Rev. Ron Miyamura
Supervising Minister - Cleveland Buddhist Temple
Buddha Post Readers…
Happy New Year for 2024, the year of the Dragon. I have just recently retired as a Minister as of November 1, 2023, but I was asked to write an article by Rev. Anita for the Buddha Post. I wish I had sage words of wisdom to share, but I do not. I am the same limited, selfish, foolish, and ignorant person that I was in 1967 when I first started down the path of studying for the ministry; I am just older.
I am reminded of one of the most basic teachings of Buddhism: everything changes. Of course, we want things to remain the same when things are going well in our lives, and we only want change when things are not going so well. It is just part of being human to be so foolish.
We know all things change, and yet, we all fear change because it brings the unknown and the fear that I might have to change. The biggest fear we all have is the fear of death and the reality that my life is limited and will come to an end sometime. That instant between life and death is a change that we all fear and do not look forward to. Yet, it is the reality that we all must face. It is this time that each of us have until our death, this is the time that we call life. And what we do with this time is what is important.
None of us knows what really happens after death. No one has ever come back from the dead. There are so many theories and beliefs, but no one really knows. Perhaps we try to think about death in a scientific way, and we come up with no answers because there are no experiences to prove anything. Perhaps we just try to use logic, and we come up with no answers because we only end up with circular logic (which came first, the chicken or the egg??). The only way to understand death is to come up with spiritual answers.
To use the example of “not killing” which is an idea that we all like to embrace and we like to think that I do not kill. But the reality is much different. As Buddhists, we value all life; we try to encourage all sentient beings to discover Enlightenment. Sentient beings mean all living things. Humans, animals, and plants are living things. Humans, animals, and plants are equal, and all have the equal potential for Enlightenment. Humans are not superior to animals, plants are not superior to animals, or any combination; no, we are all equal.
As human being, we have to kill to survive. We have to eat, and to eat means we have to kill. Animals and plants have to die so that I can eat. The alternative is not to eat, which means to starve which would end up killing ourselves.
How do we understand this? Logic does not work, science does not work, philosophy does not work. The only way to understand killing is a spiritual answer.
Perhaps the Shin Buddhist response might be to accept and appreciate the sacrifices of others. I can survive because of the sacrifices of plants and animals each time I eat, and I have to somehow acknowledge and appreciate those sacrifices. I can come to know that I am inter-dependent and inter-connected with my world. I am not the center of this world, and somehow, I have to find my place in the larger scope of the universe. I am humbled by this realization and I can start to feel gratitude for the whole world around me.
I can start by remembering the plants and animals that sacrificed their lives each time I eat. And then, I can try to appreciate the things that came together for each meal. This means to remember the person who prepared the food, the grocery store where the food was offered, the truck driver who moved the food, the farmer who grew or raised the food, and then there is the sun, the rain, the soil and so much more that caused the food to be available. In short, there are too many causes and conditions that happened for me to even begin to thank everyone and everything.
There is a Japanese phrase that we say before we eat, it is “itadaki-masu” which means “I am grateful for what I am about to receive.” This phrase encompasses to be thankful for everything and everyone that allows me to be grateful.
In the future, I hope we can invent or make-up some words that has the meaning of “itadaki-masu.” In the meantime, I will continue to use that phrase in the humble knowledge that so much has been sacrificed for me to be alive today. And I am grateful.
As my friend, Rev. Bob Oshita, a retired minister of the Sacramento Betsuin Buddhist Temple used to say:
Namu Amida Butsu, with gratitude and kindness beyond words.
Namu Amida Butsu – with gratitude and kindness beyond words.
Rev. Ron Miyamura
Supervising Minister
Cleveland Buddhist Temple
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