The Meaning of Calling Names
Rev. Akiko Okada
ello everyone. I feel so honored to write my firstarticle in “WA.”
Although my life in Hawaii has been somewhat
restricted by the pandemic, it is, thankfully, fulfilling, andI’m looking forward to seeing you all as soon as possible.
This time, I’d like to share my personal story of mygrandmother’s death. The reason why is that there is an
important thing to be taught by the deceased.
In early March this year, my grandmother in Japan
passed away. She was 97 years old and had lived for 97years and 10 days. Her birthday was on February 23. A
year ago, she was still in good health and eating cakeon her birthday, but this year, she couldn’t speak or move by herself. Her internalorgans were healthy and she had no illnesses, but she was senile and even though
she usually looked very healthy, she was at an age when anything could happen at
any time.
I come from a family of three generations of only children: my grandmother, myfather and myself. Except for me, no one had ever moved out from our birth home.
My mother, on the other hand, grew up in a large family of tradesmen who were
not from a temple family. She married into the Okada family. Therefore, the differencein the living environment still confuses her even now, 40 years after she married.
My grandmother spent most of her life at Ganshō-ji Temple, the local temple
where I was born in Osaka. I have always felt that as an only child, unless I try to
make the connections with others and try to obtain many world experiences
spontaneously, I wouldn’t be able to become a social person. For this reason, I
always thought of my grandmother and the Okada family as a family whose time
had come to a standstill. Also, I used to make fun of my grandmother and father forbeing “naive” because they never worked in society as an employee. I even thoughtthat was a bad thing.
In retrospect, I remember complaining, “What kind of nagging grandmotheris this?” Most of my friends say they like their grandmothers because they arekind, but I didn’t consider my grandmother as kind at all. Perhaps because ofthis, I gradually stopped listening to my grandmother and even thought of her
as a stubborn, old woman. I thought, at least.
However, as she grew old in her later years,
and especially after I left for the U.S. in 2018,
she was very concerned about me and often
mentioned my name. I was never aware that mygrandmother cared that much about me, but I
realized that being called by name was a goodH‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

5May 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 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(cont’d on p. 2)

名前を呼ぶということ
監督部

岡田在子

今回初めてこのニュースレターに寄稿させていただけることをありがたく思っております。以前、ハワイに着任した際に少しだけご
Obā-chan on her 96th birthday in 2020. 挨拶をさせていただいたきり、早いものでこの記事が皆様のお手元に届く頃には、私のハワイ生活も10ヶ月になっております。私のハワイ生活はいまだコロナ禍の生活のみですが、ありがたいことにハワイでの生活が充実しており、もうすぐ一年を迎えようとしていることに驚きます。
さて、私ごとですが、今年の3月に父方の祖母がお浄土へ還りました。97歳で、世に言う「大往生」でした。コロナ禍ではありますが、なんとか日本へ帰国させていただくことができ、葬儀に参列することができました。私の家族は(次のページに続く)

Calling Names (cont’d from p. 1)

opportunity to think about things I had
never thought about before. Perhaps
there was a wish for me to grow up
without shame as her only grandchildand the successor to the temple that
she had supported with utmost care.
I didn’t want to just live in the temple
without experiencing anything andI thought I was looking outward in
my own way, but after seeing mygrandmother’s funeral, I realized that
it was just my own conceited thinking
and actions.
When my grandmother passed
away, everyone took all possible
measures to prevent the spreadof the corona disease, and many
people came to pay their respects. Iwas very surprised. When a person
passes away at that age, it is not
unusual in today’s Japan for thefuneral to be almost a mere formality,
as there are few people who knew
the person. The funeral told me how

名前を呼ぶということ (前ページより続く)
祖母・父・私と親子三代にわたり全員が一人っ子です。母はお寺ではない商売人の大家族で育ち、岡田家に嫁いできてくれました。そのため、生活環境の違いに、嫁いで40年経つ今も戸惑うことがあるそうです。そんな祖母ですが、大正13年生まれで、生まれてから亡くなるまで、ほとんどの時間を願正寺（私の生まれたお寺です）で過ごしました。一人っ子というのは、社会へ出てよほど大きな荒波にでものまれない限り、世間からの情報にとても疎くなってしまいがちだな、と私は感じて過ごしてきました。そのため祖母のことを、岡田家という一家のことを、時代が止まっている家庭だと思っていました。祖母は世間知らずで、お恥ずかしながらバカにしていたこともありました。あまり多くを語らない人でしたが、かと言って決して優しいおばあちゃんでもなく、幼少期の頃からよく叱られていたため、「なんやこの口うるさいおばあさんは。みんなおばあちゃんは優しくて好きって言っているのに私のおばあちゃんは全然優しくない」と文句を言っていたことを覚えています。そのためか、次第に祖母のいうことは聞かなくなり、頑固婆さんだとさえ思っていました。外面はいいくせに家族にはなんて厳しいんだ！と2

my grandmother had supported thetemple through her steady efforts
rooted in the community. However,my grandmother, whom I thought
was naive to the world, was widely
known to the public and had a strong
character image as the Obā-chan of thetemple. When I saw this, I realized how
arrogant and foolish I had been.
Now that she is gone, I remember
more clearly the way my grandmotherput her hands together to the Altar,Gohonzon, which I did not pay muchattention to when she was alive. Shewas always quietly putting her hands
together in Gasshō and chanting theNembutsu. She always welcomedvisitors to the temple with a smile andsaid, “Hello, welcome here.” When I
think about whether or not I can dothat now, the answer is that I can’t.
Have I ever put my hands together inGasshō to the Altar like she did? Have
I called out Amida Buddha’s name,“Namu-Amida-Butsu”? The fact thatmy grandmother called my name a lot

makes me think that it was a natural
thing for her to do, oozing from thisdaily life of Nembutsu.
When I speak at memorial services, Ioften tell people that “the deceased areteaching us.” This time, having actuallyexperienced my own grandmother’s
death, I felt that it was finally a wordthat could come from me. However,as time goes by, the feelings that I am
feeling now will be forgotten. Therefore,
I realize how important the Buddhist
rituals like memorial services are, andhow important it is to pay a visit to thetemple to confirm that there are manythings that the deceased have taught us
in the present.
Once I realized how well mygrandmother had done her job, eventeaching us after her death, and that
her way of life was teaching us who
are living now, I realized that I shouldbe even more grateful for the life I
have now.
In Gasshō,
Rev. Akiko Okada

思っていました。しかし、晩年年老いていくにつれ、そして私が渡米して以降は特に私のことを気にかけてしょっ
ちゅう私の名前を口にしていたそうです。祖母からそれほど気にかけてもらっている自覚が全くありませんでした
が、名前を呼ばれるということは、今まで考えなかったことを考えさせられるいい機会だと気が付きました。祖母にとっては唯一の孫であり、祖母が何よりも大切に守ってきたお寺の継承者として恥じないように育ってほしい、という願いがかけられていたのかもしれません。私は、何も経験しないま
まにただお寺に安住するのは嫌だと思い、自分なりに外へ外へと目を向けていたつもりでしたが、祖母の葬儀の様子を見て、それは自分だけの驕った考えと行動だったと気が付きました。ご門徒の方だけでなく実に大勢の地域の方々が、97歳にもなる祖母のお葬儀に参列してくださいました。それは、いかに祖母が地域に根ざした地道な努力をしてお寺を支えてきたかを物語っていました。私たちは、生きる方向は同じであっても、道のりは様々あっていいと思います。祖母と私は、生きる方向は同じでも生き方や時代は大きく異なります。生前はあまり気にも留めていなかった、祖母が御本尊に手を合わせる姿が、亡くなった今、より鮮明に思い出されます。いつも心静かに合掌し、お念仏を唱えていました。いつでもお寺に来る方々を「よぉお越し」と笑顔で迎え入れていました。果たして今の私にそれができるかどうか考えてみると、考える必要もないほどに、できない、という答えが出ます。祖母のように御本尊に手を合わせたことがあるのか。南無阿弥陀仏と、阿弥陀如来の名を呼んでいるのか。祖母が私の名前をたくさん呼んでくれたことは、こうした日々のお念仏の生活からにじみでている、祖母にとってはごく自然なことだったのではないか、と思わされることです。
どうしてもいつでも会えると思っている時には気がつかないことはあります。しかし、そろそろ49日の法要をお迎えするにあたり、改めて祖母がいまを生きる私たちに、仏となって教えてくれていることはなんなのかを考えます。それは人それぞれ異なることだと思います。それぞれが故人とのかかわりのなかで、今を生きる私たちにヒントのようなもの、時には厳しい戒めのようなことの場合もあるでしょうが、教えてくれています。法要をお勤めするとき、日々御本尊に手をあわせるときなどのふとした瞬間に、いただいた命を生かされているありがたさを感じながら、皆様とともにお念仏の生活を送りたいと思います。
合掌岡田在子and , tol on theNews

Betsuin Wireless
Itadakimasu! Calling for otoki
recipes for 2022 District calendar

Betsuin volunteers cleaned the Ehime Maru Memorial at Kakaako Waterfront Park on
Apr. 21 and paid tribute to the nine who lost their lives in the tragic accident off Oahu.

Ehime Maru accident victims
and other seafarers rememberedWith ten in our Betsuin ohana
pitching in, our cleaning of the Ehime
Maru Memorial overlooking the Pacificat Kakaako Waterfront Park wascompleted in short order. The cleaning
was followed by a short service.
As gentle, rhythmic waves lapped
the shore, the chanting of Tanbutsuge
and offering of incense brought tomind the memory of the nine whodied in the tragic Ehime Maru collision,as well as the countless others whoperished in the far reaches of the Pacific.
Retreating to a shady picnic tablefor otoki of musubi and green tea, wereconnected, for some after more thana year. What do folks who haven’t seen
each other for a year talk about? Hereit was mostly about things like where
one might find the “HI-5¢” recycling
info on aluminum cans.
Amidst the pandemic of the century,
it was reassuring to discover that life
went on without missing a single beat.

Main temple building entranceprocedures and hours modified
When visiting the temple before
9 am, you may find that the security
entrance gate to the temple building
from the parking lot may be locked.
Please call the temple phone number,which is posted at the entrance, forhelp in entering the building.
We’ve temporarily adopted extra
security precautions to minimize
trespassing and loitering on thepremises by unauthorized persons.
We’re hopeful that once we resume ourregular temple activities, the situation
will resolve itself.
Again, if you’d like to see a minister,
visit the columbarium or have otherbusiness to conduct at the temple,
please feel free to call the temple officeat (808) 531-9088 and someone will
come out to assist you.
During the Memorial Day weekend,
the entrance will remain open from 7 am
to 5 pm to facilitate bringing floral
offerings to the columbarium.

Otoki meals have been a Buddhist
tradition since early times. Besides
nourishing our bodies, during otoki
we reflect on our interconnectedness
and interdependence, and express
our gratitude to all who had a handin the meal, including those whoshared their recipes.
Many otoki favorite recipes werepassed down through generations,
adapted to available ingredients andlocal tastes, and often shared amongfujinkai members. Our plan is togather as many of the favorite recipesof past generations as possible andpublish them in our 2022 Hawaii
District calendar as part of the historyof Higashi Hongwanji’s legacy toshare with future generations.
Different generations of temple
members may recall different otoki
potluck favorites, and we’d like toinclude as many as we can. Somepopular dishes went on to become
temple bon dance specialties as well.
So whether your recipes are fortemple classics, such as chicken hekka,pork tofu, dangojiru and nishime, or for
nostalgic “school-kine” baked
spaghetti, Spanish rice and dessert
otoki favorites or some other crowdpleaser, please share them with us!
Feel free to get in contact with us
via email at betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
or by calling 531-9088. Or you send
recipes to Rev. Steve Toyoshima at
the Betsuin by mail.

A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors
May We Gather is the first national Buddhist memorial service in responseto anti-Asian violence. The ceremony will be livestreamed from our sister
Higashi Betsuin in Los Angeles, which was vandalized earlier this year. The
event will bring together Asian American Buddhists and their allies to heal incommunity together. You’ll find more info about the May We Gather event at
https://www.maywegather.org/
Watch the free livestreamed event starting at 12 noon (Hawaii time) on
Tues., May 4, at https://www.maywegather.org/livestream

3

Virtual Local Dharma GatheringFrom Honolulu
D a t e :Saturday, May 15, 2021

T i m e :10:00 am to 11:30am

P l a c e :Online via Zoom
Rev. Noriaki Fujimori (Palolo Hongwanji)

T h e m e :Let Us Discover the Joy of Living: -Living in Uncertainty-

We wish to invite you to the 2021 Higashi Honganji Hawaii District
Local Dharma Gathering. We will invite Rev. Noriaki Fujimori, theresident minister of Palolo Hongwanji as our guest speaker. Usually
we do this Gathering at each temple but this year we will have TWO
gatherings broadcast from Honolulu (Hawaii Betsuin) and Hilo (HiloHigashi Hongwanji) via Zoom. Both gatherings are open for all ofthe members of our Hawaii District. Let us gather and listen to theDharma online!
Please send your completed application form to the Hawaii District Office.
1685 ALANEO ST., HONOLULU, HI 96817 / HAWAIIKANTOKUBU@GMAIL.COM

Once we receive your registration, we’ll Email the Zoom Link to you before the gathering.
Donations are Welcome! PAYABLE to HIGASHI HONGANJI HAWAII DISTRICT(We only accept checks. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

NAME:

CONTACT NUMBER:
E-MAIL ADDRESS:YOUR TEMPLE:

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

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

Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...
t5IF.FBOJOHPG$BMMJOH/BNFTp. 1t 名前を呼ぶということ p. 1t News on the Betsuin Wireless p. 3
t Ehime Maru remembered p. 3t Temple entrance hours modified p. 3t Itadakimasu! Calling for recipes p. 3t.BZ8F(BUIFS ceremony p. 3t Virtual Local Dharma Gathering p. 4t Acknowledgments p. 5t May shōtsuki memorial service p. 5tTemple activities calendar p. 6Temple Activities Calendar
JUNEMAY
5/2 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service - Facebook Live
Dharma message: Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
5/2 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism discussion - Zoom
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
5/15 Sat 10 am Local Retreat: Living in Uncertainty- Zoom
Guest speaker: Rev. Noriaki Fujimori
5/16 Sun 10 am Shinran Shōnin birthday service - Tanjō-eFacebook 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 Live5/30 Sun 10 am All Wars Memorial service - Facebook LiveWEEKLY SUNDAY SERVICES: For the health and safety ofour Betsuin ohana, in-person attendance at Sunday services
is temporarily limited. We highly suggest you view ourlivestreamed Sunday services on our public Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/HigashiHongwanjiMission

Wed 5:30 pm Karaoke Night at the Betsuin - Zoom
Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service - Facebook Live
Dharma message: Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
6/6 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism discussion - ZoomとZoom ー ン
led by Rinban Kenjun Kawawata in Japanese
6/7 Mon 10 am Meditation Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
6/8 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
6/8 Tue 6 pm The Larger Sutra study class (English) - Zoom
6/13 Sun 10 am Sunday service - Facebook Live
6/13 Sun 11:30 am Betsuin board meeting - Zoom
6/17 Thu 6 pm Okō/Tea time gathering - Zoom
6/20 Sun 10 am Father’s Day family service - Facebook Live
6/22 Tue 3 pm Ukulele band practice - Zoom
6/27 Sun 10 am Local Retreat: Living in Uncertainty- Zoom
Guest speaker: Rev. Kazuya Miyoshi (Hilo)No service at Betsuin
6/28 Mon 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service - FB Live
6/2
6/6

In Remembrance

Memorial Day - Mon., May 31
Special Memorial Day weekend hours:
Sat - Mon, May 29 - 31: 7 am - 5 pm