Sharing the Joy of Living
Rev. Hidesato Kita

A‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

11November 2018

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii
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
Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
Rev. Koen Kikuchi
Rev. Hidesato Kita
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Asst. Sec’y & Auditor: Ken Saiki
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: betsuin@hhbt-hi.org
Website: 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 Saiki

ugust and September were especially hectic months for me, both in
my official duties as Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii District minister and mypersonal life. Between my responsibilities for organizing a statewide district
meeting and making preparations for a Hawaii District Hoonko gathering andservice and arrival of our associate abbot from Japan, I was making trips backand forth between Hawaii and Japan and Los Angeles, too. At times I had tostop to think about where I actually was!
I had gone back to Japan in August to help my home temple with Obonfor five days. Three days after returning to Hawaii, I
received the news that my grandmother had passed
away. It seemed impossible, because I had just beenwith her and she was fine! When I returned to Japan toattend my grandmother’s funeral service and saw her
body in the temple, I finally realized that it was true.
Grandmother had passed away.
Because I am a minister, I am comfortable talking
about death. So, I would like to share my feelings about
my grandmother’s funeral with you.
As I viewed her body, many memories came to me.
Rev. Hidesato Kita
When I was child, my grandmother took me out to eat
and we’d go shopping together. She visited me in Kyoto when I entered theHonzan, in Oita when I was a university student and many other times. Sheloved any excuse to travel. She even came to see me last May in Hawaii. That
was her last overseas trip.
For me, I can honestly say that I only made one special trip just to see mygrandmother. That trip was for her funeral.
When I last saw my grandmother, I was very busy with my temple’s Obonservices. I told my grandmother that I would see her again in October whenI returned for our Hoonko observance. I always assumed she would have a“tomorrow.” Then, Rennyo’s letter, “On White Ashes” came to mind:“When we deeply meditate on the transient nature of this world, we realize
with sorrow that life is fleeting. It is like an illusion from beginning to end. Thus
(cont’d on p. 2)

白骨の御文
北 秀慧 師
今年の８月１１日から１５日までの間、お盆の手伝いのため帰省しておりましたが、ハワイに到着してから３日が過ぎた１８日の朝に家族から祖母の訃報が届きました。高
校から実家を出て１５年程一緒に暮らしてないこともあり、連絡を受けた後も祖母が亡くなったという実感が全くなく、日本に帰るため航空券の手配をしながら、また祖母に会えるのではないかとさえ思っておりました。お通夜の日に初めて祖母と対面すると亡くなったということ少しずつ感じ、過去のことを思い出しました。一緒に住んでいた頃は、よく食事や買い物に出かけ、高校で京都、大学では別府に行った時は、旅行といって会いに来てくれました。また、今年の５月には勤務先のハワイまで叔母と一緒に旅行で訪れてくれました。こうして考えると一緒に住んでいる時も離れて暮らしている時も祖母はいつも私のことを気にかけてくれていたのに私が祖母に会うために帰ってくることは祖母の葬儀が初めてだと思いました。
お盆に実家へ帰った日に挨拶だけし、お盆中は忙しくあまり会話をすることがありませんでした。帰る日に「また１０月の報恩講に帰ってくる」と言って家を出てきました。亡くなる当日まで元気でしたので、その時は祖母に会うのがこれで最後になるとは夢にも思っておらず、もう少し話をすればよかったと思いましたが、蓮如上人の白骨の御文では、人生は儚く、幻のような生涯。
「それ、人間の浮生なる相をつらつら観ずるに、おおよそはかなきものは、この世の始中終、まぼろしのごとくなる一期なり。されば、いまだ万歳の人身をうけたりという事をきかず。一生すぎやすし。いまにいたりてたれか百年の形体をた(次のページに続く)

Sharing the joy of living (cont’d from p. 1)
we do not hear of anyone living ten thousand years.
Life passes quickly. Who among us can live a hundredyears? Will I die first, or will my neighbor? Will it be today,or will it be tomorrow? We do not know. The people weleave behind and the people who go before us, are more
numerous than dewdrops that rest briefly on leaves
and branches. Hence, I may have a radiant face in themorning, but in the evening, become no more thanwhite ashes. With the coming wind of impermanence,these eyes will eventually close, and this breath will be
forever still. This radiant face will drain of life, its vibrantglow will disappear. Family and friends may gather andgrieve broken-heartedly, but to no avail. Nothing canbe done, except to take this once familiar form to an
outlying field. There, in the midnight smoke, it vanishes,and nothing is left but white ashes. How pitifully sad.
Impermanence in this world creates a condition ofuncertainty for young and old alike. Therefore, let us
immediately take to heart the true nature of this world,and from here after live a life of deep reflection guided by
the words Namu Amida Butsu.
Respectfully,
I understand these words a little better now, but notcompletely. I understand that I don’t understand. I still
think I will always have a “tomorrow,” which means that
I am not accepting death. These are just my feelings. My
grandmother was old and I’m still young. But sometimes
death does not recognize age.
In today’s world, some families do not have traditional
funeral services. My grandmother’s very traditional
Buddhist funeral helped me to realize that she really had
passed away. A funeral service is not only for the person
who died. It is for the living, too. The person who diedteaches us that we all will die someday.
Shinran Shōnin said, “Of those who encounter thepower of the Primal Vow, not one passes by in vain.” Wechant this quote at every funeral. Again, the funeral andchanting are for the living, as well as the dead. I received
this teaching from my grandmother and her funeral. It is,at the same time, very simple and yet very difficult. Thefuneral is sad. But from the service of the one who passed
away, we learn the Dharma and share the joy of living.
October 5 was the date of my grandmother’s 49-dayservice. By coincidence, that was the date of the Hoonko
service at my home temple. Grandmother was calling mehome for this most important service and for her specialservice. While this was only my feeling, I felt it strongly.
Perhaps you attended Hōonko services at the Betsuin or
Kaneohe temple recently. If you’re on the Big Island, I’d liketo encourage you to attend the Hōonko service at our Hilotemple on Nov. 3, and back on Oahu, at Palolo Hongwanji
on Nov. 18. Both of these events will be an opportunity toshare the joy of living.
Hope to see you at the service!
Gasshou,Hidesato Kita

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白骨の御文 (前ページより続く)もつべきや。我やさき、人やさき、きょうともしらず、あすともしらず、おくれさきだつ人は、もとのしずく、すえの露よりもしげしといえり。されば朝には紅顔ありて夕べには白骨となれる身なり。すでに無常の風きたりぬれば、すなわちふたつのまなこたちまちにとじ、ひとつのいきな
がくたえぬれば、紅顔むなしく変じて、桃李のよそおいをうしないぬるときは、六親眷属あつまりてなげきかなし
めども、更にその甲斐あるべからず。さてしもあるべき事ならねばとて、野外におくりて夜半のけぶりとなしはてぬれば、ただ白骨のみぞのこれり。あわれというも中々おろかなり。されば、人間のはかなき事は、老少不定のさかいなれば、たれの人もはやく後生の一大事を心にかけて、阿弥陀仏をふかくたのみまいらせて、念仏もうすべきものなり。あなかしこ、あなかしこ。」
何度も読んでいる御文でわかった気になったつもりでも、いざ祖母が亡くなった時まで身にしみていないことを痛感しました。
また、御文の後半には人生の終わりは年齢に関係なくやってくるとおっしゃっております。祖母の死に直面して、なお自分はまだ大丈夫と思っていることに気づかされます。今回は祖母がたまたま先だっただけであり、私が先かもしれなかったということに思いを巡らさずにはいられないです。
また、最近は近親者のみで葬儀を行うことやお別れの会といった儀式を伴わない形で行われることあるようです。親しい方をなくした悲しみははかり知れず、なかなか故人と親交のある人へ連絡することが大変であり、故人を偲ぶ場さえあればいいと思うかもしれません。
もちろん故人を偲ぶことは大切なことですが、葬儀は残された私たちが教えにあう場であるのです。先ほども祖母が亡くなったということに実感が湧かなかったと言いましたが、やはり葬儀になるとそこに「死」があるということを感じさせられます。
人として生まれたからには必ず訪れる「死」を私たちはどこか忘れ、他人事のように考えておりますが、亡くなった方はそのことを私たちに教えてくださっていると思います。そのため、亡くなった方は仏であり、葬儀は亡くなった方が私たちに教えを聴聞させ仏とたらしめる場だと思います。
葬儀で読まれる和讃に「本願力にあいぬれば むなしくすぎるひとぞなき」（高僧和讃）とあります。故人に対して生前にお念仏の教えに生きたから、その人生はむなしいものではなかったと亡くなった方、そして自分自身の喪失感への慰めと考えてしまいがちですが、このことは今生きている私たちへの教えなのです。
はからずとも私たちは願われて今を生きております。しかし、現代社会を生きる中でそのことを忘れ、命を粗末にするようなことをしてしまっているかもしれません。葬儀とはそういった中で信心獲得せんと心のおこる場であるように思います。
合掌北 秀慧News on theBetsuin WirelessHarmony of Japan: Traditional for a uniquely entertaining showing.
kabuki dance meets folk music Fujima’s Harmony of Japan non-profit
An appreciative audience oftemple members and guests weretreated to a non-traditional medleyof traditional Japanese dance by
Takamasa Fujima’s Harmony ofJapan troupe on Sunday, Oct 21 atŌtani Center as part of the 150th
Gannenmono Celebration.
Fujima-sensei, a personal friendof Betsuin member Kei Tsuji, fused
together classical Japanese dancewith folk, enka and pop melodies

corporation, supported by The JapanFoundation and Agency for CulturalAffairs, Government of Japan, has helddance performances and workshops inFrance, Russia, Lithuania and Hawaii.
Nagauta shamisen artist Anju
Madoka demonstated her skill with avirtuoso performance singing minyō,Hole Hole Bushi and pop song Sukiyaki.
Fujima-sensei and his Harmonyof Japan ensemble also performedat Orvis Auditorium on Oct. 24 withthe Hawaii Gagaku Society. Betsuin
Rinban Kenjun Kawawata and Rev.
Koen Kikuchi, both accomplishedgagaku musicians, were also part of
the Orvis public performance.

Share, chat, listen and learn at our99 Lunch Bunch & Tea Time sessions

Above: Anju Madoka was an audiencefavorite with her deft minyō performance.
Below: Harmony of Japan students dance
to “Sakura, Sakura.” Takamasa Fujima also
held dance performances and workshops
at the Otani Center for us in 2014 and 2016.

The chirashi bowl was the mostpopular lunch du jour at October’s 99Lunch Bunch session. And Tea Time
was a refined bowl of matcha servedwith some omiyage confections.
Wondering what’s in store for us at
our November activity...
Coming up:
99 Lunch Bunch, Mon., Nov. 12, 12 pm
Moanalua 99 Food Court
Tea Time, Thu., Nov. 15, 7 pm
Higashi Hongwanji Betsuin
1685 Alaneo Street

Little Buddha is November movie
At our recent Hawaii District
Hoonko Gathering, Rev. Peter Hata
showed us clips from the 1994
Italian-French-British drama film,
Little Buddha, with Keanu Reeves asPrince Siddharta to spice up his “LetUs Discover the Joy Living” lecture.
For November’s movie night, we’reshowing you the whole movie.
Lama Norbu comes to Seattle
in search of the reincarnation of his
dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His searchleads him to young Jesse Conrad,
Raju, a waif from Kathmandu, andan upper class Indian girl. Together,
they journey to Bhutan where thethree children must undergo a test toprove which is the true reincarnation.
The life story of Prince Siddharta,
later known as the Buddha, is told byreading from a book over the courseof the movie, The story traces hisspiritual journey from ignorance totrue enlightenment.
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
Soundtrack was entirely composed
by Japanese pianist and composer,
Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tuesday,Nov. 27, 123 min. Color. Language:
English. Free admission. Light
refreshments, or bring to share!

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November: My Favorite MonthMy #1, all-time favorite monthof the year? Hands-down,November! What’s not to love about
November? The cooling breezes
all but erase memories of suffering
through the harrowing heat,humidity and hurricane near-missesof the past few months.
For sports fans, football fever isright at the season’s halftime anddominating the television airwaves.
Meanwhile NCAA basketball tips
off this month and diehard fans are
already looking forward to filling out
their March Madness brackets.
Shoppers are chomping at the bit
to snatch up Black Friday bargains
and Cyber Monday deals this month.
And holidays! Everybody loves
holidays, and November rules, withthe most...three this year! Sometimes
General Election Day and Veterans
Day fall in the same week for evengreater joy! Then later in the month,
there’s a whole day devoted to givingthanks, plus feasting on roast turkey
and all the familiar trimmings, suchas lup cheong stuffing, ahi limu
poke, Okinawan sweet potatoes andmacaroni salad! Lucky you live Hawaii!
Oh, and let’s not forget November is
National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month.
For me, November is special
because it’s when I celebrate mybirthday, and it’s also my favorite
month to be in Japan, with ideal
weather for traveling. If it’s not
too deep into November, chances
are there will be clear skies, mildtemperatures and very little rainfall,
and you can enjoy viewing autumn
leaves in their full pallette ofglorious colors. Japan in November
is truly awesome!
In fact, there’s only one year in thepast 15 years that I wasn’t in Japan inNovember. This year is no different. A
group of 19 of us will be traveling on asatogaeri trip, a return to our ancestral
homeland in the former district of
Takata-gun (now known as Akitakatashi) in Hiroshima. We bring flowers andoffer incense at our family gravesites
and thank our ancestors for the gift oflife. The feeling of interconnectedness
becomes very apparent as we tread
the same land our ancestors did forgenerations before us.

November photo of autumn leaves on the grounds of the Shinran Shōnin Mausoleum in
Higashiyama, Kyōtō, during a Hōonko Hoshidan trip. Our Jōdō Shinshū denomination
founder’s date of death coincides with what is considered by many to be the mostbeautiful time of year to be in Kyōtō. Note: Readers of the print version of Wa can switch
to the email version in full color at betsuin@hhbt-hi.org or view at betsuin.hhbt-hi.org.

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With the assistance of local
officials, we try to help reestablish
ties for those in our group who may
still have relatives in the area.
Our group will first visit Kyōtō andtake advantage of the JR Sanyō-San’in
Area Pass to explore the Japan Sea
coast region by train, including thesand dunes in Tottori and the inner
sanctum of Izumō Grand Shrine.
We hope that remote Tsuwano
will reward us with Instagram-worthy
shots of autumn leaves in their vividly
stunning hues, but if not, that’s OK, as
the quaint castle town is picturesqueenough in its own right. Then we board
an early Showa-era soot-spewing
steam locomotive for a two-hour rideto Shin-Yamaguchi and transfer to ashinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima.
The Bunka no Hi holiday, observedon Nov. 3, is another cool November
bonus. Many places throughout
Japan hold festivals on the Culture
Day holiday, such as the huge Karatsu
Kunchi in Saga and Hiroshima’s
Betcha Matsuri in Onomichi and Otōri
Matsuri in Jinseki-gun.
By the way, new and/or exciting
places to see in Japan is among thefavorite topics brought up at our 99
Lunch Bunch get-togethers every 2nd
Monday of the month at Moanalua 99
Food Court. At these chat sessions, wepick up lunch at one of the wide varietyof plate lunch/ethnic food stalls andgather around a table on the Watanabe
Bakery side of the food court. We talkabout our favorite things, ask questions
and hope someone can help. Miss thelast episode of a drama series? Morethan likely someone will be able to tell
you how it ended!
What is your favorite month?
Share your thoughts in a submission
to Wa, or at our 99 Lunch Bunch orevening Tea Time discussions at theBetsuin. We’d love to hear from you!
— Ken Saiki

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

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In this issue of WA...
tShare the Joy of Living p. 1
白骨の御文 p. 1t/FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTp. 3t)BSNPOZPG+BQBOLBCVLJEBODFp. 3t5FB5JNF-VODI#VODIp. 3t.PWJFOJHIULittle Buddha (1994) p. 3t/PWFNCFS.ZGBWPSJUFNPOUIp. 3t Mahalo Gozaimasu p. 5t November shōtsuki service p. 5tTemple activities calendar p. 6Temple Activities Calendar
NOVEMBER
11/4 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki service
11/5 Mon 10 am Betsuin study class
Fukuhara conference room
11/11 Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school
11/11 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
Fukuhara conference room
11/12 Mon 12 pm 99 Lunch Bunch chat session
Moanalua 99 Food Court
11/13 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara conference room
11/15 Thu 7 pm Tea Time - informal dialogue session
Fukuhara conference room
11/17 Sat 10 am MAP class
Fukuhara conference room
11/18 Sun 10 am Palolo Hōonko service(No service at Betsuin)
11/19 Mon 10 am Betsuin study class
Fukuhara conference room
11/20 Tue 3 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
11/25 Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school
11/27 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara conference room
11/27 Tue 6:30 pm Movie night: Little Buddha (1994)
Fukuhara conference room
11/28 Wed 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

64DECEMBERHBC Bodhi Day service
Higashi Hongwanji Betsuin
12/3 Mon 10 am Betsuin study class
12/9 Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school
12/9 Sun 12 pm Omigaki polishing of altar accessories
Fukuhara conference room
12/10 Mon 12 pm 99 Lunch Bunch chat session
12/11 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
12/15 Sat 10 am MAP class
12/16 Sun 10 am Shōtsuki service
12/16 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
12/16 Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
Otani Center
12/17 Mon 10 am Betsuin study class
12/18 Tue 3 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
12/20 Thu 7 pm Tea Time - informal dialogue session
12/23 Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school
12/23 Sun 11:30am Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
Kakaako Waterfront Park potluck lunch
12/28 Fri 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
12/29 Sat 9 am Oosōji - year-end temple cleaning
12/30 Sun 9 am Mochitsuki - mochi pounding
12/31 Mon 5:30 pm Year-end service - Jōya-e
Bell-tolling 108 times/toshi-koshi soba
12/2 Sun 9 amEveryone 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.

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