Thirty years ago this month Shumon and I returned to the states after living abroad, first in Brazil and about six years in Japan. For almost two years before returning to the States we had planned on starting a village temple, modeled on Tamonin, the village temple we lived at for 2 ½ years before returning. This small temple is one of the Ichishima sensei’s family temples in Inzai-shi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
The model that we lived was that of sangha. Though the congregation at Tamonin is considered danka. The danka system is long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the early Heian period (794 to 1185). The system was officially abolished during the beginning of the Meiji period (1868 – 1912), but continues voluntarily today between households and Buddhist temples. A point I should make here is that sangha, one of The Three Gems of Buddhist Refuge (the other two being Buddha and Dharma) and danka are overlapping in many ways they are not synonymous, for reasons I won’t go into now
Tamonin is over 800 years old and is the center of the small agricultural community of Matsuzaki. Shumon and I discovered a new way of thinking about Sangha as a result of living in that rustic temple set among rice paddies, fields of daikon, potatoes, taro, chrysanthemum leaves and nashi orchards in rural Japan. Unlike much of urban Japan, the temple was still the natural gathering place for the local folks living in multigenerational households. I write ‘was’ because it has been 30 years since we lived there and in that time much has probably changed, as all things do.
Once back in the States we bought the property, a former dairy farm with a main house two barns, several additional outbuilding, and a fair amount of land. Neither of us had jobs and a modest savings. A bank gave us a business loan, because we also established a B&B to hopefully pay the bills. The B&B was named the Bodhi Tree Inn. The mortgage was called a character loan that was issued by a small local bank. I doubt such a thing exists today, character loan that is. The bank went the way of merger a number of years later.
When we first started as a temple with NYS corporate papers, in the name of Karuna Tendai Dharma Center, followed by an IRS 501(c)3, we planned on meeting once a month. Which we did, the following April 1995, while we were still renovating the main house. There was no intention of potluck dinner, several of us went out for pizza after a discussion and meditation service. Our current hondo did not exist for another ten years, more about that shortly. Our meditation services were held in different rooms of the house, including the dinning, room, side porch, (very cold in the middle of winter) until we expanded into renovated stables of the horse barn (which wasn’t much warmer).
From the first meeting we began to adapt a Japanese Tendai Buddhist way of conducting services and forming sangha into an Upstate New York/New England environment. Both the physical plant and the sangha grew organically. There were a number of mistakes, some misstarts, and a great deal of learning. Overall, the sangha continued to grow and develop. Throughout this process we relied upon Buddhist teachings to guide us. An important Buddhist teachings is that the dharma must be conveyed in a way that is best understood by the person receiving the teaching.
We started by conducting our services in Japanese, by the doshi, (leader) only. Over time we adapted to using English and Japanese. Just as important everyone in attendance is empowered to participate by reciting and chanting along with the doshi. This is organic growth.
This narrative is a beginning thus far. There is more that needs to be written than a single Meanderings can or should include. The Shingi is already five days late in being posted. In future Shingi between now and next June, the 30th formal anniversary celebration of Tendai Buddhist Institute, and the 20th anniversary of our hondo, Jiunzan Tendai-ji, there will be further installments of the story of Tendai Buddhist Institute.
These will include the role of Ichishima sensei in our formation and development, Sangha member contributions, how we became a Betsuin and the contributions of the Tendai International Charitable Foundation (the Jigyodan), the guiding philosophy of sangha as community, the origin, formation, and future of the Doshu/Soryo program for ordained leadership and much more.
Let me conclude this Shingi Meanderings by expressing my gratitude to the many people in North America and Japan who have made Tendai Buddhist Institute possible. This is not the enterprise of two devoted Tendai soryo, Shumon and me. It is only possible through the faith and hard work of many people who have contributed immeasurably to our existence and success
Gassho and Love . . . Monshin