June 2020

SACRED WORDS

Rivers come together to form an ocean. Particles of dust accumulate to become Mt. Sumeru. When I, Nichiren, began having faith in the Lotus Sutra, it was like a drop of water or a particle of dust in Japan. However, when the sutra is chanted and transmitted to two, three, ten, a million, and a billion people, it will grow into a Mt. Sumeru of perfect enlightenment or great ocean of Nirvana. There is no way other than this to reach Buddhahood.

Nichiren - Senji Sho

聖語

衆流集まりて大海となる。微塵積りて須弥山となれり。日蓮が法華経を信じ始めしは日本国には一滴一微塵のごとし。法華経を二人・三人・十人・百千万億人唱え伝うるほどならば、妙覚の須弥山ともなり、大涅槃の大海ともなるべし。仏になる道は此れよりほかに求むる事なかれ。

日蓮聖人『撰時抄』

Chanting followed by Dharma Talk

Rev. Shokai Kanai

COVID-19 changed the lifestyles for many people around the world. The lockdown has created an environment to better care for nature. We realized the earth needed a rest too. As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, we would have a better society by not damaging the earth. This change comes to our temple, too. Our temple was mainly for local people in Hawaii; however it evolved to reach more people around the world.

In April, one of my friends living in the Los Angeles area suggested creating a Zoom video meeting. My son in Maui set up a Zoom account on my personal computer. I started using Zoom on May 7th and 14th for our Thursday Study Class on the Lotus Sutra, then for Chanting on May 11th and 18th and finally for Sunday services on May 10th and 17th. There were more than ten people who participated, not only from Honolulu but also from Hilo, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo. Thank you very much for your participation.

Anyone interested in either services or classes can participate. The maximum number of participant is 100, so there is plenty of room to join. Would you like to be one of them? If so, please create an account with www.zoom.us and send your email address to: nichiren@hawaiiantel.net to receive our meeting ID and password.

The schedule is as follows:

Mondays 7 p.m. - 30-minute Service using DHARMA (blue book): A short Dharma Talk followed by question and answer session. If you do not have a DHARMA book, please purchase one at Nichiren Mission of Hawaii. It costs $20.

Thursdays 7 p.m. - Study Class on the Lotus Sutra: Since many new friends are anticipated, I will start the Study Class from the very beginning. This is review for regular students but may be a good chance to reexamine earlier chapters. The textbooks we will read are the LOTUS SUTRA, translated by Senchu Murano (third edition) and the Introduction to the LOTUS SUTRA, by Shinjo Suguro. Both can be purchased at www.nichiren-shu.org/store/sutra-ref. Other teaching materials will be provided by me.

We already have more than ten people connecting in the test meetings. Services and classes will officially start on May 25th and on May 28th. If you would like to join us, please reach out to Nichiren Mission of Hawaii via email to receive your Meeting ID and Password. This program is open to everyone around the world.

Nichiren Dai'Shonin started chanting Odaimoku by himself. Then more and more people joined in and are now chanting as he predicted on Senji-sho. We can all help spread Odaimoku to all corners of the world by sharing the Zoom meeting information with your relatives and friends. We can create happiness within ourselves as well as spread to others. As Nichiren Dai’Shonin stated, “There is no way other than this to reach Buddhahood.”

インターネットのズーム

勉強会と日常のお勤めで幸せに！

金井勝海

　疫病コロナウイルスが世界中に蔓延し、人びとの生活様式が変わってしまいました。皮肉にも都市閉鎖と在宅令は自然に対する思いやりとなり、地球も休みが必要である事を実感させられました。先月の寺報で「新しい時代の到来！」について述べました。今、ハワイ日蓮宗別院にもその変化が起こりつつあります。これまでは、オアフ島に住む人びとを対象に日曜礼拝や年中行事が行われてきましたが、これからは、世界中の人びとに向け、法華経とお題目を伝道しようと動き始めました。

　５月初旬、ロスアンゼルス群に住む友人から「ズームでお経の練習を始めたら！」と薦められ、早速マウイ島に住む息子に連絡して、私のコンピューターにズームというプログラムを入力してもらいました。その理由は昨年から毎週木曜日午後７時からの勉強会が在宅令で一時中止となり、何とかしようと考えいていたからです。早速この勉強会を５月７日と１４日にテストをしました。さらに、ヒロに住む信者さんからも依頼があり、月曜午後７時からはお経の練習をしようと思い１１日と１８日にテストをしてみました。

　実際にテストをしてみると、ホノルルの信者様だけでなく、ヒロ、ロスアンゼルス、サンフランシスコ、東京からも参加して下さった方が１０名以上おりました。参加された方々に感謝申し上げます。５月２５日と２８日から正式に毎週月曜日午後７時に読経と木曜日午後７時より勉強会を開催します。興味ある方はハワイ日蓮宗別院のEメールアドレスをとおして参加申し込みをして下さい。返信でMeeting IDとパスワードを差し上げます。

１．月曜日のお経練習には、いつも使っているDHARMAが必要です。

２、木曜日の勉強会には村野宣忠訳 the LOTUS SUTRA, 第３版と勝呂信勝著Introduction to the LOTUS SUTRA が必要です。購入方法は加州ヘイワード市日蓮宗国際布教センター、NBIC ONLINE STORE を検索し “Lotus” をクリックしますと、手続きができます。

　今月の聖語は『撰時抄』です。日蓮大聖人がお題目を唱えられた時は、たったお1人でしたが、二人・三人・十人・百千万億人と唱えるようになりました。このズームのプログラムは世界中からアクセスできます。素晴らしと思いませんか？どうぞ、お子様、お孫様にこのプログラムの事を知らせて上げて下さい。皆でお題目を唱えるて幸せになりしょう。　合掌