Church guide

The temple playgroups next session is scheduled for June 11th! 11:00 am - 2:00 pm Kids around age 4 or younger are invited to come and spend time with other kids their age. Parents and Grandparents are asked to stay and participate in the activities as well. This is a great chance to meet new families, make new friends and become part of a friendly community Make sure you bring a lunch and an energetic attitude!

Join us for this years Seattle Pride Parade on June 30th! Registration is open now and everyone is welcome to join us in the spirit of openness and inclusion. Our parade entry features Bon Odori dancing with taiko and a marching enka band, rainbow koinobori flags and sharing the Jodo Shinshu spirit of welcoming all people. There is no cost to register and we hope to see everyone there! For more information contact the temple office or check our website https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f4dabac2ba6fb6-seattle https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f4dabac2ba6fb6-seattle

Next up on our busy list of events is the Shin Buddhism Study Series on June 12th. This is intended to be a gathering of our NW district Sangha's to connect and learn from the amazing ministers we have. This session will be all about the "Ojoraisan". Our ministers will be covering all aspects from its meaning to the method in which we should be chanting it The evening will start at 7:00pm with a short service and reading and will end around 8:30 where participants are welcome to stay for some refreshments and conversation with our ministers! Please share this with your friends, families and respective Sangha's as all are welcome and there is no cost to attend. Donations are welcome but not at all required and will go towards the Shin Buddhist Scholarship Grant For more information and a complete schedule of the evening follow the link below https://seattlebetsuin.com/puget-sound-shin-buddhism-study-series/

The JCCCW is applying for funds to improve street safety around their building. Many of our members participate in JCCCW programs and events. Please take a moment to cast your vote and help keep our streets safe. https://www.jcccw.org/nikkei-news/2019/5/22/help-needed-vote-for-street-safety-funds-for-jcccw

All Sangha Day is this Sunday! May 26th is our third annual All Sangha Celebration and we have a number of awesome, informative and culturally enriching workshops scheduled for everyone. For information on all our our workshops, check the temple website https://seattlebetsuin.com/all-sangha-day-workshops/ A few notes about the workshops... For the Yukata wearing workshop, if you have a yukata or kimono of your own that you would like to use you are encouraged to bring that with you. Similarly, if you have your own tenugui that you would like to learn to make that is encouraged. For the tea ceremony workshop, there will be a limited quantity of tea and snacks available, but people are still welcome to watch and learn about the different aspects of tea ceremony. A complete list of workshops, descriptions and a schedule for the day are also available online

Lets Play At the Temple! Ayano Kusunoki is hosting a playgroup for kids around age 3 or younger. This is a great chance for those with young children to connect or reconnect with the temple and give their children a fun place to play and socialize. All are welcome to come and there is no cost to attend. The first session will be held on May 30th at 11:00am and will run until around 2:00pm. Parents are asked to stay and play with the group as well and to bring along a lunch For more information feel free to email, call or message us and we'll provide you with as much information as possible

We are participating in the Seattle Pride Parade for the third year in a row! Our group is registered for the march on June 30th and we invite those who are interested to march with us. The march starts at 11:00am and more details will be available as the date approaches. Check the temple website to register for the march and to get more information on Pride at the Seattle Betsuin! http://seattlebetsuin.com/pride/

The next Buddhism study class is this Wednesday. The topic for this week will be "The life of Nembutsu followers". As always, the class will run from 7:00 until about 8:00pm. We hope to see everyone there! http://ow.ly/q0zz30oINzu

Bishop Umezu's article from the May Wheel of Dharma newsletter.

Rev. Katsu's next study class will be held tomorrow evening at 7:00pm. The topic for this week is "Entrustment - Shinjin" Classes are free and open to the public. Invite a friend and come learn about our sect of Buddhism! https://seattlebetsuin.com/may-study-classes/

Don't miss Dr. Haneda's lecture on "The Truth of Impermanence" in the temple dining room on Sunday at 12:15! Grab a delicious lunch from our temple Campfire group and stick around for Dr. Haneda's amazing talk. Impermanence is a core aspect of Buddhist teachings, so listen to Dr. Haneda expand on this topic for our Sangha. This event is free and open to the public

Seattle Betsuin NL May 2019 [Receiving Buddhist Name] Gomonshu (the head priest and leader of Hongwanji) Kojun Ohtani is visiting the Northwest District in September, 2019. He is going to visit the Seattle Betsuin and conduct the Kikyoshiki Confirmation Ceremony. “Kikyoshiki” is the important ceremony for Buddhists to receive their Buddhist name and affirm the Buddhist path as their path to walk. It is a once in a life chance opportunity to receive your Buddhist Name directly from Gomonshu here in Seattle. On this very special occasion, please receive your Buddhist Name. There are different ways to live as a Buddhist. Today, I would like to introduce four ways to live as a Buddhist. These are: becoming a member of Buddhist temple, receiving a Buddhist name, receiving a Tokudo ordination, and receiving a Kyoshi certification. The first one is to be a member of a Buddhist temple. Becoming a member of a Buddhist temple means that the person respects the Buddha’s teaching and supports a Buddhist temple and the Buddhist minister to spread the Buddha Dharma. There are different ways to support them. These are: making donations, cleaning up the temple, attending the service, helping with the temple activities, and introducing Buddhism to non-members. Our temple also asks our members to send their membership fees to maintain the temple. Next, the second one is to receive a Buddhist name. Our mind is fluffy, unsteady, and uncertain. People need something to rely on or something to be the core of their life. People rely on a religion, money, status, their family, their friends, and /or a well-know person. Receiving a Buddhist name means to take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and make Buddha’s teaching the core of their life. As Jodo Shinshu followers, we make Namoamidabutsu, which Shinran Shonin revealed, the core of our life. The third way is to receive Tokudo ordination. Receiving Tokudo ordination means to live as a Buddhist minister/monk. People have to take several hours of trainings to become a Jodo Shinshu minister. After they have completed this training, they are allowed to attend the Tokuo ordination. In the Tokudo ordination, they are given a yellow Okesa (special outer garment) by the Gomonshu. These people are officially allowed to wear the Okesa. The Okesa is the official and proper attire for Buddhist ministers. Receiving Tokudo ordination means to be responsible to wear Okesa and enter the Naijin (altar area). The ordained ministers are responsible to serve the Buddha, which means to keep the Onaijin clean, offer candles, flowers, incense, and sutra chanting, and participate in Buddhist services/rituals in the Naijin. The last way is to receive Kyoshi certification. Kyoshi means teacher and master. So, receiving Kyoshi certification means to be responsible to teach, introduce, and spread the Buddha Dharma. The person who received Kyoshi can be a resident minister. The resident ministers have a role to convey Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, to their Sangha (temple members) and people who live near there. The ministers who have Kyoshi are the models of Buddhism. The members follow and listen to their guidance. I was born and raised at my family temple. Therefore, I have been a member of the temple since I was born. I received my Buddhist name and Tokudo ordination at the age of 21. I went to Kyoto to study Buddhism and received Kyoshi certification at the age of 28. To be honest, I was just getting aware of what it means to receive a Buddhist name, Tokudo ordination and Kyoshi certification after I was assigned to Buddhist Churches of America as Kaikyoshi minister at the age of 32. I am still an immature minister and repeat one trial and error after another. But, I, as a Buddhist minister, enjoy serving for the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. These are just different ways to live as a Buddhist and there is no superiority or inferiority among them. Please think about which way fits you to live as a Buddhist. I hope more people will become members of our temple and received a Buddhist name. You can find the application form of the Kikyoshiki confirmation ceremony in this newsletter. Please let me know if you are interested in receiving your Buddhist name. Gassho,

Don't miss Dr. Haneda's lecture on impermanence this weekend! Following our Sunday activities, Dr. Haneda will be sharing his perspective on "The Truth of Impermanence: The Core of Buddhism" at 12:15 in the temple dining room! Grab a delicious teriyaki beef lunch bowl from our Campfire group and listen to Dr. Haneda share his wisdom with our Sangha https://seattlebetsuin.com/the-truth-of-impermanence-the-core-of-buddhism-with-dr-nobuo-haneda/

Reverend Katsu's Buddhism study classes will be returning this Wednesday (5/1). The first session will cover the meaning of "Namo-Amida-Butsu". Anyone is welcome to attend and there is no cost for attending the classes. Share this awesome opportunity with your friends or family who might want to learn more about our sect of Buddhism! https://seattlebetsuin.com/may-study-classes/

On Sunday May 5th, Dr. Nobuo Haneda is going to deliver a talk on "The Truth of Impermanence" in the temple dining room following Dharma Exchange! He will be available starting at 12:15 for our members to come and learn from a wonderful teacher. We look forward to seeing everyone there! https://seattlebetsuin.com/the-truth-of-impermanence-the-core-of-buddhism-with-dr-nobuo-haneda/

EcoSangha registration with lunch included is now closed. If you would still like to attend you are more than welcome but will likely need to provide your own lunch. There are also numerous restaurants in the area as an alternative. We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday for this great event!

Today is the last day to register for our EcoSangha seminar about being “In Touch with the Earth”. Be sure to come out and listen to Dr. Duncan Williams, Dr. Jason Wirth, George Draffan of the Northwest Dharma Association and our very own Reverend Don Castro This is a great opportunity to learn about Buddhism as ecology and to listen to the Dharma through some incredible speakers Online registration can be found through the temple website https://seattlebetsuin.com/ecosangha-seminar-on-april-20th/

A message from Rev. Sala at the National Council Meeting.