In the opening sequence of Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins," both Bert and Mary Poppins make note of a "change in the weather," or "the wind," indicating some change is about to be brewing, or a storm. In fact, change does occur in the awakening of Mr. Banks to his kids and the film culminates in a kite-flying sequence that also marks the farewell to Mary Poppins, as her job is now done.
The winds of change is a common metaphor, but kite-flying too has its symbols in ancient history both in Europe and in Asia as a symbol of change, and in particularly in Buddhism.
We will have our own kite-flying event come June 1st as we welcome a new head minister. We've been rolling along, doing the best as we can with Rev. Nakano, bravely making an effort on her part. We have rethinked our past on what worked and did not work and hopefully put in place some changes. A new canvas to imprint a new vision.
Until then, "go fly a kite!"
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
In Gassho....
5 comments:
As the Chairman of the temple's Board of Directors, it is very disheartening to see your continual belittling and criticism of Rev. Nakano.
Your articles in the Megumi, your statements to members of the church, and your inability to place the church before your ego continues to erode the unity of our temple and sangha. Following Rev. Miura's passing, you attempted to present yourself as the religious leader of the church. You were out of place when you suggested that the Gardena Sangha were without a religious head (see the Oct/Nov issues of the Megumi). Alan, your actions, spoken, and written criticism of Rev. Nakano are embarrassing to the church and Board of Directors. Perhaps an early leave of your position would be in order.
Also, you have continually permitted non-sanctioned groups to use the social hall for uses which are in blatant violation of our bylaws. Additionally, all of these activities should be going before the Board of Directors, but you somehow manage to allow unsanctioned groups access. Alan, as these actions could bring into questions the tax and non-profit status of our temple, you should seriously consider stepping down from the position of Board Chair. You clearly do not understand the parameters of the position which you hold.
Your words and actions have spread throughout Southern District, and it is an embarrasment to our temple. BCA is also aware of your calculations to remove Rev. Nakano from our temple. Knowledge of your inability to work with Rev. Nakano is now an infamous chapter in Gardena Buddhist Church history. It's not something to be proud of. Perhaps it's time for you to step down and allow the temple to recover from the friction.
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a
projection of their own realty, their own dream. When you are immune
to the opinions of others, you won't be the victim of needless
suffering. Don Miguel Ruiz
Sangha is supposed to be the opinion of all and I believe your commenta are biased and not the opinion of the majority of the Sangha. Alan Kita is one of the fairest Board Chairman's Gardena Buddhist Church has had in a long era. Whomever Sangha is needs to meet and know how much Reverend Naomi does not follow the Golden Chain.
As I See It … (October 2008) Megumi
Thank you all. This has been a challenging month. We have a terrific Sangha. I had so many people offering to help at the funeral service for Rev. Miura, I hope I was able to reach each one of you with appreciation and gratitude.
First of all, I would like to thank Rev. Nakano because she is needed here to attend to all of services at our temple. She had to postpone her vacation so that we do not have to reschedule any of the memorial services that had to take place. It is a challenge to meet this schedule by oneself, so if you think she needs some uplifting, a pat on the back, or something to help get through this month, please do something for her.
I hope we could find some time for her to take that vacation soon.
Next, Rev. Terada for filling in temporarily on Sundays and the monthly memorial service. We will also have to have the assistance of other ministers as well.
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My thoughts are with the Miura family. Their friendship has been important to me, and I hope I can do as much as I can while they learn a new normalcy in their lives. Thank you William for thinking that an “old guy” like me has some valid ideas to give and I hope we will see you and your son a lot more on Sundays.
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To the ministers and lay leaders of the BCA temples, particularly the Southern District temples, who have come to offer help and support. The dana amazes me.
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I have learned that it is totally in the prerogative of the Bishop to assign the ministers when vacancies arise. I hope he can help us find the right minister to lead us into the future. As he has been saying, there is an immediate need for new ministers as he contemplates filling seven positions at the end of the year. I can only hope that we get a replacement sooner than later.
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The Komon, Sodanyaku and the Board have been busy with the meetings. I’ve been to so many I have lost count. But I listen, and I have had so many in my ear with ideas. All are worth considering.
Next month, I hope to have some announcement.
In Gassho,
-- Alan Kita
As I See It ….(November 2008 Megumi)
As of today, the BCA is still considering our request for a new head minister. It will probably be a long process. Of course, in the meantime, we will have to make do.
I have spoken with Mrs. Miura and her son, William, from time to time. The family is doing fine as expected. It is nice to see that William has joined our temple, and that his son, Skyler, comes to our Dharma School.
So what do we have to do to prepare ourselves in the coming months?
We have around 750 members, the majority of which are in their 70s and 80s. That’s a lot of Dharma talks. In absence of a head minister, we will have to take it upon ourselves to make sure that we have what we need. So if a member needs some comfort, all we have is each other, so please take it upon yourself to visit someone who we have not seen at temple. Check in with them and see if they are all right.
Read. There are lot of books written about the Dharma and about Jodo Shinshu. You can find them at Hongwanji Place in Little Tokyo, or order them from the BCA Bookstore. Maybe, just maybe, we can form book clubs so we can read them together and ask each other questions.
Come to temple. Sundays, it’s a gathering place. Or donuts. Once a week, we can have a donut. Its all about nembutsu. Remember to bow before entering the Hondo, and even bow before entering the grounds – we do that at Hongwanji in Kyoto, we bow before entering the gates! Remember to step in with your left, exit with your right. When you pass in front of the center of the Hondo, remember to bow.
And think how lucky you are that you can do all that. Sometimes, I sit before the o-naijin and remember all the different ministers that have come before us, the guest speakers, the special services. The funerals, the weddings…all these things that have been witnessed. It’s amazing.
As an adult coming back to Gardena, it has been quite an experience. Now as the chairman of the board, I wanted to make sure that we take a leap into the future. At that time Rev. Mayeda gave the English-language sermons, and Rev. Miura had just started (with a ponytail!) And in my first year of my term, both are gone within a year of each other! It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I miss them both.
But we practice perseverance and we would be moving on. Those were great moments, and we will have more moments.
We all know what we have to do, and that is to practice what we have learned – “to think pure and beautiful thoughts, to do pure and beautiful deeds and to say pure and beautiful words.” Sure sometimes, we forget and maybe our thoughts aren’t as pure and beautiful, nor we do things that are pure and beautiful, and sometimes we may not say pure and beautiful words, but we are just One Sangha, and the Dharma lives.
So in this interim, while we figure out where we will be… please take care of each other.
In Gassho,
Alan Kita, Chairman of the Board
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