Buddhist Thoughts is the SLC Buddhist Temple newsletter which is mailed to Temple members each month. Here we provide excerpts from archival Buddhist Thoughts.

2003 May

A Place of Wonder
by J.K. Hirano

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the compahionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.

-- Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder   

Whenever I tell someone I live in Salt Lake City, Utah, the inevitable question is, "Are you Mormon?"  When I answer that I'm Buddhist, the response is one of surprise.  I'm proud that I am Buddhist.  This is what I hope all of you feel.  In our Dharma School, one of the main goals is to make the student feel proud and unafraid to publicly state that they are Buddhist.

To people who live outside of Salt Lake City or Utah, this may seem like a little thing. However, those of us who are born and raised in this state, realize that this simple statement, isn't always easy. We have many groups and individuals that visit our temple. I enjoy seeing the surprise on their faces when I tell them we've been here for 85 years. They also seemed shocked when I tell them I' m born and raised here. Many ask, "Where did you go to school?" It's almost like a test. The implied question being, How did you grow up in Utah, attend our school system and remain Buddhist. It's so much easier to convert to the L.D.S. faith. They are also surprised that I know about the Mormon religion and its history. Living here in Utah, how can you not know these things? That is why I'm so proud of our temple and its members. It is easier to convert and fall in line with the predominant culture.

I attended the Mormon Church across the street from my family's home. I was the non-member in primary, mutual, scouts, the ward's softball team, basketball team etc. However, to convert to their religion was something I never really questioned. I was a Buddhist. My value system, everything I believed in, I learned from the Buddhist tradition of my parents and grandparents. Although my Father told me, I always had an option to choose the religion of my choice. I never felt the need. Of course I went through a period where I visited and studied many different religions. None of them seemed to meet the standard that my own heritage had set. As for my peer group, I had one set of friends from the neighborhood. This is where I joined in the Mormon church's various functions. However, I had another set of friends that I had met at the temple. There was a feeling of comfort about being around them. We seemed to understand each other and our family situation. I didn' t have to explain myself to my temple friends. As I am no a middle aged man, I can look back and say that my Temple friends are those that I remain close to even now. I'm not sure I would even recognize many of my neighborhood friends.

A lot of what I learned about being Buddhist I learned from observing and listening to my parents and grandparents. This is natural within the Buddhist tradition. However, I don't think that would have been enough, without the temple itself. I would like you to ask yourselves, "What would I do, if there wasn't a Buddhist temple?

We can each have service in our homes, before our family Obutsudan. In fact, we should do that even now. How often would you do that? We can read the many books now available in English to teach ourselves about the doctrinal aspects of Buddhism. Would you go to the trouble? We still have family birthday parties and holidays where we get together. How often does that happen? On Sundays, instead of coming to the temple, you could call your friends and all meet in a park or somewhere for the joy of fellowship. How long would that last? When there is a birth, death or wedding. You could rent a hall or use the mortuary to hold services and celebrations. Would that be the same? You could tell your children about how you attended a temple and what the altar looked like. I don't think they would understand. Although there are many options to having a temple. We should take great pride that we have a temple to attend, where the teachings and fellowship flourish. We are at a point in the history of our temple where we may have to move. How many remember the old temple down the street? Could you imagine what our temple would be like if we had stayed there? We all have a lot of nostalgia for our present temple. However, I feel that if we need to move, we will develop the same feeling for a new building. I hope that whatever decision is made concerning our temple's future. You will realize how wonderful it is that we have a temple to come to. It is my hope that we will have a temple for years to come, where there is a place to nurture the growth and development of our future generations.

As the quote I began with talks about the sense of wonder and its development within a child. I feel that the temple has been and will continue to be a place where our children and we adults can come to learn and share the wonders of life. On May 18, we will be holding our Gotan E service. Gotan E is the holiday is celebration of the birth of Shinran Shonin. It is when we hold our Hatsu mairi service for the new children of our Sangha. On that day we will also be having Parent's day. It is a time to recognize the temple as a place of children and adults to come and learn about the wonders of life.

2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006