“Let’s go to the Buddhist Temple!”

Socho Koshin Ogui, Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, stated recently that each member of the Sangha should make an effort to bring one new member from among his or her circle of family, relatives and friends, as one method to establish the teaching of Shin Buddhism in the United States.

At present, membership keeps decreasing at all BCA temples, and the Buddhist Temple of San Diego is no exception. When I compare the membership list of 40 years ago with that of the present, family membership has decreased significantly. The Fujinkai (Buddhist Women’s Association) especially is facing a serious problem. No young person has joined at all for several years. In Shin Buddhism, there is no Buddhist temple without the Fujinkai. The Fujinkai performs an important part in Shin Buddhism, spreading the Nembutsu teaching. I think that we are coming very near the important time when we have to hand down the Fujinkai which your grandmother and mother desperately protected to this day for the next generations. Therefore, now is the time for each of us to bring one new member from among our circle of family, relatives and friends to the Fujinkai.

Shinran Shonin, who embraced the Nembutsu teaching, told us that it has been handed down to us thorough the Seven Pure Land Masters from Sakyamuni Buddha. Shinran was able to encounter the Nembutsu teaching because he received the “work” that recommends the Nembutsu teaching. He taught us the importance of being able to experience the truth on somebody’s advice or invitation.

Once again, please look back on why you were able to encounter the Nembutsu teaching. Was it handed down from your parents? Was it recommended to you by your friends? Were you raised in a Nembutsu environment? Were you taught it as a child? Each of us has come to the Temple by his or her own path, and now we who embrace the Nembutsu teaching are here.

By the way, in modern society, where fashion flows quickly and is just as quickly discarded, how many things that have been handed down from the old days remain with us today?

When I visited America for the first time, I was surprised that Hello Kitty, a character created in Japan three decades ago, is very popular among Americans. Whichever shopping mall I go to, I can find a store which deals in Hello Kitty. In Japan, Hello Kitty is associated with “the old days,” but in fact, it is again very much in vogue among young people again. Why? There are many theories, but one thing is undeniable: a mother who is a Hello Kitty fan likely has a child who also loves Hello Kitty. A child 30 years ago has become a mother and introduces her children to the Hello Kitty character. I think that it is natural the parent wishes to hand down their favorite things to their children.

For example, the character of Mickey Mouse has transcended generations. Although 78 years have passed since Mickey Mouse’s “birth,” he has been handed down from parents to children, from children to grandchildren, and to the next generation. Disneyland is a place everyone—from small children to elderly people—is able to enjoy. Disneyland has become a beloved cultural tradition that is passed down and accepted by each generation.

I believe that the Buddhist Temple is also an appropriate place where all generations should gather. One day, a certain Sangha member told me wistfully, “The temple used to be crowded in the old days. Not only with adults, but a lot of children, too. When I was a child, my parents told me that if I went to service, the temple would give me some candies. So my heart beat fast whenever I would come here.”

When I heard this story, I recalled that when I served as a minister in Brazil, a certain grandmother would bring her granddaughter to the temple once a month. When she arrived, she would hand me some candies and ask me to give them to her granddaughter by saying, “This is for you from the Buddhist Temple.” When I gave the candies to the girl, I said, “Thank you for coming! This is for you from us.” The girl always said, “Thank you, sensei. I like to visit the Buddhist Temple very much,” and she went into the Hondo with her grandmother.

Through the grandmother’s behavior, I fully understood her sincere feeling that she wanted her granddaughter to visit the temple and that she wanted the temple be a familiar and comfortable place for her. I know it is very difficult to bring children to the Temple using that grandmother’s method. However, I sincerely hope you will understand and treasure this spirit always.

Let us hand down the voice of the Nembutsu to the next generation by saying, “Let’s go to the Buddhist Temple!”