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D.T. Suzuki: Awakening to Philosophy

Daisetz Suzuki

By Rev. Ken Yamada

Two of the most influential Buddhist thinkers in modern times led vastly different lives. Daisetz Teitarō Suzuki gained world-renown as a Zen expert, traveled widely, and lived to a ripe old age. Manshi Kiyozawa failed to reform institutional Jōdo Shinshū, died relatively young and unknown outside Japan. Yet, they have much in-common. Both clarified and explained Jōdo Shinshū in modern terms, albeit from different perspectives. Continue reading “D.T. Suzuki: Awakening to Philosophy”

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Sound of a Splash

By Rev. Patti Nakai

­­A frog jumped in. Bashō became the frog, and he himself jumped into the deepest part of his life. There was the world of nothing but the sound of the splash.

-Rev. Gyoko Saito (from Meditations on Death and Birth, 1983)

In his recently published book, What’s Your Aspiration: Shinran’s Dharma Gateway, (Anaheim CA: Buddhist Education Center, 2024), James Pollard, a minister assistant at Orange County Buddhist Church, quotes the above passage and focuses on “aspiration” as the gateway to jōdo shinshū (He uses lowercase in identifying Shinran’s teachings as opposed to “Jōdo Shinshū” used by organized sects). Continue reading “Sound of a Splash”

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Kaneko’s Pure Land: A Case of Heresy

Kaneko Daiei

By Rev. Ken Yamada

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism teaches birth in the Pure Land. But what exactly is the Pure Land?

Disagreements abound—a heaven-like place where you go after death; a higher realm of consciousness; spiritual understanding in this life.

That debate reached a fevered pitch in 1920s Japan with priests, intellectuals, journalists, and laypeople weighing in. The most infamous perhaps was Shin scholar Kaneko Daiei (1881-1976), who asserted the Pure Land wasn’t a place, but rather an “idea.”

A firestorm of criticism ensued as scholars, priests, and laypeople holding more orthodox views lashed out. Buddhist sect authorities quickly hurled accusations of heresy. Blowback followed as students protested, academic staff resigned and others were fired. Threatened with excommunication, Kaneko was forced to resign his teaching post at Higashi Honganji’s Ōtani University. Continue reading “Kaneko’s Pure Land: A Case of Heresy”

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Lost in This World

Hilo Higashi Hongwanji Temple, Hawaii

By Rev. Marcos Sawada

 Are you a positive or negative thinker? We humans love to be negative thinkers.  We think about our hardships, problems and worries, imaging the worst scenarios. Our minds are filled with such thoughts, emotions and passions.

I recently moved from Oahu to serve again as minister on the big island of Hawai’i, where I began visiting temple members. There’s been a huge decrease in the Hilo Higashi Hongwanji sangha. Before I moved away, usually 30-to-50 members attended the monthly service, but now only about half those numbers attend. I think this trend isn’t exclusive to the Hilo temple; attendance at many temples and churches is declining in the United States. Continue reading “Lost in This World”