Minister’s Message
For this issue, I’ve asked our three assistants, Eric and Stacy Reardon and Jean-Paul deGuzman, and our ministerial aspirant at the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS), John Mullins, to share their thoughts on our teaching. Over the past few years, they have demonstrated their dedication not only to the dharma, but also to our temple. On November 17, Rev. Kodo Umezu, BCA Bishop, is coming to SFVHBT to certify JP and Stacy as Minister’s Assistants, after which they will be expected to attend Minister’s Assistant Program (MAP) seminars at the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC) in Berkeley, and encouraged to take IBS online courses to better enhance their ability to conduct services and offer classes. John has just finished his first semester in fulltime residence toward a Master’s degree at IBS and practices as an assistant at Berkeley Buddhist Temple.
I hope you will agree that the efforts of these dedicated members deserve our support. Their enhanced knowledge and abilities are and will be a great boon to all of us, especially as the BCA continues to face a shortage of ministers. Please consider contributing to the BEC Scholarship Fund to help them help us. All summer and occasionally throughout the year, you will be able to hear these four share their appreciation of the dharma during services. Docome and listen.
Gassho, Rev. Patricia Usuki
What Jodo Shinshu Means to Me
I came to Jodo Shinshu late in life, so I had a lot of time to come to my own understanding of things first. I was raised Lutheran and drifted away from that as it made less sense to me. I picked up little bits and pieces of Buddhism from movies and books that made sense to me and got me curious, but not yet enough to pursue it. When I was in my twenties I remember reading a little bit about Zen and while there was a lot to like about it, I just didn’t have the discipline for regular meditation. But I did pick up more bits and pieces, and it all made a lot of sense. It continued like this through my twenties and thirties. I’d be exposed to little bits of Buddhism here and there and appreciate them but never seek them out.
When my wife and I gave birth to our daughter, we talked a bit about the value of a religious practice. Even though being Christian didn’t make sense to me anymore, I think I did get a lot of value from it growing up. Mainly community and a moral foundation, but also that sense of being connected to something bigger. Buddhism came up pretty quickly for both of us. Stacy will have her own reflections in this newsletter. For me, it’s like I took a long look at all those bits and pieces I’d been picking up all my life and finally got a sense of what they might be like when put together. And since Stacy was in agreement that it’s something that seemed to make sense, we started looking for a Temple.
We found SFVHBT because we were looking for something we could practice as a family. Despite being a little nervous at how different it was from what I was used to, I knew as soon as the Sangha started singing “The Rainbow Connection,” that it was a good fit. I can’t remember the first Dharma message we heard, but I remember it lining up all those bits and pieces into a cohesive whole for me. I knew I had a real path to walk on now—and the best part was that questions were welcome!
The thing about Jodo Shinshu that has really resonated with me is that everything that is taught can be questioned and verified—you don’t have to turn off your brain or have blind faith that what you are being taught is correct. I’ve discovered a love for Science in recent years and it’s gone hand in hand with learning about Jodo Shinshu. They complement each other and the more I learn about one, the more I want to learn about the other. The questioning only seems to strengthen the teachings.
Gassho, Eric Reardon__________________________________________________________
Growing up on Long Island, NY in a family that was culturally Jewish, but not observant in any way, I had always been skeptical regarding the religions I saw around me. I didn’t understand why a supposedly all-powerful being would need to be constantly praised by those he purportedly created. Jodo Shinshu called to me right away partly because it doesn’t require faith or belief, or fear or begging. It is evident in the world around us, and even supported by science. To me, it is true comfort to be able to recognize the compassion, benefits and life we are given that are tangible all around us, even down to the food we eat, because of all the beings that gave of themselves to create it for us. It is an interconnected web of life that we benefit from and are an equal part in that we see constantly in action. The more we open our eyes to all of this compassion we receive, the more gratitude can naturally manifest and take hold within us. To me, that gratitude paves the roads of our path, makes them easier to navigate, and easier to walk even in the more difficult times. That is why Jodo Shinshu is so powerful a practice to me—it helps us in the day to day of our lives, in a concrete, palpable, recognizable way.
Gassho, Stacy Reardon_______________________________________________________
Living a Jodo Shinshu life is paradoxical because it promises nothing and everything. Unlike other religions, Shinshu does not promote incantations to get what we want. So, as countless ministers have joked, reciting “Namo Amida Butsu” before placing your bet in Las Vegas will not guarantee hefty winnings. Burning incense will not help you land promotions and chanting will not ensure an A on that next exam. Approaching life through the lens of immediate gain,as in the examples above, is the ego in full force.
So how do Shin teachings promise everything? When we drop our ego, which may take a lifetime of practice, we bear witness to how the interconnections of all life support us. Moments of failure and crisis are endemic to the human condition—we cannot say “Namo Amida Butsu” to prevent them any more than we can recite the Nembutsu to win the lottery. But, think about all of the figures along your challenging journeys who extended support, care, guidance, or affirmation. Perhaps it’s the nurse who provided succor for an ill loved one, the teacher who helped you master a concept, or a supervisor who uplifted your hard work. We stay afloat because of figures like them and all of the individuals who shaped them and all of the individuals who shaped them! Recognizing how a single gesture is the result of an infinite and often invisible web of life is a powerful experience and, in my understanding, the heart of Namo Amida Butsu.
Gassho, Jean-Paul deGuzman___________________________________________________
Such is the benevolence of Amida’s great compassion, That we must strive to return it, even to the breaking of our bodies; Such is the benevolence of the masters and true teachers, That we must endeavor to repay it, even to our bones becoming dust. (The Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. I, 412)
First and foremost, I am grateful to have listened to the dharma at San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. From the moment I walked into our Spring Ohigan seminar in March 2016, I felt warmly welcomed and right-at-home with our sangha and Shinran Shonin’s teachings. I will never forget the selfless ethos that suffuses even the smallest of actions within our community. Life is better as a result of this gift, and in gratitude, I would like to devote my full ener-gies toward studying Buddhism and supporting our sanghas as we walk the Nembutsu path together.
Life is better, but it is not easy. I know there will be challenges, and mindful of Amida’s wisdom and compassion, I have the teachings to turn to so I can better understand myself and learn how to recognize the reality of our situations as we face suffering. It is this growing, deepening, appreciation for Amida’s Vow that drives me and inspires me to do everything I can, because I know I can never repay the debt I have to my parents, my family, my friends, to all beings who support and sustain me. People often tell me that I’m doing too much, but I don’t think I’m doing enough, not nearly enough, to show my gratitude for these gifts.
Gassho, John Mullins