Translations Archives - Page 2 of 2 - San Mateo Buddhist Temple

This interview by Rev. Ryuta Furumoto originally appeared in the Japanese section of the Wheel of Dharma BCA Newsletter in September 2016. Rev. Adams translated it into English so that our English-speaking readers could enjoy hearing from one of our most energetic Sangha members. For this month’s interview I spoke to Mrs. Yuko Suruki, a Dharma School teacher at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple. In this interview, we hear from a Dharma School teacher who is working to share the Buddhadharma with the children who will carry the Buddhist Churches of America into the next generation. I was particularly interested in Mrs. Suruki’s perspective as an English-Japanese bilingual Dharma School teacher who knows the cultures of both the United States and Japan. Where were you born? Toyama, Japan Toyama is known as a place where Jodo Shinshu Buddhism thrives. Does your family in Japan belong to a Jodo Shinshu temple? Yes, my father is the second son of a temple priest, so our family is Jodo Shinshu Buddhist. My father worked as a school teacher and did not become a priest, but I recall that whenever I visited the temple where my father grew up I would run around in the temple and the grounds playing with my cousins. However, I wasn’t a very serious student of the Dharma back then and wouldn’t chant the sutras every day at home.

Continue reading “Dharma School Teacher Interview: Mrs. Yuko Suruki, San Mateo Buddhist Temple”

On July 5, 2015 we will be honoring the past Bishops of the Buddhist Churches of America with our annual Bishop’s Memorial Service. This year the service will also include the presentation of Certificates of Recognition from the Office of the Bishop to our temple centenarians, Mrs. Chiyoko Fukumoto and Mrs. Kimiko Suyemasa. Looking back 100 years, we find that 1915 was a year when the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Sangha in America was already facing great challenges.

There was general concern about Japan as a rising power competing with US interests, as it grew increasing assertive following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). There was also a growing a movement among white farmers and labor groups resentful of Japanese workers. These factors contributed to rising discrimination against Japanese immigrants, particularly in California. In October of 1906, the San Francisco City Board of Education moved to refuse Japanese students admission into public schools. Then in 1913, the California Alien Land Law was adopted, prohibiting Japanese immigrants from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases.