Minister Articles

G Sakamoto

I was asked to speak in support of the Santa Clara County Supervisor’s resolution condemning President Trump’s Executive Order entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorists Entry into the United States”. On February 7, I read a portion of the statement below before the Board of Supervisors.

It was an interesting day. I understood that the resolution would be presented at around 10:00 so I planned to arrived at the county building by 9:30. Anyone can speak before the board ...

K. Ken Fujimoto

Due to the BCA National Council Meeting being held here in the beginning of March, this article may not seem timely, but I do need to get an early start. I have noticed that when I need to get an early start, I usually write about things that I knew or talked about in the past that I have come to see as having deeper or more meaning than I had originally thought.

Along those lines, I was thinking ...

K. Ken Fujimoto

One of the things for which Jodo Shinshu ministers are often criticized is the use of the passive voice. This may seem to have merit, especially in this day and age where people want to take a more proactive stance on everything that they do, but there is much that can be gained from the viewpoint that the passive voice can give us.

G Sakamoto

“It is impossible for us, who are possessed of blind passions, to free ourselves from birth-and-death through any practice whatever. Sorrowing at this, Amida made the Vow, the essential intent of which is the evil person’s attainment of Buddhahood. Hence, evil persons who entrust themselves to Other Power are precisely the ones who possess the true cause of birth.

“Accordingly he said, ‘Even the good person is born in the Pure Land, so without question is the person who is ...

K. Ken Fujimoto

Item #1 – One of our major concerns is the safety and welfare of our members and others who come to our temple. It was recently learned that the Dharma School Parents Organization (DSPO) has been having difficulty finding parents able to assist in the cross guard duties. They are also having problems finding people to bring refreshments, but they, rightfully, feel that the cross guard duties are more important than snacks after class so have been focusing ...

G Sakamoto

I think I spend too much time reading the news. The Merc, CNN, ABC, NBC, Reuters. KQED, NPR, Huffington, BBC, CNET. I tend to read liberal. Sometimes I’ll read a long article from Washington Post or The Atlantic or New York Times. Its only occasionally because I’m too cheap to subscribe, although I do stay with ads until they finish. Unfortunately, I’m the news consumer who’s going to ruin real news reporters.

With news from the web, I select what ...

K. Ken Fujimoto

Every four years, the Summer Olympic Games are held. This causes problems on many levels for me. On one level, I do not think the problem is any different than it is for many of you. Depending on where the games are being held and what event is taking place, we find ourselves lacking sleep since we stay up late watching events. This is compounded for ministers at ...

G Sakamoto

Jodo Shinshu, like all schools of Buddhism, is concerned with resolving the difficulties we cause and experience. As Buddhists we understand that difficulties result specifically from our likes and dislikes, our preferences, our prejudices. We also understand that if we work hard with diligence we can cultivate a mind free of prejudice and be free of difficulties.

As a Shinshu Buddhist the difficulties I cause and experience result from the same inability to see things as they are. It is ...

G Sakamoto

In March my sister, Joy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After consultations with oncologists and surgeons in Hawai’i she was referred to and accepted into a clinical trial in Portland, Oregon.

After three months in Portland they chose to return home. The outcome of the clinical trial was not favorable so before Joy got too sick to travel they decided to come home. They asked if I would come to Portland and help them board their flight. I offered to ...

K. Ken Fujimoto

In reading the Hongwanji Shinpo, the tri-monthly newsletter from the Hongwanji, it has been an education reading about the tragic events of the Kumamoto earthquake and the many ironic situations that have come to light surrounding the devastation. The articles probably do not communicate the depth and breadth of the impact on human lives, but even if they only reveal a portion of the effects, it does reveal the relative powerlessness of human beings.
First some facts:
In ...