The Two-Headed Bird
Rev. Steven Toyoshima‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

4April 2021

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii
At Higashi Hongwanji, we remaintrue to our origins as an open Sangha,
welcoming anyone who wishes tolearn more about the Jōdo Shinshū
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
Head Minister: Kenjun Kawawata
Resident Minister: Steven Toyoshima
Minister: Akiko Okada
President: Kenneth Saiki
Secretary: Marian Tsuji
Treasurer: Shigeru Numano
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
Website: betsuin.hhbt-hi.org
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
Wa is published monthly byHigashi Hongwanji Missionof Hawaii for its members
and friends. Comments,
articles and other items for
publication consideration
are welcomed.
Editor: Ken SaikiMarch 15 marked the one year anniversary since we held our first
online-only Sunday service in response to the rapidly worsening
COVID-19 pandemic. This was our service for Ohigan, the “Other Shore.”
Now, just over 12 months later and optimism
over coming to the end of the pandemic due to ayear of changing our everyday lives, it feels like weare closer than ever to reaching the “Other Shore” ofan end to the global pandemic that turned our lives
upside-down.
Although there is hope that we will be able to return
to a more normal way of life, the tragic shootings inGeorgia and Colorado as well as the violent attack on
Higashi Honganji in Los Angeles are a rude reminder
Rev. Steve Toyoshimathat we are living in a divided world.
Like with anything else that happens in the world, we are taughtthat everything arises as the result of innumerable causes andconditions... nothing exists without something causing it. Racial
prejudice comes from all corners of our society, in subtle and blunt
ways. Harmful notions about race are deeply infused in our education,
laws and in the media we consume every day. We
unknowingly consume these and replicate it in
our everyday lives, and these can boil over into
discrimination and worse.
I recently read an article by Kona
Hongwanji’s resident minister, Rev.
Blayne Higa, about the Gumyōchō,an unusual two-headed bird thatis described in the Amida Sutra
and can be found in the altar
decorations in many Pure
Land temples. The name
Gumyōchō means “sharedlife bird” and though the(cont’d on p. 2)

双頭の鳥
豊島ステｲーブン開教係
オンラインのみの日曜礼拝を開始してから1年が経ちました。3月15
日は、お彼岸のお勤めでした。
コロナウイルスによるパンデミックを受けてから1年以上が経過し、1年間の日常生活の変化によりパンデミックの終息に向けて楽観的になっている
今、私たちの人生を逆さまにした世界的なパンデミックの終息という “彼岸 “に、これまで以上に近づいているように感じています。
(次のページに続く)

Two-Headed Bird (cont’d from p. 1)
bird shares the same body, the twoheads Garuda and Upagaruda hadentirely different personalities. Dueto the heads being unable to agree
on when to eat, to play and to sleep
the heads began to hate each other.
Rev. Higa was talking about theextreme polarization in our society
at the time of the Presidential
election last year, but the storyof the Gumyōchō still resonates.
In a fit of rage over Karuda filling
its one stomach beforehand,
Upagaruda decided to punish its
other head by eating a poison fruit.
Of course, this caused both heads
to be poisoned.
Before dying, Upagaruda
realized how its life and death
were innately tied to Garuda
through the body they shared and双頭の鳥 (前ページより続く)
しかし、ジョージア州やコロラド州で発生した銃乱射事件や、ロサンゼルスの東本願寺で発生した破壊行為は、私たちが混乱の中で生きていることを痛感させます。
世の中のあらゆることがそうである
ように、すべては無数の原因の結果として生じ、何かの原因がなければ何も存在しないと教えられています。人種に対する偏見は、社会のあらゆるところから、微妙な形で、あるいは露骨な形でもたらされます。人種に関する有害な概念は、教育、法律、そして私たちが日々接するメディアに深く浸透しています。私たちは知らず知らずのうちにこれらを見聞きし、日常生活の中で再現しており、これらが差別やそれ以上の事態に発展させることがあります。
仏説阿弥陀経に登場する、多くの真宗寺院の欄間彫刻に用いられている珍しい双頭の鳥、共命鳥（グミョウチョ）について、コナ本願寺の比嘉ブレイン開教使の記事を最近読みました。
共命鳥という名前の意味は「命を共にする鳥」という意味で、胴体は同じ一2

it finally understood the Buddhist
teaching of interconnectedness
for the first time. Because of this,it was born into the Pure Landand would be described as thebeautiful two-headed bird whosang the sutras, leading living
beings to enlightenment.
Human beings depend on
our fellow humans as well as allliving things on this planet inorder to survive. The pandemic
revealed how quickly infectionand economic shutdowns could
spread to all parts of the world withentire industries and economies
suddenly affected. People risking
their lives working in mail delivery,
supermarkets and food service
were key in keeping us all fed andsupplied during the lockdowns.
Unable to gather in person, we
kept in contact and made friends

through our shared interests
through the internet.
In the case of the donations tothe Los Angeles Higashi Honganji,
Rev. Peter Hata told us that many of
the names of donors to repair thedamage done were not JapaneseAmerican or members of thetemple. Despite being from alldifferent backgrounds, the story ofthe vandalism towards the temple
resonated with people who may
never have visited. I hope thatas things become safer we cancontinue to support and stand insolidarity with our fellow foolish,ordinary beings.
We may not be two-headed
birds, but we will only suffer if wetry to live like we aren’t depending
on others.
In Gassho.
Rev. Steven Toyoshima

つでありますが、全く異なる性格の二つの頭（顔）をもつ鳥です。食べる時間、遊ぶ時間、寝る時間が合わないため、頭同士は憎しみ合っていました。
比嘉先生は、昨年の大統領選挙の際に、社会の極端な偏りについて話していましたが、共命鳥の話は今でも心に残っています。一方の頭（ガルーダ）
が、あらかじめ自分の側の空腹を満たしていたことに腹を立てたもう片方の頭（ウパガルーダ）は、ガルーダを罰するために毒の実を食べることにしました。もちろん、その結果、両方が毒されてしまいました。ウパガルーダは死ぬ前に、ガルーダと体を共有していることで自分の生と死がガルーダの命と結びついていることに気づき、仏教の教えである「つながり」を初めて理解したといいます。そのおかげで、共命鳥は浄土に生まれ、生き物を悟りに導くお経を歌う美しい双頭の鳥と言われるようになりました。

かということが明らかになりました。
郵便配達、スーパーマーケット、フードサービスなどで命がけで働く人々
は、ロックダウンの間も私たちに食事を提供し、生活するために重要な役割を果たしてくれました。直接会うことができなかった私たちは、インターネットを通じて連絡を取り合い、友人を作りました。

人間が生きていくためには、仲間や地球上のすべての生物に頼らなければなりません。今回のパンデミックでは、ウイルスによる混乱がいかに急速に世界中の人々に影響を与えるか、産業や経済全体が急速に影響を受けるの今回のロサンゼルス東本願寺の事件への寄付について、ピーター・ハタ開教使によると、寄付者の名前の多くは、日系人やお寺のメンバーではなかったそうです。さまざまな背景を持つ人々が、お寺の破壊行為について語ることで、お寺を訪れたことのない人たちの心にも響いたのです。今後、パンデミックが終息に向かうであろう中で、私たち愚かな普通の人間同士（凡夫）が互いに支え合い、連帯していくことができるようになることを願っています。私たちは双頭の鳥ではないかもしれませんが、他人に頼らないように生きようとすると、苦しくなるだけなのです。
合掌豊島ステｲーブン

and , tol on theNews

Rev. Peter Hata of the LA Betsuin was
guest speaker at our virtual Ohigan

Facebook Live and Zoom help
to extend reach of the dharma
Technology has brought us newways to share the dharma aroundthe world. Our guest speaker at theBetsuin Shinnen Enkai at the end ofFebruary, Rev. Patti Nakai, was able
to tell us about her experiences inRelying on Kindness on Facebook
Live from her home base, theBuddhist Temple of Chicago, some
4,000 miles to the east of Honolulu.
Two weeks later, Rev. Dr. Takami
Inoue, a Shin Buddhist Studies
professor at Otani University in Kyoto
led a Hawaii District Dharma
Gathering in a look at faith and true
entrusting in Amida Buddha’s Vow
during catastrophes and epidemics.
His lecture, Let Us Discover the Joy ofLiving - Living in Uncertainty, wasdelivered to attendees via a Zoom
presentation from about 4,000 miles
away to the west.
Then on March 14, our guest
speaker for our Ohigan service joined
us virtually from Los Angeles on Zoom
and his message was livestreamed on
Facebook. In his talk, Rev. Peter Hataof the Higashi Honganji Buddhist
Temple in LA related how the very
heart of Buddhist teaching—of theinterconnected nature of ourlives—was brought very close tohome by the spate of recent antiAsian incidents.

Betsuin WirelessWhile acknowledging the true
motive behind the damage at the LA
Betsuin is still unknown, he said the actof vandalism tops a history ofexclusion, incarceration, harassmentand outright violence Asians have
faced in the past and serves to remind
us we must all continue to listen to theteaching, wake up to the truth of ourinterdependence and have
empathetic concern for each other.
Even as our Hawaii community
progresses through Tier 4 andeventually settles in to a new normal,
we expect to continue using Facebook
Live and Zoom not only to extend thereach of our Betsuin services andprograms but also to increase
opportunities for our sangha to listen
to varied and unique perspectives
about the dharma from others.
At the same time, we eagerly lookforward to the day when we canwelcome all members and friends forface-to-face interaction and fellowshipas soon as safe and practicable.

Calling for favorite recipes for2022 Hawaii District calendar
With one-fourth of 2021 alreadybehind us, we’re getting ready to
put together next year’s Hawaii
District pictorial calendar.
Our plan is to include favorite
family recipes, such as those forotoki meals brought to the temple
following Sunday services, bondance food booth delights and pot
luck specialties.
Cooking and eating together
was an important part of sharing
our diverse traditions, starting withthe fujinkai in earlier times, thenspreading among others in thetemple ohana. We’d like tohighlight these dishes from thepast and present in our 2022
calendar as part of the history andlegacy of Higashi Hongwanji’s morethan a century in Hawaii.
Feel free to get in contact with us
via email at betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
or calling 531-9088.

HBC Buddha Day Hanamatsuri Service
Celebrating the Birth of Shakyamuni Buddha

Date:
Sunday, April 4
Time:
9:30 am (Hawaii time)
Where: Zoom (registration required; see below)
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Jeff Wilson
Rev. Dr. Jeff Wilson is a professor of Religious Studies andEast Asian Studies at Renison University College, at theUniversity of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. In 2018 he was theNumata Visiting Professor in Buddhist Studies at UH-Manoa.
Dr. Wilson is the author of numerous books, including
Mindful America and Buddhism of the Heart. His current
research is focused on Japanese American Buddhism and social engagement. Heis also an ordained minister in the Honpa Hongwanji tradition.
Call (808) 522-9200 or (808) 531-9088 for more information.

Registration
FREEDonations
welcomed

Scan the QR code or
use the link below
by April 3 to register.

Scan the QR code or
use the link below tomake donations.

http://bit.ly/2021HBCBD_registration

http://bit.ly/2021HBCBD_donations

3

HIGASHI HONGWANJI HAWAII BETSUIN REOPENING UPDATE
Tier

TIER 3Case Count(7 day average)

20 - 49

Test Positivity Rate

1 - 2.49%

Sundayservices

LimitedShotsuki memorialservices

LimitedAnniversary
memorial services

24

Funeralservices

24

Weddings

10

Columbarium(Nōkotsudō)

10

Otani Centersocial hall

10

Conference room

6Temple study classes& activities

Virtual only

City & County of Honolulu

In the interest of the health and safety of our temple
ohana, we have adopted a very conservative approachto reopening the temple to in-person activities. As
many in our members are in the most vulnerable
groups, we appreciate your understanding. We hope
to welcome everyone once again as soon as conditions
permit. Please observe face mask and social distancing
requirements at all times while on temple grounds.

To minimize risk for all, we encourage joining us atweekly Sunday services and monthly shotsuki memorialservices via livestreaming from our public Facebook
page. In-person accommodation intended for those
without ready access to such virtual services.

Pre-arranged with social distanced seating in the mainhall, usually reserved for family members. Other desiring
to participate may join virtually from home or anywhere
via Zoom if desired. Please consult a minister to makearrangements by email at betsuin@hhbt-hi.org or bycalling 531-9088.

Open for visitation and floral offerings daily from 6:30 am
to 5:00 pm. Morning services conducted daily at 7 am.

Re-opening for rental beginning in April for classes,
meetings and other social gatherings, subject to Tier
restrictions on capacity, social distancing spacing andgathering maximums for the intended activity. Prior
users will have first opportunity to return to previous
schedule. Please email betsuin@hhbt-hi.org or call
531-9088 for availability information.

Basic Buddhism, The Larger Sutra, Meditation
Sutra, Dharma Hawaiians ukulele band, Karaoke
Night, TeaTime Okō, Dharma Gatherings, general
membership, board & other committee meetings.

Tier restrictions and temple reopening strategy subject to change.
Mahalo for your patience and understanding as we look forward to the time we can join together
once again before Amida Buddha without restrictions to listen to the Dharma together.
4t-Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Honolulu, HIPermit No. 693

Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...
t5IF5XPIFBEFE#JSEp. 1t 双頭の鳥 p. 1t News on the Betsuin Wireless p. 3t Facebook & Zoom extend reach p. 3t Calling for recipes for calendar p. 3tHBC Buddha Day service p. 3t Betsuin Tier 3 update p. 4
t Acknowledgments p. 5t April shōtsuki memorial service p. 5tTemple activities calendar p. 6Temple Activities Calendar
APRILMAY

4/4 Sun 9:30 am HBC Buddha Day service - Zoom
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Jeff Wilson, Univ. of Waterloo
Register by 4/3 (see p. 3 for details)
4/5 Mon10 am Meditation Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
4/7 Wed5:30 pm Karaoke Night at the Betsuin - Zoom
4/11 Sun 10 am Betsuin Hanamatsuri service - Facebook Live
Dharma message: Rev. Akiko Okada
4/11 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism discussion - Zoom
Zoom ミーティング
led by Rinban Kenjun Kawawata in Japanese
4/13 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
4/13 Tue 6 pm The Larger Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
4/15 Thu 6 pm Okō/Tea time gathering - Zoom
4/18 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service - Facebook Live
Dharma message: Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
4/18 Sun 11:30am Betsuin board meeting - Zoom
4/25 Sun 10 am Sunday service - Facebook Live
4/27 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
4/28 Wed10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
Facebook Live

5/2 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service - Facebook Live
Dharma message: Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
5/2 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism discussion - ZoomZoom ミーティング
led by Rinban Kenjun Kawawata in Japanese
5/3 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
5/5 Wed 5:30 pm Karaoke Night at the Betsuin - Zoom
5/9 Sun 10 am Mother’s Day family service - Facebook Live
5/11 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
5/11 Tue 6 pm The Larger Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
5/16 Sun 10 am Tanjō-e service - Facebook Live
5/16 Sun 11:30 am Betsuin board meeting - Zoom
5/20 Thu 6 pm Okō/Tea time gathering - Zoom
5/23 Sun 10 am Sunday service - Facebook Live
5/25 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
5/28 Fri 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
Facebook Live
5/30 Sun 10 am All Wars Memorial service - Facebook LiveWEEKLY SUNDAY SERVICES: For the health and safety of ourBetsuin ohana, in-person attendance at Sunday services islimited. We suggest you view our livestreamed Sunday services
on our public Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/
HigashiHongwanjiMission

66

COLUMBARIUM OPEN DAILY: The columbarium is open for
visitation and floral offerings daily from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Morning services are conducted in the columbarium daily
at 7 am. Please observe face mask and social distancing
courtesies when others are present.
Niches are available for purchase by gojikai members.