Why Celebrate Shakyamuni’s Birth?
Rev. Koen KikuchiS‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

4April 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
Minister: Koen Kikuchi
President: Faye Shigemura
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
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 Saikihakyamuni’s birth is celebrated on April 8 as Buddha Day in many partsof the world, or Hanamatsuri (“Flower Festival”) in Japan. In this article I’dlike to address why we celebrate his birthday.
But first, let’s consider what Hanamatsuri is. Why do we prepare thehanamido, flowers and sweet tea? You’ll often find a decorated whiteelephant at Buddhist temples on Buddha Day. Do you
know the story of the elephant and what it stands for?
One day, Queen Maya dreamed of a white elephantentering her body. Then she became pregnant. People
considered that the white elephant brought Shakyamuni
Buddha to Maya’s body and thus celebrated Shakyamuni’sbirth with a white elephant.
Elephants are significant for other reasons in India.
In Hiduism, an elephant is considered sacred. Hindus
worship a god called “Ganesha,” who has the body ofRev. Koen Kikuchi
human and the head of an elephant. Ganesha is calleda god of wealth and a god of wisdom. Ganesha is also a god of new
beginnings and gives people power for starting new things, such as a newbusiness. So, the story of the elephant entering the dream is steeped in
Hindu tradition.
How about the flowers? When Queen Maya became pregnant, she decided
to go back in her hometown to have her baby. On the way, she stopped atLumbini Garden, which had many flowers, and ended up giving birth there.
And that’s why we celebrate Shakyamuni’s birthday with beautiful flowers.
As for the origin of pouring sweet tea on the statue of Baby Buddha,
one account says that when Shakyamuni was born, there was a gentle rainin the Lumbini Garden. Another says that when Shakyamuni was born, ninedragons appeared and poured pure, sweet tea for his first bath.
Right after birth, it is said Shakyamuni walked seven steps and said,“Above the heaven and below the the heaven, I am the only noble one,”which shows the importance and preciousness of our lives.
Shinran Shonin said, “When I consider deeply the Vow of Amida, whicharose from five kalpas of profound thought, I realize that it was entirely
for the sake of myself alone. All of Amida’s work is only for myself. In otherwords, the teaching of the Buddha and the wish from the Amida are only formy life and to make me realize the preciousness of my life. No one can be a
substitute for my life. I understand the meaning of this precious life of mine.”(cont’d on p. 2)

Hanamatsuri 2018

Please join us for special services commemorating the Buddha’s birth

HBC Buddha Day service

Sunday, April 1 at 9:00 am
Soto Mission of Hawaii
1708 Nuuanu Ave.
(half-block mauka of N. School St.)

Betsuin Hanamatsuri service
Sunday, April 8 at 10:00 am
Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo St. (corner N. Kuakini St.)

Hanamatsuri (cont’d from p. 1)
The two expressions from Shakyamuni and Shinran
Shonin look similar. Both of them mention “only me” or “areonly for me.” Do you think this is an arrogant attitude or aself-centered way of thinking? The important point is theway of viewing oneself. What is the way to look at ourselves?
If I think that I am the most noble one in this world,
unconsciously, I am comparing myself to others andthinking that I am more noble than others. This means thatI think I am the most noble one in this world of five billion
people. Many people share this world, and I am part of thelarger group—but I am the most noble.
Since our childhood, we’ve been taught to think, “Iam one of many groups in society. I am one of thestudents. I am one of the workers. I am one of the citizens.“If we think in this way, the words, “I am the only noble one”
may appear as an arrogant attitude. But that’s not what
Shakyamuni and Shinran Shonin were saying.
Their point was that each one of us has an individualworld. We cannot compare ourselves to others. Nobody
can be a substitute for our lives. We can see other peoplein our world, but we cannot see others’ worlds through ourown world. Each world is standing independently.
If we think in this way, the phrase “I am the only nobleone” will not be an arrogant attitude. If we think in thisway, we can see everything in the world as connected toand in support of our lives. All the things from the pastand even in the future are making up my existence. All
the complicated interrelatedness give us the meaningthat I am here and now.
What I would like to say is that there are twodifferent ways of seeing the world. We tend to think theway of seeing things is through comparing. But what
Shakyamuni said, “I am the only noble one,” and what
Shinran Shonin expressed, “All of the Amida’s work is
only for myself,” teach us that we are living our own
precious lives which we cannot compare to or replacewith another. Shakayamuni and Shinran Shonin teach“Hanamatsuri
shouldn’t be justanother event, butrather it should be
the only event fromwhich we can learn
from the meaningof his birth.”Rev. Kikuchi believes that celebrating Shakyamuni’s birth is not
the main point of Hanamatsuri, but should be the day we reflect
upon our connection with Shakyamuni or his teachings.

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Seven years after the devastation...
Young people from Fukushima havecome here to share their stories. Let’slisten to what they have to tell us.
Date:
Time:Place:

Sunday, April 1
11:00 am
Following HBC Buddha Day service
Soto Mission of Hawaii Social Hall
1708 Nuuanu Ave. in Honolulu

Speakers: Ayami Asagi (浅木彩未)
Shiori Azuma (吾妻志緒莉)
Minon Endo (遠藤美音)
Toshimi Endo (遠藤としみ)

Fukushima Children’s Recovery ProjectSponsored byHigashi Honganji Hawaii District

us about our precious lives, and they teach us about ourtendency, or danger, of comparing.
Is the purpose of Hanamatsuri for celebrating
Shakyamuni’s birth? Do you think that celebratingis the main point of Hanamatsuri? I don’t think so.
Hanamatsuri should be a day of reflecting upon theconnection between Shakyamuni and me, or between
his teaching and me.
We should think about how Shakyamuni and histeaching became our energy for living. We should
think about how Shakyamuni and his teaching haveinfluenced our lives.
Hanamatsuri shouldn’t be just another event, butrather it should be the only event from which we canlearn from the meaning of his birth. I think celebrating
is second after first considering the relation ofShakyamuni and ourselves.
Then, and only then, can we share this Hanamatsuri
together to the point of where we connect to Shakyamuni
Buddha. Everyone and everything is making up my present
existence from the past, present and future.
What Shakyamuni did for us is he left Buddhism inthis world. I would like to express my appreciation toShakyamuni Buddha, and to all of you reading this article.
— Rev. Koen Kikuchi

News on theBetsuin Wireless

Q: What’s yellow & black, has 10legs & runs 25K in about 2.5 hours?

Besides his lecture, Rev. Conway shared hisunique American perspective at a dharma
talk and discussion session at the Betsuin.

Dr. Conway’s week in Hawaii
not all blue skies and sunshine

While on a normal trip to Hawaii
one might expect time to relax inshorts in the surf and sun, Rev.
Michael Conway’s cold and wet time
off on Saturday was better outfittedwith a poncho and rain boots.
But what are expectationsanyway? As Rev. Conway reminded
us in his Sunday dharma message atour Rennyo Shonin memorialservice on March 25, mistaken
expectations are recipe ingredientsfor suffering, and everything goingaccording to plan is not a necessary
condition for happiness.
District ministers had spent threedays during the week training with
Dr. Conway, who is a lecturer at Otani
University in Kyoto. Then on Friday,
he conducted a Shinshu Center ofAmerica public lecture at the Betsuin
describing the Komyo Honzon scroll,with overviews of the persons
depicted and the sutra and patriarch
passages inscribed on the scroll.
On Saturday evening, we held apoolside potluck barbecue at Kei Tsuji’shome. It was a great way to thank Rev.
Conway for sharing his knowledge ofShin Buddhism with us, get to knoweach other better, wish him a safe trip
back and subtly coax him to visit again,
and yes, without any expectation ofsunshine or blue skies.

A: A Higashi Hongwanji Betsuin
Rainbow Ekiden relay team!
On March 11, our five Betsuin
team members—Rev. Koen Kikuchi,
Kevin Kawawata, Margaret Hamachi,
Mai Kikuchi and Rev. Hidesato Kita—
each ran a 5K Diamond Head relay
leg starting and ending at Kapiolani
Park to finish 38th among 110 teams
with a time of 2:25:36.
Another District team also ran in
the relay, after which our runners
and supporters enjoyed a picnic
lunch of Spam musubi, sandwiches
and other goodies.
You, too, can have a yellow Higashi
Hongwanji t-shirt just like our intrepid
runners. Indicate your size (S, M, L orXL) and send your check for $15 for eachshirt to Higashi Honganji Hawaii District,
1685 Alaneo St., Honolulu, HI 96817.

Don’t delay! Order now for best
selection of sizes. Call Rev. Kita at
531-1231 at the Hawaii District Office if
you have any questions.

April movie Kikujiro a whimsicaljourney full of laughter and tears

For Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi), a 3rdgrader who lost his father when he wasvery young and lived in Asakusa withhis grandmother (Kazuko Yoshiyuki),summer vacation wasn’t much fun. All
his school friends went on trips with
their families, the soccer club was idle
and his grandmother was also working
and not at home during the day. Hedecides to go see his mother, whom hehas never met, in a distant town. Masao
leaves home with a picture diary,
homework and a little pocket money inhis backpack. A neighborhood lady(Kayoko Kishimoto) who knows about
his feelings has her irresponsible
husband, Kikujiro (“Beat Takeshi”
Kitano) accompany Masao. Onward toToyohashi in Aichi prefecture…
At the Japan Academy Awards, this1999 film directed by Beat Takeshi won
Best Supporting Actress (KayokoKishimoto) and Best Music Score (JoeHisaishi) as well as other recognition.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., Apr. 24,
121 min. Color, Japanese audio,English subtitles. Free admission.
Light refreshments, or bring to share!
菊次郎の夏（きくじろうのなつ）
幼い頃に父親を亡くし、今はおばあちゃんとふたりで浅草に暮らしている小学校3年生の正男(関口雄介)にとって、夏休みはそんなに楽しいものではなかった。学校の友達はみんな家族で旅行に出かけてしま
うし、サッカークラブもお休み、おばあちゃん(吉行和子)も仕事で昼間は家にいないのだ。そんな時、彼は遠くの町にいる会ったことないお母さんに会いに行く決心をする。絵日記と宿題と僅かな小遣いをリュックに詰めて、家を飛び出した正男。そんな彼の気持ちを知った近所のおばさん(岸本加世子)が、夫で遊び人の菊次郎(北野武)を同行させることにした。目指すは愛知県豊橋市…
受賞歴:第23回日本アカデミー賞・最優秀助演女優賞（岸本加世子）、賞・最優秀音楽賞（久石譲）;その他。
監督：北野武、公開 : 1999年、カラー、
言語 : 日本語、字幕 : 英語 、映時間 : 121
分、4月23日(火)午後6:30時、入場無料。

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JOINT BUDDHIST SEMINAR

sponsored by Higashi and Honpa Hongwanji

Shakyamuni Buddha and Shinran:Buddhism as the teaching of self-examination“Shakyamuni (ca. 469-380 BCE), the founder of Buddhism, and Shinran(1173-1262) lived in their respective social and religious environments.
Their teachings seem different, i.e., they used different terminology andexpressions in their teaching. Some Buddhist scholars, in fact, claim that
Shinran’s teachings are a historical deviation from the original teachingsof Shakyamuni. I, however, believe that their teachings are basically thesame; they focused on one issue of self-examination.”—Dr. Nobuo Haneda
Maida Center of Buddhism

A five-part seminar with Rev. Dr. Nobuo Haneda
Schedule: Friday, April 13 Part 1: 6:30 pm - 8 pm
Saturday, April 14 Part 2: 9 am - 10:30 am, Part 3: 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Location:Fee:Part 4: 1 pm - 2:30 pm, Part 5: 2:45 pm - 4:15 pm

Buddhist Study Center, 1436 University Ave., Honolulu, HI 96822$20.00, payable to Higashi Honganji (includes lunch & dinner on Saturday)
Higashi Honganji Hawaii District, 1685 Alaneo St., Honolulu, HI 96817 • Tel: 531-1231

Me tca lf St.

Buddhist Study Center
1436 University Ave.

(Next to Tsukuneya Robata Grill)

Rev. Dr. Nobuo Haneda Biography
1946 Born in Nagano, Japan
1968 Read Shuichi Maida’s work and became interestedin Buddhism
1969 Graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
1971 Studied under Revs. Gyomei Kubose & Gyoko Saito
1979 Received PhD from University of Wisconsin
1979 Lecturer, Otani University, Kyoto, Japan
1981 Lecturer, Buddhist Educational Center, Chicago, IL
1984 Head Professor, Institute of Buddhist Studies,Berkeley, CA
1987 Researcher, Numata Center, Berkeley, CA
1997 Director, Maida Center of Buddhism, Berkeley, CA#Clip here

HIGASHI-HONPA HONGWANJI JOINT BUDDHIST SEMINAR

Shakyamuni Buddha and Shinran: Buddhism as the teaching of self-examination
Higashi Honganji Hawaii District, 1685 Alaneo St., Honolulu, HI 96817 • Tel: 531-1231

q YES! Please register me for the Higashi-Honpa Hongwanji Joint Buddhist Seminar on April 13/14.
Name(s) _________________________________________________ Phone___________________________________________________________________ Total enclosed: $ _____________
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Higashi Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii
1685 Alaneo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817

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Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...
t8IZDFMFCSBUF4IBLZBNVOJTCJSUI p. 1t4FWFOZFBSTBGUFSUIFEFWBTUBUJPOp. 2t/FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTp. 3t3FW$POXBZWJTJUT)BXBJJp. 3t3BJOCPX&LJEFOSFTVMUTp. 3t/FX5TIJSUTBWBJMBCMF p. 3t.PWJFKikujiro (1999) p. 3t Joint Higashi-Honpa seminar p. 4t Acknowledgments p. 5t April shōtsuki service p. 5tTemple activities calendar p. 6

Temple Activities Calendar
4/1
4/8
4/10
4/12
4/13
4/14
4/15
4/15
4/16
4/17
4/22
4/224/24
4/24
4/28
4/29

64APRIL

HBC Buddha Day service @ Soto Mission(No service at Betsuin)
Sun 10 am Hanamatsuri service @ Betsuin
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceThu 7 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fri 6:30 pm Joint Higashi-Honpa seminar Pt 1
led by Dr. Nobuo Haneda
Buddhist Study Center next to UH-Manoa
Sat 9 am Joint Higashi-Honpa seminar Pt 2-5(At BSC all day, including lunch & dinner)
Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingMon 10 am Betsuin study classTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Sun 10 am Shōtsuki service/Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
Led by Jeanne Kawawata @ Otani Center
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Kikujiro 菊次郎の夏 (1999)
Sat 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
Sun 10 am Ehime Maru Memorial cleaning
Kakaako Waterfront Park
Short service and picnic to follow
Sun 9 am

5/6
5/6
5/8
5/10
5/13
5/15
5/20
5/20
5/20
5/21
5/22
5/22
5/27
5/28

MAYSun 10 am Shōtsuki service/Sunday school
Sun 12 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
Fukuhara Conference RoomTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceThu 7 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara Conference RoomSun 10 am Mother’s Day family service/
Sunday schoolTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
Sun 10 am Shinran Shōnin birthday service/
Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
Led by Jeanne Kawawata @ Otani Center
Sat 9 am HBC Memorial Day service
Punchbowl National Memorial CemeteryTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Go for Broke! (1951)
Fukuhara Conference RoomSun 10 am All Wars Memorial service/Sunday school
Mon 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service

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

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