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U.S. POSTAGE
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Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

Dharma Study Center

Address Service Requested#JTIPQ,FO,BXBXBUB

In this issue of WA...

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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

11

November 2013

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
NOVEMBER 201311/3 Sun 10 am Shotsuki memorial service &Sunday school
11/3 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study classਠ৻ୁदบઇ॑ୂऒअ

11/5 Tue
11/7 Thu
11/9 Sat
11/10 Sun
11/12 Tue
11/12 Tue
11/14 Thu
11/17 Sun
11/17 Sun
11/24 Sun
11/26 Tue
11/26 Tue
11/30 Sat

led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
7 pm Lecture series #1 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm Lecture series #2 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
10 am Sunday service
3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
7 pm Lecture series #3 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm Lecture series #4 - Dr. George Tanabe(no ABCs of Buddhism study class)
10 am Sunday service & Sunday school
12 pm Betsuin board meeting
10 am Palolo Hongwanji Ho-on-ko service(No service at Betsuin)
3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
6:30 pm Movie night: Ikiru
1 pm Recitation circle (moved from 11/28)

DECEMBER 201312/1 Sun 10 am Shotsuki memorial service &Sunday school
12/1 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
12/8 Sun 10 am HBC Bodhi Day service
Jodo Mission of Hawaii
12/10 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
12/12 Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
12/14 Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
12/15 Sun 10 am Bodhi Day service & Sunday school
12/15 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
12/17 Tue 7 pm O-ko: dharma discussion at Kaneohe
12/22 Sun 10 am Sunday service
12/24 TueNo ukulele class or movie night
12/28 Sat 10 am Annual temple cleaning, followed by
Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
12/29 SunNo Sunday service
12/31 Tue 5 pm Year-end service (Joya-e)
1/1/14 Wed 10 am New Year service (Shusho-e)Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays) in the Betsuin Main Hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we
remain true 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
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Minister: Makoto Honda
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: hhhb@me.com
Wa is published monthly byHigashi Hongwanji Mission of
Hawaii for its members andfriends. Comments, articles andother items for publicationconsideration are welcomed.
Editor: Ken SaikiIn November 2016, Higashi Honganji Hawaii District will observe
Shinran Shonin’s 750th Memorial Service. At the same time we will
also celebrate the Hawaii Betsuin’s 100th Anniversary.
As one of the centennial commemorative services and events,
Hawaii Betsuin has established the Dharma Study Center, which will
provide many lectures and classes for the members and dharma
friends who study and learn Buddhism and Shin
Buddhism in a classroom style. Also included as
an integral part of the Dharma Study Center are
publications and training future ministers andminister’s assistants. Thus the Dharma Study
Center will have an important role for our future
and present religious educational programs.
This fall, the Dharma Study Center will present
the first lecture series on November 5th, 7th,
12th and 14th. To present the series, we invited Dr. George Tanabe,Jr., who is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religion at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He holds a B.A. degree from Willamette University, a M.Div.
(Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D.
from Columbia University. His research interests range frommedieval and modern religions in Japan to Buddhism in Hawaii, andhis books have been published by university presses at Harvard,
Princeton, Columbia and Hawaii. Most recently, he and his wife,
Willa, published Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawaii: An Illustrated
Guide (UH Press).
In 2007, he received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Award(Gaimu Daijin Shō) for the promotion of cultural understanding
between Japan and America. He is currently the President of BDK
Hawaii.
The topic for this lecture series is “Finding Harmony in Chaos.”Dr. Tanabe will present how Sakyamuni, Bimba, who is Sakyamuni’swife, Prince Shotoku and a grandmother in Hawaii find harmony andpeace in the chaos of their ordinary lives.
So in reflecting the way of their lives, we will find peace andharmony in our busy everyday lives.
I would like to invite you to attend this first lecture series andmake it as a kick-off commemoration event for Shinran Shonin’s
750th Memorial Service and our Centennial Celebration in
November 2017.
Thank you in Gassho,
Kenjun Kawawata)BXBJJ%JTUSJDUHawaii
District2014 Calendar$BMFOEBST

hose of us who are fortunate
to live in Hawaii especiallyappreciate the bounties nature has
provided us, from lush greenery,
expansive white sand beaches, clear
blue skies, year-round warm weather,pure water and a host of othernatural wonders.
Thus it’s no surprise that wechose Living in Harmony with Natureas the theme for our 2014 Higashi
Hongwanji Hawaii District calendar.
The Buddhist Statement on
Ecology from 1998 says, in part, “We
need to live as the Buddha taught
us to live, in peace and harmony

Bazaar! Bazaar! Bazaar!
Pau! Pau! Pau!
by Faye ShigemuraOf all the fundraising activities
at the Betsuin, the most laborintensive is the bazaar. It’s difficult to
cut too many corners with a bazaar.
The work starts far in advancegathering items, sorting, checking to see
if they’re in working order, and, of course,
pricing. Often we need to clean the
donated items, which is time-consuming,but most challenging task is pricing.
What one person says should sell for$10, another says $1, which is amusing
when you think about it. The $10 people
probably have an emotional attachment,
know value when they see it or are
pack rats, even with other people’s junk.
Imagine that, worrying about otherpeople’s junk! I feel their pain.
People helping with our Sept. 29

with nature, but we must start withourselves. If we are going to savethis planet we need to seek a new
ecological order, to look at the life welead and then work together for the
benefit of all; unless we work together
no solution can be found. By moving
away from self-centeredness, sharing
wealth more, being more responsible

Living in Harmony

with Nature
HIGASHI HONGWANJI
HAWAII DISTRICT

2014

fundraiser included Debra and Dennis
Saiki, John Ishikawa, Amy Ishikawa, Ken
Saiki, Alice and Joe Nunogawa, Susan
Kanemoto, Wendy Ann Kuwahara,
Joyce Masaki, Karen Kamihara, Helen
Suzuki’s granddaughter Allison, Eric
Wong, the two hard-working sisters,
Pauline and Barbara Kanehiro, whosew, knit and crochet beautiful handmade items and make greeting cards,
Bishop and Jeanne Kawawata, Rev.
Honda, Rev. Bansaka, and many, many
donors who generously took the time
to bring their gently used, no longer
needed items for donation.
There were other large events
thesame weekend, like the Senior Fair,
Makiki Christian Church bazaar, and the
Wahiawa temple bazaar, which may
have contributed to the light traffic atours. But we priced our items to sell,so buyers came, went home and cameback with friends and family. One ladycame twice, both times filling her backfor ourselves, and agreeing to live
more simply, we can help decreasemuch of the suffering in the world.”
You’ll find many examples of living
in harmony with nature in the calendar,with a short dharma message for eachmonth and illustrated by full-color
photographs mostly taken by Higashi
Hongwanji members.
February, for example, features aquote by noted Shin Buddhist educator,
Atsushi Nobukuni: ःभठ‫ؚ‬ाऩেऌैोॊसखor “All lives are precious tobe lived,” with a seedling photo by Jim
Dote of the Kaneohe temple.
We are requesting a minimum
donation to help us defray costsof printing and mailing the Hawaii
District calendar. If you would like
additional copies, please call us at the
Betsuin office at 531-9088.
seat with clothes, shoes and purses
to send back to lucky relatives in thePhilippines. One local mother with two
kids in tow went back home to bringher husband to pick out a bicycle for
their son. Neighbors from over thefence came back with more neighbors.
It was a casual, fun day, and we got
to meet more folks than in the past,when we were too busy to chat.
This year we put our bazaar on
Craigslist, as it is said to be the #1 place
nowadays to go for information about
garage sales and bazaars. We also
requested announcements on KIKUTV and KBFD. We were too late to put
in an ad for the Saturday paper but
people don’t seem to use want ads innewspapers like they did before.
Thank you, everyone, and as
always, we wouldn’t have been able
to succeed if not for all who helped
see this fundraiser to a successful end.
Domo arigato gozaimashita.

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.

.&.03*"- '6/&3"- */63/.&/5#63*"-4&37*$&
Family of Elaine Yamashita
Warren & Evelyn McKeon
James Hirakawa

Patricia Hirata
Evelyn Motoyama(0+*,"*.&.#&34)*1

Toshiyuki Higashino Michiko Otsuka
Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Fujimoto

Sandra Abelaye

Mikiko Kishida

Robert Okazaki

Jane Sagawa

Atsuko Nonaka
Agnes Matsuura

Helen Suzuki

Mel & Ida Hori

Doris Kurashige4)0546,*.&.03*"-4&37*$&
Toshiko Okuda
James Hirakawa

Henry Yoshino
Florence Sueyoshi

Faye Shigemura
Millicent Yamamoto

Ethel Fujihara
Mildred Tashiro
Debra & Dennis Saiki&*5"*,:01&31&56"-.&.03*"-4&37*$&
Ken Saiki,:0%"/%0/"5*0/(including columbarium, Otani Center and Sunday School)
Atsuko Nonaka
Iwakuni Odori Aiko Kai Evelyn Oishi
Moriso Teraoka
Obihiro Otani High School
Julian & Susan Ng
Ann Matsuura
James Hirakawa
Bertha Kawada
Kazumi & Shigeko Sasagawa
Julie Ediger
Marilyn Tan
Hawaii Blue Sky Limousine

Lawrence & Violet Inaba
Ohara Ikebana School
Jonathan Tani
Faye Garan
Mary Matsuda

0)*("/4&37*$&
Helen Suzuki
Roy Nakamoto
Tadao Iwasaki
Katherine Kurakake Eiko Yoshida
Betty Koizumi
Charlotte Tsukamoto James & Florence Hirakawa
Frances Makiyama Patricia Nitta

Debra & Dennis Saiki Peggy Arita
Harumi Fuchikami
Edith Endo
Haruo Tanida
Wallace Naito

Betty Nishida
Minato Ito-Song
Kikue Kaneshiro)00/,04&37*$&
James Hirakawa
Mary Matsuda
Violet Uyeno
Minako Ito-Song
Robert Takayama
Jane Omura
Mr. & Mrs. Yuko Oshiro Florence Kanno

Harvey Maruya
Betty Nishida
Herbert Hamada
Sharon Kawagoe
Katherine Kurakake Bertha Kawada
Charlotte Tsukamoto Alfred Bloom

George Tanabe
Harumi Fuchikami
Chieko Sugimoto
Amy AbeEleanor Urakawa
Patricia Nitta
Mr. & Mrs. Takuo Sakai
Ken Saiki

Tadao Iwasaki
Jeanne Kawawata
Takafumi Bansaka

Faye Shigemura
Debra Saiki

Ken Saiki
Peggy Arita

0.*(",*
Betty Nishida
Minako Ito
Ken Kawawata

Kei Tsuji
Atsuko Nonaka
Makoto Honda"-5"3'-03"-"33"/(&.&/54

Jonathan Tani
Dennis Saiki

Minako Ito

In Memoriam
We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the late
Karen Toshiko Asahara (72)
October 9, 2013
Our Betsuin bazaar drew a sparse but steady stream of bargain hunters to Otani Center hoping to give a second life for gently used items.

2

7

/FXTPOUIF
4VOEBZ4DIPPM6QEBUF

 We started our Sunday Service

Golden Deer Program with making
ojuzu for thechildren. The
children were busy
counting andstringing the beads
on the elastic.
Adding a cord as its
tassel completed
the ojuzu.
A big construction
paper ojuzu withphotos of thechildren and members of the temple
is on our temple bulletin board.
With Ho-on-ko behind us andThanksgiving just around the corner,
we will soon have a Shinran Shoninproject and turkeys added to ourboard.
A special thanks to Joyce Masaki,
who donated tissue, constructionO

paper, paint brushes, scissors,markers, stickers, stamps along with agift card to Barnes and Noble
Booksellers. With the gift card wewere able to purchase “The Giving
Tree,” “Rainbow Fish” and “It’s Okay To
Be Different.”

There are several Sunday schooloutings planned in the upcomig
months. They include trips to the
Honolulu Zoo and Ho’omaluhia
Botanical Garden in Kaneohe.
Sunday school classes are held on
the first and third Sundays of eachmonth, starting at 10 am with theregular service. The children are excusedfrom the service after sutra chanting.
If you have children or know ofanyone with children who may benefit
from our Sunday School program,please call us at the Betsuin office at
531-9088 for more information.

)PMJEBZ"DUJWJUJFT4DIFEVMF

A giant construction paper ojuzu adorns the
Betsuin bulletin board in the temple hallway.

ur November 3 service is our monthly shotsuki
remembrance of our temple family members who

Teruo Abe
Laurence Noriyuki Anami
Masao Fujimoto
Yoshi Hoshina Fujimoto
Kikue Fujiwara
Florence Kiyoko Fukuda
Harold Tatsumi Fukumoto
Matuye Fukunaga
James Tomaru Gono
Tadashi Harold Hanai
Shina Hane
Kameko Harakuni
Yuri N. Oi Hashimoto
James Hiromi Hashimoto
Raymond Kazuo Hirata
Tatsuo Ikeda
Matsuyo Ikejiri
Dorothy Tsuruyo Kaizuka#FUTVJO)PPOLP3FDBQ#FUTVJO8JSFMFTT

Masaru Kasuga
Patrick Otoji Kawamoto
Teiko Kawamoto
Mildred Ayako Kawamoto
Yoshino Kawatachi
Ayame KayaSumiko Lilian Kimoto
Dorothy Haruko Kohagura
Goro Koizumi
Thomas Minoru Kudo
Tomeyo Kuratani
Cindy Mitsuko Laturnau
Misao Florence Luka
Michiyo Marie Maekawa
Masahito Manabe
Grace Fusae Matsuda
Paul Isami Miyasaki
Walter Tadayoshi Moriguchi

While shotsuki services are observed every year,
special nenki hoyo memorial services are held duringcertain auspicious years. These years include the 1stanniversary, followed by memorial services for theHo-on-ko for 2013 at the Betsuin
was observed over two days:
an all-day gathering at Otani Centerkaikan on Saturday, Oct. 19, andGomanza service, which is a memorialservice for Shinran Shonin, in thehondo, or Main Hall, on Sunday.
We were honored to haveOverseas District Abbot Choyu Otani
and his wife, Satika, present for our
Ho-on-ko observance, having traveledfrom Brazil to officiate at our founder’smemorial service.
Our guest lecturer for Ho-on-ko
was Rev. Ken Yamada, Berkeley
Higashi Honganji temple minister.
Rev. Yamada studied to becomea Jodo Shinshu minister following

During the December year-end
holiday period, some of our regularmonthly activities will be suspended.
Ukulele/band practice and movie
night will not be held on Dec. 24 andno recitation circle on Dec. 28. Our
regular schedule resumes in January.

Hatsuyo Shioi
Helen Shizuko Shoji
Sueo Shojinaga
Hideo Herbert Sumiye
Hatsune Tagawa
Ellen Masako Takaoka
Hisashi Harold Tanoue
May Sueko Tasaki
Kikuyo Wada
James Kiyoshi Watanabe
Shigeo Yamamoto
Takeo Yamanuha
Koichi Yamashita
Patric Yoshio Yamura
Francis George Yonekura
Nanae Yonekura
Rick Masumi Yoshino
Ruth Kiyome Zukeran

I

Rev. Yamada discusses the Three Dharma
Seals: impermanence, non-self (oneness, orinterdependence) and Nirvana.
graduation from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, but insteadbegan a career as a writer andreporter for national publications.
Then after 17 years as a journalist, he“awakened to the truth” and returned
to his original mission in life to
become a Shin Buddhist minister.
Rev. Yamada’s presentation,“Help! I Need Buddhism Now!” waswell-received by the sangha, at least
partially because the messages werein modern-day context and easy-forus-to-understand terms, punctuatedwith humorous anecdotes andparables to simplify difficult concepts.

3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 25th, 33rd and 50th years. These
services are usually held prior to the actual anniversarydate. Please consult a minister for more information on
arranging a special service by calling 531-9088.

3

On Sunday, Rev. Yamada’s
dharma message at the Gomanza
service was an engaging andpowerful exposition on the honesty
and sincerity of Shinran, as hedescribed himself in his later years as
being different on the inside, despitewhat was fabulously presented on
the outside.
Rev. Yamada described several
more examples of how Shinran
exposed the hypocritical nature ofhimself, open for everyone to see.
There are no exceptions on the pathof awakening: everyone is student.
As an attendee of the Betsuin
Ho-on-ko 2013, for me the teaching
became a bright mirror.
— Jonathan Tani,FO:BNBEB,BNFO)FSP

passed away in November of a past year. The following
listing shows family members from the past 25 years.
Kenji Nakasone
Sayoko Nakasone
Roy Tatsuo Nakayama
Edward Yokichi Nikaido
Bessie Jueko Nishida
Kiku Nojima
Mitsuru Ogata
Shirley S. Oi
Violet Kuniko Okano
Hatsume Ono
Kimie Ono
Marian Somie Oshiro
John Rogers
Y. Sakurada
Kuwasae “Chappie” Senaha
Doris Matsuko Shimabuku
Iyono Masuoka Shimizu
Dorothy Asayo Shinbo

His insightful lectures covered
the foundation of Buddhism, inawakening, discovering truth byrealizing the impermanence ofeverything, and introspection,
looking inwards toward one’s selfand ego, rather than the usual
chasing happiness by attempting
to adjust outside conditions or
acquiring things.
This goes against the behaviorof our ego, which mightily protects
itself and takes the position of
being blameless, always right andunchanging.
Rev. Yamada repeatedly pointed
his index fingers to his temples
to remind us, “This is where it(Buddhism) happens.”4

had heard of Ken Yamada when
he was just plain ol’ Ken Yamada.
At that time, he seemed to be an
enthusiastic seeker on the Shin
Buddhist path. I’m a relatively
new student, having re-joined thetemple in 1995 to be close to mymother, whom I had recently lost at
the time and painfully missed.
So who was this Ken Yamada,always with a ready smile, who
seemed to know more about Shin
Buddhism than most? I must nothave been curious enough abouthim, as I did not make any effort tofind out more about this man. In
fact, I knew none of the ministers.
There were enough questions in mymind about Jodo Shinshu and theFour Noble Truths, not to mention
the Eight-Fold Path with Ananda
and Prince Shotoku thrown insomewhere.
This weekend, we observed
the 2013 Ho-on-ko at the Higashi
Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
Betsuin. Rev. Ken Yamada was
the invited speaker. I should haveknocked myself on the head with

my own purse. I should have kickedmyself with someone else’s shoe.
I should have given myself yard
duty for the rest of the week for not
making that extra effort to introduce
myself to him earlier when I firstheard his name. Ken impressed us
all at the Betsuin Ho-on-ko retreat.
He was such a great teacher of theDharma, and I quickly became a fan,
as I imagine others did as well.
The “pictures” Ken painted
were fresh to our ears, and his
approach was new. He spoke
words which enabled us to better
understand concepts and create ourown “pictures” to which we could
relate. Ken’s message was effectively
delivered to our American ears.
I look forward to Ken’s next
visit to Hawaii. I urge you to join us
when he comes to lecture again.
You will be inspired and convinced,
as we all in attendance this past
weekend were, that we’re headedin the right direction and need tocontinue to follow our own Jodo
Shinshu paths.
— Faye Shigemura

/FXTPOUIF
4VOEBZ4DIPPM6QEBUF

 We started our Sunday Service

Golden Deer Program with making
ojuzu for thechildren. The
children were busy
counting andstringing the beads
on the elastic.
Adding a cord as its
tassel completed
the ojuzu.
A big construction
paper ojuzu withphotos of thechildren and members of the temple
is on our temple bulletin board.
With Ho-on-ko behind us andThanksgiving just around the corner,
we will soon have a Shinran Shoninproject and turkeys added to ourboard.
A special thanks to Joyce Masaki,
who donated tissue, constructionO

paper, paint brushes, scissors,markers, stickers, stamps along with agift card to Barnes and Noble
Booksellers. With the gift card wewere able to purchase “The Giving
Tree,” “Rainbow Fish” and “It’s Okay To
Be Different.”

There are several Sunday schooloutings planned in the upcomig
months. They include trips to the
Honolulu Zoo and Ho’omaluhia
Botanical Garden in Kaneohe.
Sunday school classes are held on
the first and third Sundays of eachmonth, starting at 10 am with theregular service. The children are excusedfrom the service after sutra chanting.
If you have children or know ofanyone with children who may benefit
from our Sunday School program,please call us at the Betsuin office at
531-9088 for more information.

)PMJEBZ"DUJWJUJFT4DIFEVMF

A giant construction paper ojuzu adorns the
Betsuin bulletin board in the temple hallway.

ur November 3 service is our monthly shotsuki
remembrance of our temple family members who

Teruo Abe
Laurence Noriyuki Anami
Masao Fujimoto
Yoshi Hoshina Fujimoto
Kikue Fujiwara
Florence Kiyoko Fukuda
Harold Tatsumi Fukumoto
Matuye Fukunaga
James Tomaru Gono
Tadashi Harold Hanai
Shina Hane
Kameko Harakuni
Yuri N. Oi Hashimoto
James Hiromi Hashimoto
Raymond Kazuo Hirata
Tatsuo Ikeda
Matsuyo Ikejiri
Dorothy Tsuruyo Kaizuka#FUTVJO)PPOLP3FDBQ#FUTVJO8JSFMFTT

Masaru Kasuga
Patrick Otoji Kawamoto
Teiko Kawamoto
Mildred Ayako Kawamoto
Yoshino Kawatachi
Ayame KayaSumiko Lilian Kimoto
Dorothy Haruko Kohagura
Goro Koizumi
Thomas Minoru Kudo
Tomeyo Kuratani
Cindy Mitsuko Laturnau
Misao Florence Luka
Michiyo Marie Maekawa
Masahito Manabe
Grace Fusae Matsuda
Paul Isami Miyasaki
Walter Tadayoshi Moriguchi

While shotsuki services are observed every year,
special nenki hoyo memorial services are held duringcertain auspicious years. These years include the 1stanniversary, followed by memorial services for theHo-on-ko for 2013 at the Betsuin
was observed over two days:
an all-day gathering at Otani Centerkaikan on Saturday, Oct. 19, andGomanza service, which is a memorialservice for Shinran Shonin, in thehondo, or Main Hall, on Sunday.
We were honored to haveOverseas District Abbot Choyu Otani
and his wife, Satika, present for our
Ho-on-ko observance, having traveledfrom Brazil to officiate at our founder’smemorial service.
Our guest lecturer for Ho-on-ko
was Rev. Ken Yamada, Berkeley
Higashi Honganji temple minister.
Rev. Yamada studied to becomea Jodo Shinshu minister following

During the December year-end
holiday period, some of our regularmonthly activities will be suspended.
Ukulele/band practice and movie
night will not be held on Dec. 24 andno recitation circle on Dec. 28. Our
regular schedule resumes in January.

Hatsuyo Shioi
Helen Shizuko Shoji
Sueo Shojinaga
Hideo Herbert Sumiye
Hatsune Tagawa
Ellen Masako Takaoka
Hisashi Harold Tanoue
May Sueko Tasaki
Kikuyo Wada
James Kiyoshi Watanabe
Shigeo Yamamoto
Takeo Yamanuha
Koichi Yamashita
Patric Yoshio Yamura
Francis George Yonekura
Nanae Yonekura
Rick Masumi Yoshino
Ruth Kiyome Zukeran

I

Rev. Yamada discusses the Three Dharma
Seals: impermanence, non-self (oneness, orinterdependence) and Nirvana.
graduation from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, but insteadbegan a career as a writer andreporter for national publications.
Then after 17 years as a journalist, he“awakened to the truth” and returned
to his original mission in life to
become a Shin Buddhist minister.
Rev. Yamada’s presentation,“Help! I Need Buddhism Now!” waswell-received by the sangha, at least
partially because the messages werein modern-day context and easy-forus-to-understand terms, punctuatedwith humorous anecdotes andparables to simplify difficult concepts.

3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 25th, 33rd and 50th years. These
services are usually held prior to the actual anniversarydate. Please consult a minister for more information on
arranging a special service by calling 531-9088.

3

On Sunday, Rev. Yamada’s
dharma message at the Gomanza
service was an engaging andpowerful exposition on the honesty
and sincerity of Shinran, as hedescribed himself in his later years as
being different on the inside, despitewhat was fabulously presented on
the outside.
Rev. Yamada described several
more examples of how Shinran
exposed the hypocritical nature ofhimself, open for everyone to see.
There are no exceptions on the pathof awakening: everyone is student.
As an attendee of the Betsuin
Ho-on-ko 2013, for me the teaching
became a bright mirror.
— Jonathan Tani,FO:BNBEB,BNFO)FSP

passed away in November of a past year. The following
listing shows family members from the past 25 years.
Kenji Nakasone
Sayoko Nakasone
Roy Tatsuo Nakayama
Edward Yokichi Nikaido
Bessie Jueko Nishida
Kiku Nojima
Mitsuru Ogata
Shirley S. Oi
Violet Kuniko Okano
Hatsume Ono
Kimie Ono
Marian Somie Oshiro
John Rogers
Y. Sakurada
Kuwasae “Chappie” Senaha
Doris Matsuko Shimabuku
Iyono Masuoka Shimizu
Dorothy Asayo Shinbo

His insightful lectures covered
the foundation of Buddhism, inawakening, discovering truth byrealizing the impermanence ofeverything, and introspection,
looking inwards toward one’s selfand ego, rather than the usual
chasing happiness by attempting
to adjust outside conditions or
acquiring things.
This goes against the behaviorof our ego, which mightily protects
itself and takes the position of
being blameless, always right andunchanging.
Rev. Yamada repeatedly pointed
his index fingers to his temples
to remind us, “This is where it(Buddhism) happens.”4

had heard of Ken Yamada when
he was just plain ol’ Ken Yamada.
At that time, he seemed to be an
enthusiastic seeker on the Shin
Buddhist path. I’m a relatively
new student, having re-joined thetemple in 1995 to be close to mymother, whom I had recently lost at
the time and painfully missed.
So who was this Ken Yamada,always with a ready smile, who
seemed to know more about Shin
Buddhism than most? I must nothave been curious enough abouthim, as I did not make any effort tofind out more about this man. In
fact, I knew none of the ministers.
There were enough questions in mymind about Jodo Shinshu and theFour Noble Truths, not to mention
the Eight-Fold Path with Ananda
and Prince Shotoku thrown insomewhere.
This weekend, we observed
the 2013 Ho-on-ko at the Higashi
Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
Betsuin. Rev. Ken Yamada was
the invited speaker. I should haveknocked myself on the head with

my own purse. I should have kickedmyself with someone else’s shoe.
I should have given myself yard
duty for the rest of the week for not
making that extra effort to introduce
myself to him earlier when I firstheard his name. Ken impressed us
all at the Betsuin Ho-on-ko retreat.
He was such a great teacher of theDharma, and I quickly became a fan,
as I imagine others did as well.
The “pictures” Ken painted
were fresh to our ears, and his
approach was new. He spoke
words which enabled us to better
understand concepts and create ourown “pictures” to which we could
relate. Ken’s message was effectively
delivered to our American ears.
I look forward to Ken’s next
visit to Hawaii. I urge you to join us
when he comes to lecture again.
You will be inspired and convinced,
as we all in attendance this past
weekend were, that we’re headedin the right direction and need tocontinue to follow our own Jodo
Shinshu paths.
— Faye Shigemura‫ܬ‬ե‫ ݧإ‬Yoboseyo!)FMMP

Higashi
Missionof
ofHawaii
Hawaii
HigashiHongwanji
Hongwanji Mission
DharmaCenterDharma Study
Study CenterMy husband, Dennis, and I visited Seoul in early
September. It was hot and humid, very similar to
the weather Hawaii experienced this past summer.
Seoul is a shopper’s paradise. We visited all the
popular shopping spots in the city and my husband
estimates we walked close to 10 miles on our second
day there. Whew!
Department stores open around 10 am, and for theconvenience of incurable shopaholics, insomniacs andindecisive purchasers, some stay open until 4 am.
At a night-shopping area we went to in MyeongDong there were thousands of people and you can’t
help but bump shoulders with passers-by, but no one
seemed to mind. Depending on who was walking by at
the time, sellers would hawk their goods in Korean,Chinese, Japanese or English.
Despite a common misconception that South Korean
people aren’t friendly, we found quite the opposite to betrue. Even for a big city like Seoul, we thought the people
to be very nice. At one of the underground malls we got
into a conversation with amiable mother-and-daughter
shop owners and chatted with them for quite awhile.

Locals as well as visitors swarm the Myeong-Dong area to shop.

H

edonism isthe pursuitof pleasure andsatisfying theneeds of thebody, this way
giving value to life. Asceticism
is the training and practicing of
methods of physical control, thereby
directing the mind to overcome thebody, giving clarity to the surviving
mind and giving value to life.
Everything we do falls under oneof the two categories, or a blend of
the two. But the problem is not thesupremacy of the mind over body,6presents a four-part lecture series

Finding Harmony
in
Chaos
by
Dr. George Tanabe, Jr.

Professor Emeritus, Department of Religion, University of Hawaii
Debra and Dennis place their lock among the thousands thatadorn the fence surrounding the platform at N Seoul Tower.
It was easy getting around, walking or by subway. We
felt very safe even at night and the city is kept very clean.
We found the people to be very honest. While walking
through an alley someone dropped some cash and apasserby tapped that person’s shoulder to let him know.
Many vendors merely cover their goods overnight with aplastic tarp.
We visited N Seoul Tower, and as any Korean drama fan
can tell you, this is a place for couples. Bring your own
lock or purchase one at the gift shop, write a message(something romantic) on the lock and place it on the fence
surrounding the area. The “love locks” are several layers deep
so we placed ours around the link of another lock.
Even if you prefer just sitting to penning romantic
messages, the benches near the fence slant down toward
the center so couples can’t help but sit very close.
We enjoyed our trip and we’d like to return to South
Korea someday to do more sightseeing, experience moreof the countryside and meet more of its friendly people.
— Debra Saikior body over
mind.
It is
Ignorance:
expectation,
greed, anger,
jealousy, envy, deceit, dependency,
egoism, competition and delusion.
Can you think of any others? Yes,
you probably can.
Ignorance doesn’t mean stupid.
It means looking in the wrong place,ignoring the real target. Acuteawareness of this target is called the
Middle Way.
— Jonathan Tani(0(3&&/

To switch to an electronic versionof our Wa newsletter, simply send an
email, with subject line “Email Wa,”
including your name and address, to
CFUTVJO!IICUIJPSH
 Then, starting next month, yourWa will arrive in your email inbox
instead of being delivered to yourmailbox by your mail carrier.
You’ll be helping us save some
paper and receive a bonus while at it.
Your bonus? The emailed version of
Wa comes in color!

Dates: Tuesday, Nov. 5 (Part 1)
Thursday, Nov. 7 (Part 2)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 (Part 3)
Thursday, Nov. 14 (Part 4)
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Place: Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street, Honolulu
Fee:$9.00 per lectureǦǡǡ
Bimba (Sakyamuni’s wife), Shotoku Taishi and a grandmotherin Hawaii all found harmony in the chaos of their ordinary
lives. In each of these cases, we will see how chaos canϐ
lives through some of the basic teachings of Buddhism.
ǫͻ͹ͷǦͿͶ;;̻ǦǤǤ
Dr. George Tanabe, Jr.
Ǥ ᦣ¢Ǥ 
B.A. degree from Willamette University, M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary and Ph.D.
from Columbia University. His research interests range from medieval and modern religions in Japan to Buddhism ᦣǡ ǡ ǡ ᦣǤ
Most recently, he and his wife, Willa, published  சǣ   (UHȌǤ ʹͲͲ͹ǡ   ȋ ÛȌ
  ǤǤ   ᦣǤ

Clip and return

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii Dharma Study Center Ȉͷǡ͹ǡͳʹƬͳͶǡʹͲͳ͵Ȉ͹ǣͲͲ

TYES! I’d like to attend the lecture series, “Finding Harmony in Chaos,” presented by Dr. George Tanabe.
Name________________________________________________________________________ Phone________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________ Email_________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________________________________ State________ ZIP Code______________________________ͳ͸ͺͷǡ ǡ ͻ͸ͺͳ͹ȈǣȋͺͲͺȌͷ͵ͳǦͻͲͺͺȈ ǣȋͺͲͺȌͷ͵ͳǦ͵ʹ͸ͷȈǣbetsuin@hhbt-hi.org‫ܬ‬ե‫ ݧإ‬Yoboseyo!)FMMP

Higashi
Missionof
ofHawaii
Hawaii
HigashiHongwanji
Hongwanji Mission
DharmaCenterDharma Study
Study CenterMy husband, Dennis, and I visited Seoul in early
September. It was hot and humid, very similar to
the weather Hawaii experienced this past summer.
Seoul is a shopper’s paradise. We visited all the
popular shopping spots in the city and my husband
estimates we walked close to 10 miles on our second
day there. Whew!
Department stores open around 10 am, and for theconvenience of incurable shopaholics, insomniacs andindecisive purchasers, some stay open until 4 am.
At a night-shopping area we went to in MyeongDong there were thousands of people and you can’t
help but bump shoulders with passers-by, but no one
seemed to mind. Depending on who was walking by at
the time, sellers would hawk their goods in Korean,Chinese, Japanese or English.
Despite a common misconception that South Korean
people aren’t friendly, we found quite the opposite to betrue. Even for a big city like Seoul, we thought the people
to be very nice. At one of the underground malls we got
into a conversation with amiable mother-and-daughter
shop owners and chatted with them for quite awhile.

Locals as well as visitors swarm the Myeong-Dong area to shop.

H

edonism isthe pursuitof pleasure andsatisfying theneeds of thebody, this way
giving value to life. Asceticism
is the training and practicing of
methods of physical control, thereby
directing the mind to overcome thebody, giving clarity to the surviving
mind and giving value to life.
Everything we do falls under oneof the two categories, or a blend of
the two. But the problem is not thesupremacy of the mind over body,6presents a four-part lecture series

Finding Harmony
in
Chaos
by
Dr. George Tanabe, Jr.

Professor Emeritus, Department of Religion, University of Hawaii
Debra and Dennis place their lock among the thousands thatadorn the fence surrounding the platform at N Seoul Tower.
It was easy getting around, walking or by subway. We
felt very safe even at night and the city is kept very clean.
We found the people to be very honest. While walking
through an alley someone dropped some cash and apasserby tapped that person’s shoulder to let him know.
Many vendors merely cover their goods overnight with aplastic tarp.
We visited N Seoul Tower, and as any Korean drama fan
can tell you, this is a place for couples. Bring your own
lock or purchase one at the gift shop, write a message(something romantic) on the lock and place it on the fence
surrounding the area. The “love locks” are several layers deep
so we placed ours around the link of another lock.
Even if you prefer just sitting to penning romantic
messages, the benches near the fence slant down toward
the center so couples can’t help but sit very close.
We enjoyed our trip and we’d like to return to South
Korea someday to do more sightseeing, experience moreof the countryside and meet more of its friendly people.
— Debra Saikior body over
mind.
It is
Ignorance:
expectation,
greed, anger,
jealousy, envy, deceit, dependency,
egoism, competition and delusion.
Can you think of any others? Yes,
you probably can.
Ignorance doesn’t mean stupid.
It means looking in the wrong place,ignoring the real target. Acuteawareness of this target is called the
Middle Way.
— Jonathan Tani(0(3&&/

To switch to an electronic versionof our Wa newsletter, simply send an
email, with subject line “Email Wa,”
including your name and address, to
CFUTVJO!IICUIJPSH
 Then, starting next month, yourWa will arrive in your email inbox
instead of being delivered to yourmailbox by your mail carrier.
You’ll be helping us save some
paper and receive a bonus while at it.
Your bonus? The emailed version of
Wa comes in color!

Dates: Tuesday, Nov. 5 (Part 1)
Thursday, Nov. 7 (Part 2)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 (Part 3)
Thursday, Nov. 14 (Part 4)
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Place: Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street, Honolulu
Fee:$9.00 per lectureǦǡǡ
Bimba (Sakyamuni’s wife), Shotoku Taishi and a grandmotherin Hawaii all found harmony in the chaos of their ordinary
lives. In each of these cases, we will see how chaos canϐ
lives through some of the basic teachings of Buddhism.
ǫͻ͹ͷǦͿͶ;;̻ǦǤǤ
Dr. George Tanabe, Jr.
Ǥ ᦣ¢Ǥ 
B.A. degree from Willamette University, M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary and Ph.D.
from Columbia University. His research interests range from medieval and modern religions in Japan to Buddhism ᦣǡ ǡ ǡ ᦣǤ
Most recently, he and his wife, Willa, published  சǣ   (UHȌǤ ʹͲͲ͹ǡ   ȋ ÛȌ
  ǤǤ   ᦣǤ

Clip and return

Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii Dharma Study Center Ȉͷǡ͹ǡͳʹƬͳͶǡʹͲͳ͵Ȉ͹ǣͲͲ

TYES! I’d like to attend the lecture series, “Finding Harmony in Chaos,” presented by Dr. George Tanabe.
Name________________________________________________________________________ Phone________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________ Email_________________________________________________
City _________________________________________________________________________ State________ ZIP Code______________________________ͳ͸ͺͷǡ ǡ ͻ͸ͺͳ͹ȈǣȋͺͲͺȌͷ͵ͳǦͻͲͺͺȈ ǣȋͺͲͺȌͷ͵ͳǦ͵ʹ͸ͷȈǣbetsuin@hhbt-hi.org

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

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

Dharma Study Center

Address Service Requested#JTIPQ,FO,BXBXBUB

In this issue of WA...

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Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

11

November 2013

Higashi Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii

Temple Activities Calendar
NOVEMBER 201311/3 Sun 10 am Shotsuki memorial service &Sunday school
11/3 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study classਠ৻ୁदบઇ॑ୂऒअ

11/5 Tue
11/7 Thu
11/9 Sat
11/10 Sun
11/12 Tue
11/12 Tue
11/14 Thu
11/17 Sun
11/17 Sun
11/24 Sun
11/26 Tue
11/26 Tue
11/30 Sat

led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
7 pm Lecture series #1 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm Lecture series #2 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
10 am Sunday service
3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
7 pm Lecture series #3 - Dr. George Tanabe
7 pm Lecture series #4 - Dr. George Tanabe(no ABCs of Buddhism study class)
10 am Sunday service & Sunday school
12 pm Betsuin board meeting
10 am Palolo Hongwanji Ho-on-ko service(No service at Betsuin)
3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
6:30 pm Movie night: Ikiru
1 pm Recitation circle (moved from 11/28)

DECEMBER 201312/1 Sun 10 am Shotsuki memorial service &Sunday school
12/1 Sun 12 pm Basic Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
12/8 Sun 10 am HBC Bodhi Day service
Jodo Mission of Hawaii
12/10 Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
12/12 Thu 7 pm ABCs of Buddhism study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
12/14 Sat 10 am What on Earth Is Namuamidabutsu?
led by Rev. Frank Childs
12/15 Sun 10 am Bodhi Day service & Sunday school
12/15 Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
12/17 Tue 7 pm O-ko: dharma discussion at Kaneohe
12/22 Sun 10 am Sunday service
12/24 TueNo ukulele class or movie night
12/28 Sat 10 am Annual temple cleaning, followed by
Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
12/29 SunNo Sunday service
12/31 Tue 5 pm Year-end service (Joya-e)
1/1/14 Wed 10 am New Year service (Shusho-e)Everyone is welcome to join in on our sutra chanting at 7 am daily (except Sundays) in the Betsuin Main Hall.

At Higashi Hongwanji, we
remain true 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
Rinban: Kenjun Kawawata
Minister: Makoto Honda
Associate Minister:Frank Childs
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
Tel: (808) 531-9088
Fax: (808) 531-3265
Email: hhhb@me.com
Wa is published monthly byHigashi Hongwanji Mission of
Hawaii for its members andfriends. Comments, articles andother items for publicationconsideration are welcomed.
Editor: Ken SaikiIn November 2016, Higashi Honganji Hawaii District will observe
Shinran Shonin’s 750th Memorial Service. At the same time we will
also celebrate the Hawaii Betsuin’s 100th Anniversary.
As one of the centennial commemorative services and events,
Hawaii Betsuin has established the Dharma Study Center, which will
provide many lectures and classes for the members and dharma
friends who study and learn Buddhism and Shin
Buddhism in a classroom style. Also included as
an integral part of the Dharma Study Center are
publications and training future ministers andminister’s assistants. Thus the Dharma Study
Center will have an important role for our future
and present religious educational programs.
This fall, the Dharma Study Center will present
the first lecture series on November 5th, 7th,
12th and 14th. To present the series, we invited Dr. George Tanabe,Jr., who is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religion at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He holds a B.A. degree from Willamette University, a M.Div.
(Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D.
from Columbia University. His research interests range frommedieval and modern religions in Japan to Buddhism in Hawaii, andhis books have been published by university presses at Harvard,
Princeton, Columbia and Hawaii. Most recently, he and his wife,
Willa, published Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawaii: An Illustrated
Guide (UH Press).
In 2007, he received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Award(Gaimu Daijin Shō) for the promotion of cultural understanding
between Japan and America. He is currently the President of BDK
Hawaii.
The topic for this lecture series is “Finding Harmony in Chaos.”Dr. Tanabe will present how Sakyamuni, Bimba, who is Sakyamuni’swife, Prince Shotoku and a grandmother in Hawaii find harmony andpeace in the chaos of their ordinary lives.
So in reflecting the way of their lives, we will find peace andharmony in our busy everyday lives.
I would like to invite you to attend this first lecture series andmake it as a kick-off commemoration event for Shinran Shonin’s
750th Memorial Service and our Centennial Celebration in
November 2017.
Thank you in Gassho,
Kenjun Kawawata