March 03, 2022 “All conditioned things are impermanent—when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”  --Shakyamuni Buddha,  The Dhammapada My mother died in January.  She was 90 years old and had been hospitalized several times over the last year. For the last 3 weeks of her life, we were supported by hospice services, which allowed her to spend Christmas and New Year’s at home.  Many people have asked me how I am doing--how I am coping with my mother’s death.  I tell them that I’m doing pretty well.  I think that one reason...

February 07, 2022 Later this year (Sept 16-18) IOBT will be hosting the 75th Northwest Buddhist Convention and also celebrating our 75th Anniversary of the temple! Because the pandemic has made everything so uncertain, we are holding out hope that things will get back to normal. We HOPE to have the convention in person with guests here from around the Northwest. We HOPE to gather together to have meaningful services, discussions, and workshops. Most importantly, we HOPE to have fun together as fellow Jodo Shinshu Buddhists. You might be wondering what...

January 14, 2022   “In gratitude to Amida, the Buddha-as-words, I dedicate my whole being to realizing Buddha’s intent. In gratitude to the masters of teachings and the countless good Dharma friends among our ancestors, I dedicate my total efforts to spreading the Nenbutsu.”   Translation of the Ondokusan from Shinran Shonin’s Shozomatsu Wasan #59. (Translation by Rev. Kakei Nakagawa, Rinban of Fresno Betsuin based on Bishop Kenryu Tsuji’s writings)   (Shinran Shonin Image from Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple Altar) . January is the month for a major service...

December 29, 2021 The start of a new year offers us the hope of a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate. As we begin the new year, many people make plans to improve their lives through New Year’s resolutions. And it is polite and kind to wish others happiness, prosperity, good health, love, and good fortune in the coming year.  These are great traditions—maintaining hope and offering good will to our neighbors are important. But it’s also important to approach the new year with a sense of humility and realism. Buddhism reminds us that the world of samsara is imperfect and impermanent and...

December 11, 2021 With many different winter holidays coming up, I wanted to reflect on how we think about these holidays and our relation to each other. These holidays mean different things to different cultures. Here in the U.S. many people look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But there are lots of other holidays that are celebrated here and around the world. Here are just a few examples: Kwanzaa (Pan-African), Hanukkah (Jewish), Bodhi Day (Buddhist), Las Posadas (Latin America), Boxing Day (Canada), Ōmisoka (Japan), or even Kramer’s favorite, Festivus. Some people here in the U.S....

November 19, 2021   One way that we express our gratitude is by placing our hands together in "gassho" as seen here in this picture taken in 1959 when our beautiful gingko tree was planted by the Gomonshu, the leader of our Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition.    Last month we celebrated Eitaikyo, a Japanese Buddhist tradition which expresses our appreciation for those who have gone before us.  This month we celebrate Thanksgiving, a very American tradition which also focuses on gratitude. These two very different occasions are reminders of the value of gratitude...