Namo Amida Butsu
Dear wonderful Wailuku Hongwanji members and friends, I sincerely hope that all of you and your families are doing well and receiving Amida Buddha’s infinite wisdom and compassion in your daily lives.
As we welcome October, I am reminded of how we used to participate in the Maui Fair and make about 9,000 pounds of Chow Fun. Whenever I meet members of our community, they often ask me, “Reverend, my family is looking for your church’s Chow Fun at the fair.” It is difficult to tell them, “We are no longer participating with a food booth.” They reply, “Why? You make the best Chow Fun! We will miss it.”
There are many reasons why we discontinued our participation in the Maui Fair. Still, it is sad to see the end of such a long legacy. At the same time, it reminds me of one of the Buddha’s important teachings: impermanence. Everything changes, and nothing remains the same forever. Yet, Wailuku Hongwanji Mission has left a meaningful legacy in the hearts of our ohana.
The Buddha’s teaching helps free us from pain and suffering and guides us toward a peaceful mind. When unexpected things happen, we may become worried or anxious. During these difficult times, the Buddha-Dharma helps us see things as they truly are and reminds us that challenges are also part of life. I would like to share one of the Buddha’s wonderful teachings.
One evening, a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited a house. She told the master of the house that she was the goddess of wealth, and he welcomed her warmly. Soon afterward, another woman appeared. She was unattractive and poorly dressed and said that she was the goddess of poverty. The master tried to drive her away, but she told him, “The goddess of wealth is my sister. We are never to live separately. If you chase me out, she must go with me.” Sure enough, when the goddess of poverty left, the goddess of wealth also disappeared.
Birth goes together with death. Fortune goes together with misfortune. Difficult times may follow good times. Those who seek Enlightenment learn not simply to escape misfortune and seek good fortune, but to transcend both and become free from worldly attachment.
When we chant the Sutras at memorial services, funerals, and regular temple services, we are listening to the Buddha’s spiritual guidance and hearing the Buddha’s vows. The guidance of the Buddha is like entering a dark room with a light in your hand. The darkness is cleared away, and the room becomes filled with light.
Amida Buddha’s wisdom and compassion, expressed as Infinite Light and Infinite Life, are always reaching into our hearts. When we listen to the Buddha-Dharma, the eyes of our inner hearts begin to open, allowing us to see the truth within our lives.
Most importantly, we receive these teachings as our own personal matter. Throughout our lives, we may cry, laugh, think, question, and doubt. Through all these experiences, the Buddha-Dharma becomes a spiritual light, reminding us that Amida Buddha is always guiding us in this precious life.
When we come to understand Amida Buddha’s great Vow within our hearts, we are able to walk firmly along the path of truth, and the Nembutsu naturally flows from our mouths as an expression of gratitude.
Shinran Shonin expressed Amida Buddha’s great light in the Hymns of the Pure Land: “Countless Amida Buddhas reside in the light of the Buddha of unhindered light; each one of these transformed Buddhas protects the person of true and real Shinjin.”
