In Buddhism, true teaching can “change your life”
On January 16, 2000, West Covina Buddhist Temple held its annual Eitaikyō Service, a special service held to commemorate those prominent families without whom our temple would not exist. The names of these members are kept on the Eitaikyō List, which is read during the service. Another feature of this service was the General Meeting, at which a report on temple activities was given by Rev. Kawawata and by president Glenn Nakatani. Treasurer Frank Tanji also informed us of the financial status of the temple. Finally, board members were sworn in for the upcoming year. After the meeting, the entire Sangha enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the Junior YBA under the direction of advisors Dick Koga and Johnny Martinez.
During the service itself, members who attended this year’s Eitaikyō were treated to a wonderful sermon by visiting speaker Rev. John Doami of Orange County Buddhist Church. In his opening remarks, Rev. Doami got everyone’s attention with the remark, “Depending on how you listen at this Eitaikyō Service, this may be just another memorial service or it may change your life.” Rev. Doami clarified his statement by saying that, as Buddhists, “Our goal is to cross the narrow white path to the other shore of enlightenment. However, whether we can accomplish this or not depends on many factors, chief of which is whether or not one is ready to listen.” What’s required is a certain “maturation of conditions,” he said.
Rev. Doami then spoke about the act of “listening” itself which, in Buddhism, has a deeper level of meaning. He quoted the great Buddhist teacher Dōgen (founder of Sōtō Zen), who had said “To study Buddhism is to study the self.” However, Rev. Doami clarified that studying the self—true “listening”—really requires a kind of brutally honest self-appraisal which most of us would never willingly undertake, since we must accept both the positive and negative aspects of our real nature. “This truth is so difficult to accept,” he said. And, because it is so difficult, “We may regularly attend services and may be hearing the teaching but not really listening,” he said. “What Buddhism is trying to get us to do is to see ourselve as we truly are, without blinders or rose-colored glasses.”
Rev. Doami pointed out that these essential teachings are contained in Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths, which he summarized as:
- Life is suffering, which means not only that all life is impermanent, but also that things don’t always go our way; we encounter many difficulties in life.
- Our suffering however is not due to impermanence or our difficulties; it is due to our false notions of self, to our false belief there is something fixed and permanent inside us called a self or ego, to our notion that we are independent beings.
- A solution to this suffering exists.
- The solution is to follow the Eightfold Noble Path.
Referring particularly to the second of the Four Noble Truths, Rev. Doami pointed out that, “In America, we are taught almost the opposite, which is to strive to be independent…but in Buddhism, we are taught to realize our dependence…and to see the interconnections between us and everyone else.” Doami-sensei pointed out that deeply attaining this realization is, in fact, “attaining the world of the Pureland, of attaining Enlightenment or Nirvana, of being free of suffering.”
“Though there are many paths in Buddhism,” said Rev. Doami, “for the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist, the path to this Pure Land is through Namu Amida Butsu.” In this sense, the Nenbutsu represents the process “through which we can see our true selves,” he added. In terms of concrete actions that we can do, which can help us in our self-study, he suggested that we might consider helping fill the current emergency need in LA County for blood by donating some of our own. Sensei himself has personally given 2 gallons of blood in the last 2 years. In concluding his talk, Rev. Doami offered, “As you are giving your blood, meditate on the meaning of what you are doing and on the interdependence of you and the person receiving the blood.”
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