On October 10, 1999, West Covina Buddhist Temple celebrated 40 years of sharing the Buddha-Dharma in the East San Gabriel Valley area. The temple's hall was filled to capacity for the occasion. Many in attendance were former members who had once been active, but had not attended a service at the temple in some time.
After an opening message by chairperson Lee Ezaki and sutra chanting, Rev. Yuki, of the North American District, read a message from the Socho (head administrator) of Shinshu Otani-ha Headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. In his message, Tatsuru Kigoshi touched on both our personal and global responsibilities as temple members. "Reflect on the true mission of your temple in the context of American society and, indeed, the entire world. It is my fervent wish that the members of the Sangha continue to listen to the Nembutsu teachings of Shinran Shonin and make it a true refuge for your lives."
Next, there was the presentation of a special award to Kim and Mary Hatakeyama. The couple got West Covina Buddhist temple started 40 years ago when they requested the Rinban of Higashi, Rev. Horyu Ito, to send a minister to West Covina so that Dharma school classes for children could be initiated.
Following the presentation, the sermon for the service was given by the current Rinban of LA Higashi, Rinban Nori Ito (Rev. Horyu Ito's son). Rinban Nori was WCBT's former minister in the first half of the 1990's. He began his talk by saying that even though he is currently serving at the LA Betsuin, he remains "totally committed to WCBT." His own personal appraisal of WCBT's progress over the years is largely positive. Of course, Rinban Nori admitted that, in general, "We Americans are lacking in patience and want immediate results." To illustrate, he fondly recalled the "old days" 25 years ago when he was just starting out. "At our Betsuin board meetings, Tommy Yamashita used to shout 'We need American Buddhism!' I think that today, to a large extent, we've succeeded."
In contrast however to American impatience, Rinban said that in the "Golden Age" of Japanese Buddhism during Shinran's time in the Kamakura Period some 800 years ago, "The ancients had a long term vision and we should too." The "long term vision" of the Betsuin is exemplified, Rinban Nori said, in their Mission Statement. Its central concept revolves around the idea of hongan or primal vow. Hongan is the deep and "primal" wish in all of us to be buddhas, to be awakened beings. "Receiving this wish is like discovering our own mission statement," he said.
Rinban then went on to discuss how receiving this "personal mission statement" might affect us. He pointed out that after Shakyamuni's enlightenment, though at first unsure what to "do with it," he eventually did of course decide to share the content of his awakening with others. "But why?," Rinban asked. "What was his raison d'être?" Rinban then read a moving passage from the Dhammapada, in which Shakyamuni's reasons for sharing the Dharma are given. We learned that the essential reason was compassion.
"Today, some 2500 years later, the conditions of the world haven't changed much. Therefore, the Buddha's message is still viable," he said. He pointed out that Americans worry about issues such as violence, racial discrimination, etc. The common thread of all our concerns though," said Rinban Ito, is, "how can people get along?"
Though WCBT has taken significant strides, Rinban cautioned against becoming complacent. He explained that the original term for a temple was "Nembutsu dojo," a place where one could study the Nembutsu teaching. Therefore WCBT needs be diligent and constantly reaffirm its "dojo" status. The key is to always continue seeking the Dharma, or truth. Rinban Ito quoted the great Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, who put it this way, "Our only job is to remain open. Usually, when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we say it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing. If we read and listen with an open mind and open heart, the rain of the Dharma will penetrate the soil of our consciousness."
Rinban closed his talk by challenging us to actively implement the Buddhist teachings in our life, and reminded us that an important part of these teachings is to share our understanding of the Dharma with others. "Be a spokesperson for Buddhism, not by standing up and preaching, but by setting an example for others in your life. This is how Buddhism can spread and be a positive influence in the lives of Americans."