Invitation to the 800th Memorial Anniversary Service of Honen Shonin
Saturday, June 23, 2012
An Important Message to Our Local, International, and Virtual Congregation
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The 800th Memorial Anniversary Service of Honen Shonin (1133-1212) will finally take place on Saturday, June 23, 2012. We wish to officially invite you to attend this service. The Right Reverend Yuishin Ito, the Chief Abbot of Jodo Shu, Archbishop Ryoji Toyooka, the Secretary General of Jodo Shu, and many Jodo Shu ministers and followers will attend this service. Nearly 150 people from around the world (Japan, Hawaii, the contiguous US, Australia, Brazil) are slated to visit Los Angeles to celebrate this solemn occasion with us. This privilege was all made possible by, and in honor of, Honen Shonin, the founding master of Jodo Shu.
The local Los Angeles congregation will receive these precious guests and put forth our best effort to create a warm-hearted service that will remain in everyone’s hearts for a lifetime; this is what we can do to best pay tribute to Honen Shonin. We’d like to ask each of you – locally and around the world – to join in this Sangha, an international circle of friends who are connected with each other in the name of nembutsu and the recitations of “Namu Amida Butsu.”
For those who are the long-time members/supporters, please be a part of this service with your family, relatives and friends. This commemorative service will serve as a golden opportunity for your family to pass an important tradition on to a younger generation. For the rest of us — including those who recently started to build a relationship with our temple, such as the newcomers at the Goju Soden retreat, for those nembutsu practitioners who reside all over the United States, our on-line friends, and everyone in between — please come and join us in Los Angeles for this auspicious service. For those who are in different places but have ancestors who belonged to Jodo Shu, please take this opportunity to come honor them. Everyone is warmly welcomed to our humble community.
Please contact us at the temple via our information in the sidebar on this page; we would like all RSVPs by Sunday, June 3rd. Since this is a full day event, we wish to make the best effort to enable as many people as possible to attend this service. If you have questions regarding transportation or lodging, please reach out to us; if you are available for offering a ride for elderly people to visit the temple, please let us know.
We are looking forward to seeing you this summer for this truly remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime event. Please stay tuned for more information on this event.
Namu Amida Bustu
Kodo Tanaka
Head Minister (Hon-in)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
9:00 am: RECEPTION/GAGAKU PERFORMANCE BY CHINZEI GAKUSO (Court dance and music)
9:30 am – 12: pm: SPECIAL SERMON ON BUDDHISM BY REV. RYOKEI ARIMOTO
Back by popular demand this year is Rev. Ryokei Arimoto, whose Fivefold Transmissions sermons were made into best-selling DVDs that can be found in our store. A brief instruction will be provided in both English and Japanese to accommodate both audiences. The sermon will be conducted in Japanese, but Rev. Arimoto is known to transcend language barriers to touch people of all cultures, languages, and faiths. The sermon will extend for two hours with an intermission, and English translations will be provided.
Suggested donation: $30
Children/Students: Free
Rev. Ryokei Arimoto
After graduating from Bukkyo University, Kyoto, Rev. Arimoto was inaugurated in 1976 as Head Minister of Daikyo-ji temple, Osaka. In 1981, he was nominated as Missionary-Preacher of Chion-in temple (the Head Temple of Jodo Shu) and Chion-ji temple (one of the main temple of Jodo Shu), Kyoto. At present, he serves as a Missionary-Preacher of Jodo Shu and the Vice-President of Preachers’ Association of Chion-in temple. He visits many places all over Japan to deliver his sermons. He visited Los Angeles in winter 2010 and served as preacher at the three-day Goju Soden retreat. His sermons were compiled into a 3-disc DVD set, which is greatly appreciated by people in both the United States and Japan.
12:30pm – 1:30pm: SERVICE RECEPTION/DEDICATION OF IMPERIAL COURT MUSIC AND DANCE
Gagaku and Bugaku Performance by Chinzei Gakuso (Jodo Shu Fukuoka Gagakukai)
Admission free (Registration is required).
Chinzei Gakuso (Jodo Shu Fukuoka Gagakukai)
Chinzei Gakuso was established in 1989 with about 10 Jodo Shu ministers in Fukuoka pref. and started to practice Imperial Court music under the guidance from Mr. Kiyoshi Nakagawa, President of Japan Gagaku Preservation Association in Kyoto. At present, the group consists of about 30 members and performs Gagaku (music) and Bugaku (dance) in several occasions and places in Fukuoka area such as services at temples, special classes at schools, and visitations to welfare institutions. Their activities for the past 20 years have been enhanced based on their motivation not only to play musically correct but also to sound like the comfort of Buddha. The group will dedicate their performance of several pieces of music and a dance from their repertoire.
1:30 pm: SERVICE BEGINS (Times are approximate)
Dedication of the song in praise of Honen Shonin
By Yoshimizu-ko Buddhist Choir Osaka Headquarters
Yoshimizu-ko Buddhist Choir Osaka Headquarters
Yoshimizu style Buddhist choir (eisho) was started in 1946 as one of the Jodo Shu ministries to propagate the teaching of Honen Shonin. This Buddhist choir in Osaka was founded by a small group of people from Jodo Shu temples in 1958 and the number of members has been expanding up to 2,000 at present. They are very active in spreading Buddhist choir both domestically and internationally. At this occasion, nine mem bers are visiting Los Angeles to dedicate a song which is newly composed to praise Honen Shonin in commemoration of his 800th Memorial Anniversary.
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE OFFICIATED BY THE RIGHT REVEREND YUISHIN ITO, The Chief Abbot of Jodo Shu
The 88th Abbot of Chion-in, Kyoto (Head Temple of Jodo Shu)
Special Child Blessing by the Officiant
The ritual of the child blessing will be performed by the officiant. The officiant pours the water of wisdom of Amida Buddha individually upon the head of children. Please bring your children/grandchildren to receive this special ritual. No participation fee but registration is required.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: COMMEMORATIVE LECTURE “THE RECITATION OF NAMU AMIDA BUTSU ESTABLISHED BY HONEN SHONIN FOR THE PEACE OF THE WORLD”
by Dr. Glenn T. Webb , Japanese translation will be provided.
Dr. Glenn T. Webb
Dr. Glenn T. Webb is a professor of East Asian cultural and religious history, with a specialization in early modern Japan (16th-17th-century Momoyama-early Edo.) In 1987 Dr. Webb became the director of the Institute for the Study of Asian Cultures at Pepperdine University. While there Dr. Webb invited many leaders of Buddhist groups in Southern California to speak to students. Even after he retired from Pepperdine in 2004 and moved to Palm Desert, CA, they have continued to maintain a strong connection with ministers of Jodoshu North America and Bukkyo University, Kyoto and Los Angeles. Dr. Webb’s contribution to connect East and West was specially acknowledged by receiving the Japan 2011 Fall Decorations.
BUS TRANSFER TO LONG BEACH
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm: WELCOME ABOARD! SUNSET DINNER CRUISE
Hornblower Cruise Yacht: Endless Dream (capacity: up to 350 guests)
Suggested fees for boarding: $130 per adult
Children/Students: Free
Transportation between the temple and Long Beach will be provided. Concerns about seasickness? This 3-story yacht is big and will not set sail on the open ocean.
BUS TRANSFER TO LOS ANGELES