Our Next Minister

As I write this, we’re in the middle of Obon Festival season. There are advantages to holding ours at the end of June. For one thing, there’s a better chance that the weather won’t be as sweltering as it was the year the thermometer reached 117! It also means that we’re all done and can enjoy the rest of the summer and other temples’ festivals with free and easy minds.

Many thanks to everyone who helped before, during, and after the big production, and to those who supported the temple in other ways. Though Obon is an important time for Buddhists to express gratitude to and remember those who are no longer with us, the festival has also become our biggest fundraising opportunity. Without the revenues generated by your hard work, and the donations related to this event, it would be difficult for us to exist as a temple.

Thanks to the support, dedication, and enthusiasm of hundreds or maybe even thousands of members and dharma friends throughout our 93-year history, our precious teaching is still available to people in the San Fernando Valley.

However, we must always be cognizant of an important truth of life: all things change; all things are impermanent. From decade to decade, generation to generation, we know that social and cultural values gradually transform. Just as the makeup of the sangha and the way people think change over time, so must we ministers continue to be able to connect with those who come to hear the Buddha-dharma so that it resonates meaningfully in their lives. It makes sense that someone who “speaks the same lingo” and has a similar socio-cultural perspective will be better equipped to transmit the teaching in a relatable way, and continue to keep our sangha strong.

Over the next ten years, almost half of the current BCA ministers could retire. Whether or not we will still have the same number of temples is not known, but I hope that work is being done on projections and planning. Regardless, it’s important to nurture homegrown ministers now. Someday, our temple will need a new minister. If SFVHBT is to continue to be healthy and vibrant, we must value the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha above all. Some 2,500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha was able to transmit the dharma to numerous people of his era and society; many centuries later, Shinran also shared the Nembutsu with countless followers of his time. Both were great teachers who were able to focus on the teaching, thanks to others who made it possible for them to do so. In turn, we are beneficiaries of the legacy that has been passed down from teacher to teacher to others and to us.

Jodo Shinshu is not a monastic tradition. Ministers study at universities and seminaries and with other teachers. In the West, we are fortunate to have the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley. It is a graduate school with a Shin Buddhist foundation, and it is a typical requirement that American ministerial aspirants to the BCA earn a Master’s degree there in addition to attaining the two levels of ordination and participating in the Minister’s Assistant Program. Needless to say, this necessitates a serious commitment of time, dedication, and funds without even taking into account trips to Japan and other expenses such as costly study materials and robes. Going into the ministry is a calling. It is not the kind of “career” that is conducive to being able to pay off student loans. No wonder many BCA parents, surveyed a number of years ago, were reluctant to encourage their children to pursue this as a livelihood. It is not an easy life, but one in which we feel privileged, humbled and gratified to be asked to partake.

Difficult is it to hear the teaching; let us not take it for granted. May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha be forever treasured so that peace and tranquility may someday prevail throughout our world. Whether minister or lay, may there always be teacher-followers who can be heard and understood. We are all walking this path of Nembutsu together. Namo Amida Butsu.

Gassho,

Rev. Patricia Usuki