Soto Zen Buddhist Mission in North America 曹洞宗北アメリカ国際布教記録

6 Paramitas (六波羅蜜)
Six types of Buddhist Practice

“Param” means “the other shore” and “ita” means “have reached” in Sanskrit.

1st Practice
“Dana (檀那)” is to donate or give

Practice of “Dana” or "Giving"
無畏施 To share the concern and fear of people and help them recover from them
和顔施 To smile at people and to cheer them up and make them feel happy
言辞施 To use words that won't offend people and make them feel accepted

2nd Practice
“Sila (尸羅)” is to keep the precepts.
2nd Practice
Sila (Precept) means “refreshing”

It makes it possible to refresh yourself into becoming serene. It makes it possible to have a peaceful rest and a wonderful dream. Continually attaining Sila through refreshing yourself, one stays calm and relaxed.


3rd Practice
“Kshanti (羼提)” is to tolerate or persevere

“Kshanti (羼提)” or "patience" means to stand firm under the threat or fear.

4th Practice
“Virya (毘梨耶) is to strive or make effort
Assiduousness or diligence.
"Virya" means untiring zeal also translated as energy, diligence, enthusiasm, or effort.
It is an attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities, and it functions to cause one to accomplish wholesome or virtuous actions.

5th Practice
“Dhyana (禅那)” is to focus your mind to stay calm
5th Practice "Dhyana 禅那"


Dhyana is the practice where we stop all thinking and seek to realize Truth in its essence
“Stopping and Realizing”
- Stopping is an entrance into the wonderful silence and peacefulness of potentiality
- Realizing is an entrance into the riches of intuition and transcendental intelligence

6th Practice
“Prajna (般若)” is to acquire Dharma (Buddhist teachings or the law of nature) and wisdom to attain peace of Nirvana severing all delusive views.
6th Practice: Prajna
Stepping beyond the limited border of intellectual and conceptual mind.
Quality of transcendental wisdom, insight, and the perfection of understanding beyond words, free from the limitation of ideas, concepts, or intellectual knowledge.

  

Zen meditation is an activity of 無為 MUI or non action, non assertion, non supposition, non assumption.
Being in touch with what is.

Still, many people have difficult time letting them to be in the state of 無為 MUI.

Whether it is a good approach or not, I attempted to start meditation with a guided deliberate body scan and simply gatha of "thank you" to your body parts. Well.... I clearly need more practice to keep the flow natural.

But the point was, it is easier to start with 有為 UI meditation which allows you to actively shift your focus and concentrate on something before attempting to be in the state of MUI.

In theory, Zen Buddhist practice is like letting our mind become open like the vast sky.
So, the mind is always ready for any weather such as rainstorms. When the birds fly, there is no trace. When the cloud appears and disappears there is no trace of them.

Mui practice of Non-action, non-assertion, non-supposition of our life and people around us allows us to be free from discrimination, prejudice, and all kinds of mental blocks (walls of mind as the heart sutra says), taking away our source of fear and anxiety.

Buddhism comes with faith and devotions just like any other religions but it is a religion that value openness like that of sky, without expecting, without assuming, without defining the reality so that we can be open to all kinds of possibilities.  

We do not believe in the presence of evil beings.
We only believe in the condition of untamed mind.

Among all the guardians of Buddhim and Buddha in the Buddhist mythologies, we have many that used to be ogres, ghosts, and devils and demons. Why is it possible to convert them into Buddhists and befriend them?
It is because we know there is no such thing as evil “beings” in an absolute sense.

Buddhist priests in Japan sometimes play a role in a society to calm the spirits and ghost to bring peace to the people who believe in superstition. How do we do that?
It is possible by assuring people that our mind only needs to be tamed in a way that can lead our life in harmony and then we can mindfully live with our fear which is only a state of our mind.

It is somewhat different from a blind belief in the goodness of humans. We all are vulnerable and subject to suffering and confusion.
Often those we consider “evils” are the ones suffering and in confusion. And this clear awareness of vulnerability and careful guidance of our mind is one of the most important lessens we learn in the monastery.

Because we can be deluded so easily and suffer, we can be guided and find our path to peace. That is also the case with anyone else.

  

One interesting thing about living in California surrounded by a large Japanese American community is that almost everyone is a bilingual of Japanese and English. This creates a third culture that allows people to freely alternate these two languages with no awkwardness.

From the perspective of English education, this is an extremely interesting space that I wish I could take back to Japan and put all my students through.

Here, Japanese language is almost considered as a skill or an asset that enhances the quality of life. This is very close to how people look at English as something that gives them advantage or other possibilities.

Apart from all the cultural transitions that may be looked upon as controversial, this cross-linguistic environment is amusing to me.

  

久しぶりに日本語で書き込みます。ここロングビーチに赴任し早くも2ヶ月が経ちました。

ロングビーチに移る前の約一年半、カナダで進む仏教文化、特に、チベット仏教や禅に対する関心の高まりを見てきましたが、ここロングビーチにおいても頻繁に問い合わせの電話がかかってきます。

しかし、この地域がカナダと違うのは、戦時中に強制収容され迫害を受けた日系人寺院を構成する日本人が葬儀や法事を中心した仏教文化を固く守っていることです。日系文化としての寺院の護持を大切にする日系一世、二世がこの文化を支えています。

ところが、三世、四世の日系アメリカ人になると結婚を通して人種の壁もなくなり、またキリスト教の中で育っていたり、そもそも日本語が理解できない人たちが大半を占めるようになります。

ロングビーチ仏教会のみならず、日系寺院で働く僧侶は、一世、二世の日系アメリカ人が保っている日本人情緒や価値観を如何に守るかを考えながら、英語しか通じないばかりか、キリスト教やアメリカ文化の価値観のなかで育った三世、四世の日系アメリカ人に通じる寺院運営や法話、法要をする力が求められます。

日本人でなければ成し得ない部分と、アメリカ人の価値観を共有できなければ成し得ない部分の両方があって、それを実行するには、互いの考え方の違いを橋渡し出来るだけの繊細さがいるとも言えそうです。

極端に日系の人口が減少したロングビーチ地区では、日本語による日本人情緒の要素を保ちつつも、英語のみわかる三世、四世の日系人が求める日系寺院として要素、さらに、メディテーションなどを通して仏教思想を学びたいという日系文化の枠の外からやってくるアメリカ人が関われる要素をそれぞれ広げていくことが必要な気がします。


日本国内においても、世代間で寺院や仏教に対する考え方も開きが出てきているように思います。日本の場合は、近代において宗教そのものを敬遠する風潮も続いていますから、また違った難しさもあるでしょう。

いずれにしても、ここロングビーチでの仏教寺院の歩み方は、当事者としてここにいながら非常に興味がわきます。仏教という共通項をもちながら、ことなる文化が接触する異文化コミュニケーションの要素が多分にあるからかもしれません。

ハードウェアの建物も、ソフトウェアのクラスも形になるのは、秋ぐらいからではないかと思いますが、じっくりアイデアを練っていこうと思います。

  

This weblog has been dormant for a while since I left Canada in May.
After a couple of months in Long Beach, I am slowly getting to know the church, its people, the neighbors in the area most of whom are Mexicans and Filipinos, and potential members of LBBC both Japanese and non-Japanese.

LBBC, just like any other temples and churches experiencing the population of conventional members, need a cross-cultural communications among people of different backgrounds with much understanding and sensitivity to the cultural differences.

I find it extremely interesting how we can together find a way to continue our community.

Now, as for this weblog, I use it to keep all the messages I posted on the website of LBBC.

Please feel free to contact me at LBBC@longbeachbuddhistchurch.us and let me know what you think about what's happening at LBBC.

Thank you!

Sincerely
in Gassho,
Rev. Yukinori Gyokei Yokoyama

  

Dear Sangha of LBBC,

I had a great opportunity today to do some plumming with Mr. Murakami and get underneath the house. It was not exacly my experties but I learned a little bit about how the drainage system works.

Today, I also heard from some of the families of LBBC as well as a couple of new friends who are interested in doing meditation at LBBC.

Thank you Murakami san for your help with plumming.
Thank you for introducing me to Rev. Harada of Orange County Buddhist Church, Merge.
Thank you for throughly reading this website and giving me feedback, Joanne.

Finally, thank you, Dave, for your interest in LBBC and sharing your knowledge and experience for the future meditation tradition of LBBC. I am learning a lot from you.

LBBC is supported by so many people with visions.

Currently, Frank is working on the expansion of the garden and dedicating it as a memory garden to the LBBC. Murakami san and Iare slowly working on the Sangha hall and the storage space to make them usable for activities and starting to think about the ancestor hall on the second floor of the church.

I will keep you posted!

Sincerely
in Gassho,
Long Beach Buddhist Church
Rev. Yukinori Gyokei Yokoyama

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