Rimban George Matsubayashi  |  Reverend Briones  |  Reverend Torimi

BY RIMBAN GEORGE MATSUBAYASHI
JIHO JULY-AUGUST, 2005

Construction of the Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life,
And Wisteria Chapel Installation of Sagarifuji Crest Ridge-End Tiles Continues!
Grand Ceremony to Celebrate Our 100th Anniversary
to be Held Two Months from Now

Last year, in this Jiho Newsletter announcing our Obon activities, we also announced the progress made in the construction of the Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life, and Wisteria Chapel. And, the most welcome news that were announced at the same time was that the Gomonshu-sama, Spiritual Leader of our Hongwanji organization, would officiate the services commemorating our centennial and the Kikyo-shiki, Affirmation Ceremony.

A year has passed since that article appeared, and because of the blessed protection of the Buddha and the sacred and dedicated efforts of you members of our temple, construction of the two structures to commemorate our centennial remain on schedule. They are due to being completed about the middle of June.

As I write this article, on June 1, the final tiles were put in place on the roof, and sagarifuji ridge-end tiles on northern and southern sides are about to be installed. The ridge-end tile on the eastern side was installed today. When all the ridge-end tiles are installed, construction will be complete.

Previously, on May 27th, a decorative sagarifuji crest that is four feet in diameter, was installed just below the ridge-end tile on the exterior of the Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life, facing East First Street.

This beautiful crest is covered with gold foil and was handcrafted by a member of the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, Mr. Kenneth Ichiro Amamoto.

Reverently looking up at this beautiful addition to our Los Angeles Betsuin Buddhist Temple glittering in the bright sunlight of early summer, I felt something surging up within me, and I could not refrain from placing my hands together in gassho. I could not help on how suitable construction of our two new structures was to commemorate the one hundred years of our existence.

Inspection by city officials to ensure that our structures meet all the building codes began today. When they give their approval, our buildings will be officially complete. And, on June 25th (Saturday), craftsmen from Japan will install the objects of reverence, the Obutsudan, in both structures.

*

As part of our construction project, we were blessed to receive the kanji Characters “Muryo-Koju-do,” which mean “Hall of Immeasurable Light and Life,” personally brushed by the Gomonshu-sama, Koshin Ohtani. They will be mounted in a frame and placed within the hall as a spiritual treasurer, which we can leave to our children and grandchildren for generations to come, and I believe perfectly expresses the immeasurable light and life that embraces all of us followers of the Nembutsu teaching.

*

Mr. Yasuhiro Chiji, the foremost printed-silk designer in Japan, designed a curtain drop with flying female deities called, hitennyo, which will be placed on both sides of the Buddha image that will be installed in the Wisteria Chapel.

Mr. Yasuhiro Chiji’s father, the eminent artist Hideya Chiji, painted the series of mural panels that decorate the walls of our present Hondo main worship area of our temple when it was constructed in 1969. In 1970, he came to Los Angeles solely for that purpose, and spent a year and half here to create them and donated them to our temple in 1971.

Yasuhiro Chiji, Hideya Chiji’s eldest son, was then a youth of 19, and moved by the dedication of his then over 80-year old father, accompanied his father here to Los Angeles. He cared for all his father’s needs, from cooking his meals to cleaning his living quarters, and also assisted his father in painting the murals. After his father returned to Japan, Yasuhiro Chiji remained to study western art. In all, he spent four years here.

August of this year is the 13th anniversary of his father’s passing on to the Pure Land. It is also the 13th anniversary of his mother’s passing. To commemorate these two important events in his life, Mr. Yasuhiro Chiji wrote to us:

“I wish to participate in the Centennial Celebration of the founding of the Los Angeles 
Betsuin Buddhist Temple by offering a curtain drops with a hitennyo motif. I do so in memory of my venerable father and mother. I am sure they will take great joy in this.

I promise to join all of you when you celebrate your centennial in the month of August.

“A fashion show of my yuzen works will be presented at the Warner Brother’s Theater on October 24th of this year. A group of six hundred people including 
tour leader Ken Watanabe (who was in the movie, ‘The Last Samurai’) and Tamao Nakamura (popular Japabbnese movie actress) will go to the United States to attend that show. They would like to pay their respects to the Object of worship, Gohonzon, at your temple at that time.”

How “marvelously mysterious” (b) life is… The father of the person who hand-crafted the decorative sagarifuji crest which is now installed under the southern ridge-end tile, came to United States at the same time our temple was established, during the year 1905. Mr. Ken Amamoto’s parents, Kenzo and Utako Amamoto went to Houston, Texas. While there, they were blessed with three sons and four daughters. During 1930, the family moved to East Los Angeles, an area close to our temple. In 1955, Mr. Ken Amamoto married Yuriko Miyake, so they celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary this year. Mr. Amamoto and his wife have four children, Alan, Andrew, Alene and Ann, and seven grandchildren. 

During August of this year, Mr. Amamoto will celebrate his 80th birthday. This is considered a special milestone in Japan, and is referred as sanju.

When the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple’s hondo was constructed in 1980, Mr. Amamoto handcrafted a sagarifuji crest that was placed on the gable wall directly in front of the hondo. When the Venice Hongwanji celebrated 30th year of its founding in 1990, Mr. Amamoto hand-crafted another sagarifuji crest of the same size, which was placed in front of the hondo replacing the original one on the gable wall at the back of the hondo.

With this background, during the April of last year, Mr. Amamoto began planning to hand craft another sagarifuji crest for our new Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life. He kneaded pieces of fiberglass and polished each layer with fine sandpaper and file again and again to bring out the gloss. To finish the crest, he affixed over a hundred and fifty pieces of four-inch square gold foil over the entire surface. That work took a year and two months to complete.

Mr. Ken Amamoto summarized his feeling while working on this project in the following words:

“This crest (that I created) for the Los Angeles Betsuin Buddhist Temple expresses my 
deep gratitude for the precious life given to me by my parents and the indebtedness I feel to the Buddha. I dedicate it to the memory of my parents. I wish the children and grandchildren of the next generation will also walk the same Nembutsu path within which my parents raised me, always grateful for being allowed to live.

Gassho,
Kenneth Ichiro Amamoto”

*

What I wrote above in this message is limited to specific gifts that were donated to the construction project for our Centennial Celebration. However, those gifts are truly representative of the gifts that all of you individually have so graciously offered to our temple, and withought that our two structures would not have been completed. Only because of all your individual efforts will our centennial projects be beautifully brought to completion. I can only place my hands together in gassho to all of you in profound thanks. “Atsuku, atsuku onrei moshi agemasu.”

*

The Obon season is again upon us. During the two days of July 9th and 10th, we will conduct our First Obon, Hatsubon Services. That’s when we will hold our Obon Carnival and Obon Dancing. The following week, the 17th of July, is when we will conduct our formal Obon Services in deepest gratitude for being cultivated by the Buddha. And two months from now, on August 28th, we will conduct the Grand Ceremony celebrating our Centennial Year. As already mentioned, it will be officiated by the Gomonshu-sama, the Spiritual Leader of our Hongwanji, and include dedication of our new Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life, and the Wisteria Chapel.

As expressed by our centennial slogan, “Embraced by Amida… Rejoicing in Gratitude,” this is an unparalleled opportunity that you should make every effort to attend. I await your presence with deepest respect and gratitude. 
Gassho, Namo Amida Butsu…

CALLIGRAPHY RECEIVED FROM THE GOMONSHU-SAMA


One of the projects for our Centennial Celebration is construction of a Nokotsu-do where the remains of those who passed on to the Pure Land can be stored. That Nokotsu-do is called “Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life,” which is “Muryo Koju-do” in Japanese.

We were blessed to receive the kanji characters used to write this name brushed by the Spiritual Leader of our Hongwanji. His calligraphy will be framed and placed at the very front of the Muryo Koju-do. As a vital treasurer of our Los Angeles Betsuin Buddhist Temple, I am sure it will inspire the joy to live embraced by immeasurable light and life by succeeding generations of our temple members and all who visit our temple.

The following is a brief explanation of the characters brushed for us by the Gomonshu-sama.

Immeasurable Light and Immeasurable Life are the twin attributes of Amida Buddha. Immeasurable Light refers to a being who has transcended the world of delusion and abides eternally in the realm of Enlightenment.

Immeasurable Life is the power that works to save us. In other words, Immeasurable Light expresses the body of Amida Buddha’s Enlightenment, and Immeasurable Life expresses the activity of that body to enlighten us.

Immeasurable Light and Immeasurable Life are inseparable. Even when speaking only Immeasurable Light (absolute wisdom), the virtue of Immeasurable Life (absolute Compassion) is implied. Both virtues move hand-in-hand, and neither is complete without the other.

In the Amida Sutra is the phrase, “…the Buddha’s light shines boundlessly and without hindrance over all the world in the ten directions. It is for this reason that he is called Amitabha (Immeasurable Light.).”1 That’s how the Amida Sutra explains how Amida Buddha sends forth the light of salvation to all us and tears asunder the darkness of delusion.

The Amida Sutra also contains the phrase; “…the lives of the Buddha and the people of his land last for innumerable, unlimited and incalculable kalpas. It is for this reason that the Buddha is called ‘Amitayus’ (Immeasurable Life).” 2


Those who are born in the Pure Land as a result of Amida Buddha’s Vow Power receive the same immeasurable life as Amida Buddha. With the Enlightenment of Amida’s Immeasurable Light as the standard, we are allowed to participate in the same Immeasurable Life. That is the Jodo-Shinshu teaching.

The above is why our nokotsu-do was named “Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life.”

The Gomonshu-sama’s calligraphy will be enlarged and engraved on an alloy plate, and placed side-by-side with its English equivalent, also engraved on an alloy plate, on the west wall of the Memorial Chapel of Immeasurable Light and Life.

____________________________________________

Notes: 
1 The Pure Land Sutra: A Study and Translation from Chinese, 
Hisao Inagaki, Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto, 1994, Page 355 

2 Ibid. Page 355.

Back to:  Top  |  Rimban George Matsubayashi  |  Reverend Briones  |  Reverend Torimi

BY REV. WILLIAM BRIONES
JIHO JULY-AUGUST, 2005

And even if they could bathe the bodies of their parents in sweet-smelling ointments for a hundred years, serve as an ideal child, gain a throne for them, and give them all the luxuries of the world, still they could not be able to repay them sufficiently for the great indebtedness of gratitude they own to them."

-- Teaching of the Buddha

It’s hard to believe that within a few months, after years of planning, our Betsuin members will be celebrating the Betsuin’s Centennial anniversary. All the various committees have been working diligently on the Centennial celebration so that we may have successful and joyous celebration. And since the ground-breaking ceremony in September of 2003 we have watched, with anticipation as the construction of the Wisteria Chapel and the Nokotsu-do take shape.

However in all the excitement and anticipation of our Centennial Celebration we should not forget why and how this was made possible. The Betsuin Centennial project is truly a testimony to our Betsuin pioneers, whose intent was to establish a firm Jodo Shinshu foundation here in the Los Angeles Area. It is through the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of our past members of the Betsuin … be it our grandparents, parents, relatives or friends that we are able to realize our Betsuin’s 100 years of existence.

The reading I began with is from the Teaching of Buddha. Though it may sound rather embellished I think it poetically tells that we children are unable to truly repay our parents. Try that we may … "bathe their bodies in sweet-smelling ointments for a hundred years, serve as an ideal child, gain a throne for them, or give them all the luxuries …. we can never repay them in true gratitude".

Literally, many of us could never repay our parents. Through out all these years our parent’s have given unselfishly. Their love seems so unconditional. Our parents undergo many sacrifices for their children without asking for special favors from their children. As you reflect upon your own parents, I’m sure you can agree with me that we could never truly repay our mothers and fathers in true gratitude.

However Buddha continues in this reading … "but if we lead our parents to Buddha and explain the Buddha’s teachings to them… then we will be more than repaying them.

My understanding of this is that we can repay our parents, we can repay our Betsuin pioneers, if we continue to spread the Teaching of the Buddha-Dharma. Of course one way to accomplish this is if we continue to maintain our temples so that Buddhas Teachings will continue to be available to anyone who wishes to listen.

The renovation of the Lotus Chapel and room #14, downstairs and the construction of the new bookstore, and additional waiting room, upstairs and of course the construction of the new Memorial Chapel (Nokotsu-do) and the new Wisteria Chapel is precisely what you, the Betsuin members are doing. You are continuing to maintain the Betsuin so that Shinran Shonin’s teachings can be heard, not just for this generations, but for generations to come.

As we reflect upon the Betsuin’s Centennial Celebration, it has given us yet another opportunity to truly reflect on the countless causes and conditions that enabled us to be who we are. As we become more aware of the inconceivable causes and conditions of our beautiful temple and the soon to be realized Nokotsu-do and Wisteria Chapel, we are able to inwardly realize the wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha and outwardly live with gratitude for the life made possible for us not only by the Issei pioneers but to the Nisei, Sansei, Yonsei and to the entire community.

It is the responsibility of this generation to keep the light of Buddha-Dharma shining not only for ourselves but for the next generation and for generations to come. And in this way we may truly repay our parents, our grandparents and the innumerable lives that made our life possible.

Namo Amida Butsu

I

Back to:  Top  |  Reverend Torimi George Matsubayashi  |  Reverend Briones  |   Reverend Torimi

BY REV. KOKEN TORIMI
JIHO JULY-AUGUST, 2005

My home town, the village of Ishido, in Nara, Japan, has one small cemetery. At the cemetery, there are many tombstones for individual families. Also at that cemetery, there are about 15 really tall gravestones. When I was small, I didn’t know their significance. But when I became older, in junior high school, I came to understand that those large gravestones were for the young soldiers who had died during World War II. 
Most of those soldiers were very young, in their early twenties or some even teenagers. I was shocked to see their ages, because they were very close to my own age. They went to the war from my small village, and most of them died on islands in the Pacific. Others died in China or other places in Southeast Asia. 

Now, when I visit that cemetery, I think deeply about the meaning of their young lives and deaths. Whenever I travel, I have visited cemeteries like the Base Presidio in San Francisco, and Arlington Cemetery and the 442 Monument in Washington, D.C. When I visited the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, and also President Kennedy’s gravesite, they seemed to be telling me something. I think they are all Buddha. They are all basking in the sun together and enjoying chatting under the ground. There are no borders and no wars under the gravesites. We must realize that human beings should not fight with selfish attachment to nationality, ideology, religion, or money.
My grandfather on my mother’s side was also drafted by the Japanese Army after my mother was born. During the war, he couldn’t come home for five years. Most of the time, he was in Southeast Asia. Once he almost died because of malaria. He said later, however, that if he had not gotten malaria at that time, he probably would’ve died in the battlefield. There were also a great amount of deaths while aboard the transport ships.
My wife’s mother was born in 1940, in Beijing, China, because her father had business there. When the war ended, my wife’s mother was just four years old. Her older sister died just one week before the war ended because of a high fever. At that time, because of the chaos and difficulty in Beijing, and because her mother was pregnant, the family could not even have a funeral service, despite their deep grief.
My wife’s mother’s family, father, pregnant mother, and four year old daughter, miraculously were able to leave Beijing. The father he had lost his left arm in an accident, was treated as a handicapped person, so they were able to take a train from Beijing to a seaport. On the way to the seaport, soldiers of the Soviet Union stopped the train and tried to find soldiers of the Japanese Army or to take valuable treasures. My mother-in-law, although she was only four years old, said that she will never forget the scene of Soviet soldiers putting their rifles right into the train compartments or through the windows, pointing them at people inside.
No doubt they could have easily been killed, as they saw many pools of blood at the train station. Or, very easily, my mother-in-law could have been orphaned there, in China. There were many Japanese orphans left in China after the war. If my mother-in-law had died in China or had become orphaned there, my wife would never have been born and we would not have been married and my own daughter would not have been born. If there were not wars in this world, perhaps there would be the lives of many more people now. 

War makes people crazy. In general, to murder is a crime. But during war, people call soldiers who kill many people heroes. Even in one day, many lives can be lost by bombing.

For example, on March 10, 1945, in Tokyo, the U.S. Air Force made an air attack. Do you know how many people died in one day? More than 100,000 people were killed. Hiroshima’s atomic bomb killed 150,000 people, and Nagasaki atomic bomb killed 75,000 people. Many of the victims were children, too. In the summer of 1945, the transport ship, Tsushima-Maru was attacked by a U.S. submarine and sunk. On that ship, 755 children who escaped from Okinawa to Kyushu were killed. Actually, in Okinawa, more than 150,000 citizens were killed. That is the reality of war.

War is ridiculous. The Japanese Army did very bad things in Asia, too. Even Japanese Buddhist monks and ministers were drafted and went to the battlefields with rifles to kill someone. Only a few people of those objected to the war, but they were caught and put into jail.

I don’t have any personal experience of war. But when I have visited my home temple’s member’s homes for memorial services, I have heard so many stories about the war by many elderly ojiichans and obaachans. So many people lost their family members during the war. Some were killed as soldiers while others died by air attacks or by the atomic bomb.

I have chanted sutras together with these ojiichans and obaachans with pictures of their deceased loved ones uncountable times. When I think about these ojiichans and obaachans, I realize that many of them who told me these stories have also now passed away within the last five years. They always used to tell me, "War is bad. No more war." It is a very simple message, but I feel them very deeply because I have heard it from their sincere voices directly. I think that to speak about "Peace" is my duty as a Buddhist minister. I believe that it is also the wish of these many ojiichans and obaachans as well.

Peace is wonderful. But the politicians who create wars are not good leaders. War is often a money making business or for other dirty and nasty reasons.

This year for the Buddhist Federation Hanamatsuri, I brought up the idea to have essays along with art contests for children. 19 children wrote essays based on the theme, "War, Peace, and the Buddha’s Wish." They were 11 and 12 year old boys and girls.

After I read their essays, I was very impressed. They wrote essays with all their might very sincerely. I cannot share all the essays at this time, but let me summarize their essays by saying that the children wrote that before they had never thought war and peace. Now, after writing the essay they think more deeply about war and peace.

The children expressed how they hope that there would be no wars between countries, or strife within families, within cities, because of drugs, etc.

I was also impressed with the children’s concerns for environmental issues. They have great eyes to watch the world. They worry about what happens between people, mother nature, and our earth.

With this Mother’s Day article, may I conclude with the following :

"All mothers wish that their children live in peace and safety.
No mother wants to send their children to battlefields.
Our parenting Buddha, Amida Buddha, also wishes that all people and the world to be safe.
This Buddha’s mind transcends any differences.
It is beyond man or woman
It is beyond young or old, mature or immature.
It is beyond time and place.
This Buddha’s peaceful wish is all contained,
In the Nembutsu, Namo Amida Butsu.
Mother is the person who gives us life itself.
All mothers wish that their children live in peace and safety.
May the Nembutsu be spread to the whole world.”

***

Congratulations -- Betsuin Centennial
This coming August, we will celebrate the Betsuin’s Centennial. I am sincerely thankful for the untiring efforts and endeavors of the thousands of ministers and members who went through difficulties and hardships in their lives. 

When we look back at the 100 years history of this temple, which was established by the temple pioneers’ generous hearts, we can see that this Centennial occasion is a very meaningful event. We should open our hearts to the future flourishing of the Nembutsu teaching and the temple’s prosperities.

We now live in a world which changes dynamically. We must listen carefully the Buddha’s teaching which teaches us the true meaning of our lives and existences. Here is where we have the Buddha’s Vow and the life of Nembutsu. We should always reflect upon ourselves and keep working together with gratitude.

The Centennial service will be a gathering of precious dharma friends which is not replaceable and will never come again. So, let us all adjust our busy schedules and come together for this significant event.
Finally, I deeply appreciate the dedicated cooperation by all those who are preparing for the Betsuin’s Centennial events. 

In Gassho, NamoAmidaButsu

Back to:  Top  |  Rimban George Matsubayashi  |  Reverend Briones

Copyright © 2005  by Nishi Hongwanji L.A.