Flying to Hawaii in February, I wondered if Jodo Shinshu temples and their members were somehow different than on the mainland. After all, Hawaii temples have a long history, yet some of them only have a few dozen members and are located in tiny island communities. On the other hand, there’s a big temple in Honolulu with hundreds of members. After landing, I traveled to Kaneohe, a small community on the north side of Oahu for a weekend "dobo" retreat. About 30 people attended, including about 20 lay people and 10 ministers. The main speaker was Rev. Junsho Tamamitsu, who came from the main Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto. On the first day, the morning service held at the Kaneohe temple had a music theme, consisting of Shinshu Shuka, Shonshinsan and Ondokusan. All three were sung in English. The group then moved into the social hall. Three lay people and three ministers presented their observations and comments about the previous Dobo retreats. They talked about their understanding of what they learned and what they didn’t understand.
I cannot list everything that people said, but some of the things mentioned include how some concepts are hard to understand—such as whether the Pure Land is here or a place to go after death—how we should address social problems from a Buddhist perspective, how Jodo Shinshu is particularly difficult, and how Japanese terms often are stumbling blocks. The next activity was a general discussion. Although it was nearly 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Rev. Tamamitsu still had not lectured. Yet, members and other ministers held a good discussion, talking about ways to best understand Jodo Shinshu. By just sitting and observing, Rev. Tamamitsu seemed to inspire the lively debate.
As it turned out, the retreat was planned so that discussion came first. Rev. Tamamitsu felt that questions arise naturally from discussion, rather than the opposite way, when a lecture is given first, then people try to think of questions. Later in the afternoon and into the evening, Rev. Tamamitsu gave his lecture in Japanese, which was translated by Rev. Michihiro Ama into English. He spoke about many things, including the misperception that Jodo Shinshu can be "propagated" in a missionary sense. Rather, he explained, Jodo Shinshu is based on discussion and the transformation of both the speaker and listener. A person cannot impose a "religious mind" on someone else. He also spoke about how shinjin, often translated as "faith," should not be kept to oneself. Rather it should be expressed in relation to history and society. He spoke about other topics, too numerous for me to record.
The next morning after service, Rev. Tamamitsu led another group discussion. His topic again was shinjin. He explained his idea that shinjin is energy that carries us through difficult experiences. Shinjin gives us the courage to face the reality from which we want to escape. He also said that everything has shinjin, even mountains and rivers. Buddhism makes us feel engaged at many levels. Rev. Tamamitsu spoke about Shinran’s phrase "neither monk nor layman." He said Shinran did not reject either identity when expressing himself this way, but rather he showed a mind of acceptance. This mind of acceptance can transform enemies into friends. By contrast, when we take a stance, we forget about our ignorance, or bombu. To say neither A nor B means actually we have dual citizenship. Following this thought in Shinshu, we can say we have dual citizenship in the Pure Land and in life. You might say we are "Pure-Land-American," rather than for example, "Japanese-American."
Rev. Tamamitsu spoke about many things and I tried to take notes as best that I could. But he spoke about some topics that were difficult for me to understand. Also, his words had to be translated and explained by a translator, which made understanding even more challenging. As the retreat progressed, I began to realize that the problems and challenges faced by the Hawaii temples are similar to the problems and challenges that we face on the mainland. Many of our members say the teachings are hard to understand and that Japanese terms are difficult to comprehend. I believe these challenges are part of the times in which we live. We are still trying to translate the teachings into English and still trying to find appropriate words and phrases that explain Jodo Shinshu to Americans, whose culture and experiences are different in many ways than those of the Japanese. In Hawaii, I felt the ministers and members are making a sincere effort to meet those challenges by translating lectures and gathas into English, holding discussions, and trying new things. To me, it was strange singing the gatha "Ondokusan" in English and listening in English to the words of Shonshinsan, which is derived from "Shoshinge," which we usually chant in Japanese. Nevertheless, I believe these efforts must continue until we can find methods that are suitable in America. Based on our experience on the mainland, we know it is difficult for an English speaking audience to listen to a Japanese lecture through an interpreter. In Hawaii, I felt the same frustration. I hope in the future, we can better solve this problem. I think the most effective solution is to have an English-speaking lecturer for an English-speaking audience. At this time in history, Jodo Shinshu in America faces great challenges. In addition to language problems, there are cultural differences as well. The American mentality is different from the Japanese mentality. This point needs to be explored further.
In Hawaii, I noticed that most of the ministers tended to be young men, several of whom were not married. By contrast, the Hawaii members I met tended to be older women with families. This brings up differences in gender and life experience, which creates yet more gaps between the two sides. During the two days of the retreat, I became better acquainted with several of the Hawaii members. They began to tell me about why they were interested in Buddhism. They spoke about a sick spouse, divorce, the death of a loved one, and the stress of a career change. I felt that these were the experiences through which we should be talking about Jodo Shinshu. True religion is not separate from life, but rather, an integral part of life. Instead, we tend to present Shinshu first through concepts, which people find abstract and unrelated to their lives.
The problems we face in helping people in America find meaning in their lives through Jodo Shinshu cannot be solved overnight. There are major hurdles that will take years, perhaps decades to solve. Let us continue to work towards finding the appropriate words and methods. We cannot just import Shinshu as it is. Rather, Shinshu must evolve in a way that fits the culture and life experience of America.