Cleveland Buddhist Temple Newsletter - Volume 5, Issue 19


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May 11, 2024

Volume 5, Issue 19

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Our Next Shin Buddhist Service

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Sunday, May 19

9:45 AM: Zen Shin Sangha: Give yourself a moment of contemplation and self-reflection by quiet sitting, guided mediation, and sutra chanting. We sit to calm our mind and body in order to focus on the present moment revealing our profound connection to all beings. All levels, including beginners/families welcome.

10:30 AM: Shin Buddhist Service: Rev. Anita Tokuzen Kazarian

Shin Buddhist Sangha Gathering and Service: Rev. Anita Tokuzen Kazarian Cleveland Buddhist Temple 79^th Annual Wisteria Festival Celebrating the birth of our Founder, Shinran Shonin

Shinran Shonin 851^st Birthday

May Memorial Service: Expressing gratitude to our ancestors who passed away in the month of May.

Following the Service:

Following coffee and our 851^st Birthday cake for Shinran Shonin and those born in the month of May, we will discuss a short reading from River of Fire, River of Water. Handouts of text provided.

Dhammapada

Dhammapada, a collection of verses of Shakyamuni Buddha

Seated Manjusri, 1700s Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) Cleveland Museum of Art

XV: Happy 205

Drinking the nourishment,

the flavor,

of seclusion & calm,

one is freed from evil, devoid

of distress,

refreshed with the nourishment

of rapture in the Dharma.

The Mayo Clinic Health System reports “…scientifically shown to boost spirit, increase happiness and enhance overall health… [by] acknowledge something you are thankful for, next, perform an intentional act of kindness for somebody, and finally be deliberately mindful of the present moment…your outlook [will] change, and [you will] have an increased feeling of resilience….we want everyone to realize the health benefits of gratitude.”¹

Well, it really isn’t breaking news, is it? Buddhists have known this for thousands of years and Shin Buddhists have been practicing gratitude for over 800 years. In 1899 the Buddhist Churches of America organized and opened its doors to share the teachings with everyone. But it wasn’t until the Beat Generation, in post WWII America, that “Zen” became a part of America’s vocabulary

This life of gratitude is what we, the Sangha of the Cleveland Buddhist Temple, have been exploring and working on using the Paramitas. We started in 2023 with Dana, the intentional act of kindness and added the second paramita of Sila, in 2024. The Mayo Clinic web page suggests it can be achieved in their one month program. Perhaps, but unlikely. It may work for a few weeks or months, but without continual awareness of the Buddha Dharma and, for most of us, the support of the Sangha, what may have been gained in several weeks does not have the foundation to resist returning to old habits. What keeps us at it is the positive feedback we experience when we remember to put gratitude into practice. And we do that with the Buddha Dharma and the Sangha.

Gratitude is something most Mother’s Day greeting cards express. In 1908 when Anna Jarvis wanted to express gratitude for her deceased mother she did it with a memorial service. Much like our monthly Memorial Service, we express gratitude for those who have been significant in our lives. Boston College Professor Helen Manock once assigned us to write a letter of gratitude to our parent, wheather they were alive or dead. One student objected saying they had absolutely nothing to be grateful for to that parent. You could hear the anger, the hurt and the pain in their voice as they tried to make their case to Prof. Manock.

When all the reasons were exhausted, Prof. Manock asked if they were happy to be alive. “Yes”, was the response. Then the gratitude to that parent is for giving us birth, a human birth. The following quote is part of what Buddhists call the Threefold Refuge:

“Hard is it to be born into human life, now we are living it.
Difficult is it to hear the teachings of the Buddha, now we hear it.
If we do not cross over to the Truth in the present life,
in what life shall we cross over?”

May we all understand the role of gratitude in this living in this human form. May we all begin to awaken to the understanding of our interconnections and interdependence. May we both feel and express this gratitude with joy, for “if we do not cross over to the Truth in the present life, in what life shall we cross over?