LAS VEGAS BUDDHIST SANGHA

BULLETINBULLETIN 4110 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89032

JANUARY 2019 www.lasvegasbuddhist.org/email: lvsangha.info@gmail.com VOLUME 1

REVEREND KEITH KATO TO PRESIDE AT OUR JANUARY 13 SERVICE

Rev. Keith Kato was born in Tracy, California and just turned 65 in December. He has lived in Sacra-mento for most of his life, and has been married to his neighbor, Shirley, for 38 years. They have two sons, Jeff (35), and Russell (32). He is a California State University, Sacramento graduate. He worked for 5 agencies within the State of California Government for 36 years and retired in 2011. He enjoys golfing and watching sports on TV. Rev. Kato attended the Sacramento Buddhist Church for over 50 years and was temple president in 2000 & on the board of directors for over 20 years. He became a minister's assistant in July 2012 and received Tokudo in November, 2014.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL SANGHA MEMBERS & THEIR FAMILIES!

We’ll be meeting on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sangha Center, 4110 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., which is south of Craig Blvd and north of Alexander.

In Japanese culture, the New Year’s Day service is referred to as Shusho-E, which is literally “a gathering to recover the correct path.” It is a time for renewal and recovery and a time to reaffirm our commitment to following the “middle path” of Buddhism.

Ho-onko: January 18 is the memorial for Shinran Shonin who was born in January, 1172. Ho-onko is a time to express our gratitude to the founder of our Shin Buddhist tradition. By studying the works of the Seven Patriarchs and adding the Jodo doctrine of his master, Honen Shonin, Shinran wrote the Kyo Gyo Shin Sho, upon which our sect of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is based. The Japanese term Ho-Onko, “a gathering to repay a kindness,” describes precisely the essential purpose for our Sangha. Remembering the life of Shinran-Shonin, we are able to see him as a signpost along the Nembutsu Path--a Bodhisattva guiding us in our struggles to walk the Pure Land Path with sincere intensity, courage, & humility.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Center Rental (619)888-5301 Dharma Ed. (702)371-0947 Illness/Death (702)806-5520 Sangha Crafts (818)219-6982 Editor (702)228-3071

PALM MORTUARY PLOT FOR SALE Muriel Scrivner wants to sell a Palm Mortuary Burial Plot with Head Stone, Urn, and transfer fee. It’s worth $7,500.00 Will sell for $4,500.00. Located at: 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Contact Muriel at: 702-496-3763 or mflowersensei@yahoo.com

WHEN A LOVED ONE PASSES We all will be faced with a situation in which a family member or close friend passes away. This is a time of great emotional stress, and yet we have to immediately make many important decisions that not only affect family relationships, but can also result in major inroads on family assets.

We all know that we should have wills and family trusts to insure that our estates will be distributed in exactly the way that we wish. And yet, a significant number of estates are subject to probate court because there is no will left by the decedent. In this case, a judge will decide who gets what, and someone you may not know will be appointed to take care of all of the details of settling your estate. We put off thinking about this because we feel we have many years left. But none of us knows when some random act of violence or natural disaster can cut our lives short.

If we are the surviving spouse or relative, we immediately have to make decisions about cremation, funeral/memorial services, and burial plots. It is the intention of the Sangha to provide guidelines and a package of services that will give all Sangha members a less stressful and much less expensive way to navigate all of the details involved.

When something happens, all you have to do is call Minister’s Assistant Michael Tanaka at the Illness/Death number in the box below left, and he will answer your questions and help you with anything that needs to be done. We will also be publishing a pamphlet with all of these details in the near future.

Funeral expenses can balloon to $15,000, $20,000, or more. The Sangha will be able to save its members up to 75% of these costs while still providing a meaningful and memorable funeral and memorial reception for your loved one. The Sangha will also be able to recommend a reasonable and competent lawyer to set up your family trust and/or will.

NEW YEAR’S DHARMA MESSAGE Meya Stout

I am very honored to give the last Dharma talk of the year, thanks to Myke for asking me. I find it very symbolic of the fulfillment that our Sangha has given me this year, and I hope that my Dharma talk will return that same fulfillment for you to-day. …and I also hope to win at bingo later.

Many of us were here last weekend when we had the Omochitsuki Festival. For those of you that don’t know, that’s where we made mochi the traditional way by pounding it with mallets. It’s very strenuous work but all the muscle and love put into it really does make it just taste that much more delicious. It’s a Japanese traditional New Year event and it is done all over Japan and also all over the United States.

It’s funny how very different the American Culture or Traditions are when it comes to New Year’s. It is a time to go out and celebrate. We have fireworks, champagne or sparkling cider, when the clock strikes midnight, we use streamers and pop blowers and get a New Year’s Kiss if we are lucky. Some people make Vision Boards. I just learned about those a few years ago from my sister, and I think they are just the greatest thing. You take a poster board and make a collage of a few goals that you want to achieve for the upcoming year. After that, you set it in your closet and forget it. At the end of the year, you pull it out and look at what you accomplished. I have achieved all goals on my board every year I made it, and that is such a satisfying feeling of completeness. Some people make resolutions. What are resolutions? Some of the more com- mon ones known are, “I’m finally going to go on that diet,” or “I’m going to quit smoking,” or “I’m going to start exercising and living more healthy.” People are eager for the present to be gone so that changes can start being made in the future and/or to leave the bad habits or suffering in the past.

This is a delusion that we place upon ourselves. In the book The Teaching of Buddha, it states, “The moon is often hidden by clouds, but it is not moved by them and its purity remains untarnished. Therefore, people must not be deluded into thinking that this defiled mind is their own true mind.” Our life is still our life, either in the past year, the present or the future one. But we can only do something about the one we exist in, which is at this exact moment. When we look at the coming of one year and the going of another, we are willingly accepting an illusion, because time is infinite. When 2019 comes, does 2018 go away? Does it disappear? It is still there, it is just the bench mark that we have created in our minds. When we look at the moon, we attribute its cycles by calling it a new moon, a baby or born moon, a dying moon, etc. However, it is always the same moon.

The last reading that I want to take from The Teaching of Buddha is one that applies to this and I believe is also applicable for all people in mindsets regardless of culture or tradition. “People see this good and that bad, they like this and dislike that, and they discriminate existence from non-existence; and then, being caught in these entanglements and becoming attached to them, they suffer.

If people would only give up their attachments to these imaginary and false discriminations, and restore the purity of their original minds, then both their mind and their body would be free from defilement and suffering; they would know the peacefulness that comes with that freedom.”

So, I still want to make my Vision Board, but this year, I also want to practice mindfulness. I want to be in the present–because that is the only place that we can be! Maybe I will just add MINDFULNESS in big bold cutout letters to my Vision Board.

Now that we have covered American New Year’s and some insights on time, we can address Oshogatsu. Traditionally, the larger holiday in Japan and Buddhist culture is New Year’s, not Christmas. This is called Oshogatsu.

Earlier, we talked about the Omochitsuki, and the Kagami Mochi that is popular to have. One thing I love is all the food that is included in the New Year’s tradition. There is the soup with mochi in it called Ozoni (we also had that at the Omochitsuki and it was delicious). There is also Osechi, an extensive variety of special foods in a fancy bento box called juubako. One more widely known is the Toshikoshi soba. This tradition dates back around 800 years to the Kamakura period, and it is said that it all started at one Buddhist Temple that gave soba to poor people on New Year’s. Once time passed on to the Edo Period, Toshikoshi soba became more of a staple tradition representing “breaking off the old year” and good health or long life.

How many people know TV Japan, or NHK? Then I’m sure you know that it’s also popular in Japan for people to just stay at home and watch TV on New Year’s. The reason is the the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen, or Red and White Song Battle. It’s been going on since 1951, and the women wear red and the men wear white. Enka is a very popular showcase on the program. For

anyone wondering what enka is, it is like Japanese soul music or the blues. It is usually melancholy, about lost loves with analogies or parallels to nature. I remember growing up listening to enka with my great aunt Sumiko, and later learning more about it from my Obaachan. I love New Year’s and hearing about all the great enka singers from her when I call her every year to wish her a Happy New Year’s.

The most popular enka singer in Japanese history is Hibari Misora. She started singing in 1946, when she was 9 years old, and she was like a little Japanese Shirley Temple. It was Post-WWII, and her singing and talented presence were able to provide hope, joy, and encouragement to both Japanese and Japanese-Americans after the war. Either coming back from an internment, or rebuilding from a war-ravaged environment, there was this shiny little ray of hope in this girl. She was the daughter of a fishmonger, which made her a symbol of the people—she connected with everyone from all walks of life. She performed in movies, did jazz and enka, and wrote over 1200 songs. She continued singing for the rest of her life, and she had major debuts at New Year’s with the enka performances.

In the beginning of 1989, she came out with the song that NHK voted with over ten million votes to be the greatest Japanese song of all time. Kawa no Nagare no Youni, or “Like the Flow of a River.” She had done over 1200 songs, and this one was the best of all time. A few months later, in June of 1989, she died of pneumonia. She was aged 52.

During the recording of the song, Hibari Misora commented that life is certainly like a flow of a river. It is sometimes straight and sometimes tangled, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but at the very end all the rivers lead to the same sea. It is clear that this song is about her life, but how well we can learn to live it, to enjoy each moment and look on in any direction and see where we have come, where we are going, and to know that all things pass with impermanence. The year before and the year ahead are all one and the same; we just need to be present to enjoy the gift of existing in them. I would like to close this Dharma message by sharing the English translated lyrics to the song. Thank you, and Shinneakemashite Omedetou gozaimasu. Happy New Year’s!

Like the Flow of a River Like a dream, like a dream, passing day after day

down this long, narrow road I've been walking

If I turn, looking back I can see far away

the old town that I loved long ago.

Roads that wind and twist in every way,

Bumpy roads that have seen too many days

With no map to guide us, every path we cross in our lives,

Ah, just like the waters of a river, countless bygone days,

one by one how gently, how slowly they go,

Ah, just like the waters of a river, on unendingly,

into the sky painted colors of evening flow.

In our journeys and lives, though they start and they end,

still the road never stops, on forever,

as we reach toward a dream, making memories and friends,

we draw near the people who we love.

As the rain beats down upon our heads

and the mud covers all the road ahead

on we walk because soon a bright new day will come again

Ah, just like the waters of a river, slow and gracefully,

I entrust this body, let it take me away,

Ah, just like the waters of a river, like the seasons flow,

as we wait for April sunshine to melt the winter grey.

Ah, just like the waters of a river, slow and gracefully,

I entrust this body, let it take me away,

Ah, just like the waters of a river, forever as we listen to the blue stream.

Watch a video of Misora Hibari performing the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JPKop-dYJ8

LOOKING BACK ON 2018

MA Dave

It is always a good practice to reflect back on the past year as we begin a New Year. If we do so in a mindful way, we can do so without getting emotional and be able to put everything in a healthy perspective. There always are things to regret or wish you could’ve done better but, there are many things that provide us with fond memories too.

As I look back on our Sangha, I see much forward growth. We are enjoying two services a month. Members are feeling like they are belonging to a family more than ever. We are having more fun together after service with the sharing of food, playing bingo, and other activities. Obon continues to grow, and we are adding and planning more events, such as the upcoming Wine Tasting this month. We have been working on development of a choir, and we will continue with that. Dharma school is getting more coordinated with minister dharma talks and with BCA guidelines. Chelsea has been doing a great job working with dharma school children of various ages/grades in a single classroom area! There have been gradual, ongoing improvements in almost every aspect of the church during 2018.

We have several goals for LVBS in 2019 starting with a list of goals to work toward. The Minister’s Assistants now number three who are actively enrolled in training courses to become certified minister assistants. We have plans to go beyond certification to become ordained Tokudo ministers. That will not happen in 2019 but, we must keep in mind that goals do not have to be accomplished in any one year. If we make measurable progress through the year, it is a success. Always remember, it is the journey, not the destination, that provides the most excitement and happiness. I am working on putting together a songbook like those seen in other churches. This would include music sung by the choir and music I arrange. We need an expanded library of music to sing at service. It has been growing slowly and will continue to grow in 2019.

As you reflect back, please reflect back on the Sangha also. What were the good things? What were some things that need fixing? What did we learn from the Sangha and not just from dharma messages? What positive changes would you like to see put into place in 2019? Let the MA’s or board members know what ideas you have for 2019 goals. Everyone’s input is important to the continued growth and success of our Sangha. Let’s keep it growing in 2019. Happy New Year!

JUNE MARUYAMA IS IN THE HOSPITAL June has been living at Legacy House assisted living facility for almost 2 years. However, on Tuesday, January 3, she fell in the shower and fractured her left femur, just below the hip implant that was installed in February, 2017.

She is scheduled for surgery on Monday, January 9. You may visit anytime: Centennial Hills Hospital, Room 307.

LVBS COLUMBARIUM

The columbarium is nearing completion by the same carpenter who created the obutsudan enclosure. He is using the same wood, but in a darker color. It has locking glass doors, and its own lighting system. There are different sizes and proportions of

niches to suit urns for single to family sizes. It will be stored in a secure closet in the back of the main hall. It will be on display in the closet at every service, but it’s on wheels, so it can be brought out on special occasions, and easily moved if the Sangha eventually obtains a bigger and better building.

June Maruyama has donated $7,500 of the approximately $15,000 cost, and is willing to donate the remaining balance. However, we are open to having one or more donors cover the final half of funds required. Major donors’ names will be inscribed on plaques that will be on prominent display on the cabinet.

Please let any officer or board member know if you would like to make a donation. The columbarium will be dedicated during the first service in February.

2019, YEAR OF THE PIG

As we close 2018, we must not forgot those that passed away last year. As you know, the board is trying to make things “easier” when planning funeral arrangements. We are adding a columbarium within the Sangha building to help reduce the high costs of a cemetery plot or niche. If you feel overwhelmed or need help in planning a service for a loved one, please do not hesitate to contact myself or one of Minister’s Assistants, and we will be honored to help.

2018 was a financial success for the Sangha; all of our fund raising efforts did well. These efforts allow us to use these funds to run our building and other operational costs, and leave our investments alone.

We still have the goals of hiring our own minister, and eventually purchasing a larger building. Therefore, we will increase our fundraising events in 2019, with our next event being the “Post Holiday Blues” wine tasting. We will bring back the chicken plate and rummage sale during this year as well.

We welcome all ideas and encourage everyone to attend our board meetings. Our next meeting is January 24.

Thank you for your support, and best wishes for 2019!

Sincerely,

Gene Nakamura, President

SECOND SERVICE PHOTOS

Dennis Tsukagawa rings the bell

The Sangha listening to the Dharma Message

Chelsea Kurashige Wayne Tanaka & Michael Arakaki call Bingo numbers

Prizes and presents Sachi and Bob Uyematsu

Meya’s parents, Debbie and Ken Harrison John Kosora begins the service