Features | BCA President's Page

HomeBCA President’s Page

February 2012 President’s Message by Everett Watada

Dear Sangha members,

As I recount some of the events over the course of my two-year term as President of the Buddhist Churches of America, I am actually reminded of a conversation I recently had with my sons. We have to remind ourselves that life is short and that it is important we follow our passions.

Our conversation led me to thoughts about my favorite past time, gardening. I realize that I have fewer and fewer seasons left to experience the joys of gardening. Every year I begin in spring with hope and anticipation as I prepare the soil for the sowing of seeds. As spring warms to summer, the combination of sun and water lead me to exhilaration and wonder as my once bare soil transforms to rows of mosaic green stalks and kaleidoscopes of reds and purples. The fall harvest brings delight as much by my neighbors’ visits to my garden as by the boundless selection from nature waiting for me on my table. The end of fall and start of winter bring determined tilling and yearning for spring.

Although gardening involves continuous time and dedication, its results–that is my garden’s remarkable transition during the year—also brings me tremendous joy. Similar to tending to my garden, I have strived to make the most of my time as President with the hope that I could be proud of what we have accomplished. The past two years have been a tremendous experience for me personally— your devotion to Jodo Shinshu has been an inspiration to me. For the Buddhist Churches of America, we have a come a long way. I am absolutely honored to have represented the Buddhist Churches of America and our members in the international community.

I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Executive Committee, the members of the various committees, the Board of Trustees, the BCA Endowment Foundation, the Institute of Buddhist Studies and the staff at the Buddhist Churches of America Headquarters and Jodo Shinshu Center—your friendship, commitment and vision have kept us focused and moving forward. To our friends and family across the country and around the world, thank you for your generous commitment of time, energy and thought—you are the reasons why we have and will continue to have strong traditions and social and spiritual networks.

Thank you again – I have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to serve you.

In Gassho

 

January 2012 President’s Message by Everett Watada

We closed 2011 with a New Year’s Eve Joya-E service reflecting on the events of the past year, concluding with the traditional ringing the temple bell 108 times. Now we welcome 2012 aspiring to move forward by seeking the right balance between the BCA’s religious, administrative, cultural and social purposes and responsibilities.

March 11, 2011 will be remembered for the devastating earthquake in Japan followed by the tsunami affecting many of our friends and family. The loss of life and suffering is a tragedy beyond our comprehension. The damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant continues to be a serious concern for the long term effects. We as members of Buddhist Churches of America and friends responded very generously with monetary contributions, and some temples provided needed goods and services to aid in the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

On May 15, many BCA members and friends joined Shin Buddhists from other overseas districts and throughout Japan at Shinran Shonin’s 750th Anniversary Memorial Service held in the newly restored Goeido (Founder’s Hall) at our Hongwanji mother temple in Kyoto. In conjunction with this special observance the World Federation of Buddhist Women’s Associations convened their 14th world convention at the Kyoto Trade Fair Center on May 16-17, attended by many BCA BWA delegates.

The Jodo Shinshu Center celebrated its 5th anniversary on December 4. Since it opened its doors in the fall of 2006, the JSC has gained international recognition as a major center for religious education, ministerial training, and social engagement of the Shin Buddhist community in the west.

This wonderful accomplishment is the result of generous contributions from our membership and supporters. This historic venture will play a key role in spreading the Buddha Dharma and the development of Jodo Shinshu in America.

Although we are currently seeing a decrease in our membership rosters, and it is projected that within the next ten years over half of our current ministers will have retired or be eligible for retirement, we can be encouraged by the potential to improve our situation being demonstrated by the growth and vitality of activities developed out of the Jodo Shinshu Center through the Center of Buddhist Education and Institute of Buddhist Studies.

Buddhism will continue to grow as a major faith tradition in the United States. The Buddhist Churches of America will strengthen itself through the involvement and inspiration of a joint effort of ministers and members who are committed to sharing their appreciation of Jodo Shinshu teachings with a more diverse and changing community.

In tribute to the Issei and Nisei generations of Shin Buddhists who constructed the foundation for the Buddhist Churches of America network of temples it is now our responsibility to ensure that the spiritual legacy they followed in the footsteps of Shinran Shonin is transmitted to future generations of fellow travelers on the Nembutsu path from all walks of life.

By continually reminding ourselves of the meaning and spirit of the Three Treasures: I put my faith in Buddha – I put my faith in Dharma – I put my faith in Sangha – Namo Amida Butsu, we affirm Shinran Shonin’s aspiration: “May Peace and Tranquility Prevail, and the Buddha Dharma Spread!”

Best wishes and a Happy New Year!

 

Chal­lenges and Oppor­tu­ni­ties by Everett Watada

The BCA Admin­is­tra­tion is a bridge between prac­ti­tioner activ­i­ties: reli­gious, cul­tural and social; and those of logis­tics: finan­cial, oper­a­tions and admin­is­tra­tion. The BCA admin­is­tra­tion rec­og­nizes the impor­tance of find­ing the right bal­ance between these two groups of activ­i­ties. Per­ti­nent to this bal­ance are some near-term oppor­tu­ni­ties and chal­lenges that, in many ways, will define sev­eral impor­tant aspects of Jodo Shin­shu in the United States in the future.

The future of Jodo Shin­shu in the United States is bright for the fol­low­ing reasons:

  • We have strong min­istry lead­er­ship. The min­is­ters of the BCA are headed by Bishop Koshin Ogui in San Fran­cisco. Bishop Ogui has pre­sented a per­sua­sive vision for the prac­tice of Jodo Shin­shu through­out the United States. We are inspired by his vision, touched by his com­pas­sion, and com­pelled by his teach­ings and strong lead­er­ship. Under Bishop Ogui’s guid­ance, the BCA’s min­is­ters through­out the United States have been well received in the com­mu­ni­ties where they serve. Each min­is­ter actively par­tic­i­pates in their local chap­ter activ­i­ties and tra­di­tions, and as well, ensures patient and com­pas­sion­ate deliv­ery of Bud­dhist tra­di­tions and mes­sages. We should all look for­ward to the fur­ther real­iza­tion of Bishop Ogui’s vision.
  • The Jodo Shin­shu Cen­ter   is com­mit­ted to the teach­ings of Shin­ran Shonin. Rec­og­niz­ing that in order for Bud­dhism to con­tinue to grow as a major faith in the United States, one must rec­og­nize that tra­di­tion also has a respon­si­bil­ity of find­ing its place in the chang­ing needs and lives of practitioners.

The Jodo Shin­shu Cen­ter  is com­prised of many promi­nent reli­gious and edu­ca­tional insti­tu­tions, includ­ing the Insti­tute of Bud­dhist Stud­ies  and Cen­ter for Bud­dhist Edu­ca­tion . These won­der­ful insti­tu­tions are help­ing to guide Bud­dhist tra­di­tions into the future. We should look for­ward to future stu­dent bod­ies and the many new pro­grams and oppor­tu­ni­ties offered through the Jodo Shin­shu Center.

Chal­lenges that the BCA admin­is­tra­tion is prepar­ing for:

  • We must strengthen the finan­cial health of the BCA. The BCA orga­ni­za­tion is solely focused on reduc­ing the sub­stan­tial debt incurred in order to make the Jodo Shin­shu Cen­ter pos­si­ble. We are actively search­ing for cre­ative ways to enhance our finan­cial posi­tion, while also con­tin­u­ing exist­ing financ­ing efforts, includ­ing the BCA 21st Cen­tury Cam­paign . The BCA 21st Cen­tury Cam­paign is enter­ing its sixth year with an objec­tive to raise $30,000,000. Suc­cess of cam­paign activ­i­ties will go a long way towards the con­ti­nu­ity and growth in the many annual activ­i­ties and tra­di­tions that we have made a part of our lives.
  • We must con­tinue to focus on grow­ing mem­ber­ship. We believe that by pro­mot­ing suc­cess­ful pro­grams and inno­vat­ing and intro­duc­ing new pro­grams that con­nect with mem­bers’ inter­ests will help to reestab­lish mem­ber­ship strength. Our goal is to opti­mize the num­ber and impact of BCA com­mit­tees, pro­grams and offer­ings. To this end, we request your help and feed­back regard­ing any com­mit­tees, pro­grams or offer­ings that you feel are ben­e­fi­cial or could be improved.

I am excited to see the oppor­tu­ni­ties for Jodo Shin­shu com­ing to fruition, and simul­ta­ne­ously, encour­aged by our prepa­ra­tion to address the chal­lenges that lie ahead. Our admin­is­tra­tion is here to facil­i­tate the prac­tice of Jodo Shin­shu by our mem­bers. We want to ensure that pro­grams and offer­ings con­tinue to meet your needs. Please con­tinue to actively par­tic­i­pate in your com­mu­ni­ties. Your mes­sages and sup­port will be received at the national orga­ni­za­tion. Let me close with a spe­cial thank you and appre­ci­a­tion to every­one that attended and helped pre­pare for the Shin­ran Shonin 750th Memo­r­ial com­mem­o­ra­tive, which took place in San Jose on Feb. 27 and 28, 2010. The event was an enor­mous suc­cess and sig­nif­i­cantly more peo­ple attended than were expected.