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September 2012
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
Arrival of Our Second Child!
In Shin Buddhism, the working of Amida Buddha can be expressed as “Light” or “Warm Light.” It is said
that the Buddha’s Light continually shines on all life, illumining and guiding all living beings equally and
without discrimination.
I am pleased to announce that our long-awaited second child, Oji, was born on August 13. He is a healthy
boy who weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 18 in. long at birth. Although he is a bit impatient, arriving three
weeks earlier than his due date, his powerful cry echoes throughout the house. To my delight, he is very cute
and full of smiles, and he seems like a very smart little boy. He takes after me!
His name Oji means “one who presides over the light of wisdom.” His name holds our wish that no matter
what might happen in his life, he will create a bright and wonderful life and future with the Nembutsu,
developing his own view which sees all things clearly through the guidance of Amida Buddha who presides
over the light of wisdom.
When I think back to the day Oji arrived, I am very impressed by my wife giving birth to this healthy baby
though I know she felt great anxiety beforehand being here in America so far from her parents.
Although labor took 18 hours and was traumatic and exhausting, Mika, who had sheltered and protected
our unborn baby for nine long months, tearfully greeted the baby saying, “Hello, I am your Mommy. Thank
you for arriving safely.” I will never forget her first words to Oji and her gentle eyes gazing at him. That
moving scene became the best memory of our lives together and one which we will remember forever.
Soon afterwards, we were moved to a private room. Because of this, we were able to take our time
expressing our relief and appreciation to one another. And as I watched my wife gently cradling Oji in her
arms, with her warm and loving gaze on him, I felt as if I were witnessing the Buddha’s loving look.
Have you ever looked closely at images of the Buddha’s eyes? Although we call the Buddha’s eyes the
eyes of compassion, they are always depicted as narrow slits. I think that there might be some people who
misinterpret this look, thinking that the Buddha’s eyes are closed. But certainly his eyes are open. He is not
sleeping.
When opening the eyes wide, the outer world can be seen clearly but the inner world (ourselves) cannot
be seen at all. The other way around, when closing the eyes, the inner world (ourselves) can be seen clearly
but the outer world cannot be viewed. I have never seen a Buddha image which has its eyes completely
open; nor have I seen one with eyes completely shut. The Buddha always keeps his eyes slightly open. We
call it hangan or, “eyes half closed.”
Hangan means to see the unity of both the inside and outside view. It is to see not only the inner world but
also the outer world. We call this the eyes of compassion. Because compassion is wisdom working towards all
living things, the eyes that the Buddha casts equally on each one of us are the eyes of compassion.
Although we are unaware of being raised up and led by his compassion, Buddha’s light always shines on us
like the warm sunlight that shines on the unknowing grass, or like parents’ warm gaze that is lovingly fixed on
their child without discrimination.
Consider a mother and her baby. The reason the baby can eventually say “Mommy” is because the baby
has repeatedly heard its mother’s voice saying it. When I think back on it, I realized that the reason my
daughter first called out “Mommy” is because my wife affectionately said over and over, “It is Mommy,”
from the time the new life was in her womb. Children are raised by the love of their parents. Therefore, the
reason we can place our hands together and say the Nembutsu, “Namo Amida Butsu,” is because we
have been embraced and led by the great compassion of Amida Buddha.
The Nembutsu is Amida Buddha’s name. We each have a tendency to believe that we place our hands
together and recite the Nembutsu on our own power, but in fact, we do gassho and recite the Nembutsu
with Buddha’s guidance. Amida Buddha’s disconsolate mind of compassion, which cannot help but save,
became Namo Amida Butsu, and it has been sent to the heart of each one of us.
In this way, the light of Amida Buddha always shines upon and raises us up. Its ceaseless and continual
working will always lead us to the way of the truth. Because Amida Buddha is our true mother and father,
we always bask in his warm compassion which is like a parent whose gaze cannot leave and abandon a
child. His loving and warm gaze shines equally on all sentient beings.
During this pregnancy, while reading a book on childrearing, my wife threw out a simple question about
parental love. “With one child, the parents’ love is always directed only at that child. But if the parents
have two or three children, will their love for each child be one-half or one-third?” It was a really interesting
question.
Certainly, speaking of the physical care required, each child can only receive one-half or one-third of a
parent’s attention. Furthermore, with a new baby, the parents are focused necessarily on the needs of the
newborn, so the older sibling always has a strong feeling of jealousy. Actually, whenever big sister Kurumi
sees her mom holding the baby, she seems to think that her mom has been captured by her younger
brother so she follows her mom about all day long by saying, “Mommy! Hold me!” However, even though
children may worry about it, a parent’s love is certainly always given to each one of their children equally no
matter how many kids they may have. In this way, Amida Buddha embraces each one of us equally
without discrimination with his immeasurable light of wisdom and compassion….
It may be really difficult for those of us who lead busy lives to understand the concept of the loving look of
Amida Buddha filled with compassion. But I am sure that when “Namo Amida Butsu” happens to come
from our lips, we will be awakened by Amida Buddha’s voice calling to us, “I will never abandon you.”
Furthermore, through the precious time Mika and I shared together since we learned of the pregnancy, I
was able to realize again something very important which I had forgotten. It is that my wife talking tenderly
to the unborn baby in her womb, and Amida Buddha who calls me, seem one and the same. Even when
babies are still in the womb, they are called fondly by their names, and their safety and their futures are
wished for by their parents. Even before they are born into this world, the parents always assure them,
“Everything will be all right, so don't worry.” Like a baby in the womb being spoken to by a loving parent, I
am also being assured by Amida Buddha that everything will be okay and that I am assured of my birth in
the Pure Land. The relationship between an unborn baby and its parents and between Amida Buddha and
myself, are the same.
It was my second time to be present at the delivery, and at that time, I relearned another important
lesson. Witnessing Mika endure pain and squarely face her anxieties and hardships for the sake of our baby, I
fully realized again how great a mother is. The words of Rev. Haya Akegarasu, “Although there are 100
million mothers for 100 million people, there are no mothers who are superior to my mother,” echo deeply in
my heart. And thanks to the huge challenge which we met together, Mika and I were able to strengthen
our bond again and promise one other we will raise both our baby and our four-year-old daughter with
loving care. I believe that our baby Oji has brought us closer together again.
From the time we announced my wife’s pregnancy, we have really appreciated all of your goodwill. We
are grateful to the BWA members who gave us many words of encouragement and hosted the wonderful
baby showers; and to all the Sangha members who sent us oiwai and many wonderful gifts. The fact that
we are able to raise our two kids safely here in San Diego is due entirely to your warm support and
thoughtfulness. I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to each of you for your
kindness.
We will never forget that we are able to be here together because of our parents and the many people
who support and lead us. We wish to nurture our new baby whom we have received from Amida Buddha
with loving care and the Nembutsu of gratitude. Although we are still inexperienced as parents, please be
patient and gentle with us as we try to grow along with our kids.
In Gassho.
that the Buddha’s Light continually shines on all life, illumining and guiding all living beings equally and
without discrimination.
I am pleased to announce that our long-awaited second child, Oji, was born on August 13. He is a healthy
boy who weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 18 in. long at birth. Although he is a bit impatient, arriving three
weeks earlier than his due date, his powerful cry echoes throughout the house. To my delight, he is very cute
and full of smiles, and he seems like a very smart little boy. He takes after me!
His name Oji means “one who presides over the light of wisdom.” His name holds our wish that no matter
what might happen in his life, he will create a bright and wonderful life and future with the Nembutsu,
developing his own view which sees all things clearly through the guidance of Amida Buddha who presides
over the light of wisdom.
When I think back to the day Oji arrived, I am very impressed by my wife giving birth to this healthy baby
though I know she felt great anxiety beforehand being here in America so far from her parents.
Although labor took 18 hours and was traumatic and exhausting, Mika, who had sheltered and protected
our unborn baby for nine long months, tearfully greeted the baby saying, “Hello, I am your Mommy. Thank
you for arriving safely.” I will never forget her first words to Oji and her gentle eyes gazing at him. That
moving scene became the best memory of our lives together and one which we will remember forever.
Soon afterwards, we were moved to a private room. Because of this, we were able to take our time
expressing our relief and appreciation to one another. And as I watched my wife gently cradling Oji in her
arms, with her warm and loving gaze on him, I felt as if I were witnessing the Buddha’s loving look.
Have you ever looked closely at images of the Buddha’s eyes? Although we call the Buddha’s eyes the
eyes of compassion, they are always depicted as narrow slits. I think that there might be some people who
misinterpret this look, thinking that the Buddha’s eyes are closed. But certainly his eyes are open. He is not
sleeping.
When opening the eyes wide, the outer world can be seen clearly but the inner world (ourselves) cannot
be seen at all. The other way around, when closing the eyes, the inner world (ourselves) can be seen clearly
but the outer world cannot be viewed. I have never seen a Buddha image which has its eyes completely
open; nor have I seen one with eyes completely shut. The Buddha always keeps his eyes slightly open. We
call it hangan or, “eyes half closed.”
Hangan means to see the unity of both the inside and outside view. It is to see not only the inner world but
also the outer world. We call this the eyes of compassion. Because compassion is wisdom working towards all
living things, the eyes that the Buddha casts equally on each one of us are the eyes of compassion.
Although we are unaware of being raised up and led by his compassion, Buddha’s light always shines on us
like the warm sunlight that shines on the unknowing grass, or like parents’ warm gaze that is lovingly fixed on
their child without discrimination.
Consider a mother and her baby. The reason the baby can eventually say “Mommy” is because the baby
has repeatedly heard its mother’s voice saying it. When I think back on it, I realized that the reason my
daughter first called out “Mommy” is because my wife affectionately said over and over, “It is Mommy,”
from the time the new life was in her womb. Children are raised by the love of their parents. Therefore, the
reason we can place our hands together and say the Nembutsu, “Namo Amida Butsu,” is because we
have been embraced and led by the great compassion of Amida Buddha.
The Nembutsu is Amida Buddha’s name. We each have a tendency to believe that we place our hands
together and recite the Nembutsu on our own power, but in fact, we do gassho and recite the Nembutsu
with Buddha’s guidance. Amida Buddha’s disconsolate mind of compassion, which cannot help but save,
became Namo Amida Butsu, and it has been sent to the heart of each one of us.
In this way, the light of Amida Buddha always shines upon and raises us up. Its ceaseless and continual
working will always lead us to the way of the truth. Because Amida Buddha is our true mother and father,
we always bask in his warm compassion which is like a parent whose gaze cannot leave and abandon a
child. His loving and warm gaze shines equally on all sentient beings.
During this pregnancy, while reading a book on childrearing, my wife threw out a simple question about
parental love. “With one child, the parents’ love is always directed only at that child. But if the parents
have two or three children, will their love for each child be one-half or one-third?” It was a really interesting
question.
Certainly, speaking of the physical care required, each child can only receive one-half or one-third of a
parent’s attention. Furthermore, with a new baby, the parents are focused necessarily on the needs of the
newborn, so the older sibling always has a strong feeling of jealousy. Actually, whenever big sister Kurumi
sees her mom holding the baby, she seems to think that her mom has been captured by her younger
brother so she follows her mom about all day long by saying, “Mommy! Hold me!” However, even though
children may worry about it, a parent’s love is certainly always given to each one of their children equally no
matter how many kids they may have. In this way, Amida Buddha embraces each one of us equally
without discrimination with his immeasurable light of wisdom and compassion….
It may be really difficult for those of us who lead busy lives to understand the concept of the loving look of
Amida Buddha filled with compassion. But I am sure that when “Namo Amida Butsu” happens to come
from our lips, we will be awakened by Amida Buddha’s voice calling to us, “I will never abandon you.”
Furthermore, through the precious time Mika and I shared together since we learned of the pregnancy, I
was able to realize again something very important which I had forgotten. It is that my wife talking tenderly
to the unborn baby in her womb, and Amida Buddha who calls me, seem one and the same. Even when
babies are still in the womb, they are called fondly by their names, and their safety and their futures are
wished for by their parents. Even before they are born into this world, the parents always assure them,
“Everything will be all right, so don't worry.” Like a baby in the womb being spoken to by a loving parent, I
am also being assured by Amida Buddha that everything will be okay and that I am assured of my birth in
the Pure Land. The relationship between an unborn baby and its parents and between Amida Buddha and
myself, are the same.
It was my second time to be present at the delivery, and at that time, I relearned another important
lesson. Witnessing Mika endure pain and squarely face her anxieties and hardships for the sake of our baby, I
fully realized again how great a mother is. The words of Rev. Haya Akegarasu, “Although there are 100
million mothers for 100 million people, there are no mothers who are superior to my mother,” echo deeply in
my heart. And thanks to the huge challenge which we met together, Mika and I were able to strengthen
our bond again and promise one other we will raise both our baby and our four-year-old daughter with
loving care. I believe that our baby Oji has brought us closer together again.
From the time we announced my wife’s pregnancy, we have really appreciated all of your goodwill. We
are grateful to the BWA members who gave us many words of encouragement and hosted the wonderful
baby showers; and to all the Sangha members who sent us oiwai and many wonderful gifts. The fact that
we are able to raise our two kids safely here in San Diego is due entirely to your warm support and
thoughtfulness. I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to each of you for your
kindness.
We will never forget that we are able to be here together because of our parents and the many people
who support and lead us. We wish to nurture our new baby whom we have received from Amida Buddha
with loving care and the Nembutsu of gratitude. Although we are still inexperienced as parents, please be
patient and gentle with us as we try to grow along with our kids.
In Gassho.
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