The newly renamed Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada held their 2008 annual general meeting at the Vancouver Buddhist Temple on April 25-27th.

Two new people were added to the Board of Directors. They replaced Kent Suzuki of Vancouver (formerly of Hamilton) and our own Jim Hisanaga of Manitoba. Jim did an outstanding job as President bringing new issues to the forefront of discussion. Jim will continue as President of the Manitoba Buddhist Temple.

The Jodo Shinshu BTC Women's Federation, Living Dharma Centre and Ministerial Association also held meetings.

The Saturday night banquet honoured Sensei Kojo Ikuta of the Calgary Buddhist Temple. He has served the Buddhist Churches of Canada for over fifty years. It was a touching evening highlighted by a spontaneous gathering of people who were married by Sensei Ikuta.

Sensei Ikuta and his family


The Manitoba delegates sing a retirement song.


Some of the many people that were married by Sensei Ikuta

The weekend closed with a closing service on Sunday followed by a discussion on "Greening the Environment and Buddhism" led by Dr. Leslie Kawamura of the University of Calgary and the Jodo Shinshu BTC-Living Dharma Centre.

The Board of Directors, Ministers, temple delegates and guests were warmly welcomed by the members of the Vancouver Buddhist Temple. Congratulations on a job well done!

The 2009 annual general meeting will take place at the Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta which is still under construction in Lethbridge. The 2010 meeting will be held in Winnipeg.

Ogui Socho of the Buddhist Churches of America makes a very special appearance on this internet video on the DharmaNet web site. Learn why he chose the Buddhist path and more about his Zen mentor, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Also find out why he was "kicked out" of his first temple in the United States and how he eventually overcame that setback to become the Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America.

The video is a part of an online video series called "The Buddhist Way of Life." In 2005, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai) [BDK] initiated a BDK-TV Series shown in Southern California. The weekly 15-minute shows featured interviews and teachings from major American Buddhist followers and teachers. 

SEE THE VIDEO...

Alfred Bloom, Honolulu Star Bulletin, April 5, 2008

Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) -- The story of Buddha's birth is rich in symbolism and suggestions of meaning, appealing to the imagination and feelings. It is a question for us whether we can draw any meaning for ourselves out of such ancient stories.
The fanciful nature of the stories of the white elephant, the baby's birth fully grown, supernatural rain and flowers tends to limit their meaning to children. Nevertheless, they tell us about the role of Buddhism in the world.

Hanamatsuri, as a festival of Buddha's birth, developed in China and Japan as an occasion of beauty and joy. Spring was an auspicious time in nature. An ancient account tells us that when Buddhas are born, "all evil is ended, everything has fully matured."

Flowers play a conspicuous role in many Buddhist myths and in Buddha's birth, signaling times of celebration, hope, joy and beauty. Pouring sweet tea over images of the child Buddha and adorning flower pavilions became popular in Japan during the Tokugawa age after the 17th century. The liberating message of Buddhism brought welcome relief for ancient people with their many cares, anxieties and sufferings.

In Mahayana Buddhism every Buddha comes into the world with the purpose to emancipate those in bondage. However, as Buddhist thought deepened, it understood that salvation, like liberty, is indivisible; it must include everyone else.

The understanding of the mission of Buddhism expanded over the centuries, focusing on lay people as the center of the religion and the bearer of the mission of Buddhism. The transition in the role of the layperson received vivid expression in Shinran's vision. The Bodhisattva Kannon appeared as a monk and announced that he (Kannon) would become a woman as his wife. Together they would adorn and enhance the world. Shinran was commissioned to take this message to the masses in the eastern area of Japan.

Shinran's strong sense of mission also appears in the story of his vow to recite a sacred text for the benefit of suffering beings. He soon stopped, realizing it was not the right way to achieve his purpose. He remembered Shan-tao (Zendo), a Chinese Pure Land teacher, who stated that sharing one's faith with others is the true way to express one's gratitude for the Buddha's compassion. Thereafter, Shinran devoted his life to teaching the farmers and workers of eastern Japan.

We can draw some insight for the contemporary meaning of Buddhism from these stories:

» First, despite many historical changes and cultural contexts, the goal of Buddhism remains the same. It is to liberate people from their sufferings and to bring joy to their lives.

» Secondly, the context of Buddhist mission is in ordinary family life. Shinran and his wife had a mutual partnership to share the teaching.

» Thirdly, there must be outreach to people. Buddhism can no longer be isolated within the four walls of a temple, but it must turn outward to participation in the community and world.

As we take up our responsibility, we must constantly ask ourselves: How are we, as Buddhists, enhancing the world in which we live? Does our Buddhism bring joy to life in the world, peace and justice? In this way Hanamatsuri, the festival of flowers, will not merely be an annual event, but an expression of the meaning of our lives.

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Alfred Bloom is an emeritus professor of religion at the University of Hawaii.

He's having an incredible year so far and the Masters is just around the corner. Tiger Woods is on par to win his fifth green jacket in Augusta, Georgia.

So what's his secret?

Meditation. This is an excerpt from an article from the UK Times web site:

Woods does not talk much about the fact that he meditates, something he learnt from Kultida, his mother, who is a Buddhist. “In the Buddhist religion you have to work for it yourself, internally, in order to achieve anything in life and set up the next life,” he said. “It is all about what you do, and you get out of life what you put into it. So you are going to have to work your butt off in every aspect of your life. That is one of the things that people see in what I do on the course.”

READ MORE IN THE TIMES...