Spark Joy in your Life
Rev. Steven ToyoshimaW‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

10October 2019

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 Jodo Shinshu
tradition of Buddhism.
A registered 501(c)3 organization
Head Minister: Kenjun Kawawata
Resident Minister: Steven Toyoshima
Minister: Hidesato Kita
Minister: Koen Kikuchi
President: Kenneth Saiki
Secretary: Marian Tsuji
Treasurer: Karen Wong
1685 Alaneo StreetHonolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (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 Saiki

ith the end of September and beginning of October, it finallyseems like Hawaii is entering the fall season. The weather is coolingand the displays at Foodland have changed from “Back to School” toHalloween-themed. Although the Ōsouji year-end cleaning at the temple
seems to be far away in December, these past few days at the Hawaii
Betsuin we have started early.
Led by our board members Emi Tsuji and Ken Saiki,
we began the cleaning of the temple office. Using thetechniques from Marie Kondo, we spent a lot of timegoing through the many things piled up in the office tosee if it was sparking any joy.
Even though I have been here since April, thecondition of the office didn’t seem too strange or overtly
messy. This immediately changed when we started
pulling things off the shelves and seeing just how much
un-useful things were cluttering the room in plain sight. Rev. Steve Toyoshima
Many of the books and files we went through are
older than me, and though there were photographs and other historicallyimportant items, much of it was stuff that could be safely tossed away.
When it comes to personal possessions I am reminded of the Buddha’s
teaching of the raft. A person who needs to cross a wide and deep river cuts
down trees and binds the trunks together to make a raft. After he crosses theriver safely, he does not need the raft and leaves it at the river’s edge. How
wasteful it would be if we continued to carry the raft with us as we make ourway inland, unable to part with something that was once useful to us longpast the point it should have been left behind.
I am very guilty of this kind of thinking, something I inherited fromcertain ancestors of mine. From the useful impulse to mottainai to avoid
wasting something that could be useful sometime in the future, we end up
keeping around a lot of things that we never get around to using.
We are also constantly subject
to advertising that targets
our anxieties. We want to behealthier so we buy exercise
machines, we want to travel
and learn languages so we buy
books, we buy many things that
we hope will make us happy.
Sometimes these products canbe a starting point for personal
growth, but more often than
not these things end up unused
and taking up space. We start tothink of these things we have
A work in progress: This corner in the officebought as indispensable parts ofwill soon be tested to see if any items still spark ourselves. We build up layers andjoy (or maybe needed for next year’s Bon Festival!) layers of things we do not use,making cleaning a more and more intimidating task.
Though it can be a difficult task, making cleaning a regular part of ourschedule can have immense benefits. Having other people to help andencourage us can help take the intimidation out of getting started andreexamine our relationship with the things we surround ourselves with.
Shoukei Matsumoto, a minister at the Nishi Hongwanji Kōmyōji temple
in Tokyo, leads a cleaning event twice a month at his temple. People from all(cont’d on p. 2)

Spark Joy in your Life (cont’d from p. 1)
walks of life come to help with the hour-long cleanup at
7:30 in the morning. A popular event with local people,
it fosters a sense of community. Rev. Matsumoto actuallywrote “A Monk’s Guide on a Clean House and Mind,” a bookon the benefits of cleaning around the time Marie Kondo
had published her first guide. He wrote in The GuardianBritish daily newspaper about the benefits of cleaning:“Cleaning practice, by which I mean the routines
whereby we sweep, wipe, polish, wash and tidy,
is one step on this path towards inner peace. In
Japanese Buddhism, we don’t separate a self fromits environment, and cleaning expresses our respect
for and sense of wholeness with the world thatsurrounds us.”The basics [of cleaning] are very simple. Sweep fromthe top to the bottom of your home, wipe along thestream of objects and handle everything with care. Afteryou start cleaning your home, you can extend cleaning
practice to other things, including your body. How you
can apply cleaning practice to your mind is a question I
want to leave unanswered, but if you practice cleaning,cleaning and more cleaning, you will eventually knowthat you have been cleaning your inner world along withthe outer one.
We can look at our lives like filling up a glass jar withpebbles and stones. If we fill the jar with pebbles, there
is little space left over for the stones. However, if we put
the stones in the jar first, the pebbles will fit in the gapsbetween in a good balance. The stones are the things
that are important in our lives like family, faith, work. The
pebbles are the non-essential material things that we
acquire over our lifetimes.
Once we strip away the clutter, we have space for thethings that are really important and breathing room to
examine our priorities. The space we make by clearing
out what we don’t need can be used for things that areimportant for us here and now.
By cleaning, we can realize what really brings us joy
in our lives. It also gives us a chance to more deeply
appreciate the things we decide to keep or pass on toothers. One person’s unused exercise bike could be
another person’s gateway to a healthier life.
Enka vinyl collectors like myself would love to take inno-longer-listened-to Japanese records. One person’s junk
could be another person’s treasure.
Next year we’ve scheduled a Nomi no Ichiba—acombination flea market and plant sale—so if you haveitems that may bring joy to someone else, be sure to savethem for our sale next fall!
While it’s the Betsuin office and the small storage
room in back undergoing the KonMari treatment rightnow, we’ll be working our way to other spaces as well. We
hope to update you with “before-and-after” photos.
Ready for cleaning? Please keep these dates in mind:
Sun., Dec. 13: Omigaki polishing of altar accessories
Sun., Dec. 20: Ōsouji year-end temple cleaning
Sat., Sep. 26, 2020: Nomi no Ichiba flea market/plant sale2

人生がときめく
豊島スティヴェン
今週、ハワイ別院の事務室を掃除するプロジェクトを開始しました。事務室には、もう必要のないドキュメン
トやものがたくさんあります。私たちが棚にどれだけ古い文書や本を保管していたかにおどろいた。
掃除しながら、釈尊の「ラフトのたとえ」について考えていました。その例えに川を渡るために、例えの男はいかだを作りました。川を渡った後、いかだを持ち歩き続けるのは愚かなことです。よく、私たちはもう役に立たない物を溜めこめています。
東京の本願寺派の光明寺の松本先生によると、自分と自分の環境は別のことではないので、クリーニングは、私たちを取り巻く世界に対する私たちの尊敬と一体感を表しています。
不用な物を取り除くと、本当に重要なことのためのスペースができます。必要のないものを片付けることで作るスペースは、今ここで私たちにとって重要なものに使用できます。
掃除することで、私たちの生活に本当に喜びをもたらします。
また、不要なものを使用できる人に渡すこともできます。他の人が使用できると思うものがあれば、来年9月の「蚤の市馬」に備えて保存してください。

BUDDHISM 102

Sunday, October 13, 12 noon
2nd in a series of workshops

Rev. Steve Toyoshima will continue
to focus on the history of Buddhism
in Japan. From Shingon to Zen, we’ll
look at the important people, art
and traditions of the schools thatarrived and grew in Japan.
If you’re curious about the history
and teachings behind the templesof the different denominations
here in Hawaii, be sure to join us!
Just bring a pen & notepad. Studymaterials provided.
Buddhism 101 not a prerequisite. No
fees to attend. Come as you are!
ALL ARE WELCOME!

News on theShinran memorial observed withHoonko Gathering and Service

The Hawaii District Hōonko
Gathering on Sept. 14 at Otani
Center with a panel discussion bydistrict temple representatives
Masago Asai, CharlAnn Nakamoto,
Carl Okuda and David Kohara giving
their personal stories about how
they approach discovering the joyof living in their lives.
“Buddhism is about stories,” guest
lecturer and admitted Trekkie Rev.
Fred Brenion said before proceeding
to relate more stories to illustrate
how the Nembutsu, as taught byShinran Shonin, is the key to beingborn in the Pure Land.
The Gathering was capped by afull-course New Mui Kwai Chinese
buffet and a selection of favorite
Japanese and Hawaiian melodies
by the temple’s Dharma Hawaiians
ukulele ensemble, including a hulalesson dancing to the hapa-haolefavorite, “At the Hukilau.”
The next morning Jay Fisher of
Hilo Higashi Hongwanji and DanielAbramowicz of Palolo Hongwanji
gave short kanwa presentations
prior to our 2019 Hōonko service inmemory of the founder of our Jōdō
Shinshu tradition, Shinran Shōnin.
Overseas District Abbot Chōyu Otani
officiated the service and Hyōbyaku,
leading the chanting of Shōshingewith theassistance ofthe Hawaii
Districtministers.
As Rev.
Brenionapproachedthe lecternto present
Sunday’s
HōonkoRev. Fred Brenion
address, heflashed a Vulcan salute as a nod toother Star Trek fans present.
Rev. Brenion’s message centeredaround Shinran’s final days when he
was in “active passing.” Shinran’s life

Betsuin Wirelesshad become the Nembutsu. To have
Namu Amida Butsu is to have Amida.
”Nembutsu alone is true and real,”
Shinran had written in Tannisho.
Rev. Brenion entreated us to recite,“Namu Amida Butsu” whenever we see
our reflections as we pass a mirror athome. “Life is living us now!”
And yes, for some of us, exploring
this strange new world could mean
boldly going where we have neverbeen before.

Honpa’s Rev. Kazunori Takahashi
speaks at Betsuin’s Ohigan service
Our guest speaker at our Sept. 22
Ohigan service was Rev. Kazunori
Takahashi,executive
assistant at
the Honpa
Hongwanji
headquarters
in Hawaii.
He shared hisexperiences
as a ministeron Kauai
Rev. Kazunori Takahashi and theBig Island for 11 years, including
helping translate documents andletters. Once a member asked him
about the significance of the phrase“rokuji no na” in the 2nd verse of thegatha, Shinshu Shuka, as the phrase
also appeared in a poem that hecherished.
The“rokuji no na” refers to the six
kanji characters (南無阿弥陀仏), orNamu Amida Butsu, which comprise
Amida’s name. Rev. Takahashi reminded
us that during Fall Ohigan, let us allrecommit to reciting those six words
with great joy.

ghosts, it falls to the warrior Gintoki(Kichiemon Nakamura) to slay themalicious spirits, but his connection
to the victims leads to conflict.
The film directed by Kaneto Shindo
was entered by Japan in the Cannes
Film Festival in 1968. Unfortunately thefestival was canceled due to a violent
student revolt thoroughout France
that year. Meanwhile, in Japan thefilm won a Best Cinematography
award at the Mainichi Film Concours
and a Best Actress award for Otowa.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., Sep. 24,
99 min. Monochrome, Japaneseaudio, English subtitles. Admission
free. Light refreshments provided, orbring something to share!
藪の中の黒猫 (やぶのなかのくろねこ)戦に取られたまま戻らない息子を待つ
母と嫁が一軒の藪の中の家に住んでいます。 そこを野武士の集団が襲い、二人を殺して、家に火を放ちます。焼け跡には遺体に寄り添う黒猫の姿がありました。そして、夜な夜な羅生門ならぬ「羅城門」に若い女が立ち、彼女に招かれた武士たちが次々に怪死するのです。
そうです。殺された二人の怨霊が黒猫に乗り移り、猫が人間に化けていたのです。
1968年に第21回カンヌ国際映画祭コンペティション部門に出品したが、期間中にカンヌ国際映画祭粉砕事件のため賞はなかった。
監督： 新藤兼人、 出演者: 藪銀時 (中村吉右衛門)、中年女 おヨネ (乙羽信子)、若い女 おシゲ (太地喜和子)、 公開 :1968年、モノクロ、言語 : 日本語、字幕 :英語、映時間 : 99分、10月23日(火)午後6:30時、入場無料。

Fright Night Halloween specialin Oct. movie offering, Kuroneko
Oyone (Nobuko Otowa) and herdaughter, Oshige (Kiwako Taichi) live
in a house in a bamboo grove. A
group of field samurai attacks andkills them, setting fire to the house. A
black cat snuggles up to the deadbodies. When the samurai are set
upon by vengeful vampire-like3

india: an unforgettable experience
By Vivian TakagakiIrecently returned from a trip to India and Kawawata-sensei
asked me to write about the journey. For me, there areno limits to describe India. But on paper, well, there is alittle limit. So, in a brief description, here are some of thememories of India I brought home.
What impressed me was seeing India as a large canvas ofserene, almost monochromatic, background colors. The sky,monuments and open spaces are the perfect stage where
the people are thebright spots of color in
their smiles, activities
and clothes. Tourists
like myself, dressed inneutral and pastel colors
become part of the
background letting thebeautiful and vibrantcolors of sarees, festivals
and spirit shine aroundus. Even on the dusty
roads, the women bring an excitement of color against thesoothing scenery with their bright, everyday sarees.
Beginning the journey in Varanasi, I was amazed at theGanges River, with its size and majesty of spirit. Along its banks
I witnessed people bathing, holding cremations and observing
rituals in and along the sacred waters of the goddess Ganga. A
multitude of wide stone steps, each with its own name, allowed
people to access the river from higher ground. I wondered at
the height of these stairs until three days later, when we left. In
that short time this immense river had risen 10 to 15 feet andthe stairs were halfway under water.
One evening we witnessed priests offering fire to Ganga
during an arati. People filled the stairs around the ceremony
and more were in boats. Crowded six rows deep, our boat
was one of many lined in
front of the stairs where
the ceremony took place.
After the arati we offeredlittle votives with flowers toGanga from the stairs. Twoof the women in our group
took a whole body dip in
the Ganges together withmany of the devout Indiansaround them. I sprinkled myface and head. I wasn’t as
brave as the other two.

4One memory to cherish was in an enclosed courtyard inSarnath. A second-generation cutting from the original bodhi
tree, under which the Buddha was enlightened, grows greenand tall. After spinning the prayer
wheels surrounding the tree, I wasfortunate to have a leaf fall near me.
It has traveled pressed in a book and
now resides at my home.
A short bus ride later we were atDeer Park, a beautifully kept site which
preserves a sense of its history and has
an open feeling of mind and spirit. The
Dhamek Stupa where Buddha firstspoke of the Dharma dominates theruins of the original sangha.
Next, an elephant ride in Jaipur! A
totally tourist thing to do but so muchfun! That day the hot sun heated mycell phone to the point I couldn’t takepictures. It finally cooled under theshade of the Amber Fort courtyards. It is but one of many
beautiful structures built long ago and still magnificent. Jantar
Mantar deserves mention just for its fantastic astronomical
observatory. Its sundial, the largest in the world and built in1724 by the Maharaja Jai Singh II, is said to be accurate to two
seconds of the local time.
And there was much more.
Fort Agra, where I got my firstview of one of the most famousmonuments to love. Early thenext morning trying to meet thesunrise, we were there. We wereat the Taj Mahal. A jaw-dropping,inspiring declaration of love, artand symmetry. Then, in city after
city, there were temples of vast
size and age to Krishna, Hanuman,
Shiva and others, each attended
by devotees, served by priests
and having the feeling of ages indarkened halls and sanctuaries.
All “no pictures allowed.”
But India would not be India
without the food! From northern India to its southern shores
the flavors of India shifted from heavy, aromatic curries, dals,briyanis and chana to lighter, coconut-flavored versions of
the same in the south. And the breads! Naan, chapati and myfavorite, papadams. All so delicious! All so addictive! I had toeat Indian food within a week of returning to Honolulu.
I cannot say it was all beautiful and wonderful. Therewas much in India that I was not prepared for. The heatand humidity, the lack of cleanliness in some cities, thehawkers and beggars almost everywhere. But I experienced
a country that is unique and unforgettable, had theopportunity to meet some charming people and received
smiles whenever I met a stranger’s eye and greeted themwith Namaste, Vanakam or Sairam.
India will definitely be remembered.

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...
• Spark Joy in your Life p. 1
• 人生がときめく p. 2
• Buddhism 102 p. 2
• News on the Betsuin Wireless p. 3
• Hōonko Gathering and Service p. 3
• Fall Ohigan service p. 3
• October movie: Kuroneko (1968) p. 3
• Namaste: Incredible India p. 4
• Acknowledgments p. 5
• October shōtsuki service p. 5
• Temple activities calendar p. 6Temple Activities Calendar
OCTOBER

10/1 Tue 6 pm The Larger Sutra study class			 led by Rinban Kawawata in English
10/2 Wed 6 pm Karaoke night at the Betsuin
10/6 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki/Eitaikyo service			 Dharma message: Rinban Kawawata
10/7 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class
10/8 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
10/13 Sun 10 am Sunday service			 Dharma message: Rev. Toyoshima
10/13 Sun 12 pm Buddhism 102			
Facilitated by Rev. Toyoshima
10/14 Mon 12 pm Lunch Bunch at Moanalua 99 Food Court
10/17 Thu 6 pm Teatime Okō discussion group
10/20 Sun 10 am Sunday service			
Message: Rinban Kawawata (Japanese)				
Rev. Toyoshima (English)
10/20 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
10/20 Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
10/21 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class
10/22 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
10/22 Tue 6:30 pm Movie night: Kuroneko 藪の中の黒猫
10/27 Sun 10 am Hōonko service at Kaneohe Higashi			 (No service at Betsuin)
10/28 Mon 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

646NOVEMBER

11/3 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service			 Dharma message: Rinban Kawawata
11/3 Sun 12pm Basic Buddhism discussion in Japanese			 仏教入門（お話と座談会）					 Fukuhara conference room
11/4 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class
11/5 Tue 6 pm The Larger Sutra study class			 led by Rinban Kawawata in English
11/6 Wed 6 pm Karaoke night at the Betsuin
11/10 Sun 10 am Sunday service			 Dharma message: Rev. Toyoshima
11/11 Mon 12 pm Lunch Bunch at Moanalua 99 Food Court
11/12 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
11/17 Sun 10 am Sunday service			 Dharma message: Rinban Kawawata
11/17 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
11/17 Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
11/18 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class
11/21 Thu 6 pm Teatime Okō discussion group
11/24 Sun 10 am Hōonko service at Palolo Hongwanji			 (No service at Betsuin)
11/26 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
11/26 Tue 6:30 pm Movie night: The Third Murder 三度目の殺人
11/28 Thu 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

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