Obon! Awwwwww Obon. This is when everyone travels to the temple to come together, reconnect, and strengthen our familial and communal bonds. We work hard and then dance as one in gratitude and appreciation for the lives that we have been given by those that have come before us. Let’s talk about the joy of… Read More »
Water Water Water… I borrowed the term above. Recently, our members and I were able to attend the BCA’s National Council Meetings in Visalia, California. As you drive through central California you will see signs with the phrase “Food Grows Where Water Flows.” It is to awaken us all to the urgency of the drought… Read More »
I started this piece with this question, because growing up in the BCA, the Buddhist Churches of America, I have always felt we were following our ministers by Watching and Living by their example. VHBT has a GREAT lineage of past ministers. As the new minister, I felt that it was my honor and duty… Read More »
I believe that Buddhism is different from other religions. The reason is that Buddhism never talks about becoming a good person. 90% of all religions emphasize to be a good person. In order to do so, people can believe in God or in Buddha. Or, I can state that they need the help from them.… Read More »
Arigatou is the Japanese word for Thank You. Although thank you is the English translation for arigatou, the word itself also explains for us why we would want to say thank you. The word arigatou is made by combining the two kanji characters aru or “to have,” “to exist,” and the character gatai or “difficult.”… Read More »
Although January is a very busy and celebratory month, February, despite being the shortest month of the year, is also a very busy month for Americans. For example, President’s Day is observed in February. It is also the month when we observe Superbowl Sunday. It is also when thousands if not millions of men, some… Read More »
Happy New Year everyone! 2014 promises to be a very exciting year for the Venice Hongwanji. Because 2015 will be the 60th Anniversary since the founding of our Dharma School, we will be starting a year-long program getting ready for the anniversary. In 2015, for example, we are in the preliminary planning stages of sending… Read More »
The light of purity is without compare. When a person encounters this light, All bonds of karma fall away, So take refuge in Amida, the ultimate shelter. The poem that I am beginning my article with is one of the wasan that we chant as part of our daily morning services. As with many poems,… Read More »
The Buddha had an unwavering faith in his fellow human being to do the right thing. Because of this neither did the Buddha threaten, nor did he bribe. Instead, he appealed to the intellect of man. He spoke through and shared the wisdom that he discovered to help all of us to find compassion in… Read More »
The month of October is busy with all sorts of preparations; in particular it is the month that children and their families get ready to transform themselves for Halloween. Although we as people ready ourselves for this annual and single day transformation, Buddhist literature also tells us that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas also transform themselves. Unlike… Read More »
