The Obon observances that we hold during the month of August originate in a teaching on the practice of giving (Dana) that Sakyamuni Buddha shared with his disciple Mahamaudgalyayana. Following his mother’s departure from this world, Mahamaudgalyayana saw that she had fallen into the realm of the hungry ghosts, a world of hunger, thirst, and unsatisfied desire. He immediately went to the Buddha and asked for guidance on how he could liberate his mother from that world of suffering. The Buddha instructed him to present a gift of food, clothing, and other essential items to the monastic Sangha. After offering the prescribed gift to the Sangha, Mahamaudgalyayana saw that his mother had been liberated from suffering and he was filled with joy.
Continue reading “Gathering of Joy”Rev. Henry’s Message
Monthly writings by Reverend Henry
Sweetness and Bitterness
The other day, my son went with a friend to the San Mateo County Fair. When he returned home, I asked him if he had eaten anything at the fair, to which he replied, “Yes, cotton candy.” The flavor of cotton candy is pure sweetness and I liked it myself when I was a kid. When I recently tasted cotton candy for the first time in years, I found the sweetness to be a bit too much. As a child, my favorite foods were simply sweet or salty, but as I get older, I find that I appreciate a much wider variety of flavors.
Continue reading “Sweetness and Bitterness”The Gift of Welcoming Hospitality (September 4)
This is part seven concluding our summer Dharma Talk series on the Seven Gifts that Do Not Require Possessions.
The gift of welcoming hospitality: 房舍施 (bōsha-se): To warmly welcome all guests, making them feel at home in one’s company.
Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Morning Taiso with Juliet and Grace Bost
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion
10:30 a.m. Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial Service
All ages are welcome to join in-person without prior registration. Proof of full Covid-19 vaccination required for eligible individuals age 5 and older. Up to 36 in-person attendees will be seated in the Hondo, with overflow seating available in the adjacent Social Hall.
To join us for this hybrid service via Zoom, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.
Resting My Mind
As we enter the month of June, another school year comes to an end and we welcome the arrival of summer vacation. Before students get to enjoy their summer vacation, there is hard work to be done preparing for final exams and big end-of-the-year projects. At this time of year, I find myself reminiscing about my college days, and I remember something my college Japanese professor Larson Sensei would say at the end of the semester. As she collected our final exams, she would smile and say, “Congratulations on all the hard work you did this term. I hope you will find some opportunities to use your Japanese over the break, so that you don’t forget all that you’ve learned this year. That said, for the next week please give yourself a good break and don’t open your textbook or do any studying.” Having finished a big task, it is important to have a good rest. During the time of rest, we can think back on what we have accomplished and consider what our next project should be.
Continue reading “Resting My Mind”The Gift of a Comfortable Seat (August 28)
This is part six of our summer Dharma Talk series on the Seven Gifts that Do Not Require Possessions.
The gift of a comfortable seat (床座施 shōza-se): To offer the most safe and comfortable seat to a guest, even it means giving up one’s own favored seat.
Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Sangha Activity
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion
10:30 a.m. Japanese Language Service
All ages are welcome to join in-person without prior registration. Proof of full Covid-19 vaccination required for eligible individuals age 5 and older. Up to 36 in-person attendees will be seated in the Hondo, with overflow seating available in the adjacent Social Hall.
To join us for this hybrid service via Zoom, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial: The Gift of a Generous Heart (August 7)
We will remember the lives lost during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in conjunction with part five of our summer Dharma Talk series on the Seven Gifts that Do Not Require Possessions.
The gift of a generous heart (心施 shin-se): To freely give assistance to others without resenting any inconvenience it may cause for oneself.
Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Taiso Exercise with Juliet and Grace Bost
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial Service
All ages are welcome to join in-person without prior registration. Proof of full Covid-19 vaccination required for eligible individuals age 5 and older. Up to 36 in-person attendees will be seated in the Hondo, with overflow seating available in the adjacent Social Hall.
To join us for this hybrid service via Zoom, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.
Parents and Children
In the month of May we observe our Gōtan-e Service celebrating the birth of Shinran Shonin, the founder of our Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism. During the Gōtan-e Service, we place a statue of Shinran Shonin as a young boy in the temple hall and recall the story of his childhood. May is also the month in which we celebrate Mother’s Day and express the gratitude and appreciation we feel for the mothers in our lives. As we observe these two holidays of Gōtan-e and Mother’s Day, the month of May provides us with precious occasions to reflect upon the karmic bond between parents and children. The parental figures in our lives are not limited to our biological parents. Grandparents, teachers, coaches, and mentors are other examples of those who can provide the care and guidance of a parent in our lives.
According to tradition, Shinran Shonin was separated from his mother at a young age and left home to receive ordination as a Buddhist monk at the age of nine. While the time that Shinran spent living with his mother and father was brief, he had a profound sense of receiving parental love and care in his life.
Continue reading “Parents and Children”SMBT Zoom Service Will Resume on August 7
Please note that we will not have a Dharma Service at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple on the morning of Sunday, July 31, due to the temple picnic.
We warmly welcome you to join us in-person or via Zoom when we resume our regular service schedule on Sunday, August 7.
Thank you very much for your patience and understanding!
In Gassho,
Rev. Henry Adams
San Mateo Buddhist Temple
The Honored One
In the month of April we hold our Hanamatsuri Service celebrating the birth of Siddhartha Gautama 2,645 years ago in Lumbini, Nepal. One who diligently progresses on the path to Buddhahood over the course of many lifetimes is called a bodhisattva. The Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life (The Larger Sutra) provides the following description of a bodhisattva’s birth in the lifetime in which they will attain awakening:
Immediately after [the bodhisattva’s] birth from [his mother’s] right side, he walked seven steps. A brilliant light shone from his body, illuminating all the ten quarters, and countless Buddha-lands shook with six kinds of tremors. He then said, “I shall become the supremely honored one in the world.”
(The Three Pure Land Sutras: Volume II, pg. 5)
This description seems improbable from a modern scientific worldview, but these words are an expression of religious truth rather than scientific fact. Scientific facts are based on empirical observations, such as what we can see with our eyes, hear with our ears, or measure with our hands. From that perspective this life begins the moment we are born with this body and ends at the moment of death. This way of viewing the world is limited by what can be measured.
Continue reading “The Honored One”The Gift of Kind Eyes (June 26)
We will begin our summer Dharma Talk series on the Seven Gifts that Do Not Require Possessions with a talk on The Gift of Kind Eyes (眼施 gen-se): To see goodness and beauty in all people and not look down on others. Rev. Adams will share thoughts on how seeing this world we live in through the kind eyes of the Buddha can change our perspective on challenges facing our community, such as homelessness and addiction.
Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Taiso Morning Exercise
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Japanese Language Service 日本語法要
All ages are welcome to join in-person without prior registration. Proof of full Covid-19 vaccination required for eligible individuals age 5 and older. Up to 36 in-person attendees will be seated in the Hondo, with overflow seating available in the adjacent Social Hall.
To join us for this hybrid service via Zoom, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.