Category: Dharma lesson

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Myōkōnin Dōshū

Rev. Nakura (right) and Rev. Gary Link (left) visiting Dōshū’s temple Gyotoku-ji in Akao.

By Rev. Miki Nakura

Although a commoner from Japan’s countryside, Dōshū’s remarkable faith caught the attention of Rennyo Shōnin, Jodo Shinshu’s “second founder.”

Most men wish always to have something new and novel; but a person of faith feels everything is fresh and new, even if constantly repeated. Regardless of how many times, each is heard anew with open ears,” Rennyo said. “Although Dōshū listened to the teachings constantly, he listened as if hearing them for the first time and he was grateful.

Dōshū (道宗)—a myōkōnin (simple person of deep faith in Jōdo Shinshū)—was born with the name Yashichi in Gokayama’s Akao village, deep in mountainous Toyama Prefecture, near the Japan Sea. He passed away in 1516. Today, Gokayama is designated as a World Heritage Site, known for its “gassho (prayer hands) style” thatched roof homes. The region is covered in snow during winter. Continue reading “Myōkōnin Dōshū”

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Lost in This World

Hilo Higashi Hongwanji Temple, Hawaii

By Rev. Marcos Sawada

 Are you a positive or negative thinker? We humans love to be negative thinkers.  We think about our hardships, problems and worries, imaging the worst scenarios. Our minds are filled with such thoughts, emotions and passions.

I recently moved from Oahu to serve again as minister on the big island of Hawai’i, where I began visiting temple members. There’s been a huge decrease in the Hilo Higashi Hongwanji sangha. Before I moved away, usually 30-to-50 members attended the monthly service, but now only about half those numbers attend. I think this trend isn’t exclusive to the Hilo temple; attendance at many temples and churches is declining in the United States. Continue reading “Lost in This World”

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Faces Brightly Shining: Rev. Akegarasu and the Eternal Life Sutra

(credit: Cleveland Museum of Art)

By Rev. Patti Nakai

(This article was originally published in Buddhist Temple of Chicago’s Bulletin, August 1997)

It may sound paradoxical, but throughout Buddhism’s history, teachers who spoke most powerfully to people of their generation and to generations afterward looked backward in time to India and heard Shakamuni Buddha’s words directly as possible. They broke through layers of stale traditions and customs separating the Buddha’s time and their own. Continue reading “Faces Brightly Shining: Rev. Akegarasu and the Eternal Life Sutra”

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Legend of the Devil Mask

Devil mask at Higashi Honganji Yoshizaki Betsuin temple, Japan

By Rev. Ken Yamada

When visiting Japan last Spring for the 800th Anniversary of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism’s founding and Shinran Shonin’s 850th Birthday, our tour group traveled to an historic site on the Japan Sea coast made famous by Rennyo Shonin.

Considered the “Second Founder of Jodo Shinshu,” Rennyo revitalized the Honganji temple and sangha, attracting legions of followers. In Yoshizaki (present-day Fukui Prefecture), he built a temple atop a hill that quickly became a lively and important religious and social hub of activity.

A large part of Rennyo’s appeal was his focus on women. Not only did they face discrimination in male dominated society, women also faced a kind of spiritual discrimination. Viewed as weak and vulnerable, ancient Buddhist teachings spoke of the near impossibility of their religious salvation. Continue reading “Legend of the Devil Mask”