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U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Honolulu, HI
Permit No. 693

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

True Relationships
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Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...

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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

6

June 2015

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
JUNE 2015
6/7
6/7
6/9
6/11
6/13
6/14
6/16
6/17
6/21
6/21
6/23
6/23
6/28
6/28

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service(Rinban Kawawata) & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
led by Jimmy Hirakawa
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceThu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara Conference RoomSat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Betsuin retreat
Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Wed 7 pm Dharma Study Center lecture
Dr. Michihiro Ama
Betsuin main hall
Sun 10 am Father’s Day family service
Lay speaker: Jimmy Hirakawa
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Yojimbo
Sun 10 am Onicchu and Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Crafting classJULY 2015
7/5
7/5
7/11
7/12
7/12
7/14
7/19
7/19
7/21
7/21
7/24
7/24
7/25
7/25
7/26
7/28
7/28
7/28

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service(Rinban Kawawata) & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Obon/Hatsubon service
Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in JapaneseTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceSun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 6 pm Bon dance practice
6 pm: Ryukyu, 7 pm: Fukushima
Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Fri 6:30 pm Manto-e service
Fri 7 pm Bon dance
Sat 6:30 pm Manto-e service
Sat 7 pm Bon dance
Sun 9 am Obon cleanup (No Sunday service)Tue 10 am Shinran Shonin memorial service
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: TBA

Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays & 28th day of the month) in the Betsuin main hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we remaintrue to our origins
as an open Sangha, welcoming
anyone who wishes to learn more
about the Jodo Shinshu
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
President: Faye Shigemura
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Auditor: Ken Saiki
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
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 Saikin our society we have many kinds of relationships with others. There
are relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children,
boyfriends and girlfriends, teachers and students, and so forth.
I’m often concerned about these kinds of relationships, because they areeasily destroyed, even if you love others or you have a good friendship. Of
course, love and friendship are among the most important feelings for us.
Without love, we couldn’t raise children, and children
could grow up to reject their parents.
There is a story about Christen, a healthy baby born in
Sweden, but with one thing different from other babies.
She refused breast-feeding from her mother. Every time
the nurse took her to her mother’s room for feeding, shewould cry and cry, and only wanted bottled milk.
Looking carefully at the nurse’s report, the doctor
wondered why the infant would refuse her mother even Rinban Ken Kawawata
when she was hungry.
A thorough exam didn’t come up with any symptoms of sickness. He triedbreast-feeding from another mother, and was surprised to see Christen drink
the milk and go contentedly to sleep.
The doctor then realized that the problem was not Christen, but her mother.
He asked her, “Did you have problems during your pregnancy?” She said no.
After a few more questions, he finally asked, “Did you really want the
baby? Did you even want to get pregnant?”
The mother admitted she didn’t, but merely went along with her husband.
The doctor realized that Christen must not have felt any love when she
was a fetus and therefore refused her mother after she was born.
Love is important for raising children and for having healthy relationships
with others. We feel comfort in receiving love from others and loving others.
But sometimes love somehow ends up messing up relationships,
especially between parents and their children, between brothers and sisters
and between friends. This is especially true between lovers. This is because
our love has limitations. We cannot embrace others with our own human love.
The tragedy at the castle of Rajagriha in the Meditation Sutra is one of themodel examples of the limitation of human love. King Vinvahsra and Queen
Vaidehi wanted a successor to keep their power over the country. They asked afortuneteller, “When will be able to have a baby?” He told them that after an oldhermit living in the deep mountain died, he would be reborn as their child.
The king and the queen were overjoyed with the prediction and asked
when the hermit was expected to die.
“In three years,” was the reply. But they wanted a baby as soon as possible
because they were getting old. The king then ordered the hermit to die but herefused, saying he wanted to live his life completely.
Enraged, the king sent his soldiers to kill him. Before dying, the hermit
warned that whoever was born as his next life would retain his grudge and kill
his parents.
As predicted, after the hermit died, the queen became pregnant. However,when the king and queen heard what the hermit had said just before he was killed,they became afraid of their future and their baby. She let the newborn Devadatta
fall from a high tower. But the baby survived, with just an injured little finger.
They raised the prince as their successor, but when he heard the secret ofhis birth, he imprisoned both parents, killed his father, but spared his mother.
Through the teaching of the Buddha, Devadatta and his mother restored
their relationship They came to realize that human love and thought have(cont’d on p. 2)

TRUE RELATIONSHIPS (cont’d)limitations. Forced to ask themselves why this tragedy
occurred and craving peace in their lives, they had to findthe solution for themselves.
Buddha did not teach directly how to restore their loveor their relationship. By just pointing out the Pure Land
(Jodo), which means peace of mind, he taught the queen
how she could find true ease (anshin). Queen Vaidehi
found out how to depend on herself to regain humannature and human relationships.
The lesson is that for true human relationships, wecannot depend on limited human love and compassion.
We have to overcome our own limited love and find real
wisdom and compassion that we can really depend on. It

I

Rain 雨n Hawaii, the month when you’re least likely to see rain
is—you guessed it—June!
This year, however, we’re under the influence of El Niño
and may end up with more storms than usual, but on
average, Honolulu sees less than a half-inch of rain during
a typical June.
On the other hand, June is usually the wettest monthof the year in Japan. Tokyo averages nearly 7½ inches,
while Okinawa gets more than a foot.
Meteorologically speaking, Japan’s rainy season
occurs when the warm and moist air from the South
Pacific meets and pushes up against the cold northerly
continental air masses. The back-and-forth shoving
match goes on for several weeks, resulting in a stationary
weather front which brings precipitation to the whole
Japanese island chain for most of June and part of July.
Many folks avoid visiting Japan in June because of therain. Actually, traveling when it’s raining isn’t so bad. For
one thing, visitor attractions aren’t as jam-packed. Having
a raincoat or an umbrella handy is a must, of course, but

The natural beauty of Koyasan in Wakayama is enhanced by rain.

2

is only then that we’re able to have real relationships, real
friendships with others. I think the teaching of Nembutsu
always points us in the direction to real ease and harmony
in human relations.
We are self-centered and everything is me, me, me. “I”
always has the first priority, so when those egos bump into
each other, we end up broken. We need a cushion for havingtrue relationships with others, even with our own spouse.
The dharma, Buddha’s teaching, is our cushion to
help prevent breaking our relationships. We are likethe fragile glass cups needing bubble wrap packaging.
That’s another reason to go back to the dharma in ourdaily lives, to help us find true relationships with others.
Thank you. Namu Amida Butsu.
much more important is the proper frame of mind. You
must appreciate rain for what it is and what it brings to us.
What’s more, you’ll find scenes such as mountains,temples and bamboo forests even more attractive in therain. And let’s not forget the ultimate rainy-day luxury:
soaking in a steaming outdoor onsen while gazing at the
misty landscape stretched before you and listening to thesounds of falling raindrops. Get me on a plane now!
The Japanese call this rainy season tsuyu (梅雨), madeup of the kanji for “plum” and “rain.” As you might guess,this is the season when plums ripen.
Ame (雨), or “rain,” is among the first 80 kanji learned
by first-year elementary students in Japan. Whileattending Tachikawa Japanese Language School as ayoungster, I found the character easy to remember andalmost amusing because it actually looked like rain.
Perhaps because living in harmony with nature is partof Japanese culture, or maybe because it rains so much,
the Japanese language has more than 50 nouns for rain,
depending on how hard it’s coming down, when it occurs,
how long it lasts, etc. Here are just a few, some ancient andvery poetic, and some just invented in the last couple of years:
Kosame (小雨), light rain
Hareichijikosame (晴れ一時小雨), brief light rain
En’u (燕雲), misty rain
Saiu (細雨) or kirisame (霧雨), drizzle
Ooame (大雨) or tau (多雨), heavy rain
Kyouu (強雨), severe rain
Shinotsukuame (篠突く雨), intense rain
Gouu (豪雨), torrential rain
Geriragouu (ゲリラ豪雨), torrential rain that hits suddenly,
like a guerilla attack.
Ryouu (涼雨), cool rain
Yau (夜雨), night rain
Harusame or shun’u (春雨), spring rain
Samidare (五月雨), early summer rain
Akisame (秋雨), autumn rain
Touu (等雨), winter rain
Rin’u (霖雨), or nagame (長雨 or 霖), long rain
Kiu (喜雨), rain after a drought
Houshanouu (放射能雨), radioactive rain
Kitsuneame (狐雨), sun shower, or “liquid sunshine”— Ken Saiki

MahaloGozaimasu

We gratefully acknowledge the following for their generous
contributions. If we’ve missed any donor’s name, please
accept our apologies and let us know by calling the Betsuin
at 531-9088 so we can make corrections to our records. For
donations of $250 or more, receipts/acknowledgment will be
issued in compliance with IRS regulations. For other amounts
receipts will not be issued unless requested. Thank you.

Richardeen Kimura
Amy AbeCharles Nishida

Kenneth Shinbara
Peggy Ishida
Gary Nishimura.&.03*"- '6/&3"- */63/.&/5#63*"-4&37*$&
Karen Watanabe
Viola Uyeno
Rev. Hosen Fukuhara Leatrice Omiya
Natalie Hanai
Sachiko Yoshino,:0%"/%0/"5*0/(including Otani Center, nokotsudo, altar supplies, parking)
Walter Yamada
Doris Kawamoto
Aikido Ohana(0+*,"*%6&4
Carol Matsunaga

Moriso Teraoka
Rev Konko
Briana Sugai

Roy Miyamoto
Rev Kokei Yoshida
Vaiana Bloch

June Omura
Anonymous

Barbara Okumura

Doris Kawamoto

Doris Keiko Toyama

413*/('6/%3"*4&3(continued from last month)
Amy AbeSandra Chun
Shigeru Gushikuma
Richard Ishida
Miyuki Koga
Carol Matsunaga
Theda Murata
Florence Nishida
Tadashi Ogata
Kenneth Saiki
Kimie Sugimoto
Jean Tanouye
Walter Yamada
Mitsuko Yukutake

Vincent Akamine
Carol Cripps
Richard Hanai
Denis Kawamoto
Kazuo Kono
Frank Minami
Joseph Muratsuchi
Betty Nishida
Tsutomu Oi
Clarence Sakaguchi
Herald Takehiro
Shigeko Tokunaga
Teiko Yamane

Tomei Akegarasu
Michael DeBusk
Wallace Haruki
Kenneth Kihara
Richard Kudo
Yukie Minatoya
Yukie Nagata
Ralph Nishida
Barbara Okumura
Takuo Sakai
Dorothy Tanaka
Paul Umemoto
Eleanor Yamashita$"-&/%"3'-03"-"33"/(&.&/54

Carol Matsunaga

Yoshiko Moribe

Minako Ito-Song

Peggy Arita
Harlen Duesing
Ryde Haruno
Faye Kimura
Jon Kumashiro
Kiyoko Moriyama
Wallace Naito
Harold Nitta
Leatrice Omiya
Faye Shigemura
Jonathan Tani
Keith Wong
Walter Yonekura

Joyce Masaki

Judith Nakata
David Fujihara

Patricia Nitta
Elaine Takayama

Atsuko Nonaka
Jonathan TaniDavid Fujihara
Marion Kanemori

Vivian Chang
Rev. Frank Childs
Lawrence Fujii
Ellen Gono
Betty Honbo
Lawrence Imai
Mikiko Kishida
Leslie Kobata
Joyce MasakiGrace Matsuura
Mitsuharu Murakami Donald Murakami
Akitoshi Nakahara Holly Nakasone
Patricia Nitta
Atsuko Nonaka
Steven Pang
Rebecca Pang

In Memoriam

We extend our deepest sympathy
to the familiy of the late
Saburo Yamashita (89)
May 1, 2015

Shotsuki Observance for JuneOur monthly shōtsuki service in remembrance oftemple family members who passed away in themonth of June of a past year will be held on 4VOEBZ +VOFThe following list includes members from thepast 25 years .
While shōtsuki services for a loved one are observed
every year, special nenki hōyō memorial services are

Marilyn Shizue Yanagida
Masato Arima
Eddy S. Chinen
Matsuichi Fujimoto
Doris S. Fukuda
Philip T. Fukushima
Teruko Hamamoto
Hajime Harauchi
Charles K. Ifuku
Momoe Inouye
Betsy Momoyo Ishii
Hatsue Ishimatsu
Kenneth T. Iwasaki
Sute Kakugawa

Yoshiyuki Kawakami
Masayo Kogami
Thomas T. Kojima
Ethel T. Komatsu
Ima Kono
Hideto Kubota
Jitsuzen Makiya
Kiyoshi Matsumoto
Leatrice C. Matsumoto
Fusano Michioku
Otome Miyashiro
Sadako Morita
Michino Murakami
Lois K. Muramoto

held during certain auspicious years. These years
include the 1st anniversary, followed by memorialservices for the 3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 25th, 33rd and50th years, normally held during the year prior to theactual anniversary date.
Call the Betsuin office at 531-9088 for assistance orfor more information.

Mitsuko Nakahara
Kiyoumi Nakamura
George Yoshio Nii
Katsumi NishidaMatsutaro Nishimura
Katsumi Nomura
Aileen T. Ogawa
Wallace H. Oi
Kazuo “Bob” Okazaki
Satsuki Omura
Kikue Saida
Shizuko Saiki
Henry K. Sakamoto
Kenneth W. Sakamoto
Sadaichi Sakamoto

Sadao Sasabuchi
Shizue Sekiya
Stanley Manabu Shirai
Shinichi Shiroma
Kenneth Mutsuo Sugai
Yoshitaka Tachibana
Kenneth Kiyoshi Tagami
Charles F. Taketa
Joe Tanaka
Stanley H. Tanaka
Hazel K. Tanijo
Sue Tanimura
Yutaka Teshima
Vivian Toshiko Tomita

Edward G. Tsubaki
Harry Hideo Tsukamoto
Geroge T. UchidaCharles S. Uchihara
Hiroharu Uyesato
Shigeru Uyeunten
Florence WatanabePeter Y. Watanabe
Ted T. Yamamoto
Russell Ken Yamamoto
Marilyn Shizue Yanagida
Harriet Natsuko Yatagai
Chima Yoshimura
George H. Yoshino

5

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
Dharma Study Center
presents a lecture-PDBM%IBSNB(BUIFSJOH
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii (Betsuin)

Voices of Buddhist Women in Modern Japan:
A Representation of Female Spirituality in the Seishinkai
Despite abundant scholarship on Buddhism and how it is being adapted to our modern
society, the position of Japanese Buddhist women during the early 20th century is
relatively unstudied. This study, while focusing on the journal Seishinkai, sheds lighton the spirituality of modern Shin Buddhist women. While female followers accepted
the religious ideas developed by male clergy, they were extremely diverse anddynamic in their spiritual expressions.

s!
u
in
o
j
e
s
a
e
l
P

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Time: 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Place: Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street (N. Kuakini St. corner)
Honolulu, HI 96817
Fee: $9.00

Michihiro Ama is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He is
the author of Immigrants to the Pure Land: The Modernization, Acculturation, and Globalizationof Shin Buddhism, 1898-1941 (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2011).

	
   Dr. Michihiro Ama

TO REGISTER, clip here and return this registration form, or call 531-9088.

q Yes, I plan to attend Dr. Ama’s June 17 lecture.
q Please let me know about future Dharma Study Center lectures by q mail q email.
Name__________________________________________________________________________"SUPG1BQFS$SBGUJOHDMBTTFT

Tsuru? Done. Kusudama ball?
Done. There are many moredifferent modular origami that are
begging to be made, with yourlearned skill and patient help.

Interested in joining in? Pleasecall 531-9088 to register for the next
session on Sunday, June 28 at 12
noon. There is a $4 fee for each set.

+VOFNPWJFGFBUVSF:PKJNCP Toshiro Mifune returns in

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Michihiro Ama
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska

/FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTHIGASHI HONGWANJI HAWAII DISTRICT RETREAT PROGRAMABOUT REV. NORIAKI FUJIMORI

Rev. Fujimori was born 1958 in Hokkaido, Japan. He studied Higashi Hongwanji
missionary work in North and South America in 1988 and became a member of theInternational Network of Engaged Buddhists in 1989, visiting many Southeast Asian
countries to attend meetings and learn Buddhism practice.
In 1992, he was assigned as resident minister at Waimea Higashi Hongwanji, which
had been totally destroyed by a hurricane three months earlier. Through the experience,
he began focusing on living in an environmental friendly society. One of his goals was
to install a natural energy system at the temple, and through the support of Dharma
friends, it is now equipped with a photovoltaic system.
With the help of a temple friend from his native Hokkaido, he started an exchange
program with Ainu people from Hokkaido along with members of the temple, Native
Hawaiians and others from the local community.
In 2013, Rev. Fujimori was assigned to his current position as resident minister ofPalolo Hongwanji, where he has initiated cleaning, gardening, art and other programswith members of the temple and the surrounding community.

Yojimbo, a story of a ronin who
arrives in a small town wherecompeting crime lords vie forsupremacy and try to hire thenewcomer as a bodyguard. When
asked, he introduces himself, “My
name is Kuwabata Sanjuro, soon
to be Yonjuro.”
The film won Mifune a Best Actor
award at the Venice InternationalFilm Festival in 1961.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., June
23, 110 min. monochrome, Japaneseaudio with English subtitles. Free
admission.

用心棒（ようじんぼう)
く

大

長

一

れ

Address ________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________ State________Zip_____________________
Telephone___________________________________ Email_______________________________
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Telephone: (808) 531-9088
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org

4'BUIFST%BZ'BNJMZ4FSWJDF
4VOEBZ +VOF BN
Lay speaker: Jimmy Hirakawa

月

時

時

3

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
Dharma Study Center
presents a lecture-PDBM%IBSNB(BUIFSJOH
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii (Betsuin)

Voices of Buddhist Women in Modern Japan:
A Representation of Female Spirituality in the Seishinkai
Despite abundant scholarship on Buddhism and how it is being adapted to our modern
society, the position of Japanese Buddhist women during the early 20th century is
relatively unstudied. This study, while focusing on the journal Seishinkai, sheds lighton the spirituality of modern Shin Buddhist women. While female followers accepted
the religious ideas developed by male clergy, they were extremely diverse anddynamic in their spiritual expressions.

s!
u
in
o
j
e
s
a
e
l
P

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Time: 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M.
Place: Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street (N. Kuakini St. corner)
Honolulu, HI 96817
Fee: $9.00

Michihiro Ama is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He is
the author of Immigrants to the Pure Land: The Modernization, Acculturation, and Globalizationof Shin Buddhism, 1898-1941 (University of Hawai‘i Press, 2011).

	
   Dr. Michihiro Ama

TO REGISTER, clip here and return this registration form, or call 531-9088.

q Yes, I plan to attend Dr. Ama’s June 17 lecture.
q Please let me know about future Dharma Study Center lectures by q mail q email.
Name__________________________________________________________________________"SUPG1BQFS$SBGUJOHDMBTTFT

Tsuru? Done. Kusudama ball?
Done. There are many moredifferent modular origami that are
begging to be made, with yourlearned skill and patient help.

Interested in joining in? Pleasecall 531-9088 to register for the next
session on Sunday, June 28 at 12
noon. There is a $4 fee for each set.

+VOFNPWJFGFBUVSF:PKJNCP Toshiro Mifune returns in

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Michihiro Ama
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska

/FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTHIGASHI HONGWANJI HAWAII DISTRICT RETREAT PROGRAMABOUT REV. NORIAKI FUJIMORI

Rev. Fujimori was born 1958 in Hokkaido, Japan. He studied Higashi Hongwanji
missionary work in North and South America in 1988 and became a member of theInternational Network of Engaged Buddhists in 1989, visiting many Southeast Asian
countries to attend meetings and learn Buddhism practice.
In 1992, he was assigned as resident minister at Waimea Higashi Hongwanji, which
had been totally destroyed by a hurricane three months earlier. Through the experience,
he began focusing on living in an environmental friendly society. One of his goals was
to install a natural energy system at the temple, and through the support of Dharma
friends, it is now equipped with a photovoltaic system.
With the help of a temple friend from his native Hokkaido, he started an exchange
program with Ainu people from Hokkaido along with members of the temple, Native
Hawaiians and others from the local community.
In 2013, Rev. Fujimori was assigned to his current position as resident minister ofPalolo Hongwanji, where he has initiated cleaning, gardening, art and other programswith members of the temple and the surrounding community.

Yojimbo, a story of a ronin who
arrives in a small town wherecompeting crime lords vie forsupremacy and try to hire thenewcomer as a bodyguard. When
asked, he introduces himself, “My
name is Kuwabata Sanjuro, soon
to be Yonjuro.”
The film won Mifune a Best Actor
award at the Venice InternationalFilm Festival in 1961.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., June
23, 110 min. monochrome, Japaneseaudio with English subtitles. Free
admission.

用心棒（ようじんぼう)
く

大

長

一

れ

Address ________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________ State________Zip_____________________
Telephone___________________________________ Email_______________________________
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Telephone: (808) 531-9088
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org

4'BUIFST%BZ'BNJMZ4FSWJDF
4VOEBZ +VOF BN
Lay speaker: Jimmy Hirakawa

月

時

時

3

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

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

True Relationships
3JOCBO,FOKVO,BXBXBUB

I

Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...

‘wa’
harmonyt5SVF3FMBUJPOTIJQTp. 1
t 3BJOp. 2
t -PDBM%IBSNB(BUIFSJOHp. 3
t 'BUIFST%BZGBNJMZTFSWJDFp. 3
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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

6

June 2015

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
JUNE 2015
6/7
6/7
6/9
6/11
6/13
6/14
6/16
6/17
6/21
6/21
6/23
6/23
6/28
6/28

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service(Rinban Kawawata) & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
led by Jimmy Hirakawa
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceThu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara Conference RoomSat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Betsuin retreat
Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Wed 7 pm Dharma Study Center lecture
Dr. Michihiro Ama
Betsuin main hall
Sun 10 am Father’s Day family service
Lay speaker: Jimmy Hirakawa
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Yojimbo
Sun 10 am Onicchu and Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Crafting classJULY 2015
7/5
7/5
7/11
7/12
7/12
7/14
7/19
7/19
7/21
7/21
7/24
7/24
7/25
7/25
7/26
7/28
7/28
7/28

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service(Rinban Kawawata) & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Jimmy’s Auto Basics
Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
Sun 10 am Obon/Hatsubon service
Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in JapaneseTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceSun 10 am Sunday service
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 6 pm Bon dance practice
6 pm: Ryukyu, 7 pm: Fukushima
Tue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Fri 6:30 pm Manto-e service
Fri 7 pm Bon dance
Sat 6:30 pm Manto-e service
Sat 7 pm Bon dance
Sun 9 am Obon cleanup (No Sunday service)Tue 10 am Shinran Shonin memorial service
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: TBA

Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays & 28th day of the month) in the Betsuin main hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we remaintrue to our origins
as an open Sangha, welcoming
anyone who wishes to learn more
about the Jodo Shinshu
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
President: Faye Shigemura
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Auditor: Ken Saiki
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
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 Saikin our society we have many kinds of relationships with others. There
are relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children,
boyfriends and girlfriends, teachers and students, and so forth.
I’m often concerned about these kinds of relationships, because they areeasily destroyed, even if you love others or you have a good friendship. Of
course, love and friendship are among the most important feelings for us.
Without love, we couldn’t raise children, and children
could grow up to reject their parents.
There is a story about Christen, a healthy baby born in
Sweden, but with one thing different from other babies.
She refused breast-feeding from her mother. Every time
the nurse took her to her mother’s room for feeding, shewould cry and cry, and only wanted bottled milk.
Looking carefully at the nurse’s report, the doctor
wondered why the infant would refuse her mother even Rinban Ken Kawawata
when she was hungry.
A thorough exam didn’t come up with any symptoms of sickness. He triedbreast-feeding from another mother, and was surprised to see Christen drink
the milk and go contentedly to sleep.
The doctor then realized that the problem was not Christen, but her mother.
He asked her, “Did you have problems during your pregnancy?” She said no.
After a few more questions, he finally asked, “Did you really want the
baby? Did you even want to get pregnant?”
The mother admitted she didn’t, but merely went along with her husband.
The doctor realized that Christen must not have felt any love when she
was a fetus and therefore refused her mother after she was born.
Love is important for raising children and for having healthy relationships
with others. We feel comfort in receiving love from others and loving others.
But sometimes love somehow ends up messing up relationships,
especially between parents and their children, between brothers and sisters
and between friends. This is especially true between lovers. This is because
our love has limitations. We cannot embrace others with our own human love.
The tragedy at the castle of Rajagriha in the Meditation Sutra is one of themodel examples of the limitation of human love. King Vinvahsra and Queen
Vaidehi wanted a successor to keep their power over the country. They asked afortuneteller, “When will be able to have a baby?” He told them that after an oldhermit living in the deep mountain died, he would be reborn as their child.
The king and the queen were overjoyed with the prediction and asked
when the hermit was expected to die.
“In three years,” was the reply. But they wanted a baby as soon as possible
because they were getting old. The king then ordered the hermit to die but herefused, saying he wanted to live his life completely.
Enraged, the king sent his soldiers to kill him. Before dying, the hermit
warned that whoever was born as his next life would retain his grudge and kill
his parents.
As predicted, after the hermit died, the queen became pregnant. However,when the king and queen heard what the hermit had said just before he was killed,they became afraid of their future and their baby. She let the newborn Devadatta
fall from a high tower. But the baby survived, with just an injured little finger.
They raised the prince as their successor, but when he heard the secret ofhis birth, he imprisoned both parents, killed his father, but spared his mother.
Through the teaching of the Buddha, Devadatta and his mother restored
their relationship They came to realize that human love and thought have(cont’d on p. 2)