Greetings!

The Boston Shinshu Buddhist Sangha will celebrate its 2nd anniversary in April, 2001. We have come a long way since the days when our Sangha was a virtual reality of one person editing and mailing out the newsletter! There are about 20 people who have attended our services over the past 2 years, and our mailing list and membership is slowly but steadily growing. We owe thanks to three dedicated Jodo Shinshu ministers for helping our sangha through its initial organization and growth: Rev. Taitetsu Unno (author of the popular book on Shin Buddhism, River of Fire, River of Water, and leader of the Northampton, Massachusetts Shin Sangha), Rev. Kenjitsu ("T.K.") Nakagaki  (Minister of the New York Buddhist Church), and Rev. Hojo Tone, a visiting scholar at Boston University who comes to us for three years from Hawaii.

We also wish to thank Mrs. Alice Nagahiro for the refreshments she often provides for our meetings. It is a long distance for her and her husband, James, to come to us from New Hampshire. We appreciate their devotion to the growth and fellowship of our sangha.
 

Kikyoshiki Service, May 29
 

On May 29th, the New York Buddhist Church (332 Riverside Drive, New York) will host the kikyoshiki service, a confirmation of dedication to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. This service will be presided over by the Monshu of the Nishi Hongwanji denomination of Shin Buddhism, Rev. Koshin Ohtani, the administrative head of the Hongwanji. The service will begin around 6 pm on Tuesday, May 29 at the temple on Riverside Drive. If you would like to participate, please email Rev. Nakagaki at the New York Buddhist Church ( tel. 212 - 678-0305 ). The temple is asking that applications be received by February 12. As part of the kikyoshiki service, each participant will receive a Dharma name (homyo) and other appurtenances of Shin worship.
 

New Year's Greeting from the Monshu,  Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha

                               "Immeasurable Life."
                         I send you my greetings at the beginning of the New Year.

                         Last year my mother, Lady Yoshiko Ohtani, unexpectedly
                         passed away. It was an occasion for me to fully grasp the
                         teachings that all things are impermanent. However, when I
                         say the Nembutsu, I now feel that I am able to think of the
                         Pure Land as being closer than ever before.

                         In Japan, while our political and economic difficulties are
                         serious, the religious community is not immune to problems
                         either. I think we also need to make a fair judgement on reality
                         and firmly deal with our issues. In particular, those relating to
                         youth cannot be solved by laws and education alone, but
                         deeply involve religion, which addresses such subjects as the
                         future of humanity, adulthood, a living environment for youth
                         and so forth. I wonder how these matters are dealt with in
                         your area.

                         "To take things as they are" and "the compassionate and
                         empathetic heart that accepts the feelings of others" are
                         fundamental teachings of Buddhism. We are prone to closed
                         and narrow minds, thinking only of ourselves, our families, and
                         our countries.  Therefore, within the Compassion of Amida
                         Buddha, which shines upon all forms of life equally, we must
                         make even small efforts to open our minds, to grasp reality
                         correctly, and to be able to understand the feelings of others.

                         I hope that you will hold dialogues with those around you to
                         discuss what our society should be and to consider the future
                         of the kyodan. Further, let us exchange opinions extensively
                         and join efforts to spread the Nembutsu and to make the world
                         better and brighter.

                         January 1, 2001

                         OHTANI Koshin, Monshu
                         Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha
 

February and March meetings

We will meet on February 23, 2001 in the lower parlor of the Cambridge North Prospect Church in Porter Square, Cambridge. Setup starts at 7pm and the service runs from about 7:30-9 pm. For directions to the meeting please contact Richard St. Clair.
 

The March meeting will be March 23, at the same location.
 

Websites Updated

There are two websites that the Boston Shinshu Buddhist Sangha has. The first one is specifically for the Sangha, with an email link for information about meeting times. The location of the website is http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/Boston_Shinshu.html.

The other website is a more general, informative site with a lot of information about the history and doctrinal development of Shin Buddhism over the ages. This website is located at
http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/amida.html .
The site contains links to many other Shin Buddhist (and other Buddhist) sites. In particular, there are links to the Complete Works of Shinran which are being put up on the web, and the Amida Net, which contains Pure Land sutras and writings by the patriarchs.

We hope you will find these websites informative and inspiring!
 
 

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Last modified: 2 February 2001.