O NN EE NN EE SS SS Quarterly Newsletter of BRIGHT DAWN: Institute for American Buddhism Vol. 13 No. 2 Summer 2009 2009 Lay MInister Induction Dave Nichiyo Abatangelo, Wendy Shinyo Haylett, Cheryl Jiyo Kornegay, Paul Toyo Mack, Paul David Teiyo Pangborn, Jr. , and Ken Muyo Swanson com- Inside pleted the two year Lay Minister Program and were Inducted as Bright Dawn Lay Ministers Background p. 2 Institute for American Buddhism Lay Ministers on May 23, 2009 held outdoors Dave Nichiyo Abatangelo p. 2 at the Altar Rock in Coarsegold, CA. Board Members, family members and Shinyo Wendy Haylett p. 2 friends attended. Lucy p. 3 The Induction marks the culmination of reading, writing and discussing Bud- Cheryl Jiyo Kornegay p. 4 dhism. In addition to studying Rev. Gyomay M. Kubose’s writings and ap- Paul Toyo Mack p. 5 proach, the Lay Ministers studied the life of Buddha, an overview of different Dave Teiyo Pangburn p. 5 Buddhist sects in the United States, Naikan, a few sutras, and topics such as Ken Muyo Swanson p. 5 Buddhism and Christianity, integral spirituality, and “green” Buddhism. Lay Minister Sign-up p. 6 please go to Induction on page 2 Universal Teachings For Everyday Living Page 1 Induction continued from page 1 Although Wendy Shinyo Haylett and Cheryl Jiyo In my teen years, I pursued baptism in a community Prot- Kornegay were unable to come to Bright Dawn Institute in estant church and loved to visit the churches of my friends. Coarsegold, CA., they were able to participate via a com- During my 20’s and 30’s, I continually sought a spirituality puter webcam hookup and also group teleconferences.. that would soothe the angst of some unidentifiable separa- At the tolling of a calling bell (kansho), everyone gath- tion from something – I didn’t know what. My only reading ered outside. Then, led by a Buddhist flag at the front, there since that time has been spirituality, religion, and philosophy. was a procession up to the Altar Rock. I studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Gurdjieff, As shown in a recent Oneness issue, there is an honoary Ouspensky, Transcendentalism. I read Watts, Suzuki, street sign “Rev. Gyomay and Minnie Kubose Way” on the Dogen, Gary Snyder, Chogyam Trungpa; studied Emerson; path up to the Altar Rock. As each of us passed this street and found solace in The Upanishads, The Bhagavad-Gita, sign, we bowed our heads. Paramahansa Yogananda, The New Testament, Thomas During the Lay Minister Induction, each Inductee was Merton, and Meister Eckhart. introduced and given an okesa (neck stole) and certificate Yet, I was more of a student than a practitioner, until the that signified their completion of the Bright Dawn Institute Kalachakra World Peace tour visited Rochester, New York Lay Minister Program. and the Memorial Art Gallery in the 1990’s. Watching Ven. The Inductees were asked to share how they came to Tenzin Yignyen and the monks from Namgyal Monastery in Buddhism, their current career, and some personal infor- Ithaca, N.Y. create the sand mandala, and listening to them mation which follows. chant, was the hook that enticed me to be more than a stu- Dave Nichiyo Abatangelo dent and I found a Tibetan Buddhist sangha. I like to think that two of the best things in my life came to I took refuge in 2001 and continued as a serious practi- me on the same day. When I married my wife Joan, we tioner and student, receiving many teachings primarily in the asked then Rev. Sunnan Kubose to marry us at the Bud- Gelugpa and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, and medi- dhist Temple of Chicago. I knew what a prize I had in Joan tation and mindfulness trainings in the style of Insight Medi- but I didn’t know that the door would be opened to some- tation and Zen. I began teaching an introductory course in thing that would become equally important in my life. Rev. Buddhism with the local Tibetan Sangha in early 2007. Sunnan gave me a copy of the “Center Within” and that I lost my way with Tibetan Buddhism, but not Buddhism began a slow and steady journey deeper into the practice of … Bringing me to Bright Dawn. I was drawn to this program Buddhism. because of its inclusiveness and its focus on providing tools I currently am in technical sales at Oracle—a large, soft- to lay practitioners. I believe that the Dharma will continue ware company. I enjoy the work but am quietly planning my next career—buying and running a small family retreat to flourish in America only if lay practitioners take an active center / Bed and Breakfast replete with llamas, honey bees, role. America does not value a monastic system, so another fruit orchards and wildflowers. method must be used, and I believe that method is dedi- I get significantly more pleasure from playing the piano cated, proactive lay involvement. I share completely Kubose than my wife and kids do from hearing me play. I love to Gyomay Sensei’s and Kubose Koyo Sensei’s vision of an play with my boys and am currently learning some new magic American Buddhism. tricks with Conal and helping Casimir prepare for the World I found my Buddhist home here with Bright Dawn and Pokemon Championships (although they have a lo-o-o-o- knew it early in my first year of the program. I am truly one in o-ong way to go.) I hope Casimir and Conal will speak as the Oneness of Bright Dawn and know that the ending of this fondly of me as the Kubose children do of Gyomay Kubose leg of the journey today is truly a new dawn – a Bright Dawn. Sensei. Since 1989 until now, I make my living as a freelance Shinyo Wendy Haylett writer and resume consultant. Prior to that, from 1972 to I have been a spiritual seeker for most of my life. As a 1989, I worked as a television broadcast engineer. young child I reported nighttime “visits” from a “wizard” My interests outside of Buddhism, my partner, and my bringing me a bookshelf full of books and teaching me “wis- dogs are nature, poetry / haiku, technology, and music. What dom.” As a child, I was troubled by death (my grandfather you might not know about me is that I play six musical instru- died on my 7th birthday) and was captivated by the ability ments (but none of them very well): keyboard/piano/organ, of my mind to watch my own thoughts. I think that initiated accordion, French horn, trumpet/cornet, mandolin, and guitar. me on my spiritual journey. please go to Inductees on page 4 Universal Teachings For Everyday Living Page 2 LUCY by Ken Muyo Swanson Lucy (our dog) died. On Thursday, it was pretty clear she was fading. It’s been 8 weeks since she stopped eating, and about a week since she refused water. I washed her face, cleaned her eyes, sat and talked with her—telling her that it was ok for her to leave, and that she could come back and raise another family like ours. I read to her about Jizos. She had a clean bed and blanket, she was comfortable. I went to work. Jennifer comes home about an hour later—she called me a few hours later—about 6:30 pm, Lucy stiffened out her legs and sighed. She passed comfortably. Jennifer washed her, got a clean sheet and put her in her bed in a cool place by the door. When I came home from work at 1 am, we took her to the Animal Emergency Center. Lucy for. It was stressful, sad, sometimes messy, sometimes funny, could still teach vet nurses and technicians there, so we but that is all part of the cycle of living and dying. thought that was good. Then she would be cremated. We I found a Gatha for a Memorial Gathering that seemed went home pretty exhausted, but felt that Lucy was in good, right: caring hands. We do not die—we cannot die; I had gotten a little flack during the past few weeks about We only change our state in life “Isn’t it inhumane to not put down your dog—isn’t she suf- When these earth temples fall and lie fering?—she’s going on 17 years old, she’s just a dog,” etc. Unmoving ‘mid the world’s wide strife. No, she was not suffering. No, she was not “just a dog.” She was family—she was there when Johanna came home There is no death in this wide world; from school, she was there when anyone was sick, she pro- But one eternal scene of change; tected us, she was our alarm clock in the morning. She The flag of life is never furled, never woke up grouchy, and she never went to bed mad. It only taketh wider range. Animals are pretty incredible. Lucy knew that this was an By ourselves is evil done, impermanent world, and that every flavor, every smell, was By ourselves we pain endure, shared—it was a communal experience. She seem to know By ourselves we cease from wrong, what “oneness” is—she really did have Buddha-nature. We By ourselves become we pure. learned a lot from her. Two weeks ago, she slid down off the couch to the floor, where she poured over the latest No one saves us but ourselves, Oneness from Bright Dawn (I assure you this was NOT No one can, and no one may; staged!).