Please Come and Enjoy the Bodhi Day Services!
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Please come and enjoy the Bodhi Day services! Hawaii Buddhist Council Bodhi Day Service December 4, 2016 at Jodo Mission at 9:30 am Hawaii Betsuin Bodhi Day Service 1727 Pali Highway Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 December 11, 2016 Hawaii Betsuin Main Temple at 9:30 am Bodhi Day is the day we express our appreciation and joy to Shakyamuni Bud- dha. Shakyamuni Buddha was the founder of all Buddhist traditions, so all Bud- dhist sects, not only our Jodo Shinshu sect celebrate this day to commemorate Shakyamuni Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment. GOJI Vol. 71, No. 11 In our tradition, we have two major Buddhas. One is Amida Buddha and the other DECEMBER 2016 is Shakyamuni Buddha. Many people are a little confused about the difference between those two Buddhas. Amida Buddha’s image is in the Hawaii Betsuin main temple altar. Amida did not historically exist in this world. On the other hand, Shakyamuni Buddha, who was a regular human being, lived about 2500 years ago. He was a prince of the Shakya clan in India, and his original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He left his castle at the age of 29 to find the way to solve NEWSLETTER people’s sufferings. On the dawn of December 8, at the age of 35, Siddhartha of the Gautama reached Enlightenment as he sat under the Bodhi tree. He then be- Honpa Hongwanji came a Buddha: the Awakened One. Hawaii Betsuin So, what is the relationship between those two Buddhas? It is written in the www.hawaiibetsuin.org Larger Sutra. One day, Shakyamuni Buddha gave a sermon to monks and nuns at Vulture Peak. The content of his sermon was Amida Buddha who is a Buddha who provides comfort and benefit to all sentient beings. Shakyamuni Buddha ex- 2016 Slogan: plained to those monks and nuns about Amida Buddha’s nature and Vows. There Embrace Change: was a king named Dharmakara. King Dharmakara wanted to save everybody from sufferings and thought thoroughly about how to get it done. After a lengthy New Vision time of consideration and establishment of Vows to save all, Dharmakara be- (Create Engagement) came Amida Buddha. This is the story Shakyamuni Buddha told the monks and nuns to let them realize about the Please join us for our Truth: Amida Buddha. Annual New Year’s BETSUIN Services: Those two Buddhas are both very im- MINISTERS portant to our tradition. Amida Buddha New Year’s Eve is the one who always embraces us, Sat. December 31, 2016 Chief Minister removes suffering, and gives joy. But at 11:00 pm without Shakyamuni Buddha, we may Rev. Toyokazu Hagio not have been able to encounter Amida New Year’s Day Buddha whose Great Compassion and Sun. January 1, 2017 Ministerial Staff Wisdom embraces us always. On this at 10:00 am Rev. Yuika Hasebe occasion of Bodhi Day, let us together Rev. Arthur Kaufmann express our appreciation to Shakyamu- Rev. Satoshi Tomioka ni Buddha who guided us to the Truth and who introduced Amida Buddha to Rev. Joshin Kamuro this world. PAGE 2 GOJI DECEMBER 2016 Dharma Message: “Bodhi Day” Rev. Arthur Kaufmann This month, we will remember an event no one would have known. No one There, Siddhartha in the history of mankind. This event would have known about Siddhartha’s was confronted happened to a human being, like you awakening to Enlightenment. The with the reality and me. Wheel of Dharma would not have been of existence, im- turned, meaning that we would not have permanence. Of It was not the usual kind of thing that is become aware of the teachings of the course, this was noticed by history; it was not the win- Enlightened One. not his only insight ning of a great military battle or a war, into the Dharma, but it appears that Dr. nor was it the shaking of the earth in It is often said that Siddhartha “attained” Haneda seems to think it was one of his some natural disaster or the passing of or “achieved” Enlightenment as if it most important insights. a comet or some such thing. were something to conquer, but I think it would be better to use the statement of When we look at impermanence it As a matter of fact, as human events Dogen Zenji, founder of Soto Zen, who speaks to Siddhartha’s observations of go, had not some people been able to said it was more a case of “the Dharma birth, sickness, old age, and death. Sid- recognize the significance of this event, attaining Siddhartha.” Siddhartha was dartha realized early on the sufferings it probably would have gone by com- able to subdue his ego long enough to of human existence. He further real- pletely unnoticed. receive the Dharma freely, and from that ized that his Mother, Father, Wife, Son, instant, he was immersed in it. Siddhar- and he, himself, would also experience If the young man, whose name was tha did not achieve or create or conquer these sufferings, and it was this knowl- Siddhartha Gautama, had not spoken anything, but he did gain insight into edge that led him to seek answers as to up about what had happened to him, something that had always existed and why we experience these sufferings. always will exist, and he would later teach, the Dharma of Enlightenment. Although his quest took him six arduous years, his resolve was not shaken, and In Rev. Nobuo Haneda’s publication he finally did realize the answers to his GOJI Dharma Breeze” (vol. IV-1, Mar 2000) questions and so much more. TheGOJI is a monthly publication of the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, Tel. in an article entitled “What is Amida (808) 536-7044. There is no newsletter Buddha?” he speculates about the last It must be remembered that as a Bud- published for the month of August. meditation that Siddhartha entered dha, Siddharta Gautama was under DEADLINE: under the Bodhi tree before entering no obligation to teach. He could have Articles must be submitted no later than Enlightenment. He writes this: “Al- spent the rest of his physical existence the 15th of the month prior to publica- though he had studied various doctrines exploring his enlightenment not say- tion. Mail (1727 Pali Hwy, Honolulu, and practiced under them, he found that ing another word. I have been taught HI, 96813), fax (536-0919), or e-mail they could not lead him to the ultimate though that the essential elements ([email protected]) all items to the GOJI. Please include your name peace he was seeking. Thus, having of Enlightenment are infinite wisdom and contact information. Original images travelled from the Princely life to that of and boundless compassion that goes should be labeled on the reverse side with an ascetic to the very edge of his life, beyond anything we, as human beings, caption and return information. he sat under a tree. With firm determi- living the ordinary life, are capable of GOJI STAFF: nation, he said to himself, ‘Never shall acquiring. Editorial: Jo desMarets; Dianne Ida, Randy I stir from this seat until I have attained Kawamoto, Rev. Satoshi Tomioka, Japanese the most perfect awakening.’ Then he As a Buddha, I think having found his section editor, Production: Stacy Bradshaw, started to meditate.” own answers, he became acutely aware Alice Omura, Alice Tando, Kimiyo Miyose; Circulation: Stacy Bradshaw; Contributing of the sufferings of all human beings reporters from Hongwanji Mission School, “In his meditation Siddhartha asked, and that it was that boundless compas- Buddhist Women’s Association, Dharma ‘What am I? Do I have anything perma- sion that led him to turn the wheel of the School & Parents, Project Dana, Wednesday nent in myself?’ He examined his body, dharma to help alleviate our suffering. Gang and Gals, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, things such as his skin, muscles, bones, Pacific Buddhist Academy, and the Kyodan and blood. He also examined his mind, This is part of the process of awakening things such as sensation, conception, to gratitude which is so important to the volition, and consciousness. Then he life of a Shin Buddhist. To acknowledge The opinions expressed by individual realized that everything in his body and gratefully our indebtedness to the Bud- contributors are their own and do not mind was constantly changing and flow- dha and to all of life which sustains us. necessarily reflect those of the Honpa ing, and there was nothing permanent.” Namoamidabutsu Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin. Shaku Art Kaufmann GOJI DECEMBER 2016 PAGE 3 Betsuin Dharma School News: Debbie Kubota October 23 - Honolulu Hongwanji the students and families carve their Dharma Schools Annual Pumpkin pumpkins while picking out their favor- Yonamine did an outstanding job as Patch Event ites in the categories of Most Compas- narrator. The fun message culminated Pumpkins, sunflowers, with the congregation singing “I Wish string bean/corn picking, I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,” tractor rides and fun… accompanied by Wayne Yoshioka on The Honolulu Hongwanji the piano. Much appreciation to Miki Dharma School fami- Saito, who was the costume designer lies filled up a bus and for this production. headed to Aloun Farms in Kapolei on Sunday, Oc- November 6 - Bubble Fun Day at tober 23. Amidst the sun, Booth Park the dust and the large With appreciation and gratitude to crowds, everyone picked Jo desMarets, who donated bubble their choice of pumpkins buckets and bottles of bubbles to the and rode the bus back to the Betsuin, sionate, Most Funny, Most Creative Dharma School, students, parents and anxious to bring their designs to life by and The Scariest.