OK folks – It’s a wrap!
June was a busy month at Tendai Buddhist Institute. We conducted the 2025 Betsuin Shugyo (Tendai Buddhist clergy training) that lasted two weeks, held a Goma (fire ritual) on the 8th, and on June 14th hosted a public Tokudo (formal ordination for clergy), commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the consecration of our hondo, and the blessing of the, to be constructed, Jizo Memorial Garden.
These events included 30 clergy from Japan joining about 90 of us for a total of 120 people altogether. The various events required months of planning, cooperation and effort by the sangha.
There have been a number of responses to the June 14th events by the Japanese clergy who traveled to upstate New York to participate, as well as from sangha members who attended. From the Japanese contingent there was a general appreciation for the sangha’s ability to recite section of the gongyo (daily liturgy), such as Kaikyoge and Heart Sutra. Kobori sensei and others commented on how harmonious it sounded. They were impressed that the laity was able to do this. To them this indicated a sense of devotion and commitment that they did not know existed before the events. The Japanese also really enjoyed the salads and desserts the sangha put together for lunch.
A number of sangha members mentioned that the Japanese travelling all that way for the event they felt being a part of something larger and more important than they had felt in the past. All sangha expressed a sense of purpose and beauty that was the events on the 14th. For many it was the first time to see such rituals. It gave them a new understanding of our place within Tendai Buddhism. To have a touch of diversity when the expression of cross-cultural understanding is denigrated was like a breath of fresh air.
My observation is that there was a greater appreciation for the other than there was during past events. Lack of a common language can be an impediment to understanding each other, joining together for sacred purpose and meaning erases that barrier and people from different cultures and worldviews appreciated each other in a way more meaningful than words. There was a meeting of Kokoro (mind/body/spirit). All the hard work was worth it. As someone once said, “It is too bad we couldn’t bottle that feeling.”
Sangha – Thank You for your patience and hard work. Without you, we could not have done it.We are now back to ‘semi-normal’ around Tendai Buddhist Institute. It is also July in summer, so people are on vacations, attending summer events, etc.. It is a good time to join us as we continue to explore ways to deepen are pattern of observing the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in a less formal, but no less, important way.
Gassho with love . . . Monshin