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2011 November
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
A Life Without Light
commemorative service was conducted with due solemnity and splendor in the presence of Bishop and Mrs.
Ogui, our former minster and his wife, Rev. and Mrs. Miyaji, and many Sangha members.
At the Kieshiki affirmation ceremony preceding the service, the Oka-misori rite, 41 Sangha members received
their Buddhist names from Bishop Ogui taking their first step as true disciples of the Buddha. Their smiling faces truly
reflected a bright future for our temple.
I would like to thank everyone for their generous donations, the warm congratulatory messages we received
and to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the celebration a huge success.
Using this opportunity, I would like to pledge anew to everyone a fresh determination on my part to further
develop and carry on the wishes of our treasured temple pioneers to spread the word of the Nembutsu.
As most of you are aware, there was a huge power failure throughout San Diego County two months ago.
According to SDG&E, a human error in Arizona took down a line that provides power to the San Diego area.
About six million who live in Southern California, western Arizona and northern Mexico were affected by the
resultant blackouts.
In Chula Vista where I live, the outage lasted until about 2 a.m. of next day. We were supposed to have the
monthly board meeting that evening, but cancelled it because the power wasn’t expected to be restored right
away. We had no choice but to stay at home.
As most facilities except hospitals couldn’t function without electricity, traffic was heavily congested with
those trying to go home. There were many flight cancelations at the airport as well. There were even rumors that
the blackouts were caused by terrorists.
At night, all around us, the neighborhood was veiled in an unearthly dark and silence, so Mika and I were seized
with anxiety. Without a flash-light or radio, we were especially worried about burglars taking advantage of this
opportunity to break into the house or the temple because the alarm systems weren’t functioning.
In such an anxious situation, we could only sit close together, singing happy songs loudly, trying to wipe out a
sense of insecurity.
Although we passed an uneasy night which felt unusually long, we were wakened by sunlight the next
morning. Seeing the peaceful sleeping face of our daughter next to us, we shared the joy of being freed from the
world of the darkness. We also felt a great relief on making sure that the Sangha members and the Temple were
all safe.
With the blackout, of course Internet and cell phones could not be used. Without artificial light, we were forced
to spend a very inconvenient time. But it gave me the opportunity to realize how much we depend daily on the
benefits of science, and to reflect upon our daily lives.
Because we were not able to do anything that evening, we went to bed earlier than usual. While in the pitch
darkness, lost deep in thought, it came to me that our life is also in the dark. That night, unable to see a thing
without a flashlight, it was really hard for me to even get to the bathroom. I made my way there, running into the
table or chair. Each time I bumped into something, I hurt myself and didn’t know how to vent my anger and
discontent. Similarly, in everyday life, we live stressfully, bumping into obstacles because we live in darkness.
It is an emotional clash, like a marital dispute or a quarrel between parent and child. We live bumping into or
facing the difficulty of human relations, as when we don’t get along with our friends. The reason why we bump
into such things is because we can’t see ahead of us. If we could see clearly what is in our path, we would never
run into anything. That we can’t see anything indicates that we are in darkness; namely we live in the world of
delusion. There are those who believe without any doubt that they alone can see everything. But actually such
people can’t see even themselves.
In Buddhism, if I cannot see myself, it is because my mind is full of self-centeredness.
Selfishness can be divided into the three minds. First, the mind of believing is certain that I alone am always
right. Second, there is the mind that wants to do only what I want. And third is the mind that loves only oneself.
We are completely confused by our selfish mind. Even if we are wrong, we cannot apologize. We take for
granted other’s kindness so we cannot show our thanks. And as we cannot forgive another’s fault, we always
complain about it. It is our sad nature that when we accuse others, we brush aside our own problems and
unconsciously put ourselves up as a standard of justice, and this makes us angry.
When those who have such an ugly mind live together, it is natural that the conflict will never come to the end.
We will always get angry about something. We will always complain about something. That is how self-ishness
works.
When I was a university student in Japan, there was a professor who told us repeatedly in his class, “Always be
obedient.” He told us many stories about the Myokonin Genza, one of the famous superior Nembutsu followers. I
would like to share one of his stories with you.
One morning, Genza was on the point of going out to do farm work. He had a hand towel around his neck. His
grandson, seeing him to the door, saw the towel and said, “Grandpa, it is dirty!” Genza turned around and
started to remove it from his neck saying, “Is that right?” His grandson said, “Wait a minute, Grandpa,” and ran
back inside the house. After a while, he brought a clean hand towel and handed it to Genza, saying, “Here you
are!” When Genza received it, he stroked his grandson’s head gently, saying, “Thank you for your kindness,” and
then went out joyfully to work in the fields.
I was only 20 then and can still remember our professor telling this story. But when he finished it, I recall feeling
deflated, thinking, “What? That’s it?”
However, now that over ten years have passed since I first heard this simple story, I cannot help but respect
how clearly Genza was a noble Nembutsu follower who transcended the mind of selfishness.
As the Temple office opens at 9 a.m., I always leave home around 8:30 a.m. Before I leave, my wife makes sure I
have everything for the office by saying, “Do you have Ke-Sa-Ki.?”
“Ke-Sa-Ki.” means “point of hair” in Japanese. But as Mika and I use it, it is just a code between us. It combines
the first sounds of three words: “Ke” is keitai denwa which means cell phone; “Sa” is saifu which means wallet; and
“Ki’ means keys. Each one is very important and if I leave one behind, it may cause me trouble. So since our
marriage, unless she is sick in bed, my wife makes sure I have them before leaving the house. After several years,
“Ko” was added to “Ke-Sa-Ki,” giving it a less pleasant sound: “Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko.” “Ko” means coffee. These days I can’t
make much progress at work without a thermos of the delicious coffee which she makes.
Anyway, because my wife makes sure almost every day that I have these things, I haven’t left them behind
very often. I do feel grateful that she mar-ried me and is such a wonderful wife. But after I have been asked by
her repeatedly, “Do you have Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko?” I cannot say, “Yes, thank you,” obediently like Genza. Sometimes
when I hear, “Is “Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko” all right?” I say, “Don’t remind me about same thing!”
Even worse, I sometimes say, “If you are so worried, you should put them on the shoe rack for me!” I get angry
and force my selfish thoughts back on my wife. Especially when in a hurry to go out the door, I react this way.
Such selfishness is really terrible because it’s expressed after she has done me a favor.
Since I always take for granted my wife’s kindness, instead of saying “Thank you,” I complain: “I already have it.
You don’t have to tell me every morning.” If I speak like that to my wife, she will feel bad and I also can’t feel
good about it. Even though I sometimes feel ashamed and think, “How stupid of me! Why didn’t I just say, Thank
you?” it is really hard for me to apologize to her as soon as I get home. The mind which cannot be obedient—it is
my ugly self-centeredness.
The reason why we suffer bumping into the parents, child, husband, wife, brother, sister, friends, and the many
people in our daily lives is because we are always restricted by the mind of believing that I alone am always right,
the mind that wants to do as I want to, and the mind that loves only me. That is to say, our minds are always
shadowed by the darkness of delusion created by the deep-rooted blind passions of greed, anger and ignorance.
Therefore, we will never realize why we are suffering, nor even that we are in the world of darkness, unless we
encounter Amida Buddha’s light of wisdom.
The light of wisdom manifests our true selves bound by the selfish mind which is the cause of the suffering. Just
as candlelight pierces the darkness, so the light of wisdom emitting from Amida Buddha shines into every nook of
our delusional mind in order to lead us to the way of the truth.
Even if we encounter ourselves every day, we cannot see our true selves because we are in the dark. We will
not be able to meet our true selves without the light of wisdom which is the Nembutsu teaching. When I am
embraced by Amida Buddha’s light, only then can I live as a true human being, realizing I am living in this
moment due to innumerable causes and conditions. It is not that I rid myself of selfishness. It is that I am able to
see the precious path in front of me, allowing me to reflect on my foolish way of living that is ruled by selfishness.
With the darkness lifted, I am able to see and cultivate the obedient mind and the mind that respects others.
Because of the blackout, I truly realized that, just as we need light in our everyday life to be able to see, the
mind darkened by selfishness needs the light of wisdom to allow us to truly live. It was really a rich experience to
feel the gentle sunlight coming in through the window the next morning, just as Amida Buddha’s benevolence
illuminates my sleeping face, awakening and leading me to the way of the truth.
In Gassho,
Ogui, our former minster and his wife, Rev. and Mrs. Miyaji, and many Sangha members.
At the Kieshiki affirmation ceremony preceding the service, the Oka-misori rite, 41 Sangha members received
their Buddhist names from Bishop Ogui taking their first step as true disciples of the Buddha. Their smiling faces truly
reflected a bright future for our temple.
I would like to thank everyone for their generous donations, the warm congratulatory messages we received
and to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the celebration a huge success.
Using this opportunity, I would like to pledge anew to everyone a fresh determination on my part to further
develop and carry on the wishes of our treasured temple pioneers to spread the word of the Nembutsu.
As most of you are aware, there was a huge power failure throughout San Diego County two months ago.
According to SDG&E, a human error in Arizona took down a line that provides power to the San Diego area.
About six million who live in Southern California, western Arizona and northern Mexico were affected by the
resultant blackouts.
In Chula Vista where I live, the outage lasted until about 2 a.m. of next day. We were supposed to have the
monthly board meeting that evening, but cancelled it because the power wasn’t expected to be restored right
away. We had no choice but to stay at home.
As most facilities except hospitals couldn’t function without electricity, traffic was heavily congested with
those trying to go home. There were many flight cancelations at the airport as well. There were even rumors that
the blackouts were caused by terrorists.
At night, all around us, the neighborhood was veiled in an unearthly dark and silence, so Mika and I were seized
with anxiety. Without a flash-light or radio, we were especially worried about burglars taking advantage of this
opportunity to break into the house or the temple because the alarm systems weren’t functioning.
In such an anxious situation, we could only sit close together, singing happy songs loudly, trying to wipe out a
sense of insecurity.
Although we passed an uneasy night which felt unusually long, we were wakened by sunlight the next
morning. Seeing the peaceful sleeping face of our daughter next to us, we shared the joy of being freed from the
world of the darkness. We also felt a great relief on making sure that the Sangha members and the Temple were
all safe.
With the blackout, of course Internet and cell phones could not be used. Without artificial light, we were forced
to spend a very inconvenient time. But it gave me the opportunity to realize how much we depend daily on the
benefits of science, and to reflect upon our daily lives.
Because we were not able to do anything that evening, we went to bed earlier than usual. While in the pitch
darkness, lost deep in thought, it came to me that our life is also in the dark. That night, unable to see a thing
without a flashlight, it was really hard for me to even get to the bathroom. I made my way there, running into the
table or chair. Each time I bumped into something, I hurt myself and didn’t know how to vent my anger and
discontent. Similarly, in everyday life, we live stressfully, bumping into obstacles because we live in darkness.
It is an emotional clash, like a marital dispute or a quarrel between parent and child. We live bumping into or
facing the difficulty of human relations, as when we don’t get along with our friends. The reason why we bump
into such things is because we can’t see ahead of us. If we could see clearly what is in our path, we would never
run into anything. That we can’t see anything indicates that we are in darkness; namely we live in the world of
delusion. There are those who believe without any doubt that they alone can see everything. But actually such
people can’t see even themselves.
In Buddhism, if I cannot see myself, it is because my mind is full of self-centeredness.
Selfishness can be divided into the three minds. First, the mind of believing is certain that I alone am always
right. Second, there is the mind that wants to do only what I want. And third is the mind that loves only oneself.
We are completely confused by our selfish mind. Even if we are wrong, we cannot apologize. We take for
granted other’s kindness so we cannot show our thanks. And as we cannot forgive another’s fault, we always
complain about it. It is our sad nature that when we accuse others, we brush aside our own problems and
unconsciously put ourselves up as a standard of justice, and this makes us angry.
When those who have such an ugly mind live together, it is natural that the conflict will never come to the end.
We will always get angry about something. We will always complain about something. That is how self-ishness
works.
When I was a university student in Japan, there was a professor who told us repeatedly in his class, “Always be
obedient.” He told us many stories about the Myokonin Genza, one of the famous superior Nembutsu followers. I
would like to share one of his stories with you.
One morning, Genza was on the point of going out to do farm work. He had a hand towel around his neck. His
grandson, seeing him to the door, saw the towel and said, “Grandpa, it is dirty!” Genza turned around and
started to remove it from his neck saying, “Is that right?” His grandson said, “Wait a minute, Grandpa,” and ran
back inside the house. After a while, he brought a clean hand towel and handed it to Genza, saying, “Here you
are!” When Genza received it, he stroked his grandson’s head gently, saying, “Thank you for your kindness,” and
then went out joyfully to work in the fields.
I was only 20 then and can still remember our professor telling this story. But when he finished it, I recall feeling
deflated, thinking, “What? That’s it?”
However, now that over ten years have passed since I first heard this simple story, I cannot help but respect
how clearly Genza was a noble Nembutsu follower who transcended the mind of selfishness.
As the Temple office opens at 9 a.m., I always leave home around 8:30 a.m. Before I leave, my wife makes sure I
have everything for the office by saying, “Do you have Ke-Sa-Ki.?”
“Ke-Sa-Ki.” means “point of hair” in Japanese. But as Mika and I use it, it is just a code between us. It combines
the first sounds of three words: “Ke” is keitai denwa which means cell phone; “Sa” is saifu which means wallet; and
“Ki’ means keys. Each one is very important and if I leave one behind, it may cause me trouble. So since our
marriage, unless she is sick in bed, my wife makes sure I have them before leaving the house. After several years,
“Ko” was added to “Ke-Sa-Ki,” giving it a less pleasant sound: “Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko.” “Ko” means coffee. These days I can’t
make much progress at work without a thermos of the delicious coffee which she makes.
Anyway, because my wife makes sure almost every day that I have these things, I haven’t left them behind
very often. I do feel grateful that she mar-ried me and is such a wonderful wife. But after I have been asked by
her repeatedly, “Do you have Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko?” I cannot say, “Yes, thank you,” obediently like Genza. Sometimes
when I hear, “Is “Ke-Sa-Ki-Ko” all right?” I say, “Don’t remind me about same thing!”
Even worse, I sometimes say, “If you are so worried, you should put them on the shoe rack for me!” I get angry
and force my selfish thoughts back on my wife. Especially when in a hurry to go out the door, I react this way.
Such selfishness is really terrible because it’s expressed after she has done me a favor.
Since I always take for granted my wife’s kindness, instead of saying “Thank you,” I complain: “I already have it.
You don’t have to tell me every morning.” If I speak like that to my wife, she will feel bad and I also can’t feel
good about it. Even though I sometimes feel ashamed and think, “How stupid of me! Why didn’t I just say, Thank
you?” it is really hard for me to apologize to her as soon as I get home. The mind which cannot be obedient—it is
my ugly self-centeredness.
The reason why we suffer bumping into the parents, child, husband, wife, brother, sister, friends, and the many
people in our daily lives is because we are always restricted by the mind of believing that I alone am always right,
the mind that wants to do as I want to, and the mind that loves only me. That is to say, our minds are always
shadowed by the darkness of delusion created by the deep-rooted blind passions of greed, anger and ignorance.
Therefore, we will never realize why we are suffering, nor even that we are in the world of darkness, unless we
encounter Amida Buddha’s light of wisdom.
The light of wisdom manifests our true selves bound by the selfish mind which is the cause of the suffering. Just
as candlelight pierces the darkness, so the light of wisdom emitting from Amida Buddha shines into every nook of
our delusional mind in order to lead us to the way of the truth.
Even if we encounter ourselves every day, we cannot see our true selves because we are in the dark. We will
not be able to meet our true selves without the light of wisdom which is the Nembutsu teaching. When I am
embraced by Amida Buddha’s light, only then can I live as a true human being, realizing I am living in this
moment due to innumerable causes and conditions. It is not that I rid myself of selfishness. It is that I am able to
see the precious path in front of me, allowing me to reflect on my foolish way of living that is ruled by selfishness.
With the darkness lifted, I am able to see and cultivate the obedient mind and the mind that respects others.
Because of the blackout, I truly realized that, just as we need light in our everyday life to be able to see, the
mind darkened by selfishness needs the light of wisdom to allow us to truly live. It was really a rich experience to
feel the gentle sunlight coming in through the window the next morning, just as Amida Buddha’s benevolence
illuminates my sleeping face, awakening and leading me to the way of the truth.
In Gassho,