Higashi Honganji's North America District Dobo Conference, which took place on October 18 and 19 at the Betsuin, was a truly memorable event. Of course, a District-wide seminar attracts members from all four North American temples, and usually brings with it great expectations regarding the lecturer. In this regard, speaker Rev. Shunko Tashiro from Japan certainly did not disappoint. Also, there were some unusually lively festivities Saturday following the Fellowship Dinner.
Rev. Tashiro's Saturday Lecture:
To start the conference, Bishop Imai introduced us to Rev. Shunko Tashiro, a head minister of his own temple and a teacher at Doho University. Rev. Tashiro also works with terminal care patients, and speaks on issues such as organ transplants and euthanasia.
Rev. Tashiro began by saying, "I would like to speak on Rennyo Shonin and his influence on our lives." Rennyo, he explained, lived from 1415 to 1497 and was the 8th Abbott of the Honganji. A little-known fact is that in those days, the Honganji was actually a Tendai-style organization. "The members were largely from the 'rich and famous' class, and the religious practices were severe," said, Rev. Tashiro. This was a difficult situation for Rennyo because he knew that Shinran before him had criticized these kinds of practices and had said, "it's not for me."
But Rennyo received strength from his mother, who gave him this "goal": "Restore the Shinshu tradition," she had said. Rennyo apparently took these words to heart, because he nearly single-handedly reformed the Honganji. In fact, it is amazing how much of our contemporary Shinshu services and teaching are due to Rennyo. One of the most significant changes was to the gohonzon or central object of worship in the altar. Tendai practitioners would pray to Dainichi for beneficial results, but Shinran before him had stressed that real awakening is not about getting money, good health, etc. As Rev. Tashiro said, "Religions that advocate such things are not true religions in my mind. True religions accept reality and transcend difficulties." Rennyo replaced Dainichi with Amida Buddha.
It was also Rennyo who substituted Tendai's prayer-like chanting with the Shoshinge, Nembutsu and Wasan, which are, said Rev. Tashiro, "symbolic of the true Buddhist's attitude of listening to the Dharma."
Rennyo organized study groups to discuss the Dharma. These groups, called ko, consisted of only a small number of people at a time. Apparently, the small group model was important, because Rennyo wanted a deeper level of communication than is normally possible in larger groups. In these groups, Rennyo would say, "If you don't speak up and bare your soul, there cannot be deep understanding."
The gathering place for the ko was called a dojo, and eventually, as the membership swelled and a larger, permanent building was needed, the dojo grew to become a temple. Rennyo's success at "Sangha (and Temple) Building" was thus directly due to his ability to communicate the Dharma one-to-one, and to get members and potential members enthusiastic about learning the teachings. It may be unheard of today (at least amongst Buddhists), but Rennyo actually travelled from town-to-town and door-to-door to set these ko/dojos up. As Rev. Tashiro remarked, "It's why we have our temples today."
He also would regularly write what he called Ofumi (or letters), which tried to explain the Dharma in everyday language that the farmers and townspeople could understand. Eventually, there were about five volumes of these ofumi, collected by his son and grandson. Rev. Tashiro clarified that these writings were not of a scholarly nature, but "spoke to the everyday concerns of the people." For example, he often wrote on such topics as illness and aging. One of his most famous ofumi was the "Letter on White Ashes." This profoundly moving letter, usually read by Shin ministers at funeral services, speaks directly to the question of what life - and death - really are.
In his personal life, Rennyo had many wives and children. Rev. Tashiro told us a touching story about one of the children, Kengyoku. She had grown up at time when Rennyo was experiencing extreme poverty. Rennyo gave Kengyoku up to a certain Zen temple. Later in his life, when he was able to build his own temple, he called for her to come back. Unfortunately, she had died, which devastated him. However, "We can learn from her death," Rennyo had said.
When we reflect on death, we can gain a "wonderment of being alive," Rev. Tashiro said. "For us to be here, today, is wonderful." Going back to the "White Ashes" ofumi mentioned earlier, Rev. Tashiro pointed out its significance. "In the morning, we might be feeling perfectly well. However, by the evening, "We may be 'white ashes'...when we realize that death is inevitable, we cannot relax for one moment," he said. The White Ashes ofumi thus speaks to the reality that, "We may have great health in the morning yet return to 'white ashes' in the evening." While it's understandable to get anxious about our death, the more anxious we get, the more it can affect us. On the other hand, said Rev. Tashiro, "The person who is at peace says 'If I get sick or have to die, I will accept that naturally.'" This corresponds to Shinran's "As you are" teaching, he said. Furthermore, when we realize we really can't control our life or our death, true compassion is born; what we who are still healthy can say to the sick or dying is, "I will someday die also," he said.
But not only is death beyond our control, Rev.Tashiro pointed out, "Nothing in my life has gone as I planned. Life is beyond our control, beyond our power. It is fukashigi, or 'inconceivable'...and we should remember that we are given this life from a 'power beyond us' and that we are supported by the Buddha. Buddhism is really encouraging us to awaken to that inconceivable life that allows us to live."
"Buddhism is actually a fairly simple teaching," Rev. Tashiro stated. "It is a teaching of being able to see truth or reality as it really is. This is what we call 'suchness' or Dharma." He explained that, rather than blaming our pain and suffering on external causes, the real source is our inability to accept the truth. As an example, he admitted he has an attachment to being young, and dislikes the signs of aging he sees in the mirror. "When I look in the mirror, I ask myself, 'What happened?...I thought I was younger.' This is the gap between our illusion and reality," he said.
"Just accept reality...this is the teaching of mujo or impermanence." The Japanese word mujo means "not constant." "Similarly," he said, "when I'm sick, I ask 'why is this happening to me?' I expect myself to always be well. This, however, is reality, a natural course of nature...When you think about it, to die is also just a natural course of events. It's when you cannot accept this, that you suffer...don't make the mistake of thinking 'others will die, but not me.'"
"Buddhism's gift," said Rev. Tashiro, "is to accept that life is just like that. It is beyond our control. Illness, aging and death are inevitable. Buddhism tries to negate that self that is holding onto the belief that we won't get ill, get old, and die." Rev. Tashiro referred to "Buddhism's gift" because his message, like Rennyo's - despite the seemingly depressing talk about illness, aging and death - is ultimately positive. As Rev. Tashiro said, it is to "Live life to the fullest." He explained that when we fully accept this truth of impermanence, we begin to realize the importance of enjoying each moment of our lives. The truth is, there is no way to avoid our eventual death. "It's too late for us," said Rev. Tashiro; "We've already been born."
But Rennyo's most important contribution might arguably be to our modern understanding of the teaching of impermanence, specifically as it regards the meaning of the phrase "The Pure Land." It was Rennyo who once said "There is no guarantee of 'tomorrow.' The only thing we have is this moment." Where did Rennyo acquire this understanding from? Rev. Tashiro explained that it was from the Larger Sutra, one of the main sutras of our Jodo Shinshu tradition. This sutra says that "instantaneous birth in the Pure Land (i.e., awakening) is possible now...and once awakened, there is no regression."
Rev. Tashiro pointed out that it was first Shinran who clarified that the word "now" in this passage is key. "'Now,'" Rev. Tashiro emphasized, "means here, today, not 'after death' as some previous masters had interpreted 'Pure Land' to mean." Furthermore, he said, "'Yesterday is now, today is now, tomorrow is now...this is the ever-present now. When we understand the reality of death, it is at that moment that the ever-present now is present." Rev. Tashiro reminded us that "Death is not a problem to deal with later; it is a reality to accept now."
Rev. Tashiro closed his Saturday lecture by saying that when we honestly reflect on ourselves, we must admit we have the human tendency to be "judgemental"; that is, we tend to constantly judge others as "good" or "bad." When we meet people, we immediately judge them on the basis of the way they look, "Handsome better than ugly, tall better than short, rich better than poor," he said. Yet, Rev. Tashiro reminded us that, "when you strip away all the layers, we are all the same. He pointed out the Shoshinge passage which advises us to "get away from our judgemental ways; it is a dualistic way of thinking that leads to suffering." "The Pure Land," said Rev. Tashiro, "is the world where we are released from this dualism...again, this is not after death, but now."
Saturday Evening Events:
There was a delicious dinner catered from Little Tokyo Restaurant in San Dimas. Actually, "feast" would be a better description. Wow! How about a half-dozen or so huge boats (you know, the four-foot jobs) packed with sushi, various kinds of Chinese food, tempura, etc. etc. If a visitor had just walked in during the dinner, they might have thought this was a gourmet food convention, or perhaps some couple's 50th wedding anniversary.
When everyone was absolutely stuffed, Diane Hata of West Covina, began the Buddhist Trivia Games. The roomful of participants were divided into two teams, each with one of those little round "service bells," like the kind you might find on the counter of your neighborhood store. First up was, "Buddhist/Not a Buddhist." Do you know which of the following four are Buddhist?: John Travolta, Richard Gere, Charleton Heston, Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Keanu Reeves, Mike Ditka, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal. Next was "Name That Name!," a trivia game which asked really tough questions like, "Who did Prince Siddartha marry?,"Who was Prince Siddartha's evil cousin?," and "Who was King Bimbasara's wife?" Surprisingly, and most impressively, there were those (ministers were disqualified from participating) that actually knew the answers. Art Yamashita of Berkeley, as part "play-by-play" commentator and part cheerleader, was in rare form (of course, you have to understand what "normal" is with Art in order to fully appreciate "rare"). Lastly, we played "What's That Number," another trivia game where the team members again were encouraged (Art was heard to yell "Run!") to be the first to ring the bell with answers to questions like: "At what age did Prince Siddartha leave his wife and son?," and "How many ways are there to attain enlightenment?" (would you believe 84,000?)
After everyone calmed down (and digested their food), Rev. Joseph Jarman of the Brooklyn Buddhist Association treated us to an evocative and haunting flute performance of his interpretation of the Sanbutsuge sutra. While Diane Hata read the English translation of the sutra, Rev. Jarman played wonderful melodies in response to the words.
Finally, to close the evening, Peter Hata of West Covina proceeded to pass out a large duffle bag full of various percussion instruments. "We're going to play a song together," he announced. The song was jazz great Gato Barbieri's "Indonesia." The room was divided into four sections, with each playing a different rhythm. Once the instruments were passed out, many naturally started playing with them. Rev. Saito was having so much fun with his maraca that Peter had to (politely) ask him to stop shaking the thing so that the arrangement could be explained.
The four sections were the "maraca shakers," the "bass drummers" and the "guiro scrapers." Finally, there were the "hand drummers," led by Rinban Ito, whom Peter pointed out (much to Rinban's dismay), "had the most difficult part and the one that would make or break this song." Of course, Rinban did very well.
After a few run-throughs, everyone, including Rev. Jarman on flute, Peter, Rev. Kiyota and Rev. Kawawata on guitars, jammed along happily to "Indonesia." Everyone remarked that they had a great time.
Sunday Morning Summary
Rev. Tashiro said that, when we are able to confont death, we can then "regard each moment as precious and realize that our lives are not just 'ours'...we don't determine our birth or our death." Actually, it was Rev. Kiyozawa, one of the great modern Higashi Honganji Buddhist teachers, who said "Death is the mother of life." The message is that when we confront death, we also learn how to live. "What causes suffering," said Rev. Tashiro, "is the gap between reality and 'my wishes,' 'my attachments.'" "Ultimately," he said, "Rennyo understood that it is the teaching and reality of impermanence that allows us to find meaning in our lives."
Rev. Tashiro then directed his thoughts to the meaning of the phrase "Namu Amida Butsu," which we say several times at our services. "Namu," he said, "means 'my head bows'...not 'I bow my head'" This is a crucial distinction to Rev. Tashiro because the former connotes a kind of arrogance, whereas the latter expresses a true Buddhist humility. Namu means "My head naturally bows out of gratitude for the support I receive," he said. "This happens when we encounter that which is worthy of our respect, such as when we encounter someone or something that illuminates our life," Rev. Tashiro said. He also added that, "It is only when we are illuminated by someone else that we are able to see inside ourselves."
"What stands in our way of learning from everything is our ego," said Rev. Tashiro. "When our ego-centered nature is replaced by Namu, we naturally bow upon receiving all these lessons. We are embraced and guided in that support," he said. "Namu," he reminded, "is not our going to the Buddha and praying or wishing for ourselves; it's the Buddha Dharma coming to us. 'Namu' is our realizing the selfish-self that resides within and stands in our way. Upon that realization, we can see the great wish of the Buddha."
Rev. Tashiro then explained the meaning of "Amida" or "Amida Butsu." He said that it is the working of the Buddha Dharma. "It is infinite light and life...the phrase 'Namu Amida Butsu' is thus 'the head bowing to that infinite power.'" "In essence," he said, "Namu' represents our awareness of the darkness within...'Amida Butsu' represents the light that illuminates that darkness."
"Don't take life for granted," Rev. Tashiro said. "Realize the preciousness of life and let this awareness transform your life so that you can live each moment."