalese porters. These porters were accustomed
to carrying very heavy and large loads of equipment up the slopes of the Himalayas. They were tested,
rated and compared to Westerners on the same trip, on how painful they felt after an electric shock.
The comparison of the Westerners to the Nepalese porters was quite different. The porters reported
that their pain was far less severe than their counterparts. Although both groups showed the same
neurological response to the pain stimuli, it was how the porters and counterparts perceived the shock.
The various researchers of this study attributed the differences to âcultural imposed stoicismâ. In
other words, culture played a large part in why there was a difference. The Nepalese porters found that
their Buddhist spiritual exercise was important on how they dealt with pain. One key aspect for these
porters was the Buddhist tradition of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges from paying attention to what is at hand and on
purpose. It is being in the present moment and nonjudgmental to the âunfoldingâ experience moment to
moment. More researchers took a scientific insight into how mindfulness alters the brainâs response to
pain.
There was yet another study published, but in another magazine called Pain and its researchers
found a consistent finding in the results. There were 2 groups of participants, and they were to rate how
painful a heat stimulus felt before and after either listening to a neural (nerve) audiobook or participating
in a guided meditation. The results showed that the meditation group reported a significantly lower pain
intensity.
An MRI analysis showed that those in the meditation group showed a decreased connection
between the pain processing centers of the brain and in the area where the brain connects in the
construction and maintenance of the self. The author stated that âmindful meditationâ exerts a
pain-relieving effect by âuncouplingâ our nerve connection between the self and incoming pain stimuli. In
other words, mindful meditation works by disconnecting our experience of pain from who we think and
feel ourselves to be.
A good example is standing too close to a fire and this fire can become very intense. However, if we
take a few steps back, one can still feel the heat, but not as intense. Our senses and brain tell us to
move away.
Mindfulness can train our brains to put distance between the self and pain. A noted mindful
instructor and author by the name of Bhante (title for Theravada monks) Saranpala stated in The Epoch
Times that ââŚmindful meditation helps us to differentiate our sense of self from the ever-changing
phenomena that we tend to cling toâŚwhat happens with meditation is that it prepares us to let go of our
pain then this letting go is the process that brings you the relief.â According to Bhante Saranpala. The
core component in training of mindfulness is the âart of breathingâ. Breathing âgroundsâ us and our body
become stable and the results can be calm and tranquil. This tranquility, stableness, calmness and
relaxation of the mind and body can bring about healing.
All this research and we have our own type of mindfulness within our very being. It is our
Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu. It is calming, and can bring about tranquility and stability in our lives. It
is the true state of mind and heart of Nembutsu that can ârewireâ our thinking and even release (letting
go) of our pain. Pain is impermanent and at times, can be out of our control. Yet it is Nembutsu that will
share guidance and direction.
Nembutsu is patience, hearing, learning and understanding that is pure and gentle. When we recite
Namu Amida Butsu, it is our action and cherishing of our mind and heart.
Gassho
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano
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