BUSSEI B U D D H I S T T E M P L E O F S A N D I E G O

The 4th of July celebrates the birth of a nation. Obon reflects on the past lives and contributions of those who have died. “Birth in the Pure Realm” is often associat-ed with the death of a Shin Buddhist. How-ever, current Shin scholars suggest that “birth in the Pure Realm” indicates a spir-itual awakening in our present life. A new life is experienced now, not just something that happens after death. Let us assess our

understanding and experience of these “bookend” events of our lives. Birthdays are an important celebration in American life. Chil-dren look forward to it, as it is their day of recognition. It has been said that Eastern cultures deem the death date of a per-son more important than the birthdate, as the end of life is more indicative of their contribution to society. From this per-spective, a birthdate might be viewed as an accomplishment of the parents rather than the newborn infant. It would be from this perspective that “birth in the Pure Realm” would be a recognition of the efforts of others in causing the awakening of a person. The term, “birth in the Pure Realm,” is often related to other sanctified terms such as shinjin and Enlightenment. These terms point to rare experiences that seem far beyond our usual life. Since we do not know many Enlightened people, or even those of shinjin, we may not be inspired to follow a religious path. So spiritual values may become secondary to the practical values of ownership and status. This is an unfortunate assumption for Shin Buddhist. As Shin Buddhists, we acknowledge the limits of our human achievements; so we may be more familiar and comfortable with the term “awakening.” We awake from sleep every morn-ing and awaken from inattention many times during the day. So waking up or becoming aware is something that is familiar. A “spiritual” awakening can be a simple step beyond waking up. We can appreciate the taste of an ume musubi wrapped in nori (rice ball filled with a pickled plum, wrapped in seaweed). A spiritual awakening might mean that we acknowledge the mul-titude of causes, conditions and effort in producing the rice, plum, and seaweed, from their seeds or beginnings to their final configuration to be eaten by us. Our Shin Buddhist alarm clock wakes us, as we recite, “Namo Amida Butsu, itadaki-mas.” Thus, our practice as Shin Buddhist is not seen as a process of achievement toward a goal; our practice is to appreciate what we have received. If understood in this manner, the recitation

of the Nembutsu would acknowledge our receiving spiritual awakening. Amida Buddha is our source of awakening, as articulated in the 18th, or Primal, Vow. The mythic version envisions a Bodhi-sattva Dharmakara becoming Amida Buddha over 10 kalpas. If we do not deify Amida in human form, we might envision a different model. Amida Buddha is also defined as Light and Life, and is inherent in everything on our planet. Considering Amida as Light and Life, we might interpret Amida as the whole evolu-tionary process from the Big Bang, to our present moment. Our awakening would thus be a result of all the causes and condi-tions that brought about our biological birth in this evolutionary process. Acknowledging our own inconceivable birth in the incompre-hensible, dynamic universe, brings us into the realm of the spir-itual. Human minds that deny the spiritual are like children whose reality are limited to their present knowledge of the world and universe. Science has opened our minds to see our present civilized world as the evolutionary result of billions of years: from star dust to sun, planet earth, organic ooze, biologi-cal cells, plant and animal life, and human creativity. Can we wake up to appreciate how we were able to be born at this time and in this place? Experiencing this inconceivable process is the basis for a spiritual awakening. Namo Amida Butsu is our response. Waking up is a continuous process. The Primal Vow assures us that all beings will wake up to appreciate the unique gift of life. We dance with joy at our Obon, to acknowledge that our awakening is due to the efforts of countless others. Of course there is sadness that we no longer have the physical presence of those loved ones. But our dancing affirms that their lives had meaning in bringing joy to our lives. It also assures us that our lives have meaning. We are the continuing link from the past to the future. It is not our individual lives that live in eternity. Be-cause of our affirmation of interdependence and imperma-nence, we will live on in this life, in the form of others. Awaken-ing to Truth, we become a part of the dynamic Primal Vow. Dr. Taitetsu Unno writes: “The fundamental purpose of the Name as namu-amida-butsu is awakening to the incomparable worth of this unrepeatable life, this limited finite life that is insepara-ble from boundless, infinite life.” (1998, p. 29) Namo Amida Butsu includes us in the process of the Primal Vow, that our lives will benefit others in this awakening process. How could we not dance with joy, when we experience this spiritual awak-ening: this birth of a new perspective of life?

Gassho, Kenji Sensei

SCRIPT 2929 Market Street, San Diego, California 92102 Web: www.btsd.net E-mail: info@btsd.net Phone: 619-239-0896

WAKING UP AND DANCING

By Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi, Resident Minister

VOLUME CXXV NO. 7 JULY 2015

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Glenn Torio, Board President

On Thursday, June 18, 2015, the Board of Directors met and the following items were acted on or discussed.

1. The Board was informed on the progress of planning for the 2015 Obon Odori, to be held in Balboa Park this year on August 1.

2. The Board approved monies to replace the Sangha Hall's Air conditioner that was damaged by theft and vandalism last year.

3. The Board approved monies for BTSD Taiko to purchase supplies for drum repair. Drum repair and supplies were in the 2015 approved budget.

4. Reports were provided on a number of activities that took place this past month including the 2015 Southern District Conference, Asian Story Theatre's preview of the “Stories of the Sun Cafe” play, Asian Pacific Post 4851 hosting of the Japanese Navy Training group, BTSD's par-ticipation in Asian Festival Day at the San Diego County Fair, and the IRC's retreat with Father Michael Fish.

5. The Board approved a grant to Breven Honda to help with expenses for participation in the Youth Advocacy Committee (YAC) program which will take place July 6-12 at the Sacramento Buddhist Church.

BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

DHARMA SCHOOL NEWS

The school year has come to an end and the summer break is under way. For students it means a couple of months away from school, being able to sleep in a little before moving on to the next grade level, whether it be in elementary, middle, high school or college bound; a true time of great change in ones life. Congratulations to all that have been promoted or graduat-ed this year! Summer also brings a time for family vacations. This year, Janet, Alex, Mark and I went on a trip that began by flying to Jackson, Wyoming; through Yellowstone National Park; The Grand Tetons, Deadwood; and ending in Rapid City with a visit to Mt. Rushmore. Some of the highlights were seeing Old Faith-ful erupt at nearly 10 p.m. and seeing the night sky grow dark; the size of Yellowstone, and seeing it in its recovering and re-generating stages from the past fires; passing through a herd of 250 bison on their way to a new settling area in open Jeeps; vast lands of green grass, water running in creeks, rivers and water falls, the lighting of Mt. Rushmore; and not to forget Wall Drug! Wall Drug is a unique shopping area that everyone needs to go at least once in their life… Or not! My thank you go out to all that helped and participated in the Temple Bazaar back on June 7. Bazaar is one of our largest fund raisers of the year, and one of the best attended. Next on our list is our Obon Odori to be held in Balboa Park’s Organ Pa-vilion in conjunction with the Park’s Centennial Celebration. I hope you all have a nice summer vacation – be safe and enjoy as much time with your family as possible, that time is pre-cious… And don’t forget the sunscreen! Gassho.

BWA NEWS The weekend of June 13 and 14 was very busy for some of

Students and parents volunteered their time and worked hard at the temple’s Japanese Cultural Bazaar on June 7. Dhar-ma School was in charge of the Craft Booth. We offered carp fish to color, a bamboo flower to assemble and perler beads to melt. Thank you to Devon Clark, Amy Sanders, Rick, Jenny, Em-ma, & Claire Matsumoto for helping. On June 21, Dharma School hosted the temple’s annual ser-vice and picnic at Rohr Park, in Chula Vista. Jonathan Guiang (Canyon Crest) and Mark Torio (Bonita Vista) were recognized as graduating high school seniors. We wish them good luck in college. A total of 24 Dharma School students, who had three or less absences, were recognized with attendance awards. We honored our fathers on their special Father’s Day. After the service, everyone enjoyed the Bar BQ lunch and the delicious side dishes, salads and desserts shared by the Sangha. Thank you to the Staff for helping with the picnic and to the Jr. YBA for putting on the games. Luna Wiederkher, Ava Yamamoto, Zoe Yamamoto, Chad and Jenna Sasaki will attend the LABCC Camp at Camp Morning Star, from July 25 to August 1, in the San Bernardino Mountains. Hope they have lots of fun and make new friends! Kenji Sensei will also be participating. ENJOY!!! The temple’s O Bon festival is on August 1, and that means odori dance practices are just around the corner! Here are the practice dates: SUNDAYS – July 5, 12, and 19 (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.); WEDNESDAYS – July 8, 15, 22, and 29 (7-9 p.m.); MONDAYS (Kid’s Practice) – July 6, 13, 20, and 27 (7-8 p.m.). Several prac-tices will take place in the Japanese Friendship Garden in Bal-boa Park to get the word out and practice being onsite for next month’s event. The next staff meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. We will be planning the 2015-2016 Dharma School

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us! On Saturday, the 13th, 12 of our members carpooled with our advisors, and others, to the So. District Buddhist and BWA Conference, in Montebello. The subject and title of the confer-ence, “Perc3ptions,” was tackled by speakers Rev. Harry Bridge (using music), Rev. Masanori Watanabe (using art), and Rev. Gregory Gibbs. Each gave a different, but inspiring message. On Sunday, June 14, several BWA and temple members helped set up a vendor booth at the San Diego County Fair’s “Asian Festival”. We sold a variety of items we have been mak-ing, such as ribbon fish, ajisai (hydrangea origami), origami star books, etc. It was a fun and productive day. We were able to make some money for the K(itchen) C(ompliance) P(roject), and enjoy the fair too! We are continuing to make more items to sell, this time for our Bon Odori at Balboa Park on Saturday, August 1, and our own Food and Craft Fair in October. If you like to work with your hands, learn a new skill, or just have fun hanging out with a bunch of interesting people, you don’t have to be a BWA member to join us for future WOFU (Work/Fun) craft days! We have been meeting every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midafternoon, but please check with the office to be sure of the schedule. We skipped June, but please join us on July 5, when Group B will host our meeting. Hope to see you then!

Page | 4 BTSD BUSSEI SCRIPT JULY 2015

Just a reminder this month’s Bingo Night is on June 27. The Temple will be having a Soft Taco fundraiser dinner from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. On the menu will be two (2) soft tacos, rice, home-made refried beans and dessert for an $8 donation.

Remember, Temple get 50% of all the proceeds. Buy-in is $10, with extra cards at $0.50 each. Pull tabs are also available

UPDATE

JR. YBA NEWS School is on summer break for the members. We can now relax our brain cells for a bit. Congratulations to Mark Torio (Bonita Vista High), and Jona-than Guiang (Canyon Crest), our 2015 graduating seniors! On June 7, we hosted games for the temple’s annual Cultural Bazaar. The kids and adults had a great time playing ball roll, tic-tac-toe, the fishing game, toilet paper toss and dime pitch. At the temple picnic, held on June 21 at Rohr Park in Bonita, we coordinated games for kids and adults, which including a relay race, and a great picnic game, bean bag toss. The temple’s O Bon is just around the corner. During July, members will be selling tickets for the Opportunity Drawing. Donation is $2 per ticket with a chance to win many prizes. Tick-ets will be out soon! Members will be asking you for your sup-port to purchase tickets. Net proceeds help the Jr. YBA with its many programs. In Gassho, Breven Honda, 2nd VP

Saturday July 25: Afternoon Dharma Talk with Rev. William Briones. Please join us Saturday afternoon on July 25 at 3 p.m., for an informal and direct Dharma talk by Rev. William Briones on a personal understanding of the Obon tradition. The lecture will take place in the Sangha Hall. Briones Sensei is our guest speaker for the Obon Service on Sunday, July 26, and on Saturday he helps us extend our obser-vation of Obon. His connection to the Obon season began at an early age. “I grew up less than half a mile from Mountain View Buddhist Temple,” Rev. Briones shared in a Dharma message to his Sang-ha last year. “At that time what separated my house from the temple was a field of tomatoes. It was during the warm summer evenings, as we played in the fields that I was first exposed to the season of Obon. Unbeknownst to me, the colorful display of lights were lanterns and the strange music was traditional Japa-nese music…” He credits ministers at the Mountain View Tem-ple, and especially Rev. Russell Hamada, for later helping him understand the meaning of this observance as “an annual me-morial service for the loved ones who had passed on, and an acknowledgement and celebration of the continuing influence our loved ones have upon our lives.” Rev. Briones will share his appreciation in more detail at the lecture, which is expected to last 90 minutes. Note: Following the lecture, attendees are welcome to stay for Bingo, cosponsored by the Buddhist Temple of San Diego and Asian Pacific Post 4851. Doors for Bingo will open at five, and hot dogs and chili dogs will be available for a light dinner. Bingo starts at 6 p.m. Brief Biography of Rev. Briones. Born and raised in Moun-tain View, William Briones filled the first chapter of his life as a research biologist for 28 years in Palo Alto. After an early retire-ment in 1995, he started the next chapter by enrolling at the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) in Berkeley, California. On completion of the ministerial program there, attended Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin (Buddhist Seminary) in Kyoto, Japan for 2 years. Serving at the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Tem-ple since 2001, first as Kyoshi and then Kaikyoshi minister, he became the 10th Rimban (head minister) of the Los Angeles temple in September 2013. Other BEC News. To avoid conflict with Bon Odori practices on Wednesday nights. Buddhism 1-2-3 will meet on Tuesday evenings throughout July. But we will still meet the first week on a Wednesday, July 1. Thereafter we will meet on Tuesdays for July 7, 14, 21, and 28. All sessions start at 7 p.m. and last about 90 minutes.

BEC UPDATE FOR JULY

(DHARMA SCHOOL: Continued from Page 3)

term. Dharma School parents and other Sangha members, who are interested with teaching or helping out with the program, are invited to attend the meeting. Please let me know if you are interested.

Gassho, Avis Honda, Superintendent

NEW ABA (NABA) NEWS Members of the New ABA (NABA) gathered on Sunday, May 31 for a meeting. On the agenda, the group approved to donate $500 to the temple to help underwrite the purchase of a new two-door commercial refrigerator. Treasurer Ron Tokunaga reported that 22 out of a 29 potential members have paid their dues for this year. Dues are $10 per person. Please submit pay-ment to the treasurer ASAP. The group is planning a dinner get-together for Friday, July 17 starting from 6 p.m. in the Annex Hall. The gathering is open to all NABA members, their families and the temple Sangha. Please email Ralph Honda if you plan to attend. The group will be planning future activities for the temple. A fundraiser will be announced, as well as a Dharma activity. Stay tuned for details! During June, members helped out at the Japan Society’s Beer and Sake Festival which the temple participated in, and with the temple’s Japanese Cultural Bazaar on June 7. Thank you to the members who volunteered their time for the activities.

for $0.50 each. A raffle is held just before the first Bingo break for nice prizes. So join in for some great Mexican food, and en-joy a fun night of Bingo! Hope to see you there!

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Moving into July, so far 55% of our 2014 members have re-newed.

We can make it as easy as possible for you – for example, we

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Page | 5 BTSD BUSSEI SCRIPT JULY 2015

SCRIP NEWS

ANNUAL PARKING LOT RUMMAGE SALE-AUGUST 15-16 Re-Using ✻ Recycling ✻ Re-Thinking

SORTING DAY – July 19. The temple’s annual Rummage Sale will be held August 15 and 16. Though we will need a lot of help for the dates in August, we will have a preliminary sorting day on July 19th, Temple Clean Up Day. We will work from 8:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. DONATION DROP OFFS and PICK UPS. Our Rummage Sale fundraiser is made possible by your donations of gently-used discards and the efforts of our hardworking volunteers. Cloth-ing, books, furniture, household goods, toys and most other items are welcomed. PLEASE – no CRT TVs or MONITORS. Any electronics, appliances and computer equipment must be in working order – it can cost the temple to discard or recycle non-functioning equipment. If possible, please hold your items until after August 1 – temple volunteers will be busy with the Obon Odori. More information will be in the August Bussei Script but please save the dates! SORTING AND PRICING DAYS are: Saturday, July 19 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m.); Saturday, August 8 (8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.); Sunday, August 9 (8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.); Thursday, August 13 (4-9 p.m.); Friday, August 14 (3-9 p.m.) *Friday is our set-up day – Pricing & sorting continues. SALE DAYS are: Saturday, August 15 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m. and on); Sunday, August 16 (8 a.m. – 12 noon). Thank you in advance for your support and hard work.

Your 2015 Rummage Sale Committee

Summer is almost here, and with it many of you will be going on vacation. Check out the various hotels that are participating in the Scrip Program. Need new equipment to take to the beach or on picnics? Check out the various sports stores that are par-ticipating in the program as well. There are also various movie theaters you can get gift cards

to on those hot and humid days when you need some relief from the weather. Order now so that you have them on hand when the weather starts to warm up! We do have Regal Thea-ter gift cards available. Coco's Scrip will no longer be available; we have sold the last of our stock and will not be able to buy any more. With the summer slowdown, and many people going out of town, if you need to order Scrip, please call or e-mail the temple office. Ja-mie will let me know about your order. Please include your e-mail address so that we can let you know when it can be picked up at temple. We try and keep the gift cards that people buy on hand so that it is available as soon as you need it. Have a safe, fun-filled summer, and keep on buying Scrip!

(MEMBERSHIP: Continued from Page 4)

can set up a monthly payment schedule to make it easier. We can even automatically deduct from your Mastercard and Visa credit or debit card. You only need to set it up and not worry thereafter. Please help us meet our obligations in 2015 by re-newing this month! Welcome New Members. You may have already met Henry and Marcia Isakari at one of our services but they became our most recent members the other month. Please help welcome them to our Sangha. List of 2015 Members to Date. If our human error has kept your 2015 membership from being reflected in this list, please let us know so we can fix the error. But currently here the cur-rent members who have renewed or joined for 2015: Nobuko Amano, Masato (Bruce) Asakawa, Cathy Bartels, Agnes Benson, Veronica Bonilla, Roger Coppock, Jeanette Dutton, Jaime Enochs, Jackie Goor & Maribeth "Smitty" Smith, Cynthia & Or-lando Guiang, Quimico Hagio, Yuruko Hagio, Ruby Hara, John & Tsuneko Hashiguchi, Hiroko Hendrix, Holly & Ronald Hidinger, Miyo Hill, Mikiye Honda, Yoshiko Honda, Margaret Ikeda, Henry & Marcia Isakari, Mitsuo & Sally Ishihara, (Jan) Jeanette & Set-suo Iwashita, David & Katie Iwashita, Masami Iwataki, Richard & Ruth Kaneko, Gale Kaneshiro, Naoye Kasubuchi, Noriko Kawai, Mitsuko & Yukio Kawamoto, Umeko Kawamoto, Mildred & Trace Kawasaki, James & Katsumi Kida, Margie Kitano, Chelsey & Robert Koga, Hiroshi Kubota, Howard Kanji & Kaneko Ku-wada, Mark Madeira, Nancy Martinez, Amy & Peter Masuda, Chiyoko Masumoto, Bruce McDonald, Lee & Susan Moribe, Asa-ko Morinaka, Chieko Moriyama, Roy Muraoka, Tad Muraoka, Jake & Patty Nakamura, Pauline Nakamura, Minako Nakano, Sumiye Nakashima, Fred & Nancy Nakatani, Toyo Nishii, Yuko Niwa, Sumihiro & Yuriko Nogata, Jessica & Walt Novinger, Janet Ochi-Fontanott, Shirley Ochi-Watson, Arikazu Ogasawara, Toshiko Ogata, Ann Ohara, Fumiko Ohara, Kisae Ohara, Shirley Omori, Laurine & Ken Ota, Ayako Otsuji, Dennis & Elaine Otsuji, Linda Ring, Bill & Suzanne Sannwald, Steve & Susan Schraeder, Wilbur Shigehara, Kaneko Shimabukuro, Margo Spears, Tsuruko Sueshi Stark, Chiyeko & Hideo Sugiyama, Yukiko Sugiyama, Floyd & Kathleen (Kaytee) Sumida, Mary Suyenaga, Yuriko Tai-ra, Kelvin & Lara Tanaka, Robert Taniguchi, Bill & Joyce Teague, Kristine & Ron Tokunaga, Sayoko Tomiyama, Betty Torio, Glenn & Janet Torio, Frederick & Masako Tsuji, Wayne Tsukamoto, Angelina & Motoo Tsuneyoshi, Chiyeko Yagi, Laura Yamaguchi, Mani Yamaguchi, Hisashi & Jane Yamamoto, Joyce & Koichi (Kurch) Yamamoto, Kengo & Mae Yamamoto, Sachio Yamamo-to, Miyoko Yamanishi, Sumiko & Tom Yanagihara, Tamako Yano, Curt Yasuhara, Mildred & Paul Yasuhara, Gregg Yonekura, and Roy & Susan Yonekura. Please accept our apologies if we left someone out in error. Thanks to all shown here for their support.

20th ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT - AUGUST 30

Calling all golfers! The 20th Annual Buddhist Temple of San Diego Golf Tournament will take place Sunday, August 30, 2015 at Eastlake Country Club in Chula Vista. Up to 72 players (18 teams) will be eligible to participate in the four-person scramble that tees up at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m. The scramble format allows golfers of all levels to play, from weekly players to novice “duffers,” to team up and enjoy a day

(Continued on Page 6)

Page | 6 BTSD BUSSEI SCRIPT JULY 2015

(GOLF TOURNAMENT: Continued from Page 5)

of rekindling friendships, fun play and chasing that small white ball. Registration fee is $115 per golfer and includes green fee, golf cart, practice range balls, coffee, donuts, beverages, BBQ lunch and awards ceremony. For the third consecutive year, the tournament will offer play to golfers 15-years-old and under. Registration fee for this age group is $90. In addition, golfers may purchase a three mulligans and five raffle tickets package for $10. Also, the 50/50 putting contest returns. Entry fee is $5 for a chance to win half of the contest’s pot. Individual raffle tickets will be on sale for $1 each. Last year, many great prizes were given to very happy winners. Registration forms were emailed to all prospective golfers and tournament supporters. If you did not receive the email, please download the form that can be found on the www.btsd.net website or contact the temple. Registration deadline is Sunday, August 16. Donations & Sponsorships. Golfers and non-golfers are in-vited to participate in the tournament in several capacities. Gal-lery, hole, and upper-level sponsorships are available in various monetary ranges (sponsors will have their name or business displayed throughout the golf course). Merchandise donations will also be accepted for the always popular raffle prize draw-ing. Last year’s response from donors was tremendous! Dead-line for submitting a donation is Sunday, August 23. Net proceeds from the tournament will benefit the temple’s daily operations. The success of the tournament continues to grow each year both in participation and with generous donations. Thank you for your continued kind and generous support.

In Gassho, Ron Yagura, Rich Kaneko & Ralph Honda BTSD Golf Committee

BTSD TAKES PART IN JSSDT FESTIVAL

The temple participated in the 13th annual Beer and Sake Festival on Friday, June 5 at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center. The Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana, which BTSD is a member, hosted the event. It was the fifth year that BTSD has taken part in which volun-teers promoted the temple with materials on Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu, and handed out fliers for upcoming events includ-ing the Japanese Cultural Bazaar and the summer O Bon Festi-val. Volunteers prepared the temple’s delicious taiyaki and passed out samples to many of the attendees. The taiyaki was certainly a crowd-pleaser. Many thanks to the volunteers for helping out at a fun event!

SOUTHERN DIST. CONFERENCE On Saturday, June 13, 16 temple members attended the Southern Dist. and BWA conferences. The event was hosted by the Oxnard and Pasadena Buddhist churches, at the Quiet Can-non Conference Center in Montebello.

Approximately 275 delegates representing the Southern Dist. temples listened to inspiring messages from Rev. Harry Bridge (Oakland Buddhist Temple), Rev. Gregory Gibbs (Pasadena Bud-dhist Church), both in English, and Japanese messages provided by Rev. Masanori Watanable (Oxnard Buddhist Church). Kenji Sensei participated in the service and led shokuzen-no-gassho (gratitude before the meal) prior to the start of lunch. During the closing service, Ralph Honda presented a “Save-the-Date” announcement inviting everyone to attend the 2016 conference on Saturday, June 18, 2016 in San Diego. Thank you to Kenji Sensei, Kiku Graeber and Ralph for providing transportation.

BTSD PARTICIPATES IN COUNTY FAIR

The temple participated in the San Diego County Fair’s first Asian Festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 14. BTSD had a vendor booth in which it sold many craft items, and promoted the temple and its activities. The decorative crafts were from the collection of handmade items made by BWA and Sangha members. Colorful ribbon fish, three and five piece miniature tsuru cranes, mini jewelry bags, ajisai (hydrangea origami), and ribbon fish poles were on sale. Sales were brisk and the overall event was entertaining with demonstrations throughout the day and a hip-hop competition. The BTSD volunteers strongly promoted the temple and roamed the fairgrounds displaying and selling the crafts. It was definitely a wonderful first-time experience. Thank you to the volunteers who helped out at the event, and to the Sangha who made the wonderful handmade crafts!

SIGNUPS BEING ACCEPTED FOR “PEACE ON YOUR WINGS”

An original musical commissioned by the Hompa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, will perform “Peace on Your Wings” on Saturday, September 19 at the Aratani Theatre in the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC), in L.A.’s Little Tokyo. The musical is inspired by the life of Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old girl who died from leukemia resulting from radiation caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. BTSD is accepting signups to attend the musical. Orchestra ticket price is $35; children 17 years and under is $15. For every $35 adult ticket sold, BTSD will retain $10. The temple is looking to attend the 2 p.m. matinee (the performance is approx. 2.5 hours). If you are interested in attending, please submit your order no later than Saturday, August 15 to ensure your reserva-tion. If paying by check, please make it payable to the temple. For the convenience of all attendees, if there are at least 40 people who signup, BTSD will charter a bus. A preview of the musical was promoted at the BCA Ministers’ Assn. and National Council meeting back in February San Diego. The Southern District Council of the BCA and the JACCC are partnering with this program. More details (including travel plans) on the event, will be shared in late August. Please contact the temple or Ralph Hon-da for more information.

７月仏婦会リポート

１）６月１３日（土）南部教区仏教徒大会ならびに仏婦大会が、

モンテベロにて行はれ、当仏婦会員１２名が参加しました。

当日のご講師は、英語部ハレーブリッジ先生、日語渡辺正憲

先生。グレゴリーギッブス先生。

大会の「題」は、パーセプション。ものの見方。３名のご講

師のご指導で、楽しい大会でした。

２）６月１４日（日）サンディエゴ郡内最大の夏祭りサンディエ

ゴカウンティフェアがデルマーにて開催されています。当仏

婦は、売店を開き、折り紙、本を販売しました。

売上収入は、仏教会キチン改築援助に寄付いたしま

す。

３）手芸教室は、ひきつずき行います。作品は、盆踊りの

日と１０月のフェアで販売します。教室は、水曜日、

土曜日の午前１０時から午後まで行います。希望者は

参加下さい。

４）６月の会議は、ありません。

５）７月会議は、７月５日（日）。

当番：B 組

Can you believe another Bazaar came and went! It was another successful event thanks to all the Volunteers that gave their pre-cious time to help before, during and after to clean up in record time. We appreciate the many supporters, donors, performers and friends who attended and purchased the delicious food and drinks; toured the hondo; played the games; made a craft; bought op-portunity drawing tickets; put a silent auction bid in; looked at the displays; purchased crafts or treasures; and enjoyed the entertain-ment. It truly was a group effort, and we definitely have the best team in town. Special thanks to our Chairs and groups: BWA (Sushi); Junior YBA (Games); Jaime Enochs Teague (Tofu Tacos); Dharma School (Crafts); Glenn Negoro and crew (Supplies); Carol Baker / Chairs (Volunteers); Jeanne Inouye (Rice prep and cook); Gale Kaneshiro (Strawberry Mochi); Tim Kajita (PA System); Ken Muraoka (Master of Ceremonies); Karen Akahoshi (EcoSangha); Kaytee Sumida (Crafts and Treasures); Carol Baker / Ann Ong (Prep Coordinators); Mike Ong / Michael Kinoshita (General Arrangement); Ann Ong / Miki Honda (Chow Mein); Jeff Sakai / Roy & Karen Okuhara (Chicken and Sauce); Sue Schraeder / Yanagihara Family (Snack Bar); Mo-too & Angie Tsuneyoshi / Arlene & Gordon Shimizu (Taco booth); Ann Yamamoto / Patty Nakamura (Bakery); Nancy Martinez (“Words: Written, Spoken, Sung” Displays); Bill Teague / Greg Yonekura (Opportunity Drawing Donations); Rev. Kenji Akahoshi (Buddhism/Hondo Talks); Susan Yonekura, Jane Yamamoto, Aki Tomiyama, Debbie Shimizu (Silent Auction); Carol Baker, Nancy Mar-tinez and Sue Moribe (Tofu Salad); Ken Muraoka / Junko Kajita (Entertainment); Tsune Hashiguchi / Cynthia Guiang (Cabbage and Info/Ticket Booth); Aki Tomiyama, Nancy Martinez, Johnny Hashiguchi, Jeanne Inouye and Glenn Negoro (Treasurers); Cynthia Gui-ang / Kimberly Kruse (Credit Card/Paypal). Last but not least, thank you to our donors and underwriters (list to follow) for the raffle, silent auction and to the temple. We are looking forward to working together again at Obon which will be held on August 1.

In Gassho, LuAnn Lee and Mildred Kawasaki, Bazaar Chairs

*****

Thank you… BTSD JAPANESE CULTURAL BAZAAR DONORS!

UNDERWRITERS

* SETS AND JAN IWASHITA (TICKET SPONSOR & CHICKEN) * GALE KANESHIRO (STRAWBERRY MOCHI) * * SAN DIEGO JUNIOR YBA (GAME PRIZES AND SUPPLIES) *

3D’s Travel; Atlantis Casino Resort (Reno); Baggu; Agnes Benson; Casa Guadalajara; Chiyoko Masumoto; Crazee Burger; Cygnet Thea-tre Company; Cynthia & Orlando Guiang; Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; Fiesta De Reyes; Fish Market; Fred Miyahara; H and M Land-ing; Haggen's Grocery; Hanaoka Restaurants; Hogetsu Bakery; Hornblower Cruises & Events; Miki Honda; Inspire San Diego, Social Art Classes; Island Style Café; Ichiban PB and Niban; Janet Ochi-Fontanott; Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.; Japan Society of San Diego and

Tijuana; Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego; John & Tsune Hashiguchi; Kanpai Restaurant; Kei Dan Floral; Kyocera; Nancy Mar-tinez; Napoleone Pizza House; Natural History Museum of San Diego; Pacific Arts Movement; Peking Café; RTA International; Reuben H Fleet Science Center; San Diego Air and Space Museum; San Diego Hall of Champions; San Diego Museum of Art; San Diego State University Athletics; Seaworld; Stanley Steemer; Steven Tomiyama; Trixi’s Treasures; The Cheesecake Factory; The French Gourmet;

The Mission Café; USS Midway; Von's Store 2134.

WITH GREAT APPRECIATION TO THESE GENEROUS BUSINESSES, FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

*Please let us know if we missed any acknowledgements – BTSD office & Bazaar committee (619) 239-0896 or info@btsd.net

JAPANESE CUTLURAL BAZAAR… Thank you!

Page | 7 BTSD BUSSEI SCRIPT JULY 2015

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO JAPANESE DHARMA MESSAGE IN THIS ISSUE.**

Buddhist Temple of San Diego & The Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego www.btsd.net • www.niwa.org

Gathering of Joy - Bon Odori and Obon Festival

Saturday, August 1, 2015 10:00 am - 8:30 pm

“THIS YEAR IN BALBOA PARK”

• Dance • Taiko • Food • Drinks • Asian Themed Vendors •

• Games • Entertainment • Displays • Opportunity Drawing •

FREE - Bon Odori in the Spreckles Organ Pavilion from 4:00 pm - 8:30 pm (dancing begins at 6:30 pm)

Obon Festival included with Paid Admission to the Japanese Friendship Garden from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Come join us for free odori dance practices at BTSD!

SUNDAYS at 11 am July 5, 12, & 19

WEDNESDAYS at 7 pm July 8, 15, 22 & 29

MONDAYS (Kids’ practices) at 7 pm July 6, 13, 20 & 27

There will also be a additional practices at the Japanese

Friendship Garden:

SUNDAYS, 2:30 - 4 pm July 12 & 19

TUESDAYS, 10:30 am - 12 pm July 21 & 28

BTSD - facebook.com/buddhisttempleofsandiego • 619-239-0896 • info@btsd.net Japanese Friendship Garden - facebook.com/SanKeiEn • 619-232-2721 • jfgsd@niwa.org

Summer is just around the corner and so is the ever-popular Obon season! This year BTSD will celebrate its Obon festival on Saturday, August 1 at Balboa Park. In order to gear-up for the festival, here is the Southern District Obon Odori schedule for July and August; a handful of Obon Festival have already come and gone!

DATE TEMPLE & FESTIVAL TIME DANCE TIME(S)

July 11 Oxnard (1-9 p.m.) 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nishi Hongwanji (3-10 p.m.) 7 p.m.

July 12 Nishi Hongwanji (3-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m.

July 18 Santa Barbara (12:30-5 p.m.) 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Orange County(2-9 p.m.) 7 p.m. Venice (3-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Pasadena (4-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m.

July 19 Venice (1-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Orange County (2-8:30 p.m.) 7 p.m. Pasadena (4-8:30 p.m.) 6:30 p.m.

July 25 Vista (12-8 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Higashi Honganji (1-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. West LA (4-10 p.m.) 6:30 p.m.

July 26 Vista (12-8 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Guadalupe (12-4:30 p.m.) 3 p.m. Higashi Honganji (1-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. West LA (3-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m.

August 1 San Luis Obispo (1-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Gardena (3-10 p.m.) 6 p.m. San Diego (10 a.m.-4 p.m. & 4-9 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. *San Diego Obon Festival at BALBOA PARK

August 2 Gardena (3-9 p.m.) 6 p.m.

August 8 Las Vegas (11 a.m.– 4 p.m.)

2015 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OBON ODORI SCHEDULE

BUDDHIST TEMPLE OF SAN DIEGO Membership Pledge for 2015

Renewal New Member* Sponsorship* Change of Address

Mr. Mrs. Ms. NAME: _______________________________________ BIRTHDATE: _________________

Mr. Mrs. SPOUSE NAME: ______________________________________ BIRTHDATE: _________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY: _____________________________________________ STATE: ___________ ZIP: _____________________

PHONE: (_____) _______________ CELL PHONE: (_____) _______________ WORK PHONE: (_____) _______________

E-MAIL: _________________________________________ OCCUPATION: ___________________________________

Membership Pledge: The temple has an annual campaign to raise funds that go towards the Operating Budget. This budget

pays for ministerial salary, part-time staff, programs, utilities, maintenance and the day-to-day expenses of running the temple. This tiered membership offers members the opportunity to choose their level of donation.

Sponsorship Pledge: Individuals are invited to sponsor a new or existing member under the current membership program.

Sustaining Dana Wisteria Bodhi Member Member Member Member

Individual / Senior / Youth (All Ages)

Couple / Family

Optional: Senior Reduced Cost (75 years and older)

Optional: Youth Reduced Cost (30 years and younger)

Recommended Annual Donations (Optional): FLORAL OFFERING FUND (Suggested annual donation of $40) ..................................... This fund helps defray cost of regular fresh flowers for the Onaijin (Central Altar).

GENERAL MAINTENANCE FUND (Suggested annual donation of $40) .......................... The fund helps provide upkeep of the Temple properties.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND (Suggested annual donation of $20) ............................................ The fund rewards members’ deserving high school graduates and college students.

DHARMA SCHOOL (Suggested annual donation of $20) ................................................ Dharma School does not conduct fundraisers. Your annual donation helps sustain its activities.

KITCHEN COMPLIANCE PROJECT ....................................................................................

TOTAL AMOUNT

AMOUNT ENCLOSED

*PLEASE INDICATE PAYMENT SCHEDULE: _______ Annually _______ Semi-annually _______ Quarterly _______ Monthly

$275 $375 $500 $

$450 $650 $1000 $

$125

$150

$

$

$

$

$

$

To use credit card:

____ Visa ____ MasterCard Acct# _____________________________________________ Expires (MM/YY) _______/_______

Authorized signature (if charging): __________________________________________________________________________

Billing address (if different from above):________________________________________________ Zip _________________

Please make checks payable to the BUDDHIST TEMPLE OF SAN DIEGO. A percentage of your dues support the Buddhist Churches of America and is remitted annually to the BCA via the Temple. Benefits include a year’s subscription to the BCA publication, “Wheel of Dharma” and a printed copy of our monthly newsletter, the “Bussei Script.” THANK YOU!

Mailing address to send your pledges: Buddhist Temple of San Diego 2929 Market Street San Diego, California 92102

For any questions about membership, please call the Temple at 619-239-0896 or send inquires to the Membership Chair at info@btsd.net.

*For NEW MEMBERS and SPONSORSHIPS, proration is available.

$

(Membership Amount)

$

JULY and AUGUST SHOTSUKI HOYO (July 5) 2015 OBON and HATSUBON SERVICES (July 26)

On Sunday, July 5, the temple will be observing the JULY and AUGUST SHOTSUKI HOYO (Monthly Memorials) in conjunction with the Family Service. Family and friends who have lost a loved one during these months are invited to attend. On Sunday, July 26, at 10 a.m., the Temple invites the Sangha to the combined Obon and Hatsubon Services officiated by Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi. Hatsubon is a special memorial for those relatives and friends who have passed away since last year’s Obon. Following service, refreshments will be provided by the BTSD Board of Directors in the Annex Hall. OBON is a deeply meaningful observance for Shin Buddhists, giving us the opportunity to pay our respects to deceased family and friends, and to contemplate their continuing influence on us. At BTSD, we attend special services in memory of our loved ones. Then at the Bon Odori, on the following weekend, we carry on the colorful Japanese tradition of lanterns, music, taiko, food, and joyful dancing in gratitude to those deceased who have contributed to our lives today. Our guest speaker for the Obon Service will be Rev. William Briones, Los Angles Nishi Hongwanji. Rev. Briones will also give a Spe-cial Dharma Lecture the day before, on Saturday, July 25 at 3 p.m. in the Sangha Hall (please see more BEC article for more infor-mation). The 2015 BTSD Scholarships will be presented during the service. Dharma School students will be making paper lanterns in memory of our Hatsubon honorees during the adult lecture.

BON ODORI: GATHERING OF JOY Our colorful outdoor BON ODORI: Gathering of Joy will take place on SATURDAY, AUGUST 1. This year, the festival will take place in BALBOA PARK. The Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego will be teaming up with the temple for this big event with fes-tivities in the Garden from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (paid admission). This will lead into the BTSD portion of the Bon Odori, where the danc-ing will take place in the Spreckles Organ Pavilion. Activities and food sales will be ongoing from 4 to 9 p.m. Dancing begins at 6:30 p.m. and musical entertainment will precede the odori. As in previous years, you may create a memorial lantern which will be hung during the dance. Every year, Obon offers opportunities to remember friends and relatives whom we miss and to whom we owe much. The Bon Odori is also a chance for us to share our Jodo Shinshu beliefs with the community through music and dance. Invite your friends and neighbors, and ask them to attend dance practice with you this month (see schedule in this issue) to enhance their enjoyment and understanding of the Bon Odori. Please use the enclosed envelope for placing your kind donation.

BTSD EcoSangha Tip:

Millions of plastic straws pollute our ocean where endangered animals, like sea turtles, can choke on them. The average American eats out four times a week, and almost everyone gets a straw (or two). If we get 25,000 people to “skip the straw” at restaurants every time, we can keep 5 million

plastic straws out of our ocean and landfills in just one year. Take the “Last Straw Challenge”: when eating out, ask your waiter or waitress to “skip the straw.”