Please join us

for a formal

welcoming of

Rev. Jon Turner

as a full-time

minister to OCBC,

Sunday,

September 17th

during the Ohigan

Luncheon.

Orange County Buddhist Church

KORIN Wisdom and Compassion of Amida Buddha

September 2017 909 South Dale Ave., Anaheim, CA 92804 (714) 827-9590 E-Mail: OCBC909@AOL.com Web-Site: www.OCBuddhist.org Fax: (714) 827-2860

In Memoriam, Rev. John Doami I have worked alongside Rev. John Doami for all of my

31 years of ministry at OCBC. From the time that I was a brand-new, rookie minister, first day on the job, till this year until his passing, he has been a colleague and friend in the ministry. Over those years, he has had to listen to my sermons from day one. Looking back, I know I have given many ill-prepared and incoherent messages. I have also probably given a few that turned out well. Rev. Doami, from day one, never praised my good sermons, nor did he criticize my bad ones. I never wanted criticism for the bad ones, but in the beginning as a rookie, I was kind of waiting for at least a few words of praise for a talk that I thought went well. I never heard praise nor criticism. Rev. Doami just listened. Looking back on that, I realize that Rev. Doami taught me a more important lesson by not saying anything about my sermons, good or bad.

Over the years, I would notice that Rev. Doami would occasionally use in one of his English sermons, something that he had heard or learned in one of Rev. Hirata’s Japanese sermons. For those of you new to our Sangha, Rev. Hirata was the founding minister of OCBC, who served from day one for the next 40 years of his ministry. Rev. Hirata would give wonderful messages in Japanese. Rev. Doami would sometimes share those messages in his English messages. I began to realize that Rev. Doami was really listening to the messages of the other ministers. I would try to listen, but would find that my mind would wander to thoughts like, “What should I have for lunch today?” when one of the other ministers was speaking.

Over the years, I began to see that Rev. Doami was a real listener of the Dharma. Whenever we had guest speakers for seminars or BEC classes, he always attended. Whenever there were lectures for ministers at the district or BCA level, he always attended, even when he was working in his career as a librarian. After retiring from his work as a librarian, he continued to listen to the Dharma whenever the opportunity arose.

In June, we had our annual Southern District Ministers Fuken, and Rev. Doami and Koko-san both attended, although he had been battling two kinds of cancer. He was weak and obviously tired, but he listened to the lectures and participated in our meeting. I don’t know if I would have attended if I had a mere cold, much less two kinds of cancer. Right after that Fuken, Rev. and Mrs. Doami attended the Southern District conference, which he wrote about in his July article in the Korin.

Rev. Doami was a listener and also student of the Dharma. I don’t think he ever quit studying, reading, and reflecting on the teachings. He was very fond of the writings and poems of the Myokonin, the deeply spiritual followers of

our Shin Buddhist tradition that were introduced to the world by the great D.T. Suzuki. Another poet he was very fond of was Issa, a famous haiku poet of Japan, and also a Shin Buddhist. One of the poems of Issa that Rev. Doami frequently quoted is the following poem:

The world of dew

Is the world of dew, And yet, and yet..

Kobayashi, Issa The world of dew is a metaphor for this fleeting, transient

world, the world of impermanence. The droplets of morning dew on a blade of grass or on the leaf of a flower, quickly evaporate as soon as the morning sun comes out. This is a favorite metaphor for Japanese poets to reflect the world of impermanence. Cherry blossoms, or sakura, are another metaphor for the world of impermanence as they bloom most beautifully, but for such a short period of time.

Issa, in this poem, is saying, “I understand that life is impermanent,” with the first two lines of “The world of dew is the world of dew.” However, in the third line, Issa is saying, “Although I understand this truth in my head, it is so hard to accept in my heart. It is so hard to face in life.”

Issa tragically lost all three of his children, each living less than two years of age. Following the loss of his children, he lost his beloved wife.

That is why Issa writes, “And yet, and yet.” Issa’s poem was very meaningful for Rev. Doami, and he

shared this poem on numerous occasions. Now he leaves this poem as a teaching for us to encounter, not only with words, but with the actual experience of his own life, and death. We too sadly say like Issa, “And yet, and yet.”

I have been most fortunate to serve as a minister with a colleague who was such a sincere student and listener of the Dharma. That is the lesson that he leaves with me, and perhaps with you as well. I am taught to study, listen, and reflect on the teachings, to the very end of my life, like Rev. John Doami.

Namuamidabutsu,

Rev. Marvin Harada

September Korin Page 2

A Way of Seeing (9/17)

Rev. John Doami Personal History Yasuto Doami was born in Sacramento, California, May

31, 1936. He was the youngest child of four with two older brothers and one older sister. His father, Yutaro, died before he was two years old. He moved to San Francisco with his mother, Machi Doami, who raised him as a single parent and never remarried during the next 63 years. World War II came soon and they were shipped off to the Tanforan Horse Race Track where they had to stay in the horse stables in San Bruno, CA. From there they were sent to the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah, where he was held with his mother and middle brother, Junji, for three years. After being released from Topaz at the age of nine, they went to Michigan and then Missouri. He started using the name John, or Johnny, as the people in Missouri could not pronounce his Japanese name. He ultimately ended up back in San Francisco where he grew up with his mother.

Over the years he attended George Washington High School in San Francisco, and played basketball there with another John, Johnny Mathis, the Grammy Award winning pop singer.

He attended college at UC Berkeley, and received a BA in Psychology, and was active in the YBA during those years. He competed in an oratorical contest and took second place, losing to George Takei, the now famous actor.

He went on to study at Ryukoku University receiving a Masters and doing doctoral work. He helped to translate and edit numerous Jodo Shinshu texts while there, such as the Shoshinge, Tannisho, Kyogyoshinsho, and the Bumoonjukyo (The Sutra on the Heavy Indebtedness to

One’s Parents.) While studying in Japan, Rev. John met Koko in Kyoto,

through the introduction of his friend, Rev. Toshio Murakami, who was Koko’s teacher. They fell in love and later married in 1963. A year later, they had their first son, David, before moving back to the United States where he was assigned to the LA Betsuin, from 1965 to 1969, and then served the Gardena Buddhist Church from 1969 to 1970. During this time they had their second son Daryl, and shortly after that he began his second career with the LA County Public Library.

Following those years in Japan, he went on to study at UCLA in the doctorate program in East Asian Studies, to continue his Buddhist Studies, but he enjoyed the Japanese Bibliography course while studying there and changed his major to earn a Masters in Library Science.

He worked for the LA County Public Library from 1970 to 1998, as Reference Librarian in charge of Regional Asian Collections and Regional AV collections.

From 1974 he began to volunteer as a minister at the Orange County Buddhist Church, at the request of Tak Kosakura, and formally started serving as a part time minister in 1977 under the request of Rev. Satoshi Hirata. Rev. Doami served as a part-time minister at OCBC for 36 years until retiring from the ministry in 2013.

He continued to share the Dharma by contributing articles for the Korin until his last article in July of this year.

Over the many years, he was fortunate to have learned so much from fellow ministers and the Sangha. He was motivated to share as much as he could. Over the last 20 years, he was challenged by no less than 3 forms of cancer and several major surgeries. Despite that or perhaps because of that, he enjoyed travelling the world with his beloved Koko, and continuing his own Buddhist studies, translation efforts, and of course writing, “A Way of Seeing,” essays in the OCBC Korin. He signed those articles with his pen name, or his Buddhist name, Shaku Donkon Jaan. Donkon means “dull rooted.” Ja-an was a transliteration of his Englishi name, John.

Throughout his life, he helped us to see our lives in the context of the Dharma and worked to motivate us to make our life a meaningful one.

With hear tfelt gratitude for your many years of service at OCBC.

Namu Amida Butsu

September Korin Page 3

Are We There Yet?

When I was a little boy, my father would often drive our family north to Lindsay, California. It is a small farming town near Fresno, in the San Joaquin Valley. We made it into a summer vacation to see our relatives. My mother and father both grew up in the Valley. We always called it the Valley and we all knew what that meant. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I realized that there was also a San Fernando Valley.

We would stay at my grandfather’s house on his 80 acre orange grove. He was a farmer. This was my mother’s father. It was a long trip to the Valley and very hot in the summer. I think this was even before cars had air conditioning or at least before ours did. The only relief was to have all the windows rolled down.

It was easily a four hour drive and after about an hour my sister and I would start asking if we were there yet. And the answer was almost always no. Then we would ask how far. My Dad would answer in miles but we needed time. To us it always seemed much longer than he estimated.

It was very hard for me to sit still for four hours. I was very active. I was also focused only on the destination rather than the journey. I rarely looked out the window at the scenery. I often had my eyes closed trying to sleep. I was just trying to get through the four hours.

This mindset is also very common in Buddhism. When I began practicing Buddhism, I always wanted to know when will I get there. How long does it take? Am I on the right path or did I take a detour somewhere along the way. How do I know if I am really making any progress?

I also didn’t really understand the relationship between practice and the effect it would have on me. I didn’t know the exact mechanism at play when one chants or bows or listens to the teachings. I always wondered if I was really getting anywhere.

This is much like driving to Lindsay. When you pass Bakersfield thinking it is Fresno you suddenly realize that you are still nowhere close. Half way is a difficult spot to be in. Half done is good but you still have another half to go.

This kind of thinking – focusing on the destination – is normal. It also reflected how excited I was to see my grandparents. But it makes for a very difficult journey. My parents had to be very patient with me.

It is very interesting that the trip home always seems so much shorter. It is shorter because we relax and enjoy the view. We exhale knowing that we are going back to our true home. We let down and just experience the trip.

In Buddhism, it is often said that the journey is the destination. Unlike the driving metaphor, practice is the final goal. There really is no destination. We never stop. I was told that a newcomer to Buddhism recently asked if Buddhists ever get tired of practicing. This is an excellent question. If Buddhist practice was really like driving then of

course the answer would be yes. But it is not. Practice is not a means to an end. Practice itself is awakening. Awakening is an activity not a state to be reached or achieved.

But even so it is still reasonable to wonder if you are making any progress. To ask if we are there yet isn’t quite right but you can still wonder if Bakersfield is close or not. There must be some progress on the path – there must be some way to gauge the effects.

My suggestion is to first try to focus on the return trip home. Relax, breathe and enjoy the journey towards your true home. You are no longer headed to somewhere foreign. You now have confidence in the path – getting to Lindsay was not a certainty but once there the route has been verified. The path has been established. Heading home is all downhill from there. It is no longer work. It is now fun.

After summer services, we begin family services and Dharma school on the first Sunday after Labor Day. In other words, school is back in session. Once we begin, I focus only on practice. But on Labor Day, I do make it a habit of comparing where I am now to where I was last Labor Day.

I take an inventory. This is a one-day exercise that examines one year of practice. And I have found that things really do change from one year to the next. I am not the same person I was a year ago. Progress is being made. The teachings are effective in transforming my life.

So for myself, when I now ask are we there yet, the answer is always yes. At least, for another year.

In gassho, Rev. Jon Turner

®

Buddhist Education Center

Information regarding the schedule of classes offered by the Buddhist Education Center can be found at :

http://www.ocbuddhist.org/buddhist-education-center/

September Korin Page 4

Hondo Dedication Service Coming Soon Naijin Ornaments Repaired and Amida Buddha Took a Shower!

Hello everyone. I hope everyone is having a good summer. There was progress at OCBC this summer. We finally received our Naijin ornaments (called shōgon in Japanese) from Japan. They have all been beautifully restored by the Buddhist craftsmen in Kyoto during the last ten months, and those ornaments are now stored in the temple office. Three Wakabayashi staff, Mr. Shintani, Mr. Hasegawa, and Mr. Hirano, came to OCBC from Kyoto at the end of July, and verified there was no damage. It was a big relief. They will be installed professionally by the Wakabayashi staff in September when the new Hondo is complete. It will be beautiful. We cannot wait. In this article, I would like to share some photos taken when we opened the boxes. Of course, I will show more photos in my next Dharma message at Sunday service.

Every time we opened a major box, we found brilliantly repaired Naijin ornaments. They had been disassembled into parts and washed, vividly color-painted, freshly coated with lacquer-ware, and brilliantly repaired with gold leaves.

Approximately fifty craftsmen for each part worked on our Naijin ornaments and they were professionally assembled and delivered to us.

Here is the photo of the roof. When you closely look at it, it is made by a number of components. It is beyond my imagination to disassemble and assemble because I cannot even assemble IKEA furniture! There are no nails, but only the wooden framework. It is a

work of art by highly qualified Buddhist craftsmen. The craftsmen who carve those imaginary animals do

not use any patterns or molds. They just carve the wood with intuition from their long experience. They say that their hands remember how to carve timber and make carvings. When you see the carved dragons and birds, some open their mouths, and some close their mouths. This motion is

called “AUN: 阿吽” meaning the beginning (阿) to the end

(吽). All things from the beginning to the end are in sync

each other and attuned in the realm of suchness (śūnyatā). Imaginary animals and flowers hear the Buddha’s teachings, and they chant sutras from the beginning to the end together in Amida Buddha’s land. It is so interesting to discover that and learn its meaning.

Amida Sutra describes that there are many pools of seven kinds of jewels filled with water with the eight excellent qualities. Wow, don’t you wish to swim there? The bottoms of the pools are covered entirely with sands of gold! On the four sides of the pools, there are stairways

made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal. Lotus flowers are blooming as large as chariot wheels. There is always celestial music going on there, and many kinds of wondrously rare and beautiful birds of various color such as white swans, peacocks, parrots, and kalavinkas (a mythical bird with a woman’s face, singing in a sweet voice) sing six times a day. All their voices mystically synchronize with each other and the sound sets

you happy and free from the beginning to the end. Naijin manifests the Land of Bliss where all lives exist

equally and freely. There are no battles, hatred, fear, anger, jealousy, and discrimination at all in the Pure Land, Amida Buddha’s land. Everything shines like gold. Why? Because every life is precious and important to the Buddha. But we, human beings, live in each of our own world and judge things by individual value-scale, which creates us unnecessary tension and stress. If we can just let things go, imagine how much it will ease our every life. Things exist as they are, but we think and judge things through the reflection of our own mirror.

Another thing that I want to share is that our Amida Buddha took a shower this summer. Probably it has not been washed since the statue was installed. See the stamp below the Buddha’s feet (hope you can see it in the photo). Mr. Shintani explained to me, “This is the certified stamp of Hongwanji that verified the Amida Buddha passed our statue-qualification. There are some cheaply-made statues on sale on the market.” I was amazed that there is such a process behind the scene, and at the same time I felt very proud of our founding members who purchased the first-class Naijin ornaments a half-century ago. We must feel our

responsibility to carry their deep wish to next generation. So please join us in the New Hondo Dedication Service scheduled on October 8th. There will be a magnificent service officiated by Bishop Umezu and all the other ministers to celebrate our unforgettable event and

appreciate our former and existing members for their deep wish to share the joy of Nembutsu eternally.

Namo Amida Butsu

Rev. Mutsumi Wondra

September Korin Page 5

President’s Message

Welcome back from our summer schedule! September marks the beginning of Sunday Service, Dharma School, classes in Japanese and Adult Study groups. It will be nice to get back into our OCBC activities and see familiar friends and make new ones.

You might have noticed that the Hondo now has walls, windows and a roof. The Project Committee is busy trying to complete the Phase II Hondo remodel which was always understood to be a complex and difficult project. And now we realize that it has proven to be just that. Our heavy rains this winter did not help in our construction plans. The contractor is doing everything possible to get our Hondo to completion. This does not mean we want to cut any corners. We must make sure that we have done our best to make this remodel a successful one. Thank you to Howard Nakagiri and Bill Sakahara for their diligence and hard work in ironing out all the details with the contractor. Most significantly, thank you to our wonderful OCBC Sangha. The project has secured enough pledges to meet our fundraising goal for “Completing our Dream”. For all of you who have made pledges, we ask that you please make every effort to fulfill them.

I would also like to give you an update on Rev. Harada’s temporary assignment to help the Sacramento Betsuin during their efforts in seeking a new head minister/Rinban. All parties: BCA, Sacramento Betsuin and OCBC, have agreed on a financial arrangement which will outline the amount that Sacramento will provide in sharing the cost of this temporary, part time arrangement with Rev. Harada. We hope that the Bishop will be successful in naming a replacement minister soon.

September also marks a new milestone for OCBC in that we are fortunate to announce Reverend Jon Turner’s new assignment as one of our full-time minister. Most of us are familiar with Rev. Jon’s ability to find the Dharma in many of our everyday experiences. With his increased presence at OCBC, he will be more available to us and will also help in developing new and innovative methods of delivering the Dharma to our Sangha.

Alan Endo

OCBC President

BEC News This month, the Shin Reader relinquishes its space to BEC News to explain about the new Sunday BEC classes.

The Buddhist Education Center (BEC) is always experimenting with new ways to make the Dharma more convenient and available to the Sangha. This fall we will once again offer an evening course. It will be entitled Conversations on Buddhism, meeting from 6 to 8:30 pm on the first four Tuesday nights in October. We are hoping that this earlier start/end time might encourage attendance. This class will be more of a discussion than a lecture and will be moderated by Rev Turner. Not only will it be interactive but it will also be offered online via a teleconference for those that cannot attend in person. We will be meeting in the Social Hall Level 3.

Last fall, the Sunday seminars proved to be very successful. They begin right after Adult Study with also lunch provided. This fall we will have two classes dealing with the theme of loss. On Sunday, October 29, Rev Harada will explore Buddhist Views of Life and Death. On Sunday, November 29, Rev Wondra along with Wilson Tam, CEO of Kubota Mortuary, will guide us through the Planning of a Buddhist Funeral.

We will also continue with Rev Harada’s Lectures on the Larger Sutra, Thursday mornings, from 10:30 am to noon and Rev Wondra’s Course Taught in Japanese, Saturday mornings, from 9 to 11 am.

The BEC Book Club continues to meet on the second Wednesday of the month. We will be reading the new BEC publication Awaken to Your TRUE SELF written by Hideo Yonezawa and translated by Rev Harada. We will cover the first half of the book in September and the second half in October. We will be meeting in the BEC Book Store from 7:30 to 9 pm.

For those interested in a more physical practice, Meditation Service is held every Wednesday night, from 7:30 to 9 pm, and Sunday mornings, from 8:30 to 9:30 am. These services are held in the Kodo (mini chapel). Buddhist Yoga has been offered since January 2015 in the Social Hall Level 1, every Monday night from 7:30 to 9 pm. This course is taught by Linda Turner, who has her full 500 hour yoga training certification. She mixes multiple styles of yoga; creating new and unique yoga sequences each week. Different props are also used from week to week – from blocks to straps and back again.

Group counseling is offered during the Dharma for Addictions meetings from 6 to 7 pm - held the first and third Wednesday evenings of the month. These meetings focus on the various types of habitual behaviors that cause our suffering.

I hope each of you can find the resources necessary to further your practice from our BEC fall schedule of classes and services. We encourage you to come as you are and whenever you can. We will be here whenever you are.

In gassho, Rev. Jon Turner, BEC Director

September Korin Page 6

2017 Obon Festival Raffle

The 2017 Obon Festival was a resounding success despite not having the use of all our courtyard due to the construction project. The weather cooperated and we had huge crowds on both Saturday and Sunday. Financially OCBC, with all our volunteer help, did fantastically well exceeding last year's successful numbers.

The raffle did well again with income over $19,700. We held five mini-raffle drawings on Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16, along with our main raffle held on Sunday evening. We’re happy to announce our larger raffle winners. Thank you everyone for participating and making the raffle a success! 2017 Obon Festival Raffle winners: 1

st Prize - $2,000 Cash: Lee Forsberg

2nd

Prize - $1000 Cash: Kiyoko Kakihara 3

rd Prize - $750 Cash: Kirii Askew

Mini-Raffle main winners: $100 Cash: Shizuko Komatsumoto $100 Cash: Terry Hihara $100 Cash: K. Hoohuli $100 Cash: Herb Yaka (donated back to OCBC) $100 Cash: Diana Ono

Our raffles would not be nearly as successful without the generosity of the many community businesses, our Sangha members, and friends who donate gifts and prizes for the raffle. OCBC gratefully acknowledges the following for their generosity: Union Bank Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Angels Aquarium of the Pacific John Douglas Salon Kubota Nikkei Mortuary Sun Meat Company Inc. Anonymous Hazel Ando Alan Endo Linda Ishibashi Cheryl & Mike Mio Kathy Nishimoto Nancy Ohama Jim Pollard and Janis Hirohama Ann Sadakane Janet Sakahara Ron & Annie Sakahara Andy Saldana Winston Shigenaga Mary Sunada

In Gassho, Bill Sakahara

Wish List Donations

OCBC would like to thank all of those who donated to our program. Obon was a financial success in part because of the generosity and Dana of the Sangha. We collected: 280# sugar 250# flour 600 paper cups 650 paper plates 11# salt 7 bottles Dawn 7# corn starch 6 cans coffee 7 cases paper towels 6 boxes gloves 8 cans chicken broth 11 boxes wax paper 30# rice 1 gal shoyu 4 bottles sake 5 cans pineapple juice 4# Kampyo all the way from Japan $450 gift cards Fugetsudo Gift Certificate Office Supplies Condiment tray Foam ear bud covers for our hearing assist units Small electronics for Raffle Coat racks for aprons

A heartfelt thank you to our Sangha who donated any item to our program and a special thank you for those who donated in the true spirit of Dana, who just dropped things off without leaving your name. Please contact us if we missed your name for this publication. Kathy Nishimoto Minoru Suzuki Kent & Nancy Suzuki Judy Urabe Ron & Annie Sakahara Karen Muramoto Kubota Nikkei Mortuary Kathleen Nishida Linda Ogata Janet & Bill Sakahara Nancy Inafuku Irene Yamanishi Andy Saldana Richard Tanizawa Linda Turner Etsuko & Tim Hide Ruby Takazumi Paul & Miyuki Fujimoto Nathan Shibata Elise Watanabe Jodi Hisamoto Richard & Lily Hara Dorothy Matsuoka Carol Takagi Mary Jane Fujimura Fran Onishi Joyce& Ed Kato Hazel Ando Nancy Ohama Linda Ishibashi John& Mary Sunada Margaret Abo

In Gassho, Cheryl Higashi

September Korin Page 7

BWA News Announcements -We will not be having a bento sale on the first day back to church on September 10th. Sorry for any inconveniences. -Our next meeting will be held on September 17th. Please meet in the Kodo following the Fall Ohigan service and luncheon at 12:30pm. Future events of interest~Hondo Dedication Ceremony (October 8th), and SD BEC Seminar at LA Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (October 28th). BWA welcomes new members throughout the year so please join us as we celebrate our 60th anniversary this year. Senior Luncheon On Monday, July 10th, 46 seniors and guests enjoyed a tasty bento and celebrated birthdays for Toshiko Katsumoto and Yuriko Tanaka. The ladies prepared char siu, vegetable yaki soba, roasted cauliflower, and edamame. Thank you to Toshiko Katsumoto and Yuriko Tanaka for the monetary donations and Rosa Somen for the lemons. As we continue to prepare lunches for the Tomodachi Bento Project, we bow our heads in gratitude that we are able to provide a nourishing lunch to the homebound seniors. We look forward to seeing you at our next senior luncheon on Monday, September 11th. Pala Trip with Project Kokoro On June 22nd, BWA and Project Kokoro co-sponsored a day trip to Pala Casino. The full bus load of casino goers had a great time trying their luck on the slots, game tables, and Bingo…some were even winners! Refreshments were provided and enjoyed while traveling, especially the yummy, homemade manju baked by Linda Ishibashi. Thank you, Irene Yamanishi, for chairing this event and her helpers Jodi Hisamoto and Dorothy Matsuoka. Thanks to all who participated and supported this fun event! Obon Festival – Thank You! It takes a committed team to make our Obon festival a successful one and to prepare 771 norimaki rolls, 5,191 inari pieces, 679 chirashi plates, 1,060 servings of udon, and 17,104 wontons is absolutely amazing! We would like to thank our hard-working BWA ladies and the many of volunteers for preparing kintoki for the shave ice, Friday’s delicious worker lunch, udon, sushi, and wontons. It may take hours of planning and a couple days of food preparation, but in the end, it’s a great feeling when you see the smiles on customers enjoying our signature dishes. We are grateful to have the support of OCBC Girl Scouts, SEYO Sports, Jr. YBA, and friends of BWA to assist wherever needed. We would also like to thank those who donated items on our wish list, especially, Barry Morinaka, who donated a new gas rice cooker to BWA. Finally, we would like to thank the ladies who came in the following Tuesday to put away kitchen items, organize pantry, clean refrigerator and stove, sanitize work areas, and prepare lunch for attendees. Once again, the kitchen is organized and ready to hum again. Questions: For general questions regarding BWA or its activities, BWA members may contact Jodi Hisamoto at jahisam@pacbell.net.

In Gassho, Chris Nakamura

Maintenance Report For July The following individuals volunteered some of their time either on Maintenance Monday or at other times this month. Thank you. Paul Fujimoto Kay Fujimura David Fusato Dan Hakikawa Wat Iwakoshi Hideo Kawamura Glen Morita Rod Nishimura Norman Nishioka Aki Nitta Dennis Okada Frank Okamura Sumio Otsuki Ron Sakoda Junji Sarashina Winston Shigenaga Tom Sunada Ron Suzuki and others whose names I did not get The following tasks were completed (not a complete listing): 1) General.

a. Continued weeding campus. b. Trimmed trees and bushes in the Japanese garden. c. Continued with trimming the Podocarpus trees west of MPB. d. Fitted two new propane rice cookers with hoses and regulators, then tested. e. Prepared two large holes in the garden area to receive food waste. f. Filled propane cylinders (over 100 gallons) for the Obon festival. g. Inspected and repaired the round wooden tables (five tables need repair now). h. Tested/adjusted the new tarp support structure on the block wall west of the social hall. i. Repaired several broken folding metal chairs. j. Test-assembled and repainted the Yagura to prepare for Obon. k. Cleaned and tested the “SOC” grill. l. Painted Dale Ave. parking lot light poles (they look a LOT better).

2) 904 Calico home. a. General landscape clean-up and weeding. b. Repaired leaking kitchen faucet.

3) MPB. a. Replaced failed kitchen ventilation system fuses. b. Repaired men’s room urinal (again). c. Cleaned and repaired mobile air movers. d. Removed (4) bulbs & (2) ballasts from one troffer and installed LED bulbs.

e. Installed apron hangers outside restrooms for improved sanitation.

4) Social Hall a. Removed concrete bumpers south of the social hall before Obon and replaced afterwards.

b. Rebuilt bulletin stand to improve stability, used as an apron hanger.

The Maintenance Group can use the help of any able-bodied person on any Monday (especially to assist with weed removal and bush trimming). Next major maintenance Monday is the 14

th of August. Lunch is provided.

Jim Mitchell

3rd

V.P.

September Korin Page 8

OCBC DHARMA SCHOOL

2017 OBON ODORI Dance Participants: Saturday 7/15 730 Tickets (750 Dancers) Sunday, 7/16 580 Tickets (590 Dancers) Total: 1310 Dancers (1340). Near breaking number of dancers 2010:1320 Dancer Gail Kusano Head Instructor: Thank you Gail for leading OCBC and teaching two (2) new dances.

Odori Instructors: Alison Yoshihara, Dorothy Matsuoka, Gail Kusano, Irene Yamanishi, Joanne Ishii, Joyce Yada, Lauren Wong, Marion Nishimura, Rev. Wondra, Nancy Suzuki, Sharon Kawakami, Teri Whited, Tracy Yamashita-Perry, Yoko Yamashita Dressers: Mrs. Ogawa, Kathi Shimoda, Leslie Iemus del Cid, Lisa Yamamoto, Andrea Yamamoto, Nancy Suzuki MC: David Yamamoto Audio: Alan Maruyama, David Okino, Kent Suzuki Taiko: Chris Terada, Joyce Ochiai, Kallie Ochiai Intermission Drinks: Greg Terada, et al Dharma School Contact: Rick Oishi Obon Worker’s Lunch: JoAnne Ishii, Christ Hirata Served sandwiches, somen salad, tangerine salad, chili, hot dogs, rice, chips, mugicha, water Cut prep time, efficient, faster cleanup. Teriburger/Condiments: Chris Hirata, Linda Nakauchi, Cheryl Higashi White Elephant: Janet Sakahara, Lynn Black et al Coordinators Obon-Dharma School: Nancy Suzuki, Marion Nishimura, Rick Oishi

Welcome Two (2) New Instructors for Dharma School 2017-2018 Sharon Kawakami Merry Jitosho Hiroshima Important Dates

First Day of Dharma School – Registration September 10, 2017 10:00AM

SDDSTL Conference – San Diego September 2, 2017 Fall Ohigan Service, 9/17 Family Service, No Dharma School

Hondo Dedication Service Ceremony Ochigo Parade 5

th Graders – Rick Oishi, Michiko Inanaga,

Dorothy Matsuoka, Melissa Koga Dharma School Choir – Janet Sakahara 3rd, 4th and 5thGraders

2017-2018 Dharma School Board (recently elected) Co-Superintendents: Janet Sakahara, Nancy Suzuki Co-Assistant Superintendents: Chris Hirata, Joanne Ishii Recording Secretary: Nanelle Wong Service Chair: Amy Takata, Laura Yamamoto, Sharon Ice Treasurer: Alison Yoshihara Corresponding Secretary: Teri Whited Publicity (Korin): Gail Harada Emeritus Advisors: Seiju Terada, Rick Oishi Hospitality: Linda Nakauchi, Teri Futaba, Chris Hirata Odori: Gail Kusano Ministerial Advisor: Rev. Jon Turner Installation: 9/10/2017, 11:45AM Rev. Jon Turner

Submitted: R. Oishi

Social Welfare / Dana Program Save the date – October 14th. OCBC Dana Program

and Keiro Institute for Healthy Aging will be holding a free Parkinson’s disease seminar and free flu shot. The Parkinson’s disease free seminar will start from 9 am until 12 noon. Questions on the seminar can be coordinated with Dorothy Matsuoka at email dcmatsuoka@aol.com. Memorial Care Medical Group again agreed to hold the Free Flu Shot Clinic for over 18. Free flu shots begin at 9 am until 11:30 am. If you have any questions with the free flu shot you can coordinate with Linda Ishibashi at email lki_2@me.com.

Are you interested in strengthening your body, improving coordination and balance, becoming healthier and having a more relaxed body and mind? Starting in September, the Tai Chi-Longevity Stick class for beginners led by Dan Hakikawa on Thursdays will start at 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the MPB. Don’t have the stick for this class? You can pay only $9 at the time you sign up. A form of moving meditation, it’s been shown that it helps reduce stress, and boosts your immune system and memory.

Games, Games, Games – The group is normally held weekly on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. There are all kinds of games. They are currently playing Mahjong, but other card games & board games are available. Donation of $1.00 is collected at the door. No games on September 6th. Please contact Irene Yamanishi (562) 860.5155 or email iyamanishi@gmail.com. if you have any questions.

If you are interested in joining the Social Welfare/Dana Program you can contact Linda Ishibashi (562) 860-5993 or email lki_2@me.com.

In Gassho,

Linda Ishibashi

September Korin Page 9

Dharma School Attendance Guidelines for 2017-2018

The Orange County Buddhist Church Dharma School recognizes that regular attendance is important to hear, to learn and to understand the fundamental teachings of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Therefore, the Dharma School recognizes and encourages students to achieve perfect attendance. A Perfect Attendance award is presented at the conclusion of the Dharma School year in recognition of this effort.

The OCBC Dharma School Attendance Guidelines are as follows:

Perfect Attendance – no unexcused absences during the Dharma School year.

Students who have perfect attendance throughout the Dharma School year will receive a lapel pin that indicates the number of cumulative years for perfect attendance, a ribbon, and a certificate of attendance.

A) For perfect attendance Dharma School students must

attend ALL Dharma School family services and three (3) special services, Fall Ohigan in September, Ho-Onko in January, and Hanamatsuri in April.

B) Dharma School absences may be excused for the

following reasons with proper paperwork submitted upon return to class:

Attendance at a religious service at another church or temple or outing verified with a note from the visited church or temple of OCBC adult leader. Does not have to be a “special service.”

Attendance at an outing where a service is conducted, e.g. an OCBC Boy Scout camp-out where the troop chaplain or aide conducts a “mini-service” and submits a signed note.

Illness would qualify as an excused absence with a dated, written note from the parent/guardian submitted upon return to class.

C) Absences may be “made-up” by:

Attendance at one of the listed special services at OCBC when Dharma School classes are not held

Eitaikyo Service –November

New Year’s Eve Service – December

New Year’s Day Service – January

Spring Ohigan Service – March

Gotan-e Service – May

Students must sign the attendance sheet displayed at the service.

Weekly Meditation Service 8:30AM Sunday or Wednesday 7:30_M-8:15PM (Class optional)

Written Report as assigned by the class teacher.

Project Kokoro News

Tomodachi Bento Project . Tomodachi Bento Project is servicing 50 Japanese American seniors in Orange County. Thirty-four volunteers and BWA ladies are working together to cook and deliver delicious bento’s twice a month to homebound seniors. The seniors have been very appreciative of receiving Japanese cooked meals and the volunteers have found their experiences very rewarding. For information about the program contact Amy Iwamasa at amyiwamasa@yahoo.com or Beth Fujishige at bmfuji@aol.com.

Craft Club . Thank you for coming to the Craft Fair during Obon and making purchases, All proceeds from this event went to the OCBC General Fund. The men’s workshop group made many Obutsudans which were sold at the Craft Fair. The Men’s and Women’s Craft Clubs meet Wednesday mornings.

Kizuna Service Learning Program Oct 7 PK will begin a joint project with Kizuna in which seniors meet Kizuna members to learn about topics of interest such as the use of Uber, how to work electronic gadgets and more. It will be an opportunity to mingle and meet new people. This is a 10 week series on Saturday’s from 9am to 12:30pm, beginning October 7 and ending December 16. Save the date and watch for more information in the next Korin.

Grateful Crane Variety Show Nov 19 The Grateful Crane in association with Project Kokoro will present “Grateful and Friends Variety Show” filled with dynamic acapella singing, and songs from the Yonsei, Sansei and Nisei generations. “Grateful 4” consist of Michael Murata, Aimee Machida and OCBC members Emily Yoshihara and Lisa Horikawa! For reservations call 310-995-5841. $35 includes a bento lunch or general admission is $25. A portion of the show proceeds will benefit the OCBC Building Fund. See the flyer for reservation and more information.

Appreciation . We would like to express our gratitude for the donation received from Ralph & Marie Maeda to support our programs.

Next Meeting Sept 13 The monthly meets are back to the normal time of 7:00pm. At the August meeting Lotus flower centerpieces were made for October 8 Hondo Rededication Ceremony.

In Gassho, Neddie Bokosky

September Korin Page 10

ABA News

Ready to Move Forward July should most definitely be considered one of the

busiest months for the Sangha, effectively managing and strategizing a successful Obon Festival. How truly amazing it is that OCBC adjusts so fluidly from one crisis to another, large or small, and finds workable solutions. The coming together of everyone, unselfishly and purposefully, makes OCBC the go-to place.

After a month or so of rest and contemplation, we may now look ahead to activities that will invigorate and rejuvenate our physical sensibilities and thereby sharpen our mental acuity to some degree. ABA had and has a busy line up of events thru October.

In July, the chicken teriyaki booth at Obon did exceedingly well under the leadership of Mark Sollberger.

August 26 was the Surf and Turf Dinner and Dance fund raiser in the MPB, masterfully headed by Willie Nagami as chairman and DJ, with dinner expertly prepared by Troop 578.

September 17 is Ohigan. After the morning service, ABA will provide a “fill your plate” luncheon.

September 23 to October 4, members and friends are touring New England and French Canada to take in the beauty of the fall colors.

October 28. Set aside this date to be with old and new, past and present members, celebrating 50 years of ABA tradition. It will be held from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm at the Royal Garden Restaurant, 11828 South Street, Cerritos.

As OCBC begins its “church year” this September, now

may be a good time to encourage anyone who might be interested to consider joining our ABA organization. We are an active, motivated, inclusive group that welcomes all who wish to participate in OCBC affairs.

We congratulate Jeff Follick as one of seven honorees selected for the Pioneer Spirit Award presented by the Nisei Week Foundation. Jeff is an active member of ABA, a leader of long standing and board member at OCBC and Buddhist Churches of America Endowment Foundation, and serves on the boards and committees of Keiro and JACCC, just to mention a few of his many involved accomplishments.

Our deepest condolences to the Doami Family on the passing of our beloved Reverend Doami. He inspired our Sangha with his words of encouragement to rely on the Buddha Dharma, often emphasizing the importance of interdependence. Reverend Doami was our ABA Advisor for many years. We will miss his presence and remember his impact on OCBC.

“Treasure every encounter, for it will never come about again.”

In Gassho,

Kyoko Suzuki

OCBC Meishi Exchange

On June 24, 2017, the first ever OCBC Meishi Exchange was held in the OCBC social hall. Meishi is an OCBC sponsored professional network and career development organization built for and powered by the OCBC sangha. It is a free service open to any college aged students, professional, retirees or someone who hasn't worked a day in their life, who are members of OCBC or its sponsored organizations. Every eligible person should join Meishi, because it is your personal circle of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances that expands and strengthens the Meishi network. For more information about Meishi, email ocbc-meishi@googlegroups.com, connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Meishi-7070623/about or call 949-284-6651

We had a great turn out of 150 participants with 55 of those participants being college or recent college graduates. The event started with Reverend Jon Turner talking about the Dharma and networking. The group then broke into smaller groups to meet and network with people with similar interests and professions. From this event, the Meishi Committee has received requests for potential internships in marketing, graphic design, accounting, engineering and computer science. The power of Linkedin has also connected some of our college students with potential mentors in law and civil/environmental engineering. Finally, we received employment opportunities in teaching, education and accounting.

Thank you to Reverend Jon Turner for being our guest speaker, Kathy Nishimoto and David Numata for the donation of the boba drinks, Joel Marutani for taking portrait photographs and our Meishi Committee.

"The Next Big Event" We had the participants fill out a survey to find out what they would like for our next event. The top choices were networking, interviewing skills and resume writing. So the committee is planning on having an event hopefully during the Christmas holiday to address the top choices of the survey. More information will be released at a later date.

In gassho, The Meishi Committtee

Korin Articles Due

9/24/2017* Email articles to:

OCBCKorin@GMAIL.com

Welcome back!

*Daion Taiko, DWC, ST, Jr Y can submit articles

September Korin Page 11

Youth Department

Youth Department News September 2017 Welcome everyone! It has been a busy summer and I

am sure you are ready for another exciting OCBC year ahead!

We had a very successful Obon in July and we thank all the families for your hard work & support. July was also busy with LABCCC summer camp and Kizuna’s OCBC Youth camp with many of our kids both as participants and as counselors. What a great way to spend the summer. August 5-6 weekend many OCBC teams played in the HD Las Vegas basketball tourney and were able to attend the Las Vegas Obon too.

On August 16th I was invited to attend Kizuna’s Leadership 2017 Culmination Program in Little Tokyo. I was impressed to see many OCBC high school kids and families there. Their parents braved the 405 & 5 Fwy to Little Tokyo, every Wednesday night at rush hour for 10 weeks so that their kids could participate in this program. As you know our own Craig Ishii is the Executive Director of Kizuna and this year two more OCBC alumni, Mark Hara & Megan Ono were the Track 1 directors. We had over 15 OCBC kids in the Leadership program. These are our future community leaders! (see photo attached)

To the new OCBC families, I encourage you to enroll your kids in one of the many youth organizations: Dharma Wheel Club; Sangha Teens; Jr YBA; Daion Taiko; Family Choir; Meishi program, SEYO Sports; Judo, Kendo; Girl Scouts; Cub Scouts; Boy Scouts. I guarantee that your child will have life long friends. My best friends are from OCBC where I grew up back in the 1960’s. (A shout out to my longtime OCBC crew: Sandy & James Miyake; Joan Tani; Jeanne Kumagai; Joyce Sakamoto; Jo Ann Tanioka; Wendi Marutani; Bonnie Goodman; Karen Uyeda; Nancy Hara; all my Ito/Ando cousins + more ) Parents there are also many adult organizations for you to join, don’t be shy!

Don’t forget to buy your tickets for the Nov 19th “GRATEFUL 4 Concert”. Two of our OCBC members, Lisa Horikawa and Emily Yoshihara are part of the a capella group. It will be wonderful show and great if your multi-generational families could attend this once in a lifetime performance. Bring your grandparents, parents & kids! Live entertainment with a delicious bento is hard to find and this one will be very special and meaningful. For more information see the flyer in the Korin.

If you have questions about any of the youth organizations or events, feel free to contact me at Dianaocbc@gmail.com Our other Youth department advisors are Mike Black, Fred Katsuda, and Robert Tomooka.

In Gassho,

Diana Ono, Dianaocbc@gmail.com Youth Department

Sangha Teens Hi Sangha Teens!

We had a successful Obon thanks to all of your hard work on the soda booth. Thank you to our chairs for keeping us on schedule and always having sodas ready for us. We had a great year and wish our outgoing 8th graders, now 9th graders well as they join Junior YBA.

If any 6th, 7th, or 8th graders like to plan events, hang out with your fellow OCBC Dharma School friends, meet other teens from other temples, and have fun, OCBC Sangha Teens is looking for new members! We are a social, service, and religious organization for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade OCBC Dharma School students. We hold monthly meetings, participate in fun activities, attend and make new friends at Southern District events, and host a Southern District at OCBC.

Before our official first meeting where we will have elections, we will be meeting on Sunday, September 10th at 11:30am to help make placemats for the Honda Dedication luncheon. Location is TBD! We'll also collect paperwork for the upcoming year on September 10th.

Our first official meeting will be Sunday, October 1st at 11:30 in classrooms 11 & 12.

If you are interested or have questions, please email sangha-teens-ocbc@googlegroups.com

In Gassho, Janis Mauldin and Lisa Osako

Kizuna’s Leadership 2017 Culmination

September Korin Page 12

Jr. YBA Jr. YBA is looking forward to another busy yet fun-filled

year! Thank you to all the advisors, parents, and members for making the past 2016-2017 year so great.

On July 15th and 16th, Jr. YBA helped out at our Obon festival. We were in charge of the corn and dishwashing shifts and assisted with the boba booth. We wrapped up the evenings with odori dancing and playing games. On August 19th and 20th, we helped prepare and sell shaved ice at the annual Tanabata Festival in Little Tokyo. It was a fun experience and we were able to learn more about the Japanese American culture. August 27th was our 2016-2017 end of the year party at Huntington Beach. We spent the day socializing, eating, and finished everything off with a big bonfire (and s’mores, of course)!

For those who are new to Jr YBA, we are a religious, social and service organization for high school aged kids here at OCBC. We are involved in multiple church related activities such as helping put together the Korin as well as planning and attending seminars with other chapters throughout Southern California. Some of our social events include bonfires, sports events, and scavenger hunts. Our first general meeting is September 17th in the MPB - hope to see you there!

We would like to take this time to give a special thank you to our past advisors, Jane Sugawara and Chris Terada, for all their hard work and dedication these past few years. Our new and current advisors are: Carol Sakamoto at jncsak@verizon.net, Joyce Yada at jtyada@cox.net, and Jean Hamabe at chrisjean2@gmail.com. Please contact them if you would like any more information about Jr. YBA.

In Gassho,

Nicola Furumoto

Daion Taiko This 2017-18 season will mark our 40

th anniversary,

which has only been possible due to the amazing support of OCBC and its families. As I reflect back across those years, I am of course also thinking of my father, Rev. John Doami, who passed peacefully on 8/16. I think of his seemingly simple decision to play taiko at OCBC. That decision 40 years ago has made taiko an inseparable part of my life and now that of my own family’s. During that time, we have tried to make Daion about Sangha and learning the Dharma together through taiko. I’m truly grateful that 40-year-old decision has brought me closer to our Sangha and to make so many great friends through taiko. Please take a moment to appreciate those simple things and as a Donkon Jaan would want, MAKE today great! Namu Amida Butsu.

Upcoming Events 1

st Taiko Practice – 9/10

OC Race for the Cure – 9/24 OCBC Hondo Dedication – 10/8

In Gassho, Daryl Doami

September Korin Page 13

Brownie Girl Scout Troop 916

Brownie Troop# 916 is excited to start a new year of scouting at OCBC! We currently have 20 scouts for the upcoming year, which includes 11 third graders and 9 second graders. Our new leadership team will include: Julie Yonemitsu, Traci Yoshida, Kristen Takakawa, Aileen Anderson & Jana Nakagawa!

Our Brownies will be working on their “Brownie Quest” and “A World of Girls” journeys this year. We also will be setting up fun Girl Scout activities outside of our meetings, learning how to help our community and participating in many cultural events OCBC has to offer.

Our first meeting will be held on Friday, September 8. If you’re interested in joining, please contact Traci Yoshida at tracim23@gmail.com for more information.

Cadette Girl Scout Troop 675 Hi Cadettes! We hope you had a great summer! We are

looking forward to another great year! We have met and planned out our year and can't wait to see you all on Friday, September 8th. The first meeting is All Troop meeting, so please be there at 7pm. More details will be sent soon!

In Gassho,

Mrs. Mauldin, Mrs. Mendoza, Mrs. Tomooka, and Mrs.Yada

Cub Scout Pack 578

OCBC Cub Scout Pack 578 is looking forward to another great year. We said goodbye to our Webelos who crossed over to Boy Scouts back in June. Congratulations and good luck to them. For the rest of us, we are looking for-ward to a fun filled year with great activities, helping our community, and building lifelong friendships.

During the summer, the scouts kept themselves active by helping out at our Obon at the game booths. The pack also participated in the recycling program. Everyone’s hard work is greatly appreciated.

The Wolf Den, led by Craig Shibata, hosted our annual Recruitment Picnic on August 20. The boys enjoyed playing fun picnic games like tug-of-war, water balloon toss, marsh-mallow toss and scavenger hunt. It was nice to have boys from all of our dens come out to meet and greet our new recruits. Thank you to the Wolf Den families for hosting a fun day. An extra special thank you to Mrs. Cindie Nishida for arranging the great venue for the picnic and delicious food!

Here are some important dates coming up: Friday, September 1 – First Den meeting of the Year/Start of popcorn sales Friday, September 15 – Pack Den Meeting Friday, September 29 – Pack Den Meeting Friday, October 6 – Pack Bowling Night

Pack 578 is one of the most successful programs in the Orange Frontier District. It’s all due to the great effort and commitment from the parents and more importantly, the leadership and guidance of our committee. We are also continuing the Lion Program for boys starting kindergarten in the fall.

If you know anyone in Grades K-5 who has an interest in the scouting program, please have his parent/guardian con-tact me at joy.aoyama@gmail.com for more information. On behalf of Pack 578, we look forward to seeing you!

In gassho, Joy Aoyama

Pack 578 Committee Chair

September Korin Page 14

Boy Scout Troop 578 From left – Lucas Oune, Brandon Sasaki, Joshua Suzuki, Ryan Leung, and Kevin Hazama. Not pictured – Christopher Iba

On May 26, Troop 578 recognized five scouts for achieving the Rank of Eagle Scout at our Eagle Court of Honor. The ceremony was celebrated with their family, friends and fellow scouts. The boys were presented with Eagle neckerchiefs, badges, and pins.

Special guests in attendance were Minister’s Assistant Ms. Ellen Crane, OCBC President Alan Endo, and Jodi Hisamoto, representing OCBC Buddhist Women’s Association. The ceremony included an inspirational speech by Trenton Tanioka, math teacher at Richard Gahr High School and former Eagle Scout from Troop 578.

To be considered for the Eagle Scout rank, the highest award a Boy Scout may earn, a candidate must be active in his troop, hold a leadership position, earn at least 21 merit badges (including 13 Eagle required badges), complete a leadership service project benefiting his local community, and receive letters of recommendation.

For the boys, the leadership skills, organizational skills, sense of community and commitment are a foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship. The Eagle Award project is the culmination of all the work the boys put forth to advance through the ranks as well as something that fulfills a need within the community and leads to positive change.

Joshua Mitsuo Suzuki, son of Sean and Wendelyn Suzuki, is a graduate of Troy High School and had completed the Troy Tech Program. During his 4 years of high school, Joshua was heavily involved in cross country and track and field. In addition, he participated in the Japanese Club as well as UNICEF, in which he served as treasurer.

As a scout of Troop 578, Joshua realized at a young age that boy scouts involved many fun experiences and relationships that were not available from school. As a result, he took pride in his accomplishments as a scout and made sure to participate in multitude of opportunities that scouting provided. His favorite experiences consisted of the Mt. Whitney trek, Northern Tier, Japan, and Belize trips. Joshua enjoyed snorkeling, hiking, and canoeing, and these outings, as well as others, gave him the chance to partake in these activities.

Being with the troop for 7 years, Joshua has had much

leadership experience, and he has grown more confident and mature from his time with the troop. From his first year in the troop, Joshua has served as Historian, Scribe, Quartermaster, Patrol Leader, Instructor, Troop Quartermaster, and eventually became Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. Over the years, he has had many scout leaders and he has utilized his experiences with them to construct his own skills as a leader.

For his eagle project, Joshua constructed two wooden trash can enclosures for the Fullerton Arboretum. For decades, the Arboretum has eclipsed the image of botanical diversity in California, displaying hundreds of plant species native to the state as well as foreign species from around the world. While it provides an extravagant and peaceful environment for visitors, the Arboretum has had problems with their waste disposal and litter, taking away from the nursery experience. The Arboretum had only a few trash cans for such a big facility and all waste was being disposed of in one place. Joshua helped to solve this problem with his eagle project. His trash can enclosures provided additional places to dispose of waste. In addition, the three labeled compartments of each enclosure helped to ensure that trash, landfill, and recyclables would not be mixed.

In the fall, Joshua will be continuing his education at Cal State Long Beach, where he will be studying marine biology in hopes of pursuing his passion.

Kevin Junichi Hazama, son of Jon and Kay Hazama, is a graduate of Brea Olinda High School. He was an AP Scholar, and loves to learn about the math and science subjects.

He has been an active member of the Junior Young Buddhist Association from Orange County Buddhist Church for three years, serving as the athletic chair on cabinet this year. He has played SEYO basketball with the same team since 2

nd grade, and has volunteered for the Chibiko

basketball clinic for the last two years. Kevin has been in Scouting since he was a Tiger Cub

and bridged into Boy Scouts after the fifth grade. He has served in a plethora of positions for Troop 578 ranging from Patrol Scribe, Historian, Quartermaster, Assistant Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader to Troop Historian, Instructor, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. His favorite Boy Scout trip was those to Japan and Belize.

His Eagle Project included building a sign, planting new drought-tolerant plants, and creating a drip irrigation system for the Brea United Methodist Preschool, which he attended for two years. Mr. Dean Yamanaka was his project advisor and was involved with every step along the way.

In the Fall, Kevin will be attending Fullerton College to study biology, then transfer to a University of California school and hopes to become a worker in the medical field.

Lucas Tatsuo Oune, son of Michael and Noreen Oune, graduated from Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, in May of 2017 where he was a 4 year member of the Sunny Hills Lancer Regiment Marching Band, serving as Brass Section leader. Lucas was an AP Scholar and active member in the Sunny Hills High School Engineering program and the Conservatory of Fine Arts (COFA).

He was also a member of OCBC Shockwave Boys Basketball team.

(continued on page 15)

September Korin Page 15

Boy Scout Troop 578 (continued fom page 14) Lucas is going to be attending California State University

of Fullerton in the fall with a focus on Computer Engineering.

Lucas has been in scouting for 14 years. He appreciates and is grateful for the values instilled in him and his many friendships, experiences formed during his tenure of scouting, especially the lessons learned in fishing, skiing, hiking in the mountains and high adventure experiences such as climbing to the summit of Mt Fuji in Japan and attending Japan Jamboree 2013. He also appreciates the leadership, inspiration and knowledge he has acquired from his adult leaders who have had a profound inspiration and impact on his scouting and educational path.

Lucas led his fellow scouts in the planning, design and building of three drum racks for his fellow marching band members at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California. Lucas participated in many Eagle Scout projects within Troop 578 and decided to do one that not only would give back to his school, but also to his fellow band members. Lucas felt a sense of accomplishment, great honor, and satisfaction when he presented his newly built drum racks to the band director and fellow band members. The band director and students arranged and put them to use right away and they still remain at the school to this day. His project advisor was Dr. John Nishimoto, current Scoutmaster and father of a scout in Troop 578.

Ryan Dao Leung, son of Roger and Kasie Leung, is a junior attending Oxford Academy High School in Cypress, where he takes many rigorous AP courses and currently plays on the high school varsity basketball team.

He has been involved with OCBC and SOC since he was six. He is a member of SOC Octagon and has served one year as Vice President. He has played in SEYO basketball since second grade and loves going to all the tournaments.

Ryan has been in scouting since Wolf Cubs in OCBC’s Cub Scout Pack and eventually bridged into Troop 578’s Boy Scout Troop. He has served in several leadership positions in the troop, such as quartermaster, historian, patrol leader, patrol instructor, instructor, and senior patrol leader. He has also gone to many events such as shotgun shooting, rock climbing, Rock Creek, Sierra Hike, and Japan Jamboree.

His Eagle project consisted of building four redwood benches for the children and elderly at Vinh Nghiem Temple in Pomona. People gather at this temple every Sunday, but prior to Ryan's eagle project there were no outside sitting spots.

In the fall, he will be going back to Oxford Academy High School to finish his senior year. He hopes to pursue a career in chemical/industrial engineering and attend UCLA or Georgia Tech in the fall of 2018.

Brandon Toshio Sasaki – son of Ronald and Linda Sasaki, graduated from Los Alamitos High School. During his high school years, he volunteered at McAuliffe Middle School for the school’s Mural Program. His Eagle Project, with the program as its beneficiary, was making three rolling drying racks and a rolling storage cabinet to create space for wet projects instead of using the various tables and counters in the classroom. He communicated often with the director of the Mural Program to create customized pieces

to fit in specific places within the classroom and was grateful for the guidance of his Eagle project advisor, Michael Oune, a former Troop 578 Scoutmaster.

Brandon has been in scouting for 12 years, starting as a Cub Scout and joined OCBC’s Troop 578 when he was 10. He attended the 2013 Japan Jam, the highlight of which was reaching the summit of Mt. Fuji. He also joined the Order of the Arrow (OA) and went to Michigan for the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference for their 100

th anniversary.

He earned the World Conservation Award as well as 44 merit badges. He attained Eagle in March of 2017. He served in various leadership positions throughout the years such as Historian, Patrol Leader, and Instructor, among others, and as Senior Patrol Leader for one weekend backpacking trip.

Brandon enjoyed the various activities the Troop had to offer, such as shotgun shooting, summer camp on Catalina Island, and canyoneering. He is grateful for all the things he was able to experience in the troop and is thankful to all the people who helped him on his journey in attaining the rank of Eagle.

Christopher Kenji Iba, son of Al and Patty Iba, graduated summa cum laude from Huntington Beach High School. He was a four-year member of the Huntington Beach High School Model United Nations program and Academy of Performing Arts. He also played basketball during his freshman and sophomore year.

Chris has been active in scouting since the age of 12 joining Troop 578 by a recommendation from his cousin, Jason Yamashita. Some of his favorite scouting memories include rock climbing at Joshua Tree, camping in Belize, annual ski trips to Mountain High, and hanging out with his fellow Ninja Patrol members.

For his Eagle project, Chris designed and built 3 podiums for the Huntington Beach High School Model United Nations Program with the help of other scouts and members of HBHS. HBHS Model United Nations is a top tier program that competes around the world in cities such as New York City, Montreal, Rome, Dublin and Haarlem. For decades, the program has used worn down podiums and was needing new ones. Under the guidance of Eagle Adviser and Former Scoutmaster, Dean Yamanaka, Chris successfully provided all 3 MUN advisers with new podiums.

After graduating from high school, Chris decided not to go directly to college and instead enrolled in a program known as Global Citizen Year. On his Bridge Year he lived in a small fisherman town known as Garopaba in Brazil where he worked at a Federal Institute in Environmental Sustainability for 8 months.

Chris will now be attending UC Berkeley in fall, majoring in Computer Science.

September Korin Page 16

50th Anniversary Project Report

There's been significant progress on the Hondo and courtyard since our last report in the July Korin. At that time we said our schedule was very tight, and while there've been good news, there's been some areas where progress hasn't met our desired schedule.

On a positive side, our concrete contractor completed his planned "pre-Obon" work to allow us to open the pathway in front of the social hall to permit foot traffic for our Obon Festival. That was a real "had to have" effort! All that remains for the courtyard is to pour the Hondo "front porch", steps, a small portion of the courtyard next to the parking lot and some color rework on the planters. In addition, a new walkway north of the Hondo and Kodo is being added. All the concrete work can't be done until the stucco is competed on the Hondo, and that should be completed by the time this Korin hits the presses. That means if all goes well, the courtyard should be completed by the end of August.

The Hondo work has also shown progress, but there's been some areas with setbacks. The Hondo has a new roof, but there's still some work to be done. The exterior stucco is finally about to be started and completed, but it's several weeks late. The interior drywall is also late. There are numerous reasons for these delays such as sub-contractors not available when scheduled, inspections not passed, rework of construction mistakes, etc. While these delays are undesirable, we continue to strive to adhere to the remaining schedule. There is a sense of urgency by our construction team, but we continue to stress that quality of workmanship is not sacrificed due to hurried work.

The schedule called for the Naijin to be installed when it returned from Japan at the end of July. Unfortunately, the stage and altar area were not completed in time. Consequently, the Wakabayashi refurbishment team was only able to open and inspect the finished work they had shipped back. What we saw was beautiful. The Naijin parts are currently stored in various rooms in the social hall. The Japan team will return in mid-September to complete the installation.

On the Hondo plus side, all the rough electrical wiring is complete as well as low voltage wiring. There's a ton of cables in the Hondo! Rough plumbing is nearing completion as is the HVAC. Only a few interior inspections are still needed, so insulation and drywall can soon be completed. Once that's done, the finish work can commence. We are now looking at mid-September to complete the Hondo.

The 2017 update leaf order for the donor Bodhi tree arrived and has been installed. If you were one of the donors with leaf orders placed by the end of May, you should be able to view your leaf now. Since then, we've continued to add donors to the next order list as they reach a new or upgraded recognition level. That order should be placed at the end of the year as we near completion of the 50th Anniversary fundraising project. Of course, we will

continue to update the Bodhi Tree as long as we receive donation pledge payments until the end of 2018. If you still do not have a leaf and don't want to be left out, we will also accept donations until then for those final leaves.

Finally, we have some wonderful fundraising status news. In the July Korin, we reported we were just $78,566 away from reaching our $9.3M goal. We also announced that we had a generous anonymous donor who challenged the Sangha to reach that goal by the Dedication ceremony on Oct 8th by offering to match up to half that amount. That meant that we had to raise at least $39,283. We are pleased to report that as of this date, we've raised $43,667 in new donations and pledges since the announcement! So technically, with the anonymous donor's pledge, we have reached our goal that we started nine years ago! Congratulations to all! The anonymous donor stipulated we had until the end of September to reach our goal, so we will continue to encourage and accept donations. There is still about $89,000 in outstanding pledges as part of that goal. so it's important to continue until we officially complete the project and completely pay for all the Phase 2 bills. Funds have been set aside for the new MPB floor, and that work will commence when the MPB roof leaks are corrected. All additional funds donated, as well as Phase 2 budget funds that we do not spend will remain in the Building Fund to fund facility maintenance and upgrades such as the MPB roof and classroom building renovations. Your donations will continue to support OCBC facility improvements.

OCBC is extremely grateful for everyone's continued support. OCBC thanks and acknowledges the following new and repeat donations received between June 16, 2017 and August 19, 2017.

Family and Individual Donations (new and repeat): (Coin donor names reported separately) Glenn & Judy Arima The Bandai Foundation Nancy Hara in memory of Ted Tamura Rev. Marvin & Gail Harada George & Annie Hirokawa Jon & Jodi Hisamoto (2) Audrey Ishibashi The Lock, Terao, and Uyema Families Rene & Alan Maruyama Cindy Akiko Masai in memory of Peter Shin Masai Fred H. Nagahori Ken, Kathleen, & Bradley Nishida Cynthia Nishimoto-Nishida & Mike Nishida Tsuruda Family in memory of Shigeru Tsuruda Friends of Nancy’s Sushi Making Group Ronald & Kyoko Suzuki in memory of parents: Masaji & Yoshie Suzuki and Nobuo & Masako Fujimoto Gordon & Joan Tani Kevin & Jo Ann Tanioka Matthew Thomas (2) Masa & Kazuko Tominaga (2) Jim & Chris Uyeno Richard & Janet Uyeno (2)

(continued on page 17)

September Korin Page 17

50th Anniversary Project (continued from page 16)

The chidren of Bill and Jane Wada in memory of Bill and Jane Wada Yoko Yamashita Family/Individual Donations this period: $34,593.00 Total Family/Indv'l Donations to Date: $4,214,769.00 Family and Individual Pledges (new/add'l) this period: Bruce & Kiyo Shimizu Suburban Optimist Club of Buena Park Total Family/Indv'l Pledges (collected & uncollected) to Date: $3,856,430.00 OCBC Organization Donations, Pledges (new/repeat) this period: OCBC Jr. YBA $500.00 OCBC Organization Donations, Pledges to Date: $1,166,262.00 Total Coins Collections: $27,640.00 Coin donors this period: Margaret Abo Kayla Kashima Kenna Kashima Glen Morita Aki Nitta Obon Festival Take-out Booth tips Total Pledges and Donations: $9,265,101.00 (includes coin collections) Total Donations and Pledge Payments Collected to date: $9,75,152.00 Phase 2 Goal - $4,000,000.00 Additional donations required $34,899.00 Additional donations required with anonymous matching donation $0.00

In Gassho, Howard Nakagiri, Project Manager Bill Sakahara, Project Treasurer

In Memoriam

The Orange County Buddhist Church wishes to express its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the late:

Jack Nobuyuki Imamura

Kiyoshi “Joe” Kamei Jun Iwao Nakahara Ted Yuuji Tamura Shigeru Tsuruda Masanori Sawa

May the family members find solace and

comfort in the infinite compassion of Amida Buddha

Namu Amida Butsu

Services Conducted June 23 Kiyoshi "Joe" Kamei, Funeral Service July 2 Kazuko Nakawaki, 1 Year Memorial Service 10 Keiji Munemitsu, 7 Year Memorial Service 14 Kiwako Kawai, 3 Year Memorial Service 19 Ted Yuuji Tamura, Funeral Service Morito "Mo" Nakamoto, Memorial Service Peggy Toshimi Nakamoto, Memorial Service Jun Iwao Nakahara, Funeral Service Shigeru Tsuruda, Funeral Service Masanori Sawa, Makurakyo Service 30 Reverend Tatsuya Ichikawa, 50 Year Memorial Service Russell Ichikawa, 13 Year Memorial Service Terry Kosakura, 7 Year Memorial Service 31 Jack Nobuyuki Imamura, Funeral Service August 5 Kiyoshi “Joe” Kamei, Burial Service George Yamakawa, 13 Year Memorial Service 9 Shigeru Tsuruda, Ash Burial Service 20 Joe Kazuya Takeda, 1 Year Memorial Service 27 Masanori Sawa, Funeral Service 27 Masanori Sawa, 49th Day Memorial Service

September Korin Page 18

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Orange County Buddhist Church gratefully acknowledges the following for their very generous donations, received and recorded from June 18, 2017 through August 18, 2017. Orei to the Church Girl Scout Troop 675 Girl Scout Troop 855 Girl Scout Troop 881 Girl Scout Troop 916 Hirata, Jan/Jared Ichikawa, Kazuya Inouye, Ben Kamei, Shirley (2) Kawai, Bobby Keiro Senior Health Care Kosakura, Lori Munemitsu Family Nakahara, Karen Nakamoto, Toby/Kris Nakano, Janelle Nakawaki, Amy Nakawaki, Fushio Nakawaki, Tad Noguchi, Hidetaka/Setsuko (2) Ochiyo, Bruce Palomo, Mary Sumiko (5) Sawa, Yukiko Tamura Family & Sisters Uyeno, Richard Yamakawa, Yoko Total: $6,305.00 Special or Miscellaneous Donations Anonymous Aoki, David BCA Endowment Fund Ching, Trenton Inanaga, Glen Osako, Tilden Sugimoto, Carole Suzuki, Kent/Nancy Fukui Mortuary, Inc. Higa, Ellen Higashi, Steven/Cheryl Kano Family Kubota Nikkei Mortuary Kuroki, Ritsuko Le, Yen Morinaka, Barry Nakano, Kraig Nishimura, Rodney Sakahara, Bill/Janet Sat. Night Live Karaoke Wong, Karen/Raymond Yonemoto, Violet Yoshikane, Doris Total: $2,650.50 Nokotsudo Maintenance Donations Futaba, Shiyoko Hanano, Dean Hayashida, Fujiko Morris, Sirima (2) Natsuhara, Robin Tahira, Ayumi Connie Tatsuta, Anne Tsujimoto, Shoko Various (7) Total: $1,634.00

Shotsuki Hoyo Donations Ando, Tomiko (2) Arimura, Kiyoko Asahino, Thomas Babcock, Jeanne Sadakane Babcock, Robert Cizmar, Stephen/Karen Eguchi, Ron Fujimoto, Paul /Miyuki Fujioka, Shiro/Nancy Fujishige & Yada Family Fujishige, Beth Hamada, Betty Hanano, Dean Hanano, Russell Hara, Richard/Lily Harakuni, Amy Hartman, Janet Hashiba, Grace Hayashida, Fujiko Hayashida, Neal Hirao, Gene Hirata, Yukiko Hovland, Ginny Ichikawa, Fusako Inafuku, Paul/Nancy Inokuchi, Laurence (2) Ishibashi, Sharon Ito, Tomio/Kathy (3) Iwakoshi, Setsuken/Misako Iwasaki, Mary Iwashita, Bobby Iwata, Tomi Kadowaki, Alice Kanbara, Midori Kano, Yorie (2) Katsumoto, Kaiji Kawaguchi, Mitsuo Kawaguchi, Tom Kim, June (2) Kimura, Masao Kitajima Family Kitajima, Juliet Kondo, Jennie Kono, Bryan/Joni Kunihiro, Karen Kyomen, Yoshie Maeda, Kenjiro Makiuchi, Fumiko Matsumoto, Masako Matsumoto, Shizuko Matsuoka, Dorothy Menzies, Ellen Mikawa, Louise T. Miyashiro, Isamu Morioka, Dennis Murakami, John (2) Murakami, Kyohei/Michie Nakagawa, Stanley/Jean Nakata, Paul Nakawaki, Beverly Nakayama, Mary Nishioka, Kenny Ochiai, Joyce Ochiai, Sachi Ono, Russell Osako, Michiko Osako, Tilden Osako, Sherrie Oshiro, Richard Ozaki Family Sakioka, Hiromichi (3) Sakioka, Melinda Sarashina, Junji/Kiyoko Shibata, Diane Shimono, George Sorida, Tak Sugimura, Bert K. Sumioka, Makiko Sunada, John/Mary Sunahara, Suzy. Suzuki, Kyoko Tabata, Joyce Taber, Ronald Takata, Toshiki Takemoto, Dale Takemoto, Shizuko Tanaka, Tracy Tatsuta, Anne The Kathryn Y. Yamamoto Trust Thompson, David Toda, Ken/Linda Ujihara, Kinuko (2) Various Yada, Frank/Joyce Yamanaka, Ruth Yamasaki, Nancy Yamashita, Yoko Yamauchi, Rose Yanagisawa, Keith Yanagisawa, Melvin Yodokawa, Taro Yoshimura, Jeanette (2) Total: $6,945.00

September Korin Page 19

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Hatsubon Service Donations Furumoto, Wayne/Colleen Goya, Allen Hayashida, Neal Imai, David Ito, Henry/Margo Ito, Tomio/Kathy Kamei, Shirley Kato, Ray Kato, Yumi Masai, Cindy Menzies, Ellen Noguchi, Hidetaka/Setsuko Okamoto, Kuniko Osako, Sherrie Saldana, Andy/Sharon Shimizu, Bruce Shimizu, Joyce Somen, Rosa Takata, Toshiki Takeda, Rebeca Tsujimoto, Shoko Various Watanabe, Bob Yamashita, Yoko Total: $1,607.00 Obon Service Donations Adachi, Toshiko Adams, Madalyne Kinue Arima, Janet Doami, John Rev. /Koko Domen, Takashi/Hisako Esaki, Merrill Eto, Robert Fujimoto, Paul /Miyuki Fujimura, Kay/Mary Jane Fujishige, Beth Fujita, Paul/Joyce Fujita, Sadao Fusato, David Glick, Michael Hara, Toshiki/Nancy Harakuni, Amy Hasegawa, Lester Hayasaka, Keiko Hayashida, Neal Hide, Terry/Cherry Higashi, Steven/Cheryl Hirata, Janet Hirata, Yukiko Hirayama, Tsutomu/Miyoko Hirokawa, Annie Homan, Shiro Honda, Linda Hori, Susan Hoshino, Seiko Inafuku, Paul/Nancy Inanaga, Glenn/Michiko Inokuchi, Laurence Ishibashi, Alan Ishihara, Kenji/Nancy Ishizue, Dorothy Iwakoshi, Misako Iwakoshi, Wat/Hiromi Iwanaga, Douglas Iwashita, Bobby Iwata, Sakuye Kakihara, Kiyoko Kaneko, Dan/Noriko Kano, Yorie (2) Kato, Edward/Joyce Kato, Yoko Katsumoto, Kaiji Katzmann, Betty Kawabata, George Kawakami, Sharon Kawamura, Hideo/Jane Kimura, Masao Kitajima, Juliet Kiyohara, Aiko Kodama, Mary Koike, Harry Korin, Mitsuko Kotake, Janet Yasuko Kurai, Noel/Judy Kuramoto,Richard/Charlene Kuroki, Ritsuko Kusano, Asao Kusumi, Shigeki/Sachiko Maeda, Kenjiro Maemura, Sami Makiuchi, Fumiko Maruyama, Alan Matsuda, Ellen E. Matsumoto, Hatsuko Matsumoto, Shizuko Matsuoka, Dorothy Miyakawa, Mutsuko Mizutani, Mitsuo Motokane, Jim Murakami, Kyohei/Michie Muramoto, Karen Nagahori, Fred Nagata, Norman Nakagawa, Maurice/Carrie Nakagiri, Howard/Karen Nakamura, Albert

Obon Service Donations Cont’d Nakamura, Joe/Carol Nakano, Eugene Nakawaki, Fushio Nakayama, Mary Natsuhara, Joe Nekota, Stephen Nishimoto, Kathy Nishioka, Norman Nitta, Akio Nomiyama, Seigo Ogawa, Sumiyo Oishi, Rickio Okino, Miles/Bonny Onishi, Roy/Frances Osako, Michiko Osako, Tilden Osako, Takanobu Otsuki, Sumio Perry, Stephen/Tracy Yamashita Ruiz, Patricia (2) Sadakane, John/Ann Sakahara, Bill/Janet Sakakura, Michiko Sakimoto, Judean Sakurai, Teruo/Glenn Sarashina, Junji/Kiyoko Sawada, Howard Sawada, Masako Shigenaga, Winston Shimizu, Kyoko Shoda, Dan Somen, Rosa Sunada, John/Mary Sunada, Thomas Suzuki, Kent Suzuki, Ronald/Kyoko Taira, Yoshihisa/Jane Takagi, Carol/Noboru Takamoto, Ernest Takazumi, Ruby Emiko Takenaga, Brian Tani, Gordon Tanimoto, Tom Terada, Seiju Togashi, Sueko Tokumoto, Claudia Tominaga, Masa Tomiyama, Alan/Akiko Tomooka, Raymond Tomooka, Roy Tsujimoto, Shoko Uchiyama, Gordon Uesugi, Ronald Umehira, Howard Urabe, Judith Wada, Juji Wakamatsu. Taeko Watanabe, Netty/Paul Yada, Frank/Joyce Yamamoto, Laura Yamamoto, Misae Yamanishi, Louie Yamashita, Yoko Yanagisawa, Keith Yasuda, Eizo Yee, Clifford/Megumi Yokomi, Sue Yoshikane, Doris Total: $6,145.00 Hondo Dedication Buddhist Church of Santa Barabara

― 1 ―

オレンジ郡仏教会

２０１７年

九月号

新 しん

本堂

ほんどう

落慶

らっけい

法要

ほうよう

に向 む

けて

皆さま、この夏はいかがお過ごしでしょ

うか？

九月はインディアン・サマーとか

言ってまだまだ厳しい暑さ続きますので、

どうぞご自愛くださいませ。

今日のお話は本来なら、「親鸞聖人さま

旧跡巡りの旅（その四）」の最終編なので

すが、それは来月号に延ばして、今回は京

都から内陣

ないじん

荘厳

しょうごん

が修復されて戻ってきたこ

とをご報告したいと思います。「荘厳

しょうごん

」と

は内陣にあるさまざまな仏具をいいます。

７月末に京都に若林仏具店から三人（新

谷様、長谷川様、平

野様）が来られて修

復された内陣荘厳を

船会社から受け取っ

てくださいました。

日本の神戸港を出発

して、一ヶ月を経て

ロング・ビーチに到

着しました。破損

は

そ

ん

が

ないことを確信して、

現在はオフィスにて

保管しています。本堂が完成しだい、長谷

川様と平野様が再度こちらに来られて内陣

荘厳は専門家の手で安置されます。きっと、

きらびやかな素晴らしい内陣になると心待

ちにしています。

阿弥陀様の空 く

う

殿 でん

や須 し

ゅ

弥壇

み

だ

ん

の箱を開けるた

びに、「うわぁ・・きれい、ピカピ

カ・・」という声が上がりました。約５０

名の仏師

ぶ

っ

し

さん（仏具を作成・修理する専門

職人）がそれぞれの分野で１０ヶ月かけて、

私たちの内陣荘厳を修

復して新品同様にして

くださいました。

上の写真は、阿弥陀

様のお家である空殿の

写真です。よく見ると

細かい部品で作られて

います。興味深いこと

には釘一本も使わずに、

すべて木組

き

ぐ

みです。で

すので、修復にはバラ

バラにして洗って、新しく色塗りをして、

漆うるし

をかけて金箔

きんぱく

が貼られています。バラバ

ラにして再び組み立てるという専門職人な

らではの匠

たくみ

の技 わ

ざ

ですね。ＩＫＥＡの家具さ

えも組み立てられない私にしたら、気の遠

くなる話です（笑）。

この３月に皆さんと若林仏具店を訪問し

た際に、お仏壇の木彫

き

ぼ

り

専門

せんもん

の職人さんは、

「木を切ったり、彫ったりするのにパター

ンなど使いません。手が憶えています。」

と言われました。スゴイ言葉！

内陣の彫り物

をじっくりみる

と、龍や鳥の形

をした空想的な

動物が見受けら

れます。おもし

ろいことに、い

くつかは対にな

っていて、ひとつは口を開けて、もうひと

つは口を閉じています。これを「阿吽（あ

うん）」と言います。よく「阿吽の呼吸」

の間柄とか言いますが、これは二人以上の

人が何かをするときに、絶妙に息がピッタ

リ合うことを言います。「阿吽」の「阿

（あ）」はサンスクリット語の１２母音の

最初の音で、「吽（うん）」は最後の音で

す。「阿」は口を開けて、「吽」は口を閉

じて発音します。要するに「阿吽」は「最

初から最後」という意味になります。

内陣は阿弥陀様の仏国である浄土を

象

徴

しょうちょう

しています。浄土にいる龍や鳥、ま

た華のすべては仏さまのお話しを聞いて、

お経を「最初から最後まで」お称えしてい

るということですね。興味深いお話です。

『阿弥陀経』には浄土がどのような国で

あるが描写されています。たとえば、七つ

の池があって、その池には八つの徳 と

く

のある

水が充

満

じゅうまん

しています。池の底は金で出来て

いて、四辺には金、銀、瑠璃

る

り

、瑪瑙

め

の

う

などの

宝石が散りばめられています。そんな池で

泳いでみたいですね。近くには車輪のよう

な大きな蓮の華が咲いていて、青色や黄色、

赤や白の光を放っています。また、珍しい

― 2 ―

さまざまなクジャクや

オウム、カラヴィンカ

という鳥が一日に六回

泣くとあります。この

ように神秘的な世界が

繰り広げられ、みんな

が浄土で争うこともな

く、最初から最後まで

仏さまの説法を聞いて、

そのお徳を讃 た

た

えている

とされています。

親鸞聖人さまはまた、真の仏さまやその

仏国土を「真仏土を案ずれば、仏はすなは

ちこれ不可思議光如来なり、土はまたこれ

無量光明土なり」（『教行信証』「真仏土

巻」、『註釈版』三三七頁）と示されて、

真実の仏さまやその国は限りない光そのも

のであり、すなわち人間の知恵では推し量

ることができない智慧の境界であると言わ

れています。

私たちが日常生活で我執と煩悩に振り回

されるような世界ではなく、浄土とはあら

ゆる生けとし生きるものが「阿吽の呼吸」

で光輝いて生きる世界です。たとえアブラ

虫であろうと人間であろうと金のようにピ

カピカと輝けるのです。どうしてかという

と、尊いいのちを生きているからです。

最後に半世紀ぶりにご本尊である阿弥陀

さまが洗浄され、新しく金箔で修復されま

した。そのときに、足下にある本山である

京都西本願寺の鑑定印が見られました。こ

のハンコはご本尊が西本願寺の阿弥陀さま

であるという確認印です。

オレンジ郡仏教を建立された昔の門徒さ

んたちは第一級の仏具を調達されました。

ここに私たちは先人に深く感謝するととも

に、新本堂改築を通して益々のお念仏繁盛

を願わずにおれません。

新本堂落慶法要は１０月８日に行われま

す。ご案内が届いているかと思います。多

くの皆さまのお参りをお待ちしています。

合掌

がっしょう

ワンドラ

睦むつみ

秋季ＢＥＣ土曜真宗講座

１０月から土曜真宗講座が再び始まりま

す。時間は午前９時から１１時半です。

講座日は、

１０月７，１４，２１日、

１１月４日の４回です。

引き続き『浄土和讃』をやさしく説明し

ながら講義を進めます。またビデオ鑑賞や

浄土真宗に関する本も読んでいきます。

どうぞお気軽にお越しくださいませ。

九月の祥月法要

９日（土）午後７時３０分より営まれ

ます。

日本語法話・・ワンドラ先生

英語法話･･

・・ターナー先生

十月の祥月法要

７日（土）午後７時３０分より営まれ

ます。

日本語法話・・ワンドラ先生

英語法話･･

・・原田先生

『秋季彼岸セミナー』

講師・・海野マーク先生

（オレゴン大学准教授）

日時・・９月１６日（土）午前９時より

場所・・ＢＥＣ教室

午前９時・・朝のお勤め

９時３０分・・・英語クラス

１１時３０分・・昼食

午後１時～２時３０分・・日本語クラス

参加ご希望の方は、申込用紙にチェッ

クを添えて、オフィスにお届けください

ませ。

『秋季彼岸法要』のご案内

今年の「秋季彼岸法要」はオレゴン大

学准教授の海野マーク先生をご講師とし

てお迎えします。皆さま、どうぞお参り

くださいませ。

日時・・９月１７日（日）午前１０時

場所・・ＭＰＢ

日本語法話は、英語法話が終わりしだ

いに講堂で行われます。工事中により、

移動にご不便をおかけしますが、お気を

つけください。

なお、法要後にランチがあります。

― 3 ―

婦人会だより

▽お知らせ

＊次回のＢＷＡミーティングは、９月１

７日（日）午後１２時半、秋季彼岸法要

のちに講堂にて行います。

＊１０月８日

新本堂落慶法要

１０月２８日

羅府別院にてセミナー

バンコ・ゲームの日にちは後日決定し

ます。

＊９月１０日（日）に予定していた弁当

セールはありません。

▽シニア

ランチョン

７月１０日（月）に催されましたシニ

ア

ランチョンでは、４６名のシニア、

およびゲストの方々が出席され、左記の

方々のお誕生日をお祝いしました。

（敬称略）

勝本敏子、田中ゆりこ

メニューは、野菜焼きそば、カリフラ

ワー、枝豆、チャーシューでした。

＊当日ご寄附を戴きました方々のお名前

です。（敬称略）

素麺ローザ・・・レモン

＊金一封ご寄付お名前です。（敬称）

勝本敏子、田中ゆりこ

シニアランチでは、地域高齢者への

「ともだちランチ」の用意も行ってい

ます。

次回のシニア・ランチョンは、９月

１１日（月）です。皆さまのお越しをお

待ちします。

▽パラ小旅行

６月２２日にＢＷＡとＰＫが合同でパ

ラ・カジノへ行きました。お世話してく

ださった山西アイリーン、久本ジョディ

ー、松岡ドロシーさんに、またお手製の

饅頭を作られた石橋リンダさんたちにお

礼を申し上げます。おかげで、大勢が楽

しい時間を過ごすことが出来ました。

▽お盆祭り、お疲れさまでした！

皆さまのご協力のおかげで、ワンタ

ン１７，１０４個、うどん（ビーフ・き

つね含む）１，０６０杯、稲荷寿司５，

１９１個、海苔巻き７７１個、散らし寿

司６７９個を、両日ともに完売しました。

今回、ＢＷＡに新しいガス炊飯器を寄

付してくださった森中バリーさんにお礼

を申し上げます。

ガール・スカウト、ＳＥＹＯスポーツ、

Ｊｒ．ＹＢＡのご両親にお手伝いいただ

き、ありがとうございました。また、お

盆祭り後の火曜に片付けに来られた方々

に深く感謝を申し上げます。

▽ご質問

婦人会に関してご質問がありましたら

久本

ジョディー会長へご連絡下さい。

jah

isam

@pacb

ell.com

合掌

中村

クリス

ご寄付

（６月１８日～８月１８日までに

御寄付戴きましたご芳名）

「７・８月祥月法要」

さる７月８日及び８月５日に営みまし

た「祥月」法要にご寄付戴きました方々

のお名前は、英語欄のページを

ご覧くださいませ。

合計

６，９４５ドル

「お盆法要」

さる７月９日（日）に営みました「お

盆」法要にご寄付戴きました方々のお名前

は、英語欄のページをご覧下さいませ。

合計

６，１４５ドル

「初盆法要」

さる７月９日に営みました「初盆」法

要にご寄付戴きました方々のお名前は、

英語欄のページをご覧くださいませ。

合計

１，６０７ドル

― 4 ―

「仏教会に特別寄付」

ご芳名です。（敬称略）

青木

デビット

米国仏教団インダウメント

ダーナ

シェアー

プログラム

稲永 グレン

大迫

ティルデン

杉本

キャロル

鈴木

ケント・ナンシー

チング

トレントン

福井葬儀社

比嘉

エレン

東

スティーブ・シェリル

かのう

ファミリー

久保田日系葬儀社

黒木

りつ子

リー

イェン

もりなか

ベリー

なかの

クレイグ

西村

ロッドニー

坂原

ビル・ジャネット

サタデー

ナイト

ライブ

カラオケ

ウォング

カレン・レーモンド

よねもと

バイオレット

吉兼

ドリス

匿名

合計

２，６５０．５０ドル

「仏教会にお礼」

ご寄付ご芳名です。（敬称略）

ガールスカウト

Ｔｒｏｏｐ

６７５

ガールスカウト

Ｔｒｏｏｐ

８５５

ガールスカウト

Ｔｒｏｏｐ

８８１

ガールスカウト

Ｔｒｏｏｐ

９１６

平田

ジャン・ジェラッド

いちかわ

かずや

井上

ベン

かめい

シャーリー

（２）

河井

ボビー

敬老シニア

ヘルスケアー

小桜

ローリー

むねみつ

ファミリー

なかはら

カレン

中本トビー・クリス

中野

ジャネル

中脇

エイミー

中脇 ふしお

中脇 タッド

野口

秀隆・節子

（２）

おちよ

ブルース

パロモ

メリー すみ子

（５）

澤

ゆきこ

田村

ファミリー・姉妹

植野

リチャード

山川

よう子

合計

６，３０５ドル

「新本堂落慶」

ご寄付ご芳名です。（敬称略）

サンタ

バーバラ仏教会

「納骨堂」

ご寄付ご芳名です。（敬称略）

ふたば

しよこ

花野

ディーン・ミッシェル

林田

ふじこ

モリス

シリマ（２）

夏原

ロビン

田平

あゆみ

コニー

たつた

アン

辻本

章子

匿名

（７）

合計

１，６３４ドル

お葬儀

故かめい

きよし

ジョー

２０１７年６月１７日往生

故つるだ

しげる

２０１７年７月１４日往生

故澤

正憲

２０１７年７月１４日往生

仏教会一同、心よりお悔やみを申し上げ

ます。

南無阿弥陀仏

September Korin Page 20

September Korin Page 21

September Korin Page 22

September Korin Page 23

September Korin Page 24

Beginners Tai Chi-Longevity Stick Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the MPB.

Games, Games, Games Wednesdays 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Mahjong, Shanghai Rummy, Hanafuda, blackjack

and board games like chess, checkers, Scrabble, Monopoly, etc.

If you are interested in joining the Social Welfare/Dana Program you can

contact Linda Ishibashi (562) 860-5993 or email ami_2@verizon.net.

September Korin Page 25

September Korin Page 26

September Korin Page 27

September Korin Page 28

September Korin Page 29

September Korin Page 30