CONTEMPLATING SEPTEMBER 11
by Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
�� We all remember September 11 of five years ago when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers
in New York City. It was one of the most terrible, world-shaking events experienced in recent
years. It was a hellish sight to witness the towers perish in front of our eyes. Many lives were
lost. This act of terrorism was unforgivable under any circumstance. Everyone burned with
indescribable anger.
�� The 9-11 Memorial Service, sponsored by
the Interreligious Council of San Diego (IRC),
was held in Balboa Park last month on
September 11. This year痴 IRC theme is 滴
umanity,�and the IRC痴 religious
representatives appealed for world peace under
the theme. I attended this service as the Buddhist
representative [the Temple is a founding member
of the IRC] and gave my message for the
realization of world peace. This month, I would
like to share my 9-11 message with you:
�� When I look back on
history, humankind has
always wished for peace, yet
not a day passes without
war. There are many people
who have lost their precious
lives and there are countless
people who have lost their
parents and children and are
grieved by war.
�� We can hardly imagine the heartrending cries of soldiers who
break their religious beliefs not to kill and have to fight in the
frontlines in the name of one cause or another. We must remind
ourselves once again that our comfortable lives today are due to
the ultimate sacrifice of many who died in past wars...and who
are dying today on our behalf. In their memory, we should try
for the realization of true peace. It is true that the current
generation hardly knows the true terror of war and that we tend
to take life for granted. In honor of those who died in conflicts, I
would like to make a fresh determination at the 9-11 memorial
service that we do our best to reject the misery of war.
�� This year痴 IRC theme is 滴umanity.�
Fortunately, we were born to this world as�
human beings. We are fortunate because, as it is
said in Buddhism, it is hard to be born into human
life. A long time ago in India, Sakyamuni Buddha,
the founder of Buddhism, scooped up a handful
of sand on the Ganges River and said to his
disciple, 鄭ll around is immeasurable sand.
However, it is only these grains of sands in my
palm that reflect those to be born into this world
as human beings.�o:p>
�� 迭are is it to receive life in
human form; yet, now we have
received it.�When we realize this
truth clearly, we must try to carry
out our lives with gratitude.
Accepting one other痴 existence,
loving others, and helping each
other are the true way of life as a
human. It is very important to
realize how precious it is to share
our lives with others on this earth.
�� However, what do we humans do? As I
mentioned, humankind has engaged in armed
conflict for a long time. Therefore, it is not an
exaggeration to say that the history of humans is
the history of war. War is an outgrowth of our
greed and sense of fear. We have perpetuated
conflict that justifies oneself, and takes
others�lives. Moreover, we face a crisis as
humans threaten the very existence of the earth
with nuclear weapons which we have created.
How terrible we are.
�� Something I read in a book a couple
of months ago surprised me very much. A
scholar said if we think of the earth as a
living thing, then humankind is its cancer.
These are very severe words, but in
reality, humans not only take others�lives
out of self-interest but also push the earth
itself to ruin. How do you react being told
that humans are a cancer for the earth and
all living things? I feel very sad and
ashamed.
�� In Buddhism, there is a teaching to
repay favors. We have received the life in
human form in this world and have been
living our lives with the great blessing of
nature. We are able to live only because
of the sacrifice of many others�lives. We
must repay this precious favor at the risk
of our lives. I believe that the true way to
repay favors is to accept
others�existence, respect others, and
support each other.
�� All living things in this world
are precious but only humans
have the capacity to be
considerate of others. Empathy
allows us to put ourselves in
another痴 place. We have
beautiful minds that share
sadness, happiness, and joy with
one other. Moreover, we have
precious minds that can reflect
upon ourselves.
�� We make mistakes
repeatedly in life. However, it is
very important how we accept
our faults, how we correct them,
and how we atone for them. It
requires courage and patience.
Although one person alone is
weak, I believe that we must
unite to support our individual
weaknesses and help to make
up for our lacks.
�� Even if we collectively call ourselves human,
we have individual personalities and our own
sense of value and culture which make us different
from each other. There are differences of sex,
nationality, skin color, abilities, and so on. We are
all different. However, each life is linked to many
other lives. We should never forget this truth.
Buddhism teaches us to try to always respect
others and understand each other so that we
realize a world where we are able to live with all
people happily is possible.
�� Finally, I would
like to offer my
deepest sympathy
to the victims of
September 11 and
their families, and to
all who have
suffered in the world
痴 many conflicts
and natural
disasters. Gassho.