Above the heavenand below the heaven,
I am the only noble
one.

Hanamatsuri:‘wa’

The Celebration of Buddha’s Birthharmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

4April 2016

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
President: Faye Shigemura
Vice President: Jonathan Tani
Secretary: Debra Saiki
Treasurer: Edmund Nakano
Asst. Sec’y & Auditor: Ken Saiki
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Minister: Koen Kikuchi
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 Saiki

It’s already April. My, how time flies! We’re done with attending all theNew Year shinnenkai banquets and finally have gotten used to writing“2016” on our checks, and now we’re already into the 2nd quarter of thenew year!
This month we observe Hanamatsuri and celebrate Buddha’s birth bydecorating a Hanamido altar with flowers and pouring
sweet tea over his statue. This is one sign that spring
has come. This is also a time to celebrate our own birthand life, and think about the meaning of birth and life.
It is said that when Buddha was born, he walked
seven steps and said, “Above the heaven and below
the heaven, I am the only noble one.”
You may be thinking, “Hmm, usually babies don’t
walk and talk when they are born.“ Well, I really don’t
Rinban Kenjun Kawawata
think that Buddha walked and talked at birth either, butsince Buddha was a great teacher for everyone, people who listened andfollowed his teaching probably enhanced the extent of his achievement.
Walking seven steps means to achieve the purpose of life. Andsaying, “Above the heaven, below the heaven, I am the only noble one”
means, “I received precious life.” It is very hard to receive the human life.
In the Three Treasures, the universal time-honored way we affirm ourcommitment to the Buddhist life, we recite, “Difficult is it to receive life inhuman form.” Representing all human beings and all life, Buddha said,“Above the heaven, below the heaven, I am the only noble one.” So eachone of the lives has a same quality as Buddha’s life and each one of ourlives is precious and important.
Our life is precious because we get only one chance to live life rightnow. There are no other chances. What’s more, no one else can haveyour life. You cannot exchange your life for another. Each individual life
is unique. You are the only one who can live your life, and it can only belived right now, not at some other time. That’s why your life is precious(cont’d on p. 2))BXBJJ#VEEIJTU$PVODJM#VEEIB%BZBOE#FUTVJO)BOBNBUTVSJ+PJOU4FSWJDF
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street (corner N. Kuakini St.)
Refreshments at Otani Center immediately following the service.
Food collection to assist homeless/houseless.

Hanamatsuri (cont’d from p.1)

and important. Just as important,
we must realize that other lives are
precious and important, too. We
have to respect each other.
In the Larger Sutra, Buddha said
that “Immersed in lust and craving,
human beings in this world areborn alone and die alone. Departalone and arrive alone. From
here, their actions lead towards adestination that is a place of neither
pain or pleasure---each individual
must experience this by himself, noone else can take his place.”

Buddha said that we are born
alone and die alone, and yourkarma leads your life, pain orpleasure. Nobody else takes yourplace. No one else can have yourlife. You cannot exchange your lifefor another. Each individual life isunique. You are the only one whocan live your life.
You might think that you havefamily and friends, so you are notliving alone. But each individual
has to experience his own life. Even
though we live together, we havedifferent experiences and feelings inour daily lives. So our individual lives
are different, unique and precious.
We are responsible for our own lives.
No one can take responsibility forlicnuoCtsihdd
Hawaii Bu

your life. You cannot depend on
anyone or anything.
We received a precious life andwe will die sometime in the future.
Then what is the meaning of birthand life?
The celebration of birth is not
only the celebration of the birth of
one person who lived in history. The
celebration of birth is a time to think
about the meaning of birth and life.
The celebration of Buddha’s
birth is an expression of our joy
in being able to encounter theteachings of the Buddha. Let usreflect on the Buddha’s life and histeachings in our own lives.
In Gassho,Rinban Kenjun Kawawata

2016 BUDDHA DAY

PHOTO CONTEST
Theme: “Friends”

Photo should capture Buddhist messages such as non-violence,
harmony, mutual respect, and interdependence.

To EnterStep 1
Take a photo.
Step 2
Please use your name in the photo’s file name that you will attachand send.
Step 3
Then, please email your photo to aloha.hbc@gmail.com with yourname, age, telephone number, and temple name. (Children underthe age of 10 must have parental approval to participate.)• O ly o e e try per perso ill e o sidered.
• All e tries ill e displayed at Higashi Ho g a ji Ha aii Betsui April• The photo ust e take y the su iter.
• Ha aii Buddhist Cou il reser es all rights to the photos su ited.

Deadline: April 1, 20162

- ,Friends Photo Awards:
President's Award
Gold Award
Silver AwardBronze Award.

Hawaii Buddhist Council

Buddha Day Service
in commemoration of the Buddha's Birth

Date: Sunday, April 10, 2016
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo St., Honolulu, HI 96817

Speaker: Mrs. Chizuko Endo
Co-Founder of Taiko Center of the Paciic

Entertainment:Japanese court music and dance(Hawaii Gagaku Society)Children’s songs and performance s

HBC Buddha Day Food Drive 2016
Let’s help the Homeless/Houseless to be able to say,
“Itadakimasu” and “Gochisosama deshita.”
Please bring your donation to the Buddha Day Service. Recommended are nonperishable food items like canned goods, rice, spaghetti ingredients, past , cornstarch, cooking ingredient and so forth. Thank you for your ana.

Light refreshments will be served o otc .

Please call 522-9200 or 531-9088
for more info mation

Hawaii Buddhist Council
1727 Pali Hwy , Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 522-9200

3

News on theRev. Thomas Okano makes a point at theSpring Ohigan service held March 20.

'PSNFS)POQBCJTIPQTQFBLTBU#FUTVJO4QSJOH0IJHBOTFSWJDF
Rev. Thomas Okano addressed
members and visitors attending theSpring Ohigan service March 20. Rev.
Okano is a former bishop of Honpa
Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii and apast director of the Buddhist Study
Center at the University of Hawaii.
Following the service, he joined
attendees at the Otani Center forlunch and fellowship and enjoyed
our traditional annual botamochi
Spring Ohigan treat.

&WFSZUIJOHZPVBMXBZTXBOUFEUPLOPXBCPVU.VTMJN +FXJTI )JOEVBOE$ISJTUJBOCFMJFGT*(*but were afraid to ask)
Why do many Christians and others
feel that terrorism is part of the Muslim
culture and rooted in the Koran?
What is it about the Hebrew religion
that has resulted in Jews being
persecuted through the centuries?
With Hinduism and Buddhism
sharing common origins in northen
India, what makes them so different?
Coming up in June is a series ofDharma Study Center lectures to help
give us a better understanding of theworld’s major religions.
Dr. George Tanabe, Professor
Emeritus, Department of Religion,
University of Hawaii-Manoa, will4

Betsuin Wirelessshare his knowledge gained fromteaching religion and Buddhist
philosophy over 28 years. The lectures
are designed to help you understandthe different belief systems by focusing
on the holy scriptures of each religion.
Here are the dates so that you canmark your calendars now!
5VFT +VOF)JOEV4DSJQUVSFTthe Upanishads
and the Bhagavad Gita
8FE +VOF+FXJTI4DSJQUVSFThe Hebrew Bible
5IV +VOF$ISJTUJBO4DSJQUVSFThe New
Testament'SJ +VOF
*TMBNJD4DSJQUVSFThe Koran
The lectures are tentatively
scheduled for 7:00 - 8:30 pm at theHigashi Hongwanji Betsuin main hall.
Light refeshments will be served
immediately folowing the Q&A period.
Additional details are forthcoming.

English subtitles. Free admission. All
welcome to attend. Feel free to bringyour own snacks or enjoy the lightrefreshments we supply.
トウキョウ ソナタの子
よものののよののののもよのののの"QSJMTNPWJFJTiBXFJOTQJSJOH
BOEFOUISBMMJOHwTokyo Sonata
In the Sasaki home, Ryuhei Sasaki(Teruyuki Kagawa) goes to work as atypical salaryman. The mother, Megumi(Kyoko Koizumi), is your typicalhousewife. Youngest son Kenji (KaiInowaki) goes to school and takes
karate lessons. Meanwhile, older son
Taka Sasaki (Yu Koyanagi) is still
looking for his place in life. Within thisaverage Tokyo area family, dark lies andunhappiness fester in the fringes.
Ryuhei loses his job, but is unable
to tell his wife the truth. Kenjiexperiences bullying at school andsecretly takes piano lessons rather than
the karate lessons his parents pay for.
Housewife Megumi lacks something in
her life. Taka decides to join the U.S.
Army. How far will the Sasaki family
go to hide their lies?
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa,Tokyo Sonata won Best Film at theAsian Film Awards and the Jury Prize atthe Cannes Film Festival in 2008.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., April 26.
119 min. Color. Japanese audio,よものの)月Spring and April naturally bringflowers to mind. We decorate
baby Buddha’s hanamido altar
with a variety of flowers during ourHanamatsuri celebration of his birth.
The word “April” itself is fromthe Latin aprire, “to open,” referringto the opening of flowers. Even theclassic Japanese name for April,uzuki (卯月) means “the month ofunohana,” a deutzia flower.
Sakura are at their wondrous glory
at this time through most of Japan. The
centuries-old tradition of hanami, orcherry blossom viewing, is still a favorite
pastime today, and why wouldn’t it be,with not only the exquisite blossoms togaze at but often accompanied by lotsof food, drink and merriment?
At the more popular sakura viewing
spots in Japan’s big cities, you’ll often
see blue plastic tarps spread out under
the trees from early in the morning. The
areas are being reserved for hanami
parties after work later in the day.
One can imagine that the hanami
custom was originally an aristocratic
pursuit, when nobles would sip finesake, view the delicate falling petals,
contemplate life and compose poetry.
The Buddhist priest Ryokan
must’ve been similarly inspired when
he wrote this haiku:
散 桜
Chiru sakura,
残 桜も Nokoru sakura mo
散 桜
Chiru sakura
Falling cherry blossoms
Remaining cherry blossoms will
also become
Falling cherry blossoms.
In other words, every living thing
will die sooner or later. The first time I
heard this poem was at a funeralservice conducted by Rev. Hiromi
Kawaji of Aiea Hongwanji some 15years ago, and I recall being touchedby its simplicity and quite impressedby its profoundness at the same time.
From the raucous celebratingthat goes on at many cherry blossom
viewing parties, you may get theViewing cherry blossoms is a national pastime in Japan, where family, friends and co-workers
gather to celebrate the advent of spring. The revelry often continues through the evening hours.
impression that the hanami revelers
just might be more interested ineating, drinking and socializing
than in admiring the beauty of theblossoms. The saying, Hana yori
dango (花よ 団子), or “Dumplingsrather than flowers,” aptly describes
this kind of preference of practical,material benefit over aesthetics.
While the sakura surely takes center
stage at this time of year, let’s not forget
the talented supporting cast of flowersthat are crowd-pleasers on their own.
The Japanese plum (梅), or ume,
bloom before the sakura, and comewith a sweet fragrance as a bonus.

TProviding a nice contrast to thesakura, and strutting their stuff about
the same time, are the bright yellow
rape blossoms (菜の花), or nanohana.
The elegant hanging wisteria (藤),or fuji, are a sight to behold, and boast
a heavenly scent to boot.
After the cherry blossoms fall,the various shades of azaleas (躑躅),or tsutsuji, bring a colorful change ofscenery to gardens and parks.
Of course, we have our beautiful
flowers in Hawaii, too. Having blossoms
year-round may tend to spoil us and we
often forget to count our own blessings.
— Ken Saiki$BMMGPSi"5BTUFPG%BOBwEPOBUJPOJUFNT

he Goenki Banquet Committee isexcited to announce “A Taste ofDana,” our Higashi Hongwanji Hawaii
District fundraiser in conjunction withour 750th anniversary observance ofShinran Shonin’s passing to be held
this fall at the Ala Moana Hotel.
If you haven’t already marked yourcalendar for Sat., Nov. 5, for the Goenki
banquet, do it now, as you won’t want
to miss this opportunity to share andnetwork with other sangha friends.
“A Taste of Dana” will showcase
donated items to be sold at thebanquet for $5 each, similar to ¥500
“one-coin markets” in Japan.
All temples are encouraged toparticipate by creating handicrafts,cards, jams, cookies, salt seasoning orother non-perishable items to be soldfor $5. Sorry, perishable items that

won’t stand up to heat or needrefrigeration cannot be accepted.
All proceeds from the sale will bedonated to the Hawaii District’s“Helping Fukushima Children toRecover” youth respite care project.
If you have questions, pleasecontact Charlann Nakamoto at
DIBSMBOOOBLBNPUP!HNBJMDPNorcall her at 247-5089.

Proceeds from the benefit bazaar will help
support the Fukushima Children project.

5PLEASE PLAN ON JOINING US AT THE LA CONVENTION!
A great opportunity to meet with Dobo followers from other countries,including Japan and North & South America. Hurry, deadline to registerfor this sure-to-be-memorable gathering is Friday, April 29, 2016!

Here’s our itinerary for the Dobo Convention in LA (August 26-29):
DAY 1: August 26 (Friday) Honolulu to Los Angeles (Dinner)• Depart HNL 6:30 am via United 1231, arrive LAX 3:37 pm• Transfer to Hilton Los Angeles Universal CityDAY 2: August 27 (Saturday) Los Angeles (Breakfast/lunch/dinner)• 12th Dobo Convention Day 1• Welcome dinner
DAY 3: August 28 (Sunday) Los Angeles (Breakfast/lunch)• 12th Dobo Convention Day 2• Visit Little Tokyo, Japanese American National Museum,Los Angeles temple• Memorial service
DAY 4: August 29 (Monday) Los Angeles to Honolulu (Breakfast)• Depart hotel 9:00 am• Depart LAX 1:00 pm United 1431, arrive HNL 3:44 pm
Price: $1,819 per person, double occupancy (as of 3/25/16)

With Las Vegas extension option (August 29-31):
DAY 4: August 29 (Monday) LAX to LAS (Breakfast)• Depart hotel 9:00 am• Depart LAX 1:50 pm United 531, arrive LAS 3:07 pm• Transfer to Monte Carlo Resort & Casino• Free at leisure
DAY 5: August 30 (Tuesday) Las Vegas (Breakfast)• Free at leisure
DAY 6: August 31 (Wednesday) Las Vegas to Honolulu (Breakfast)• Depart hotel 9:30 am• Depart LAS 12:30 pm United 486, arrive SFO 2:04 pm• Depart SFO 4:05 pm United 73, arrive HNL 6:33 pm
Price: $2,116 per person, double occupancy (as of 3/25/16)
A $300 non-refundable deposit is required at time of booking.
Please call 531-9088 for more information.

66

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo StreetHonolulu, Hawaii 96817

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

Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...
t)BOBNBUTVSJ#VEEIBTCJSUIp. 1t )#$QIPUPDPOUFTUp. 2t )#$#VEEIB%BZTFSWJDF p. 3t /FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTp. 4t %S5BOBCFMFDUVSFTDIFEVMFp. 4t"QSJMNPWJF Tokyo Sonata p. 4t花øPXFST p. 5t A Taste of DanaGVOESBJTFSJUFNTp. 5t UI8PSME%PCPHBUIFSJOHp. 6t "DLOPXMFEHNFOUTp. 7t 4IPUTVLJMJTUJOHp. 7
t5FNQMFBDUJWJUJFTDBMFOEBSp. 8

Temple Activities Calendar
APRIL
4/3
4/10

4/12
4/14
4/17
4/17
4/19
4/24
4/24
4/26
4/26
4/28

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday school
Sun 10 am HBC Buddha Day andBetsuin Hanamatsuri service
Joint Hawaii Buddhist Council service
held at Betsuin hondo (main hall)
Refreshments at Otani Center
Food collection for homeless/houselessTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara Conference RoomThu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study classled by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara Conference RoomSun 10 am Sunday service & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Sun 10 am Sunday service & Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Crafting class
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Tokyo Sonata (2008)
Fukuhara Conference RoomThu 10 am Shinran Shonin memorial service

MAY
5/1
5/1
5/8
5/8

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service &Sunday schoolSun 12 pm Jimmy’s Car Care class
Fukuhara Conference RoomSun 10 am Mother’s Day family service &Sunday school
Otoki lunch prepared by temple men
Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
現代語で仏教を聞こう

led by Rinban Kawawata in JapaneseUkulele class/band practice
ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara Conference Room
10 am Shinran Shonin Birthday service &Sunday school
12 pm Betsuin board meeting
7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
10 am Sunday service & Sunday school
3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
6:30 pm Movie night: Fires on the Plain (1959)
10 am Shinran Shonin memorial service
10 am All Wars Memorial service &Sunday school

5/10 Tue 3 pm
5/12 Thu 7 pm
5/15 Sun515
5/17
5/22
5/24
5/24
5/28
5/29

Sun
TueSun
Tue
TueSatSun

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.