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JODO MISSION OF HAWAII BULLETIN - DECEMBER 2011

(#1181-1211)

Jodo Mission of Hawaii 1429 Makiki St. Honolulu HI 96814


Address Service Requested

JODO-E SERVICE
Jodo-E (sometimes referred to as Bodhi Day) is the day that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. The Hawaii Buddhist Council*, invites everyone to join in the Jodo-E Service: This year it will be held at the Soto Mission of Hawaii.

Sunday, December 4, 2010 9:00 a.m. Soto Mission of Hawaii


1708 Nuuanu Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Parking: Limited, carpooling encouraged
*The Hawaii Buddhist Council is comprised of the following Buddhist Temples: Nichiren Mission, Soto Mission, Higashi Hongwanji Mission, Honpa Hongwanji Mission, Jodo Mission of Hawaii, Koyasan Shingon Mission and Tendai Mission..

NEW YEARS EVE At this time of the year, Buddhist temples observe two kinds of special services to welcome the New Year. They are New Years Eve service and New Years Day service. Have you attended these services before? If not, the following are meanings for these services. New Years Eve Service. New Years Eve service is one of the most familiar annual ceremonies for Buddhists in Japan. Here in Hawaii, New Years Eve Service is observed with the ringing of the Temple Bell at each Buddhist Temple. When we listen solemnly to the sounds of the bell in the silent midnight atmosphere, we reflect in ourselves, and have a feeling of deep meditation. Do you know why the temple bell rings 108 times on New Years Eve? To ring the bell 108 times signifies the dispelling of 108 evil passions which all human beings have. According to Buddhism we have 108 different kinds of evil thoughts in our minds. While the temple bell is rung, we pray to dispel our evil passions and thoughts. Japanese people call that night Joya. Joya means the very night when we should try to dispel all evil things in our lives. The New Years Eve service gives us a good opportunity to meditate and reflect on our life on this last day of the year. And it is also a time to express our gratitude to every blessing which we have received in our lives and at the same time to our ancestors, parents, our country and our Lord Amida Buddha. In so doing, we can welcome a most Happy New Year! New Years Day Service. New Years Day Service is another special service held on January 1st. New Years Day has three beginnings. It is the beginning of a new day, a new month and a new year. Therefore, it is a very important and significant day. Buddhist temples have a special service which is called Shusho-e. This service means a religious gathering to reflect on the past life (year) and correct it and think of the New Year with hopes of a better life. We can reflect on our past lives (years), confess to past deeds, and resolve for a better life by following the teachings of Amida Buddha. And we can begin the New Year with hopes for the future. These two services have long been the practices for Buddhists to finish the old year and begin the first day of the New Year. In so doing, you can begin the New Year with strengthened faith in Amida Buddha.
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JOYA-E (New Years Eve Service)


During Joya-e Service, we thank Amida Buddha for a safe year and to purify ourselves for the coming year. Then, the Temple bell is rung 108 times to erase all of our sins from the past year. We invite everyone to join us in ringing in the New Year at our Joya-e Service on Saturday, December 31st at 11:30 pm.

SHUSHO-E (New Years Day Service)


During this service we will pray for our safety, happiness, and world peace for the New Year. Our senior Minister, Rev. Narashiba will also bestow his New Years address in English after the chanting. Please join us on Saturday, January 1st, 2012 at 10:00 am - Happy New Year!

OMAMORI
Omamori are spiritual charms, talismans, and amulets in Japanese religious tradition that possess the power to ward off misfortune and procure good luck. They can be made of pieces of wood, patches of cloth, strips of paper, or rings of metal and come in various sizes though the majority found in Hawaii tend to be no larger than the size of ones palm. Omamori can often be seen dangling from car rearview mirrors or pasted on bumpers and windshields where they are at once expressions of faith and portals of magical power. They can also be worn on the body or placed in the home as symbols of protection of the Buddhas. It is even fashionable to attach omamori to handbags and schoolbags. Omamoris are available at Jodo Mission. Please call Jodo Mission at 949-3995 for more information.

NEW YEAR BLESSING AT HOME


During January, 2012, New Year blessing at homes is available for those who cannot attend the New Year service at the Temple. Lets start the wonderful New Year in the love and compassion of Amida Buddha. Please call Jodo Mission at 949-3995.
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Bits of Knowledge of Buddhism


Vol. 13 The Tokugawa Shoguns Crest (Dec. 2011)
By Rev. Yasushiro Watanabe

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201112

15421616 1615250 Vol. 13 The Tokugawa Shoguns Crest (Dec. 2011) Over the inside entrance to the sanctuary, you can see a big banner showing two family crests. The right one is St. Honens crest, and the left one is Tokugawa Shoguns crest. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616) became the first Shogun of the Edo government in 1603. He was a religious man and was called the Nembutsu Shogun. Even now, we can find many Nembutsu writings by Ieyasu. He is said to have chanted Namu Amida Butsu 60,000 times a day. Ieyasu and the Shogun family supported Jodo Shu and donated to temples such as Chion-in in Kyoto and Zojoji in Tokyo. That is why we display the Shoguns crest to honor this family. Ieyasu lived in a turbulent age called Sengoku. Conflicts between relatives and rebellions against the rulers were common. The country fell into ruin and the people were exhausted. People desired peace for a long time. Finally, Ieyasu won the battle of Sekigahara and unified Japan. He ended the wars and built a peaceful world. For 250 years after 1615, the Japanese enjoyed a peaceful world without war. The peaceful Edo period led to the prosperity of modern Japan. Please remember that religion was behind Ieyasus achievements and personality. He was devoted to his faith in Nembutsu for life. The teaching of Jodo Shu gave him great
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Contd from page 4;

spiritual strength during this turbulent age. You should also remember that peace is precious and priceless. The Tokugawa Shoguns crest, or Aoi, is a symbol of Nembutsu and eternal peace.
Photo: Tokugawa Shoguns crest (left) and St. Honens crest (right)

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Honolulu Jodo Shu Fujinkai Appreciation Party


The Honolulu Jodo Shu Fujinkai held its annual Appreciation Party on Sunday, November 6. In attendance were Fujinkai members and supporters. Bishop Hara and Mrs. Hara came from Maui to attend the appreciation party and had fun with the games at the party. The ladies work hard throughout the year and it was a treat for the ladies to meet and talk with our Bishop and Mrs. Hara who is such a gracious lady. Below is a group photo of those in attendance.

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The Birth of a Banyan Tree [Respect for your elders]


Once upon a time, there was a big banyan tree in the forest beneath the mighty Himalayas. Living near this banyan tree were three very good friends. They were a quail, a monkey and an elephant. Each of them was quite smart. Occasionally the three friends got into a disagreement. When this happened, they did not consider the opinion of any one of them to be more valuable. No matter how much experience each one had, his opinion was treated the same as the others. So it took them a long time to reach an agreement. Every time this happened, they had to start from the beginning to reach a solution. After a while they realized that it would save time, and help their friendship, if they could shorten their disagreements. They decided that it would certainly help if they considered the most valuable opinion first. Then, if they could agree on that one, they would not have to waste time, and possibly even become less friendly, by arguing about the other two. Fortunately, they all thought the most valuable opinion was the one based on the most experience. Therefore, they could live together even more peacefully if they gave higher respect to the oldest among them. Only if his opinion were clearly wrong, would they need to consider others. Unfortunately, the elephant and the monkey and the quail had no idea which one was the oldest. Since this was a time before old age was respected, they had no reason to remember their birthdays or their ages. Then one day, while they were relaxing in the shade of the big banyan tree, the quail and the monkey asked the elephant, "As far back as you can remember, what was the size of this banyan tree?" The elephant replied, "I remember this tree for a very long time. When I was just a little baby, I used to scratch my belly by rubbing it over the tender shoots on top of this banyan tree." Then the monkey said, "When I was a curious baby monkey, I used to sit and examine the little seedling banyan tree. Sometimes I used to bend over and nibble its top tender leaves." The monkey and the elephant asked the quail, "As far back as you can remember, what was the size of this banyan tree?" The quail said, "When I was young, I was looking for food in a nearby forest. In that forest, there was a big old banyan tree, which was full of ripe berries. I ate some of those berries, and the next day I was standing right here. This was where I let my droppings fall, and the seeds they contained grew up to be this very tree!" The monkey and the elephant said, "Aha! Sir quail, you must be the oldest. You deserve our respect and honor. From now on we will pay close attention to your words. Based on your wisdom and experience, advise us when we make mistakes. When there are disagreements, we will give the highest place to your opinion. We ask only that you be honest and just." The quail replied, "I thank you for your respect, and I promise to always do my best to deserve it." It just so happened that this wise little quail was the Bodhisatta the Enlightenment Being.

The moral is: Respect for the wisdom of elders leads to harmony.
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[Reprinted story from Buddhist Studies for Young and Old.]

BAZAAR NEWS

MAHALO NUI LOA


Thank you, thank you to everyone who volunteered their precious time to make our annual Bazaar held on October 23, a great success. This year the Bazaar was co-chaired by JoAnn Matsuo and Kay Oshiro. It was an event of dedicated members and friends who unselfishly came for days to prepare the merchandise for the Bazaar. The preparation involved donations by members and friends; the collection and storage of these donations, the sorting, displaying, pricing, selling and the overall cleanup; the parking attendants; the planning and coordination of every phase of the Bazaar; the pre-Bazaar preparation, i.e., the buying of foods for the pickles and meals for the volunteers for the whole week; and all the other incidentals that come with a great project. It may have been a little overwhelming but the camaraderie, the fellowship, the renewing of old friends; the meeting of new friends, the sharing of stories and meals more than anything overcame all the sweat and hard work. Thank you JoAnn and Kay for a very successful Bazaar! Thank you again to the many people who worked so hard for this event to happen. Also thank you to the many people who donated plants, baked goods, produce, household items, childrens clothing, toys, and all types of clothing and the Sewing Circles craft work and so many others. ARIGATO!

Lots of people and lots of things!

Lots of interesting things!

Variety of plants. Can I see the red T-leaf plant back there?

Two happy volunteers sharing their love of plants.

Tons of clothing were available! The day started out with clothes stacked neatly by volunteers but as people searched through the stacks they became mountains!

Such beautiful fabrics in the craft area Page 7

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sunday School
Sunday School invites Everyone to their End of the Year Party. Date: Sunday December 11 Time: 10:30 a.m. after Temple General Clean-up Malama Childrens Choir will perform before Sunday School Year End Party begins. Please come and join our Sunday School as they celebrate the end of 2011. ************** Sunday School will also meet again on Sunday, December 18 at 10:45 a.m.

End of Year Temple Cleaning


We will be doing general cleaning at the temple on Sunday, December 11, at 8:00 a.m. We NEED YOUR HELP. If you have time on December 11, please come and help clean the temple. After temple cleaning you may join the Sunday School with their Annual End of the Year Party.
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Fujinkai
No Fujinkai Meeting in December

YBA
No YBA Meeting in December

Sewing Circle
No Sewing Circle in December

Sunday School Halloween Party


On October 30th the Sunday School celebrated Halloween. Photo at left shows the students having a lot of fun! If you have grandchildren or children who would like to join our Sunday School, please call or see Rev. Watanabe.
Front row: Takeru, AMarie, Himaware, Sophie Back row: Raistlih and Taylori
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MOCHI
With the New Year just around the corner it is once again time to order our delectable mochi. This year, we will be selling Okasane and Komochi. Please fill out the mochi order form below or call at 949-3995. The deadline to submit your mochi order form is Thursday, December 8th.

Mochi can be picked up on: Thursday, December 29, 2011 From 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
And to those who would like to learn how to make mochi, we will be making mochi on Thursday, December 29th from 7:00 am. This is a fun and memorable experience for all, especially families (a family who makes mochi together sticks together). Please come and join us. It is a time to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances. We look forward to seeing you!!

MOCHI (Dec. 29) ORDER FORM


Deadline for order is Thursday, December 8, 2011 8
PLEASE PRINT NAME

HOME PHONE NO.

OKASANE $4.00/SET 3 SIZE

KOMOCHI $3.50/POUND

TOTAL

SETS

LBS

DOLLARS FOR OFFICE USE ONLY

DOLLARS

DOLLARS

Order accepted by: _______________ Received by: _______________

Date accepted: _____/_____/_2011 (In person/ Mail / Phone) Date paid: _____/_____/_2011 (Cash / Check# )

What is Perpetual Memorial Service? (Eitaikyo)


This record of a perpetual memorial service and is called Eitaikyo in Japanese. When the date of death occurs for a person listed on this record, the ministers pray for that individual during the morning service. The prayers will continue each year for as long as Jodo Mission exists. Anyone can be included in it. You may put your own name on the list, too. This also helps when it is difficult to have memorial services. We also welcome you to attend the morning service at 8:30am.

Obituaries
The Jodo Mission of Hawaii extends its sincere condolences to the family members and loved ones of the following members who have recently left this world for the Pure Land.
Raymond Shigeo Kishida Wayne Shoji Nakata Fudeko Simeona Shigenobu Tamashiro 88 64 83 86

How to apply
Stop by the office, and fill out the application form. Each name costs $200. After the application is accepted, the name will be listed on the record.

Wedding Services, Baby Blessings, House Blessings are available upon request.

Jodo Mission Office Hours: Monday to Saturday: 8am5pm Sunday & Holidays: 8am3pm
Phone: 949-3995

If you are planning to get married or know someone who is planning a wedding or if you would like to renew your wedding vows, you are welcome to recommend our Temple. To pledge eternal love between husband and wife to Amida Buddha is very important. Baby Blessings: May Amida Buddhas love surround our children with love. House Blessings: May your new house, apartment, home be blessed. Please call for an appointment.

Rev. Yubun Narashiba


Head Minister
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Rev. Kanjun Nakano


Resident Minister

Rev. Yasuhiro Watanabe


Resident Minister

Rev. Dwight Nakamura


Retired Minister

Perpetual Memorial Service (Eitaikyo) for December


1 Jusaku Kimura Sato Imaguchi Isamu Matsumoto Masayoshi Tanigawa The Kimura & Muroshige Family The Imaguchi Family Kame Aoki (2) Kame Yano (2) Ayako Yokoyama Shizue Matsuda Shizue Nakano Hisashi Kochi Tose Terada The Aoki & Kimura Family The Yano, Konaka & Hayashi Faimily The Yokoyama & Morita Family The Matsuda Family Michiko Miyao Fumie Chinen Fumiko Hayashi Fujino Masatsugu The Chinen Family Ryuichi Higashimura Gunichi Morioka Nobusuke Shinagawa The Higashimura Family The Morioka Family Tatsuji Kusunoki Yuichi Kanayama Yasuyo Hirano Kane Otani Rice Ishii Kameyo Morimoto Irene Nishida Kiyoichi Kishida The Kusunoki Family The Hirano & Kaneko Family Tane Oda Tokuemon Imamoto Hideo Morita Kiyoko Maehara Imamoto & Kawakami Family Matsujiro Tanimura Reisuke Wakagi Seiichi Nakamura Yoshio Higashimura Matsuyo Tanimura Takaichi Tamakawa The Wakaki Family The Nakamura Family The Tanimura Family 9 Genjiro Shimabukuro Tora Aoki Ichiro Kishi (2) Yutaka Onaga (2) The Shimabukuro Family The Aoki Family The Kishi Family Hideo Moritsugu Kona Matsuda Kaya & Shimazaki Family 18 Bishop Kyodo Fujihana Alice Y. Fukunaga (2) Kiyoko Kagihara Taichi Ebisuzaki 19 Tsunesuke Yanagihara (2) Iwa Yanagihara Jane Takabayashi Jeanette Asako Hayashi The Yanagihara Family Hisayo Doris Imaguchi 27 Tsunesuke Yamamoto Tamito Yasuda Evelyn Hideko Yagi 28 Ichiro Sagawa Saichi Ikeda The Kawahara Family The Ikeda Family 29 Kiku Yanagihara Shotaro Nose Kamato Akamine Chiyoe Kameoka Teruo Gushikuma 30 Seiichi Tsuchiya Hatsuyo Yoshioka The Tsuchiya Family 31 Hira Yamane Teruyo Kishii Yoshikazu Wada Frances S. Johnson Ito The Yamane & Harada Family

10 Hyoichi Sugihara Asa Nanba Chokichi Nakamura Hiroshi Hayamoto Ito Kawanishi Matsu Gushiken Jiro Saiki The Sugihara Family 11 Asajiro Inada Zenshiro Sato Paul Tanigawa Edward Yokoyama Hanako Uchiumi Inada & Morimoto Family Grace Saiki Beringer 12 RokuichiYanagihara Jisaku Yanagihara 13 Mosaku Hayashi Hana Imai Sachiko Fujikami The Yano, Konaka & Hayashi Family 14 Umetaro Ogata Yuichi Nose Tamikichi Yasuda Naoji Nishimura Yoshiko Tanigawa Tsuruko Gushikuma 15 Masagoro Kitagawa Yoshio Miyao Masami Kawamura The Kitagawa Family Ichiji Kiyuna Kisei Takara Manabu Omura 16 Fusakichi Okawa The Shigeoka & Okawa Family 17 Yasukichi Kaya Rinsuke Uesugi

20 Satoshi Yasumoto
21 Tokutsuchi Saeki Masao Yano\ George K. Kimoto Seiichi Kimura Judith K. Kodama The Saeki Family 22 Emiko Hirai Kama Chinen Tsurumatsu Miyamasu Umekichi Yamachika Kikuyo Goto Harold T. Hamasaki The Hirai Family The Chinen Family The Miyamasu Family The Yamachika & Matsushige Family 23 Tsuru Nakamura Teruo Asai Hideko Wada Giichi Kawamura The Nakamura Family 24 Totsuchi Nanba Tokutsuchi Muranaka Matsu Yokomichi Kame Yanagihara Ryuichi Ipponsugi Hatsuno Hirai Michika Umeda Gaines The Nanba Family The Muranaka Family The Nanba Totsuchi Family 25 The Sato Family Robert Mitsuyasu 26 Haru Ogawa Seiji Minehira Maurice Bungo Udo Shinemon Toishigawa

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Jodo Mission of Hawaii


Phone: 949-3995

8:30am Morning Service Everyday Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

December 2011
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**3:15 pm Jodo Shu Hour

Sun

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Deadline to Order Mochi

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9:00 HBC Jodo-e Service at Jodo Mission

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**3:15 pm Jodo Shu Hour

8:00 Temple Clean-up

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10:30 Sunday School End of the Year Party 11:45 Board Meeting

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10:00 Sunday Service

10:45 Sunday School

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7:00 am Mochitsuki 1 pm to 4 pm Mochi Pick up

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11:30pm

10:00 Sunday Service

Joya-e Service
COMING EVENT: Shusho-E or New Years Day Service

**Jodo Shu Hour Radio K-ZOO (AM1210Khz, Japanese station)

on January 1, 2012, at 10 am Sunday, January 22, 2012New Years Party and General Membership Meeting

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