WHERE WE WORSHIP
Mission to mark centennial
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Faith Editor
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| The Shingon Shu Hawaii Betsuin mission on Sheridan Street will celebrate its centennial in September. Hawai'i has most Shingon temples outside of Japan — 15 within the state, compared to three on all of the Mainland. |
Our denomination: Shingon, one of Japan's major Buddhist sects, which is headquartered at Koyasan, in Wakayama, Japan. Koyasan also includes the mausoleum of founder Kobo Daishi.
Where we are: 915 Sheridan St.
Our numbers: About 170 attend weekly services at the Shingon Shu Hawaii Betsuin, headquarters of the Shingon Mission of Hawaii.
Several thousand people take part weekly in Shingon Buddhist services throughout the Islands. There are also temples in Liliha, Hale'iwa and Kalihi on O'ahu; on the Big Island in Hilo, Pa'auilo, Honoka'a, Honomu, Na'alehu, Holualoa and Kapa'au; on Maui in Wailuku, Lahaina and Kula; and in Waimea on Kaua'i.
Our leader: Bishop Taido Kitagawa oversees the entire mission. The director of Shingon Shu Hawaii Betsuin is Reyn Yorio Tsuru.
What's special about us: Hawai'i has the largest number of Shingon temples outside Japan: 15 here, vs. three Shingon temples on the entire Mainland.
Our history: Shingon Buddhism, a school of esoteric Buddhism founded in the ninth century during the early Heian period, was brought to Japan from China by Kobo Daishi.
Kobo Daishi was born in A.D. 774 in Zentsuji, a town in the present-day Kagawa prefecture. He "entered eternal meditation" in A.D. 835, according to the preferred legend, said Tsuru.
In September, the mission here will celebrate its centennial. The first Shingon priest arrived on O'ahu in 1902, but the first temple was in Lahaina. Before that, Shingon services were held by plantation families in their homes throughout the Islands. People used to go to Shingon healers because they couldn't get to doctors, Tsuru said.
Throughout the Islands, Shingon has been strong — "and not just among Japanese," Tsuru said. "Hawaiians, Portuguese ... Shingon Buddhism has really been embraced by the local people of Hawai'i."
What we believe: Kobo Daishi established three basic principles of Shingon Buddhism in the mandala (or sacred text):
No. 1: All things in the universe are equal as manifestations of the life force of Dainichi Nyorai, the central Buddhist deity who embodies the essence of the universe and the absolute truth.
No. 2: All people seek to build a peaceful society on the basis of the search for enlightenment.
No. 3: Using the theme "life that gives life," the sect stands in the spirit of mutual co-existence as the mutual benefit for all living beings.
"What we like to tell people off the street is that tolerance and compassion are attributes we can attain now," Tsuru said. "We can become Buddha spirits now. In every other sect, you attain nirvana after you pass on. Our primary message is, everything is equal. We are all brothers and sisters, equal in each others' eyes."
The mantra (or sacred phrase) is chanted as follows, in Japanese: "Namu Daishi Henjo Kongo," which means "hail to the enlightened one," giving tribute to Kobo Daishi. The form of meditation practice is ajikan, which focuses on the sound, form and meaning of the syllable "A."
What we're excited about: Centennial activities will include a major exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, with sacred treasures never before seen outside Japan, including two national treasures. That display opens Sept. 1.
"It'll showcase about a thousand years of Buddhist artistry," Tsuru said.
An "88 Temples of Shikoku" exhibition, on display during the Labor Day weekend at Blaisdell Center, also is part of the centennial celebration. This will include an interfaith service on Aug. 31 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
The Kechien Kanjo ritual, widely held to be the closest a practitioner will ever be to Kobo Daishi, will be presented for the first time at the Blaisdell as part of the centennial.
Two large mandalas will be placed with depictions of guardian Buddhas. The participant, who will be blindfolded, will then toss a symbolic sprig of leaves onto the mandala, and where it lands will determine the connection between the person and a guardian Buddha. The ritual promises to be beautiful as well as thought-provoking, as the entire exhibition is aimed at exploring one's inner self and finding the Buddha spirit.
Contact: 941-5663.
If you would like to recommend a faith organization for a Where We Worship profile, e-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com, call 525-8035 or write: Where We Worship, Faith Page, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.
