念珠‘wa’harmony

Higashi Hongwanji
Hawaii Betsuin
Bulletin

3March 2017

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 501(c)(3) exempt 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 96817Tel: (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 SaikiT

A transcript of the dharma message
presented by Rev. Koen Kikuchi at
Sunday service on Jan. 29, 2017

nenju
What is onenju?
What is it for?
Why should I have onenju?

he other day, at the end of a service, a woman came to me and asked
about my onenju, or prayer beads. Onenju are also called juzu or ojuzu.
The woman stated that Catholics use a rosary when they pray. How about
Buddhist beads? Why do you have such beads? I explained a little bit about
onenju. So, I would like to share the meaning of onenju in today’s dharma talk.
Does everyone have an onenju? It is generally understood that one
should bring an onenju when attending a Buddhist service. Or, one is toldthat bringing an onenju is a rule of a temple, denomination, or this religion.
In the past, when adults and ministers were strict, I heard that theyused to say, “You don’t have to think about the reason, just bring it. Thatis the correct way.” But now, I have a contrary mind, and I am not such anobedient person, so I always ask why I have to do something in a certainway. Or, I don’t like to be forced by someone, so I don’t want to just follow
what someone tells me. I think we always need to think about why we dosomething. Questioning is very important.
The origin of prayer beads comes from old India, or old Hinduism. Later,
Shakyamuni Buddha also used prayer beads. In a Buddhism sutra, there is astory about Shakyamuni Buddha and a king. The kingasked Shakyamuni Buddha how he could govern hiscountry peacefully. Then, Shakyamuni Buddha taught
the king to make prayer beads to meditate about,think about, and recite The Three Treasures, which
are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Then, he could
attain calmness and relief in his mind without any
blind passions, or bonno, so that he would be able togovern a country peacefully. Holding prayer beads wassuggested in this sutra, and that was for counting thenumber of times one completes the cycle to meditate
Rev. Koen Kikuchi
about, think about, and recite The Three Treasures.
Meditating, thinking and reciting is one bead.
The prayer beads spread to China and Japan, where they are traditionallyused to count the number of times a mantra is recited, breaths are taken
while meditating, prostrations are made, or repetitions are made of a
Buddha’s name. Because they are used for counting something, in Japan thestring of beads are called juzu (数珠), which means “beads for counting.“But earlier I called this an onenju. So, why do we call prayer beads onenju?
Onenju (お念珠) means “beads for meditating about Buddha orreciting Buddha’s name,” not for counting something. This is because ourdenomination, Jodo Shin Buddhism, doesn’t require a specific number ofNembutsu. The teaching doesn’t say how many times we have to recite, but
it emphasizes more about how and why we do Nembutsu. So, we don’t callprayer beads juzu, but rather we call them as onenju.
(cont’d on p. 2)

ONENJU (cont’d from p. 1)

Then, even though we don’t
have to count Nembutsu, why do
we hold onenju when we attend a
Buddhist service? I think there are
two reasons. One is “proper attire”
and the other is “attitude.”
As an example for “properattire,” when we attend a formal
reception or formal party, we wear
formal attire. To hold prayer beads
is the same as this. When we attend
a Buddhist service, we have prayer
beads. Rennyo Shonin said thatwithout carrying the prayer beads,
it is as if they grasped the Buddha
with bare hands. The mastercertainly never said that we should
venerate the Buddha by discarding
the beads.
In considering “attitude,”
Rennyo Shonin mentioned that tohold the beads is to show respect
for the Buddha. This is the correct“attitude” to hold the beads. We
always hold the beads with Gassho.
We put the beads on our hands
in Gassho. This is for expressing
respect for others.
Let me give you an example.
When we do Gassho, or put ourhands together, it means “I respectyou and I don’t want to offend you.”
When we fight with others, ourhands are not together in the styleof boxing, judo or karate. So, to holdthe prayer beads means to showrespect for the Buddha and others.
When we show our respect, wedo something respectfully. When I
was in Japan, my teacher taught methat our human nature is like this:「 両手ですることを片手でするようになり、片手ですることを足でするようになる」or when we first enter a room,

we open the sliding door withusing both hands. But, as we getused to it, we open the door withone hand. Finally, we open the door
with using a foot. This is what myteacher taught me of human nature
again and again.
By the way, what does thestring of prayer beads mean? As
you know, each bead shows ourblind passion or deluded mind
such as our three poisons. So, themeaning of holding the beads is to2A Tq I N V I T

I O N rThe Boardof Directors ofaii
ji Mission of Haw
Higashi Hongwan
ndu to atte
cordially invite yoervice

Spring Ohigan S, 2017
Sunday, March 19.
a.m0
10:0
1685 Alaneo StreetHonolulu, Hawaii

nwayRev. Dr. Michael Co
Dharma message byotoKyty,rsi
ive
Lecturer, Otani Une service.
diately following thOtoki lunch imme

ご招待状

心地よい天候が続く中、皆様にはお元気でお過ごしの事と存じます。
さて春のお彼岸法要を下記の如くお勤め致しますのでご案内申し上げます。
お彼岸は古く聖徳太子の時代より行われてきた伝統ある法要です。
私ども先達はこの機会を仏様の教えを聞く良き機会としてまいりました。
ご家族でご一緒にお参り下さい。

春のお彼岸法要法要
法話

日 時 ２０１7年３月19日 午前１０時
マイケル コンウェイ 博士（講師、大谷大学、京都）＊法要後お斎がございます。
ご家族お揃いでお参りください。

hold our own blind passions.
But there may be manyinterpretations. Holding the beads
helps us to remember that we arefilled with blind passions. In ourdaily lives, we forget about our blindpassions, and become self-centeredand think in a one-sided way.
But the beads are a reminder
for us. The blind passions
themselves are not good or bad.
They are human nature. The blindpassions will become treasures forus. The value and quality will betransformed without any changes
in appearance. Each bead is linked
by the string of deepest wishes
from Buddha to make us realize thetruth and the reality. And the linked

beads of Buddha’s wish encircles
and ties our Gassho hands.
This is why we put onenju
around our palms when we doGassho. An onenju tries to keep ourGassho lifestyle. It says, “Don’t
forget you are filled with blindpassion...keep putting your hands
together...create a distance fromself-centeredness...this is the only
way to connect with the truth!”
These are the meanings ofholding onenju when attending aBuddhist service.
Thank you very much forgathering for today’s service.
Gassho,Rev. Koen Kikuchi

News on theMarian Tsuji and Ray Uyema became newmembers of the Betsuin board of directors.

New directors elected, members
celebrate at general meetingNew Year party at the Betsuin

There will be new faces at Betsuinboard meetings as two new directors
were unamimously elected at thegeneral membership meeting heldFeb. 26 at Otani Center.
The new directors are Ray Uyema
and Marian Tsuji, who, like all other
Higashi Hongwanji Mission ofHawaii officers and directors, areelected to serve a two-year term.
We will feature the new directors infuture issues of Wa so that you canknow them better. Meanwhile, wewelcome both aboard and lookforward to their contributions andinsights to help the Betsuin navigate
through its second century in Hawaii.
Once the business portion of thegeneral meeting was done and overwith, it was time for the annual shinnen
enkai, or New Year gathering, starting

Betsuin Wirelesswith some serious grinding, with thebuffet menu including Chinese chicken
salad and cold ginger chicken in honorof this toridoshi Year of the Rooster.
Following a skit by the Sunday
school kids, the Dharma Hawaiiansukulele band played a medley offavorite Japanese songs—from Haru
ga Kita to Kan Kan Musume —withaudience sing-along.
Ed Nakano gave Frank Sinatra andPerry Como some competition before
Rev. Kita and the entire Kikuchi family
took the stage with “I have a pen...”Super volunteers Carl Okuda andJoyce Masaki, fixtures on the temple
grounds, were surprised with a special
gift card and sun hats for their work.
With valuable food and other gifts
awarded for lucky numbers, as wellas tons of Lucky Me! and bingo
prizes, there was something foreveryone. No one was allowed to gohome empty-handed.
Mahalo to all who contributed andparticipated in this year’s fun event!

Materials available from public
lecture & joint dharma gathering

If you weren’t at the Feb. 3-4
presentations by Dr. Nobuo Haneda,
director of the Maida Center ofBuddhism in Berkeley, you missed
some interesting discussion about thesimilarities of Shakyamuni and Shinranand how Buddhism is basically ateaching of self-examination.
While not the same as being therefor Dr. Haneda’s live delivery, we haveoutlines and other materials you mayborrow that may help get you up tospeed. Contact the temple office at531-9088 for more information.

The Makioka Sisters: “...a vitalizing
mix of emotions...” —New Yorker

Rev. Kita and Hana, Kokoro & Mai Kikuchi ofthe K & K Family Dance troupe let loose andperform Pikotaro’s PPAP viral video routine.

their family’s kimono business in theyears leading up to World War II. The
two oldest have husbands (Juzo Itami,Koji Ishizaka) who married into thefamily but according to tradition, theyoungest sister cannot wed until thethird, conservative and terribly shy
sister finds a husband.
This graceful study of a family at
a turning point in history is apoignant evocation of changing
times and fading customs, shot inrich, vivid colors.
Showtime: 6:30 pm, Tues., March 28,
140 min. Color. Japanese audio,
English subtitles. Free admission.
Light refreshments, or bring to share.

This lyrical 1985 adaptation of thebeloved novel by Junichiro Tanizaki
was a late-career triumph for director
Kon Ichikawa.
Structured around the changing of
the seasons, The Makioka Sisters follows
the lives of four siblings (Keiko Kishi,
Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga,
Yuko Kotegawa) who have taken on

細雪 (ささめゆき)
谷崎潤一郎の同名小説を名匠・市川崑監督が映画化したドラマ。ある旧家の4姉妹それぞれの一年間の物語を、三女の縁談話を中心に、四季折々の風物を織り交ぜて描く。昭和13年の春。京都嵯峨の料亭。旧家・蒔岡の4姉妹が花見の宴で一同に会する。長女・鶴子（岸惠子 ）と次女・幸子（佐久間良子）はいまだ未婚の三女・雪子（吉永小百合 ）と末娘・妙子（古手川祐子）の結婚を気にかける毎日。おとなしい雪子は親類の勧めで次々と見合いをするが本人の気が進まず一向にまとまらない。一方、奔放な妙子も恋人が急逝し酒浸りになる…。
公開 : 1985年、カラー 、言語 : 日本語、 字幕 : 英語 、映時間 : 140分、3月28日(火)午後6:30時 、入場無料。

3SHINSHU CENTER OF AMERICA (HIGASHI HONGANJI)

PUBLIC SEMINAR ON SHIN BUDDHISM

Liberation throughAmida’s Wisdom

Considerations of the Twelve Names inPraise of Immeasurable Light

Rev. Dr. Michael Conway
Lecturer, Otani University, Japan

Saturday, March 18, 2017, 1:00 pm
Free and Open to the Public

No background in Buddhism is required.
The Seminar will be followed by a Q&A.

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

Rev. Dr. Michael Conway
Rev. Dr. Conway was born in Chicago in 1976. He graduated from Northwestern University
with a degree in History in 1997. Soon after, he started attending the Buddhist Temple ofChicago in 1998. In 2003, he entered Otani University’s Graduate School in the Shin BuddhistStudies Major. There, he served as Departmental Assistant in Otani University’s Departmentfor Shin Buddhist Studies from 2009 to 2011. He completed his Ph.D. in Shin Buddhist Studies in 2011. He served as the Managing Editor of The Eastern Buddhist academic journal from2011 to 2015. He has been a Full Time Lecturer at Otani University since 2015. Rev. Dr. Conway
is also an ordained minister of the Shinshū Ōtani-ha (Higashi Honganji).
Higashi Honganji Hawaii District Office1685 Alaneo Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Tel & Fax: (808) 531-1231 Email: adminaloha@higashihonganji.org

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

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

Address Service Requested

In this issue of WA...
t0OFOKVp. 1t0IJHBOTFSWJDFJOWJUBUJPOp. 2t/FXTPOUIF#FUTVJO8JSFMFTTp. 3t(FOFSBMNFFUJOHTIJOOFOLBJIFMEp. 3t-FDUVSFNBUFSJBMTBWBJMBCMFp. 3t.BSDINPWJF The Makioka Sisters p. 3t1VCMJD4IJO#VEEIJTNTFNJOBSp. 4t "DLOPXMFEHNFOUTp. 5t .BSDITIPUTVLJTFSWJDFp. 5tTemple activities calendar p. 6

Temple Activities Calendar
MARCH
3/5
3/5
3/9
3/12
3/14
3/18
3/19
3/19
3/21
3/26
3/26
3/26
3/28
3/28
3/28

64

Sun 10 am Shōtsuki memorial service/
Sunday school
Sun 12 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rev. Kikuchi in JapaneseThu 7 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday schoolTue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceSat 1 pm Shinshu Center of America public seminar“Liberation through Amida’s Wisdom”
Dr. Michael Conway at Otani Center
Sun 10 am Ohigan service/Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meetingTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Kaneohe
Sun 10 am Rennyo Shonin memorial service/
Sunday school
Sun 12 pm Omigaki polishing of altar items
Volunteers needed to help
Sun 12 pm Art of Paper Folding class
led by Jeanne Kawawata
Tue 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practiceTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Makioka Sisters (1983)

APRIL
4/2
4/9
4/9
4/11
4/13
4/16
4/18
4/23
4/23
4/25
4/25
4/28
4/30

Sun 10 am HBC Buddha Day service
Jodo Mission of Hawaii, 1538 Kewalo St.
(No service at Betsuin)
Sun 10 am Hanamatsuri service/Sunday school
Sun 12 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in Japanese
Fukuhara conference room
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara conference roomThu 7 pm The Larger Sutra study class
led by Rinban Kawawata in English
Fukuhara conference roomSun 10 am Shotsuki service/Sunday schoolTue 7 pm O-kō: Dharma discussion at Betsuin
Sun 10 am Sunday service/Brainstorming
Sun 12 pm Betsuin board meeting
Fukuhara conference room
Tue 3 pm Ukulele class/band practice
Fukuhara conference roomTue 6:30 pm Movie night: Key of Life (2012)
Fukuhara conference room
Fri 10 am Shinran Shōnin memorial service
Sun 10 am Sunday service/Sunday school

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.

5