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| Our Next Shin Buddhist Service |
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9:45 AM – 10:15 AM: Zen Shin Sangha Meditation:
Summer 2025 and long sunny days... may we not let this slip away from us; may we use our time to be aware and enjoy them, that is our aspiration. Let us take a moment of contemplation and self-reflection by quiet sitting and guided meditation. We will chant the Heart Sutra, and recite sutras. We sit to calm our mind and body in order to focus on the present moment revealing our profound connection to all beings. With this calmness we are more prepared to hear the Buddha Dharma in the Shin Buddhist service to follow. All levels, including beginners, and families with children are welcome.
(Check out our Children’s Table, complete with coloring books)
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10:30 AM: Cleveland Buddhist Temple: Rev. Anita Tokuzen Kazarian:
- Shin Buddhist Service
- Shin Buddhist Memorial Service to express gratitude to ancestors who passed away in the month of June. Those attending may include the name of a loved one in our Memorial Service. Please provide names on clipboard by 10:15 AM.
Sangha Sharing:
- Following coffee and our Birthday cake for our Sangha’s June birthdays, we will share time and thoughts by reading and discussing a short passage of a Buddhist text. Handouts of text provided. This is a time for experiencing the 3rd
Jewel of Buddhism, the Sangha..
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Fortune telling may in fact be the oldest profession, dating back thousands of millennia. What is fortune telling and why do we continue to want it to be real? One definition states it is: “a set of practices designed to interpret future events or character-specific traits via seemingly illogical and irrational means. This includes horoscopes, tarot cards, scrying, numerology, and methods designed to interpret physical characteristics like palmistry and phrenology. Fortune telling is part of a larger body of divination, which entails seeking unknown information, usually about the future, through supernatural or ritualistic means. While divination is often ritualistically used on a larger scale, fortune telling refers to those means of divination specifically related to the individual seeking information in a less formal context.” 1
Many tend to mix astrology with astronomy, which grew from astrology. Ancient civilizations, like the Babylonians, tracked celestial bodies for astrological purposes, purposes that included supporting political agendas. During the Shang dynasty in China, “divination was manipulated to the end of achieving a political or personal goal.” 2 To this day, don’t we tend to use a variation of this to take a course of action in unstable political climates to justify and transfer the reason for our actions to superhuman agents? While an intriguing thought, how does this connect to Buddhism and Shin Buddhism in particular?
The KYŌHŌ: The Essentials of Jōdo Shinshū, grounds us with it guidance:
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“The Honpa Hongwanji is a community of people joined together in the joy of a common understanding in Amida Buddha. As Jōdo Shinshū Buddhists, we shall seek to be mindful of our words and deeds, be responsible citizens of our society, and share with others the truth and reality of Jōdo Shinshū. Understanding fully the principle of causality, we shall not practice petitionary prayer or magic, nor shall we rely upon astrology or other superstitions.” 3
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These unambiguous words underlie our Buddhist tradition, words that reinforce the Four Noble Truths. We have a tradeoff, don’t we? We say we want to drop illusions and gain enlightenment, like the Buddha. We say we understand dependent origination, causes and conditions as well as impermanence. We even grudgingly accept that the only person I can change is me. Why is it so difficult to accept our humanity with all its fallibilities that we sometimes, turn to illusions the Zoltars of this world offer?
Could it be our ego-self and the pride it takes in itself that it is never ever wrong? When we make a choice and act on it and it turns out well, we own it as our choice, our actions, our brilliant self. But if it doesn’t turn out well, don’t we also have a backup plan? This plan just transfers it away from self to the stars, or the gods, or not praying hard enough? Could this be ego-self protecting itself?
Zoltar says “ You will get a letter and it will change your life.” But alas, it may be a letter from the IRS saying you owe more money, or from a friend saying they will be moving away, or a letter telling saying you won $5,000,000 and it will be transferred to your account once you give them your bank account number.
May we all aspire to understand our illusions.
In gassho
Rev. Anita
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
1 https://study.com/academy/lesson/fortune-telling-history-facts.html#:~:text=5.9K%20views-,History%20of%20Fortune%20Telling,the%20future%20in%20animal%20feces.
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_fortune_telling
3 Department of Buddhist Education, Shin Buddhist Service Book: (Buddhist Churches of America, San Francisco, 1994) p. 2.
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Birdsnest
Long ago in China, there lived a monk who perched in a certain tree every day to meditate. No matter if the trees were swaying in fierce winds and rain, the monk settled himself comfortably, high up in the tree. Because of this, he was nicknamed “Birdsnest” by the village folk nearby.
Many of these villagers passed beneath the monk while hunting or while gathering wood in the forest. And after time, they grew used to the monk. Some began to stop and talk of their concerns with Birdsnest. They like the things he had to say and soon Birdsnest became known for his kind and thoughtful words.
After more years, the monk’s wise reputation spread throughout the province. Visitors from distant cities hiked to the remote forest for advice. Even the governor of the province decided that he too would like to visit Birdsnest to discuss matters of importance. So one spring morning, the governor set off to find him. After traveling several days, he located Birdsnest’s tree in the dense forest. The monk sat calmly high in the topmost branches, enjoying the warmth and the bird songs of spring.
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Looking up, the governor shouted, “Birdsnest! I am the governor of this province and I have come a great distance to speak with you. I have a most important question.” The governor waited for a reply but heard only the pleasant sound of leaves stirring in the breeze. The governor continued, “This is my question. Tell me Birdsnest, what is it that all the wise ones have taught? Can you tell me the most important thing the Buddha ever said?” There was a long pause – just the soft rustle of leaves again.
Finally, the monk called down from the tree. “This is your answer governor. Don’t do bad things. Always do good things. That’s what all the Buddhas taught.”
But the governor thought this answer far too simple to have walked two days for! Irritated and annoyed, the governor stammered, “Don’t do bad things; always do good things! I knew that when I was three years old monk!”
Looking down at the governor, Birdsnest replied with a wry smile, “Yes, the three year old knows it, but the eighty-year-old still finds it very difficult to do!”
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Excerpt in gratitude: Sarah Conover, Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents: (Skinner House Books, Boston, 2010)
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Chanting helps us focus on present moment, connects us to past
by
Rev. Todd Tsuchiya
Midwest Buddhist Temple
For those of you who have wondered why we chant, chanting the sutras was how the teachings were first transmitted because they were not originally in written form. The sutras are considered the words of the Buddha.
In Jodo Shinshu service is meditative because being fully engaged in chanting enables us to focus on the present moment even if we don’t know the meaning of the words. There is ritual as it maintains a link to the history of the Buddha who transmitted these words over the centuries and allows us a feeling of oneness among people who participate. The learning aspect comes through learning the Dharma or the teachings through the sutras.
The word “Sutra” means thread or string – like the medical term “suture.” Sutras are considered the records of the oral teachings of the Buddha. The chanting of sutras over generations is the horizontal thread for us. When we think about the meaning behind the word “Sutra,” it is a string or connection to the past. By chanting the sutras, we are repeating the words that generations before us have done to maintain a link to the history of the Buddha who transmitted these words over the centuries. It allows for a feeling of oneness among people who participate and have participated and will participate in the future. In the medical field, sutures are used to tie opposing tissues together to allow for better and more complete healing. So this string, or this Sutra allows for healing, or continuation and for longevity.
Here are just a few of the health benefits from chanting:
- The sound of chanting the vibrations helps to heal our bodies and mind.
- Chanting regulates our breathing.
- It acts to release negative emotions.
- Chanting brings us to a steady rhythm.
- It acts to cleanse our mind, and
- Chanting focuses our thoughts.
It is helpful to understand the range of meaning and the benefits to chanting but, by intellectualizing the ritual, it can become distracting. It is more important to feel it from the heart. This is what is important in the Jodo Shinshu tradition.
Excerpt in gratitude from: Rev. Todd Tsuchiya, Midwest Buddhist temple bulletin: (Chicago, April 2023)
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Eastern District Temples of BCA
- MIDWEST BUDDHIST TEMPLE
- EKOJI BUDDHIST TEMPLE
- SEABROOK BUDDHIST TEMPLE
- NEW YORK BUDDHIST CHURCH
- CLEVELAND BUDDHIST TEMPLE SANGHA
- TWIN CITIES BUDDHIST SANGHA
Midwest Buddhist Temple Live Zoom Service
If you would like to virtually attend services with zoom at Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago, please contact office@mbtchicago.org to request the weekly email newsletter with information about upcoming services and Zoom links. Sunday services are held at 10:30 AM, Central Time Zone.
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Please contact the organizers to participate in this Cleveland event of Remembrance,
80 Years Ago
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This August marks the 80th Anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hiroshima was bombed on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. To commemorate this unprecedented violence and the advent of the nuclear age, Cleveland Nonviolence Network and Cleveland Peace Action propose a Silent Peace Walk from Cleveland Public Square to the waters of Lake Erie.
Eighty people dressed in white, the color of mourning in Japan, would walk silently and meditatively to our Lake, reflecting on the cries of “Water! Water!” in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as victims of the blasts sought relief from their suffering.
We invite you to join us to plan and participate in the event. The exact date is also to be determined. Whether you’ve participated in past commemorations or are newly inspired, please consider contacting us.
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