We held our annual Obon and Hatsubon service to remember those who came before us. The Hatsubon service marks the first Obon Service for those who passed away in the last year. Obon and Hatsubon families were called up to offer incense while Rev. Sumikawa chanted a sutra. After the offering, Rev. Sumikawa gave a special Obon Dharma Talk, which can be viewed below.
Our July birthdays
Mahalo to the friends, family, and members who came out to build the yagura in preparation for our Bon Dance on Saturday, July 13, 2019.
Today’s Dharma Talk was given by Bob Nishita. Bob shared his thoughts on attitude and why it’s important to keep a positive attitude even in the face of adversity. As an example, Bob shared that he had been all set to use the popular Japanese TV show Oshin that’s currently airing on KIKU as the example for his Dharma Talk, but an unexpected shift in the plot derailed its use at the last minute.
Former KHM minister Rev. Sumi visited us today. Rev. Sumi was our resident minister from March 1985 to March 1987.
After today’s service, volunteers stayed behind to help prepare our monthly newsletter, Kalyana Mitra, for mailing.
Today’s Dharma Talk was given by Rev. Bert Sumikawa. Rev. Sumikawa shared various ways superstition enters our lives and the difference between it and the true nature of cause-and-effect. For example, in Japan, a male’s 42nd birthday is considered unlucky because the numbers (“4” and “2”) translate into “shi” and “ni,” or death. A yakudoshi party is thrown before the male’s 41st birthday to ward off bad luck. Another example, in the U.S., the number 13 is considered unlucky, so much so that many hotels skip the 13th floor and go from 12 to 14 instead.
We also held our monthly Remembrance Day, where families remembered and offered incense for family, friends, pets, and others who passed away in the month of June.
For today’s Dharma Talk, Prudence Kusano shared two ways the teachings of the Dharma have affected her life. The first was encouraging her to continuously learn and the second was gratitude.
Prudence also shared a brief history of Father’s Day and how it came to be that we celebrate it nationally and internationally on the third Sunday of June, and we had apples for all the fathers and grandfathers in attendance.
Photos by Dennis Tashiro
On June 10, 2019, 12 members and guests from Windward Buddhist Temple visited the Bellows Japanese Cemetery in Waimanalo. Located on the military base, it requires permission and an escort to visit. Rev. Sumikawa held a brief service and flowers were placed on the approximately 30 graves, many of which date back to the 1910s. We are hoping to make this into an annual Obon service and invite the family members of those buried at the site.
At today’s Family Service, Shirley Yanagisawa’s Dharma Talk was about the interdependence of all life. Shirley shared examples from her recent trip to Japan to visit extended family members and brought a few chrysalis that started as caterpillars in her yard and will eventually turn into monarch butterflies.
Today’s Dharma Talk was given by Rev. Bert Sumikawa. Rev. Sumikawa described two types of Buddhism. The first one is based on learning the concepts and theories of Buddhism. It’s around studying the teachings objectively. With the second one, Buddhism is about experiencing the teachings subjectively. One’s self is challenged and negated. This is what Shin Buddhists refer to as shinjin.
To put it another way, the first type is like becoming an expert on food by collecting a library of recipes, while the second is about actually preparing those dishes and tasting them.
We celebrated our June birthdays today. Happy birthday Cynthia and Ron!
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