Welcome

    TEACHING OF BUDDHA, July 2019

                                                         by Reverend Jeffrey Soga, resident minister

We are truly grateful for this wonderful food, a gift of life. May we share its benefits with all beings. As we partake of this food, let us remember Amida Buddha’s compassion, which surrounds all people and all forms of life.

Namo Amida Butsu. Itadakimasu (we gratefully receive).

Recently I had the forty-nine-day memorial service for my mother, Chisato. She passed away on April 27, therefore, the forty-ninth day (7 days x 7 weeks) was June 14. Because in Japanese and Asian tradition, the counting of anniversaries starts from 1, not 0. Therefore, since she passed on a Saturday, her forty-ninth-day anniversary fell on a Friday. For these past forty-nine days, I kept mourning and ate vegetables as a way to remember my mother’s GO-ON (love and kindness). Some of you may remember that your parents or grandparents followed this tradition, just eating vegetables and avoid killing other living beings. So, I kept eating “一汁一菜　Ichi ju Issai” means just one soup (Ichi ju), one boiled vegetable (Issai), and a bowl of rice and Tsukemono pickles. In other words, I just ate simple food. I followed the tradition of the simple meal and searched the references for the reasons. However, I couldn't find the source of the mourning. I assume that people follow this tradition to repay their parents for all of the parents’ sacrifices. However, I read a novel which was written by Miyagitani a long time ago. It was an ancient Chinese story. It says about mourning, they are:

1.to be shut in a small room and lie down on the hard bed, not on the comfortable soft bed;

2. to not see stage performance, music concert; and

3. to eat simple food.

During such uncomfortable times, he remembers the memories and recognizes the indebtedness to his parents.

I couldn’t do #1 and 2. However, I pursue #3. I learn many things by keeping myself as a vegetarian. First of all, I am killing and receiving inconceivable lives of other living beings. I eat other living beings, which means someone is taking lives, such as cow, pig, chicken, fish, etc. and dirtying their hands by blood, cutting bones, and cleaning insides for me. At the Waipahu Hongwanji, ladies cook lunch for Kokua Club volunteer workers and Sunday, rotation groups prepare refreshment, sometime almost a light lunch. Many of the cooks, such as Mrs. Minemoto, Mrs. Sonoda, Mrs. Tsutsui, my wife, Kumika and others prepare special vegetable menu especially for me. They use Shiitake mushroom, Konbu seaweed, and make soup for me. Thank you very much to all who supported me in my time of mourning. Sometimes, I was invited to eat meal at an outside restaurant and the family wanted to share good food with me. At such times, I wanted to discontinue the vegetarian diet while thinking “isn’t it enough; just take it.” However, at such times, I thought to myself: my mother worked so hard when she raised me, I want to remember that, and convinced myself, “be strong.” I was able to complete the vegetarian tradition with kindness, understanding and support of many people.

I quoted the Hongwanji words of thanksgiving before meal at the begging of this month’s message. Please remember, when you receive and enjoy meals, they were the lives of living beings and someone had to kill, therefore dirtying their hands, and cooking with their love and kindness and reciting the words I quoted with family. 

If you find yourself taking things for granted and forgetting to say thank you, you can be vegetarian once in a while. When you have experienced this tradition, you become sensitive to and aware of subtle tastes such as salt and sugar and shrimp flavor. And also, I lost about 10 lb. during this past seven weeks.

In gassho,

To be continued