animals

The Calm and Courageous Lion (January 8)

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This Sunday’s Dharma Talk by Rev. Adams will focus on the courage that awakens in our minds when we are free of ignorance, greed, and anger, inspired by the following verse the Sanbutsuge:

Ignorance, greed, and anger

Are completely absent in the World-honored One;

You are a lion, the most courageous of all humans,

Having immeasurable majestic virtues.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting
9:00 a.m. Sangha Social Hour
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial (Hondo Main Hall)
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion (Dharma Room)

We welcome you to join us in person!

To join us online via Zoom , CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Being a Jellyfish in the Dharma Ocean (December 11)

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In this Sunday’s Dharma Talk, Rev. Adams will reflect on the wisdom of the jellyfish that flows in harmony with the vast ocean, and share appreciation for the following verse from the Sanbutsuge:

Deeply and clearly mindful

Of the ocean of the Dharma of all Buddhas,

[The Awakened One] knows its depth and breadth,

And reach its farthest end.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shōya Raisan Chanting
9:00 a.m. Hula with Stephanie Hagio Chin
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion
10:30 a.m. Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial

We welcome you to join us in person!

To join us online via Zoom , CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Pet & Plant Memorial Service

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Sunday, October 2, 2022

We gratefully remember the animals who provide us with companionship as our pets. We also show our appreciation for the plants that support our lives, including the cut flowers that adorn the Buddha Shrine and bring us joy through their beauty.

Use the form below to provide the name of the deceased pet(s) and/or plants that you would like to remember at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple Pet and & Plant Memorial Service.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting
9:00 a.m. Taiso Morning Exercise with instructors Juliet & Grace Bost
9:30 a.m. Pet & Plant Memorial Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. October Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial Service

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

The Home of Little Birds

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(“Kotori no ie” by Akamatsu Gessen, illustrated by Tateno Yasunosuke, in Bukkyo Dōwa Zenshū, Vol. 8, p. 139-147, Translation by Henry Adams)

Long ago in the Latter Han Dynasty, there was a family named Yang who lived in the Chinese capital.  They had one son named Bao.  This story takes place when Bao was nine years old.

            Bao’s father worked for a government official of low rank, but he was a dedicated and hard-working man.  Bao’s mother was a quiet and deeply caring woman.  While she did not make a particularly strong impression at first, even a passing conversation with her would give a genuine sense of her true kindness.

            Bao’s mother was kind to little birds.  She did not keep them as pets, but they would be naturally drawn to her, because she always set scraps of food outside the kitchen for them to eat. 

Continue reading “The Home of Little Birds”

Parents’ Day Dharma Service: Born into a Noble Family (May 8)

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As we gather on Mother’s Day to celebrate our annual Parents’ Day Dharma Service, Rev. Adams will share a traditional Buddhist story about a mother whose sensitivity and kindness toward animals teaches her family to live with genuine empathy. Amida Buddha’s 43rd Vow expresses the Buddha’s wish for all beings to be born into a family whose nobility comes not from their social status, but from the virtues they express in their actions, words, and thoughts:

When I attain Buddhahood, the bodhisattvas in other lands, having heard my name, will be reborn into noble families after the end of their lives. Should it not be so, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Hula Lesson with Stephanie Hagio Chin
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion

If you would like to attend the service in person, please email smbt@sanmateobuddhisttemple.org or call (650) 342-2541 to reserve a seat. Full Covid-19 vaccination is required. A maximum of 36 in-person attendees will be seated in the Hondo, so please contact us at your earliest convenience if you wish to attend.

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Pet & Plant Memorial Service

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Sunday, October 3, 2021

We gratefully remember the animals who provide us with companionship as our pets. We also show our appreciation for the plants that support our lives, including the cut flowers that adorn the Buddha Shrine and bring us joy through their beauty.

Use the form below to provide the name of the deceased pet(s) and/or plants that you would like to remember at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple Pet and & Plant Memorial Service.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting
9:00 a.m. Taiso Morning Exercise with instructors Juliet & Grace Bost
9:30 a.m. Pet & Plant Memorial Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. October Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial Service

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Sangha Speaker Juliet Bost “Reflecting on Wisdom, Joy, and Authenticity”

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San Mateo Buddhist Women’s Association Corresponding Secretary and Young Buddhist Editorial member Juliet Bost shares a Dharma Talk on the topic of “Reflecting on Wisdom, Joy, and Authenticity”

To join us for online Dharma Services, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Transcript

Continue reading “Sangha Speaker Juliet Bost “Reflecting on Wisdom, Joy, and Authenticity””

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At the Fair, on the Farm

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Having spent much of past sixteen months sheltering at home, this summer has brought a joyful return to some of our favorite pre-pandemic activities, including a visit to the San Mateo County Fair.  Even breathing through my mask, the smells of the county fair brought back waves of memories of past summers.  The smell of barbequed ribs, turkey legs, and French fries reminded me of leisurely summer afternoons enjoying fairs and festivals with my wife and sons.  The farm smells of pigs, goats and cattle in the livestock showcase brought back memories of summer visits to the family farms of my relatives living in Iowa.  I recall the first time my son received a tour of the cattle barns on my aunt and uncle’s farm.  At one point, he asked my aunt, “Can we see something that doesn’t smell?”  She laughed and replied, “Well, we are on a farm.”

Continue reading “At the Fair, on the Farm”

Right Livelihood: Hunting and Fishing

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April 25

The fifth aspect of the Eightfold Path, Right Livelihood is to earn a living in way that is in keeping with the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha, and avoids causing harm for others. Historically, people who made their living by hunting and fishing have suffered discrimination in Buddhist countries because their livelihood depended on taking the lives of animals. This week’s Dharma talk will share the story of Shinran Shonin’s kind teaching for a hunter’s wife, assuring her that she too is embraced by Amida’s Buddha’s boundless compassion.

Featured image: Goose Island (Ganjima) near the Gwannyuji Temple in Ibaraki, Japan.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting
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

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

New Year’s Day Service

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January 1


Join us from the comfort and safety of your own home to welcome 2021. Please do not come to the temple in-person.

Prepare a beverage and a wish to share, as we welcome you to join us in toasting the New Year via Zoom from your home after service!

Schedule
9:15 a.m. Shoshinge Gyofu Chanting
10:00 a.m. New Year’s Eve Dharma Service

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.