Message from Bishop Noriaki Ito
On the evening of Thursday, February 25, our Los Angeles Higashi Honganji Betsuin Temple was the target of vandalism and fire. Continue reading “Los Angeles Temple Vandalism and Fire”
Protests, Patriotism, and Jodo Shinshu
By Rev. Ken Yamada
What does Jodo Shinshu say about social and political activism? An important question amid today’s social unrest.
Buddhists sometimes are criticized for being passive and uninvolved, too focused on their own personal enlightenment. But according to Rev. Junshō Tamamitsu, a Higashi Honganji teacher focused on activism, Jodo Shinshu urges us to look outward and face society’s problems. Continue reading “Protests, Patriotism, and Jodo Shinshu”
The Art of Listening
By Rev. Marcos Sawada
A confession: I’m more a speaker than a listener. Are you a good listener? Many people are not.
Generally, I think people like to talk more than listen. That’s strange, given we have two ears but only one mouth. Mouths have two functions which keep them busy—speaking and eating. The job of ears is merely to hear. So why is listening so difficult? Continue reading “The Art of Listening”
Nirvana Day: World of Awakening
By Bishop Kenjun Kawawata
Traditionally, many people on February 15 observe Nirvana Day, the day when Shakyamuni Buddha passed away.
When we hear about the Buddha, we often think he was not like us, but rather someone more like a super human being. We should not forget he really was the same as you and me. He was born as a human being and he died as a human being.
Rennyo to the Rescue
By Rev. Ken Yamada
Although considered the “second founder” of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Rennyo Shonin shaped foremost how Shinshu is practiced today. Moreover, living in a turbulent era of civil unrest, religious persecution, and social upheaval, he literally saved the Honganji temple from the flames of war and conflict. Continue reading “Rennyo to the Rescue”
Don’t Discard that Home Altar!
By Rev. Ken Yamada
People sometimes receive a valuable inheritance from their Buddhist parents or grandparents, but don’t realize its value. So they donate it to the temple.
Buddhist home altars, commonly called “butsudan” in Japanese (or the preferred term “onaibutsu”), if purchased new today in Japan cost hundreds, and sometimes, thousands of dollars. But their real value is spiritual. Continue reading “Don’t Discard that Home Altar!”