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May 2012
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
I Alone, Am The World-Honored One
Last month, our Temple observed Hanamatsuri Service which celebrates the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha,
the founder of Buddhism. Every year, when I see kids standing at the beautifully decorated flower shrine to
pour sweet tea over the statue of the baby Buddha, I always feel warm and at peace. The Hondo (main
hall) is filled with many flower offerings as if we were in Lumbini Garden where Shakyamuni Buddha was born.
It is the most splendid service at our Temple, crowded with our members and their children.
Shakyamuni Buddha was born as a prince of Kapilavastu in India over 2,500 years ago. According to
sutras, Shakyamuni Buddha took seven steps as soon as he was born. With these seven symbolic steps, at
birth, Shakyamuni Buddha had already transcended the Six Inferior Realms—the world of delusion of hell,
hungry ghosts, beasts, fighting spirits, human beings, and heavenly beings—and stepped into the world of
Awakening.
Then the Buddha pointed to the heavens with his right hand and to the earth with his left, and
proclaimed loudly, “In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am the World-Honored One. All
that exists in the Three Worlds is suffering, but I will bring comfort.” The gods, Brahma, and Sakra in the
Heavens were said to have been so moved by his noble declaration that they rained down sweet tea in
response which made many flowers bloom in celebration of his birth.
Hanamatsuri is associated with this tradition, celebrating Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth by enshrining the
statue of the baby Buddha in the flower altar and making the sweet tea offering by ladling it over the
statue.
The Buddha’s famous words, “In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am the World-
Honored One,” tend to be misunderstood as self-righteous. Actually, his words simply praise the dignity of life,
meaning that all lives are beautiful and precious just as they are.
So Hanamatsuri is an important Dharma opportunity to contemplate the wonder of life which we have
received in this world and to realize once again the preciousness of each life which is sustained by all living
beings.
When I consider the world situation over recent years, I am always sorry that there were many crimes and
conflicts around the globe which wasted so many lives. Although we must sadly acknowledge this reality, I
wonder what we have learned so far and in what direction we will now set out in this life that we can only
live once.
Above all, most regrettable among these many sad situations is that so many American and Japanese
children have committed suicide. At present, there seems no end to the phenomenon of children who
commit suicide because they suffer from bullying. This social problem is not restricted to the U.S. and Japan,
but occurs all over the world. Here and in Japan, there were over 30,000 people—including adults—who
committed suicide in the last year. To make sense of this number, it means over 80 people committed
suicide each day. Incidentally, America has twice the population of Japan, but Japan’s suicide rate is two
times higher than that in the U.S. How regrettable these numbers are.
Why do children so full of promise want to kill themselves? My heart nearly breaks when I think about
young children who can’t ask for advice, who suffer alone in distress and loneliness, then tearfully decide to
end their own lives. As Buddhists, how should we face this serious social problem?
First, I think that it is most important for those who bully and those who are bullied to realize the
preciousness of the life that they have received. The gift of life that we receive from our parents has the
magnificent history of the universe wrapped in our parents’ own boundless wishes for us. This life is a great
favor that, no matter how hard we try, we cannot repay. We must realize how rare it is that we are able to
be born into this world as human and that we are alive at this moment.
Shakyamuni Buddha addresses the difficulty of receiving human life in this world in a sutra called Zo-Agon.
In it is a fable called, “A Blind Turtle and a Floating Board.”
One day, Shakyamuni Buddha posed the following question to his disciple, Anan: “Now suppose there is a
blind turtle at the bottom of the boundless ocean. This turtle will be able to show his face at the surface of
the sea only once in a hundred years. A board is floating on the ocean’s surface and there is a small hole in
the middle of it that turtle can put his face into. When this turtle—which can come to the surface only once
every hundred years—comes to the surface, can he put his face into the hole in that board even one time?”
Anan answered, “It’s impossible! Even if the turtle had hundreds of millions of years or even millions of
millions of years to be able to put its face in the hole, it would be very hard to do it.”
Then Buddha said, “I know everyone thinks that it’s impossible! But are you sure? To be born into this world
as a human is infinitely more difficult than a blind turtle putting his face into the hole in a board!”
Can you imagine this? One blind turtle drifts about at the mercy of the waves in the vast expanse of the
sea for a hundred years, or even one thousand years, in order to look for the floating board. When he finally
encounters it, he thinks he will be able to put his face in the hole. But quite unexpectedly a breeze comes
up, disturbing the water’s surface and makes the board move and the turtle fails.
Another hundred years pass and again the turtle happens upon the drifting board. This time, ripples make
the board move away and again the turtle fails. So it is extremely difficult for a blind turtle, dependent on
wind and wave, to find the drifting board and to put his face in its opening even if a chance of once a
hundred years comes.
Through this astounding fable, Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us the wonder of receiving life in human form
in this world, a nearly impossible probability.
There is another story by Shakyamuni Buddha which describes the preciousness of human life. One day,
when Shakyamuni Buddha was walking along the banks of the Ganges River with his disciple, Anan, he
scooped up a handful of sand and asked, “Anan, which has more sand? The palm of my hand or the banks
of the Ganges River?”
When Anan answered, “Of course, the riverbank has more,” the Buddha said, “That’s right. The living
beings in this world are as countless as the sands along the Ganges. However, it is only these grains of sands
in my palm that represent those to be born into this world as humans.”
Then the Buddha stuck his forefinger into the sand on his palm and lifted some grains with his fingernail
and said to Anan, “Take a look at this. Even if one was fortunate to be born human, one who can
encounter the Buddha Dharma is just like these grains of sand on my nail. To be able to hear the Buddha
Dharma is even more difficult.”
Whenever I think of this story, the words at the beginning of the Three Treasures which we recite together
during Sunday Service come to mind: “Hard is it to be born into human life. Now we are living it. Difficult is it
to hear the Teachings of the Blessed One. Now we hear it.”
We who were born in human form have received a rare opportunity. When we become aware of this
truth, we must then live accordingly. And it is most important for us to value our lives because one can only
revere another life by first realizing the significance of his own. By wakening this truth, Amida Buddha always
leads us in the direction of a way of living that makes each life shine; that is, understanding one another
and respecting and supporting one another, which is the way those of us who have received human life
should live.
So as you can see, through Hanamatsuri, when we reflect upon the first words of Shakyamuni Buddha—“In
the Heavens above and one the Earth below, I alone am the World-Honored One”—we must realize that
we exist as humans due to immeasurable causes and conditions, and that we are sustained because of the
loving support of countless others. When we truly realize the preciousness of this life, we will rejoice in the
embrace of the Nembutsu teaching which we have been able to encounter because of the infinite
guidance of others.
Seen from the vast universe, each one of our lives is as tiny as a grain of sand. But all lives exist by
supporting others as irreplaceable and beloved, with each personality shining brightly, as the Buddha’s
words say in the Amida Sutra: “Blue flowers emit blue radiance; yellow flowers emit yellow radiance; red
flowers emit red radiance; white flowers emit white radiance.” First we must come to the realization that we
cannot treat any lives badly, nor can we injure or kill them. Of course, this means not only others but also
ourselves.
During our lifetime, each of us will have to endure hardship and stress. However, no matter how painful a
position we are in, I sincerely hope each of us can be a true Nembutsu follower, grateful and joyful to have
received life in human form while embracing the light of the Nembutsu.
In Gassho.
the founder of Buddhism. Every year, when I see kids standing at the beautifully decorated flower shrine to
pour sweet tea over the statue of the baby Buddha, I always feel warm and at peace. The Hondo (main
hall) is filled with many flower offerings as if we were in Lumbini Garden where Shakyamuni Buddha was born.
It is the most splendid service at our Temple, crowded with our members and their children.
Shakyamuni Buddha was born as a prince of Kapilavastu in India over 2,500 years ago. According to
sutras, Shakyamuni Buddha took seven steps as soon as he was born. With these seven symbolic steps, at
birth, Shakyamuni Buddha had already transcended the Six Inferior Realms—the world of delusion of hell,
hungry ghosts, beasts, fighting spirits, human beings, and heavenly beings—and stepped into the world of
Awakening.
Then the Buddha pointed to the heavens with his right hand and to the earth with his left, and
proclaimed loudly, “In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am the World-Honored One. All
that exists in the Three Worlds is suffering, but I will bring comfort.” The gods, Brahma, and Sakra in the
Heavens were said to have been so moved by his noble declaration that they rained down sweet tea in
response which made many flowers bloom in celebration of his birth.
Hanamatsuri is associated with this tradition, celebrating Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth by enshrining the
statue of the baby Buddha in the flower altar and making the sweet tea offering by ladling it over the
statue.
The Buddha’s famous words, “In the Heavens above and on the Earth below, I alone am the World-
Honored One,” tend to be misunderstood as self-righteous. Actually, his words simply praise the dignity of life,
meaning that all lives are beautiful and precious just as they are.
So Hanamatsuri is an important Dharma opportunity to contemplate the wonder of life which we have
received in this world and to realize once again the preciousness of each life which is sustained by all living
beings.
When I consider the world situation over recent years, I am always sorry that there were many crimes and
conflicts around the globe which wasted so many lives. Although we must sadly acknowledge this reality, I
wonder what we have learned so far and in what direction we will now set out in this life that we can only
live once.
Above all, most regrettable among these many sad situations is that so many American and Japanese
children have committed suicide. At present, there seems no end to the phenomenon of children who
commit suicide because they suffer from bullying. This social problem is not restricted to the U.S. and Japan,
but occurs all over the world. Here and in Japan, there were over 30,000 people—including adults—who
committed suicide in the last year. To make sense of this number, it means over 80 people committed
suicide each day. Incidentally, America has twice the population of Japan, but Japan’s suicide rate is two
times higher than that in the U.S. How regrettable these numbers are.
Why do children so full of promise want to kill themselves? My heart nearly breaks when I think about
young children who can’t ask for advice, who suffer alone in distress and loneliness, then tearfully decide to
end their own lives. As Buddhists, how should we face this serious social problem?
First, I think that it is most important for those who bully and those who are bullied to realize the
preciousness of the life that they have received. The gift of life that we receive from our parents has the
magnificent history of the universe wrapped in our parents’ own boundless wishes for us. This life is a great
favor that, no matter how hard we try, we cannot repay. We must realize how rare it is that we are able to
be born into this world as human and that we are alive at this moment.
Shakyamuni Buddha addresses the difficulty of receiving human life in this world in a sutra called Zo-Agon.
In it is a fable called, “A Blind Turtle and a Floating Board.”
One day, Shakyamuni Buddha posed the following question to his disciple, Anan: “Now suppose there is a
blind turtle at the bottom of the boundless ocean. This turtle will be able to show his face at the surface of
the sea only once in a hundred years. A board is floating on the ocean’s surface and there is a small hole in
the middle of it that turtle can put his face into. When this turtle—which can come to the surface only once
every hundred years—comes to the surface, can he put his face into the hole in that board even one time?”
Anan answered, “It’s impossible! Even if the turtle had hundreds of millions of years or even millions of
millions of years to be able to put its face in the hole, it would be very hard to do it.”
Then Buddha said, “I know everyone thinks that it’s impossible! But are you sure? To be born into this world
as a human is infinitely more difficult than a blind turtle putting his face into the hole in a board!”
Can you imagine this? One blind turtle drifts about at the mercy of the waves in the vast expanse of the
sea for a hundred years, or even one thousand years, in order to look for the floating board. When he finally
encounters it, he thinks he will be able to put his face in the hole. But quite unexpectedly a breeze comes
up, disturbing the water’s surface and makes the board move and the turtle fails.
Another hundred years pass and again the turtle happens upon the drifting board. This time, ripples make
the board move away and again the turtle fails. So it is extremely difficult for a blind turtle, dependent on
wind and wave, to find the drifting board and to put his face in its opening even if a chance of once a
hundred years comes.
Through this astounding fable, Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us the wonder of receiving life in human form
in this world, a nearly impossible probability.
There is another story by Shakyamuni Buddha which describes the preciousness of human life. One day,
when Shakyamuni Buddha was walking along the banks of the Ganges River with his disciple, Anan, he
scooped up a handful of sand and asked, “Anan, which has more sand? The palm of my hand or the banks
of the Ganges River?”
When Anan answered, “Of course, the riverbank has more,” the Buddha said, “That’s right. The living
beings in this world are as countless as the sands along the Ganges. However, it is only these grains of sands
in my palm that represent those to be born into this world as humans.”
Then the Buddha stuck his forefinger into the sand on his palm and lifted some grains with his fingernail
and said to Anan, “Take a look at this. Even if one was fortunate to be born human, one who can
encounter the Buddha Dharma is just like these grains of sand on my nail. To be able to hear the Buddha
Dharma is even more difficult.”
Whenever I think of this story, the words at the beginning of the Three Treasures which we recite together
during Sunday Service come to mind: “Hard is it to be born into human life. Now we are living it. Difficult is it
to hear the Teachings of the Blessed One. Now we hear it.”
We who were born in human form have received a rare opportunity. When we become aware of this
truth, we must then live accordingly. And it is most important for us to value our lives because one can only
revere another life by first realizing the significance of his own. By wakening this truth, Amida Buddha always
leads us in the direction of a way of living that makes each life shine; that is, understanding one another
and respecting and supporting one another, which is the way those of us who have received human life
should live.
So as you can see, through Hanamatsuri, when we reflect upon the first words of Shakyamuni Buddha—“In
the Heavens above and one the Earth below, I alone am the World-Honored One”—we must realize that
we exist as humans due to immeasurable causes and conditions, and that we are sustained because of the
loving support of countless others. When we truly realize the preciousness of this life, we will rejoice in the
embrace of the Nembutsu teaching which we have been able to encounter because of the infinite
guidance of others.
Seen from the vast universe, each one of our lives is as tiny as a grain of sand. But all lives exist by
supporting others as irreplaceable and beloved, with each personality shining brightly, as the Buddha’s
words say in the Amida Sutra: “Blue flowers emit blue radiance; yellow flowers emit yellow radiance; red
flowers emit red radiance; white flowers emit white radiance.” First we must come to the realization that we
cannot treat any lives badly, nor can we injure or kill them. Of course, this means not only others but also
ourselves.
During our lifetime, each of us will have to endure hardship and stress. However, no matter how painful a
position we are in, I sincerely hope each of us can be a true Nembutsu follower, grateful and joyful to have
received life in human form while embracing the light of the Nembutsu.
In Gassho.