Finally! My Transfer Credit is IN!

Man, I think it took almost 6 weeks! But, AMU has finally told me what classes I'm getting credit for towards my BA degree! Here's the breakdown:

I requested that credits be transferred from DLI, HPU, AP, and CCAF. When those transcripts were applied towards my degree plan, I was awarded 72 credits of 121! That means I'm only 49 credits away from my Bachelor's degree. I'm so excited about this!

I have to go to Language class starting next week, and that will pretty much take up all my time. I'll have to leave the house at 6am and won't get home until 7:30pm. That being the case, I don't think I can start taking any classes at least for the next 6 weeks. But after that... it's game on!

In Gassho,

-Hank

Informative Site

Hey all,

I was doing some surfing on the net and found this great page on the IBS Site. IBS is the Institute of Buddhist Studies and it's where I'll have to get my Master's degree. Anyway, check it out if you have the time. I'll post it here and put the main page in the links list on the right.

http://www.shin-ibs.edu/academics/chaplain.php

In Gassho,

-Hank

It's been awhile

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I was waiting for my Transcripts to post to American Military University so that I could see exactly how far I was from my BA, and then report. However, the date kept getting pushed back. As of now, I still don't know what my transcripts will yield. But since I have other information, I will post that.

My involvement in the Tokudo program is getting more formalized and more involved. First, I become increasingly more involved with the weekly services. I am going to start attending the Japanese service every week before the English service. My responsibilities include setting up the altar, ringing the kansho bell, keeping the incense burning, and then closing down the altar and temple after service is over.

Another bit of news: the Minister's Assistant currently assigned to my temple, Reverend David Nakamoto, is being relocated to Kailua. The Bishop said that we will not be getting another assistants because they have ME! In other words, increased responsibility and presence. Also, if Reverend Kevin ever needs to leave for whatever reason, then it will be my responsibility to lead service! I won't be able to do that from up on the Altar, as I'm still a lay person, but it's still a big deal, and I'm really nervous!

So here are some more technical details. Pasted below is a summary of my entrance into the Tokudo Training Program. Please forgive any spelling, grammatical, or formatting errors, as these pages were just scanned in.

MINISTERIAL TRAINING OUTLINE TOKUDO TRAINING

PRELIMINARY INFORMATIONAL SESSION (Conducted by State Ministerial Training Committee):

What: A half day session for people interested in Tokudo to learn about Tokudo and the commitments, sacrifices, and rewards.

Who: Aspirants who are actively involved in the Hongwanji for not less than a year during which time the membership has accepted the aspirant as a part of the congregation. (Recommended by Minister)

Why: Provide individuals interested in Tokudo with an opportunity to learn about the process and procedures.

PRE-ORDINATION TRAINING PROGRAM (POTP) (for those interested in going for Tokudo)

1. Candidate submits application to the Office of the Bishop

a) One page double-spaced essay to address the question "Why do I want to enroll in the Pre- T okudo Program?

b) One page recommendation by a minister.

c) Interview with the following questions:

How does your education relate to the pre-tokudo program?

What do you plan to do with this pre-tokudo program?

What qualities do you think a good temple minister has?

What is your understanding of Buddhism?

What is the role of religion in life?

As a minister, how can you contribute to the Jodo Shinshu movement?

How have you participated in the J odo Shinshu movement?

How do you relate to, work with people?

2. Office of the Bishop will give written acknowledgement of receipt of application, and will forward the application to the Ministerial Training Committee for disposition.

a) Bishop sends out copies of the application, recommendation and essay to the committee members before the Interview session.

Minister's Recommendation Form Application for Pre- T okudo Session

1. Applications and the attachment received by the Bishop will be reviewed by Ministerial Training Committee for recommendation. The Bishop will inform the applicants and temple ministers of the final decision.

Pre-Ordination Program - Local Training Program Pre-Ordination Program (at temple, district, or state level)

Stage A - OBSERVATION AND PARTICIPATION

1. DAILY ROUTINE

Morning and Evening Service

Flower Arrangement

Altar Clean Up

Offering

Temple Situation and Ministers Life

2. SERVICES AND CEREMONIES

Infant Initiatory Rites

Dedication Service

Wedding Ceremony (Temple & outside)

English Language Service

Japanese Language Service

Major Service

Special Service

Pre-school Service

Interfaith Service

Bedside Service (Makuragyo)

Service before cremation

Funeral Service at Temple

Funeral Service outside

Appreciation Service (Reimairi)

First 7-day Service

49-day Service

100-day Service

One-year Service

Inurnment (Burial) Service

3. MINISTERIAL ACTIVITIES

Staff Meeting

Pastoral Counseling

(Wedding Counseling, Crisis Center counseling, Religious Counseling (Jidan)

Hospital Visitation and Home Visitation

Study Class & Workshop

Community Services

Ministers' Meeting (Kyogakkai)

4. TEMPLE ACTIVITIES

Radio Broadcasting Program and related activities

Newsletter and related activities

Pre-school and related activities

Dharma School and related activities

Jr. YBA and related activities

Adult Group and related activities

Fujinkai and related activities

Martial Arts group and related activities

Scouting and related activities

Choir and related activities

Cultural and Fellowship activities

Various Temple Committees

Temple Board Meeting

Temple Kyodan activities

5. Familiarization and Memorization

1. Sutras, Chants, Sayings:

(Shinshu Pledge, Homages (Kikyomon), Vandana Ti­Sarana, Creeds (Ryogemon), Shoshinge, Wasan and others)

2. Excerpts from letters of Rennyo Shonin

Matsudaimucm-sho

Shinjin gyakutoku-sho

Shonin ichiryu-sho

Hakkotsusho

6. Proper Manner of Handling Sutras and Religious Texts

Triple Sutra

Wasan

Gobunsho

Raihai-seiten

Stage B - Overview of Total Scope of Services

1.Rites of Passage (pages 61-78)

2. Altar Arrangements (See Traditions oft Jodoshinshu Hongwanji­Ha, pages 45-48)

3. Etiquette and Liturgy (See Traditions of Jodoshinshu Hongwanji-Ha, pages 45-48)

4. Protocol for ministers (Reigi-Saho)

a) Sitting in Naijin

b) Entering Temple

c) Funeral Service

5. Clergy Attire on Appropriate Occasions (See Traditions of JOOoshinshu Hongwanji-Ha, pages 33-38)

6. Chanting of Shoshin-ge, other sermon and Gobunsho training (refer to service book) (See Traditions of Jodoshinshu Hongwanji-Ha, pages 61-78)

Stage C

1. FAMILIAR WITH BASIC SHINSHU TEACHING, HISTORY, AND TEXTS (OSHOGYO)

a Brief history of Jodo Shinshu (Shin Buddhist Handbook, pages 51-61)

b Outline of Jodo Shinshu Teachings

c Basic Texts of Jodo Shinshu

2. JAPANESE TERMS FOR ROMANIZATION AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION (See Jodo Shinshu Primer)

Stage D

1. Minister's role in temple finances

ELIGIBILITY:

1. Verification of a college degree (copy of diploma) or proof of pursuing a college degree (copy of current transcript).

2. Person with serious willingness and reasonable intent to assist the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii.

3. A letter of Intent

4. Prerequisites submitted to the Office of the Bishop. The Bishop must approve the applicant's entry into the Pre-Ordination State Training Program.

5. Pre-Tokudo candidate must agree to participate in:

a. Statewide Training Program sponsored by the Ministerial Training Committee which will take up to (3) three full (not necessarily consecutive) weekends.

Thanks everyone! I'll post again when I know more.

In Gassho,

-Hank

Chuggin' Away

Reverend Kevin is in Kyoto this week, so not much has happened. My main goals right now are:

1) Read "Buddha's Wish For The World"

2) Study Hirigana

3) Practice chanting

4) Finish transfering credits so I can see how close I am to a BA degree

Man, it seems like such a short list... but wow! Trust me, it's a lot more intimidating in real life!

In Gassho,

-Hank

Tokudo Program

Last Tuesday when I met with Rev Kevin, he gave me a list of important dates regarding my Tokudo. Tokudo is the name of the lower-level ordination in the Buddhist seminary. The upper level is called Kyoshi. When you are a Kyoshi minister, you can have your own temple. In either case, the level of ordination I'm working towards right now is Tokudo. Here is a copy of the schedule:

November 2009 - Orientation to the ministers.

January 2010 - Preliminary Informational Session

April 2010 - Start one year Local Pre-Tokudo Training Program at local temples

April 2011 - Hold two months State Pre-Tokudo Trining Program at local temples. Screening of candidates by Bishop

Fall 2011 - Send candidates to Honzan for ten day Tokudo Program

In summary, my training "officially" begins in April of 2010. Then, in April of 2011, I'm interviewed by the Bishop to see if I'm qualified to go to Japan for the ordination. If I am, then in Fall, I go to Japan and go through Tokudo Basic Training.

Pretty exciting stuff!

In Gassho,

-Hank

Faith-Related Conversation

Today, I had a conversation that has affected me deeply. I was asked how I viewed a certain controversial topic as a Buddhist. The response I gave was not one that the person was expecting and he wanted to argue with me. There was a very clear tone of disgust in this man's voice as he tried to interpret my words into something that was easier for him to discredit. Sparing you the details, I'll just say that it was a frustrating conversation, and I felt the need to defend myself. But, I didn't want to argue at all with this person and I ended the conversation as quickly as I could while still being polite.

I think that this feeling that I felt tonight, and in fact still feel right now, is going to be something I have to learn to live with. It's too obvious to say something to the effect of, "I'm a Buddhist living in a Christian society so I need to learn to deal with people who don't understand my faith." I don't think that is the case. Most of my Christian friends find my faith interesting, not disgusting. I think the real meat of the matter is that the Dharma can be hard to hear sometimes. The Dharma is some hard-hitting, no bullshit truth! The Dharma doesn't cater to your feelings, and it doesn't try to sugar coat anything. It lays it all out there, and you can take it or leave it.

Fact #1) Life can suck sometimes, and it sucks for everyone, not just you.

Fact #2) The reason why life sucks is probably because of you, not the other guy.

Honestly, that's one of the things I love about Buddhism is that it's shooting me straight! I think anyone who fully adopts those two facts from above, would also be fully adopting the first two noble truths, and be a better Buddhist for it. So my point is: The Dharma can be hard to hear sometimes.

So because the Dharma talks a straight talk, I think it can be hard to explain some of the harsher concepts to someone who might not be so familiar with them. If someone came to me and asked "Why am I suffering?", it would be improper of me to say, "Well, you must have done something wrong! Stop doing it, whatever it is." The remedy to that person's suffering might ACTUALLY BE that very answer... but that is not at all what that person needs to hear, and they probably will not accept it.

I guess what I'm trying to say, as my frustrated rambling thoughts are pouring onto the keyboard, is that ultimately, the reason why the conversation I had went badly was because I chose my words poorly. I was trying to talk about a very sensitive topic, and I probably should have chosen my words a bit more carefully. THIS is a skill I will need to develop!

In Gassho,

-Hank

Ringing the Bell

Tuesday, at temple, Reverend Kevin taught me how to ring the temple bell, or the Kansho Bell. Back in the day, they would ring the temple bell a certain way to tell the village that the temple was about to start service. They would also ring the bell another way to signal a fire alarm, but I didn't learn that one. Anyway, these days, the temple bell is rung more as a tradition to start service each week.

This first picture is our Kansho Bell. It's about 2 feet tall and made of really thick metal. It produces a very loud thick sound, almost like a gong, without the splashy sound.

<---- This is a picture of our GIANT bell outside the Temple. I've only heard this one rung on special occasions like Patriot's Day and New Years Day.

I've heard the regular Kansho bell every time I've attended, and could probably have guessed correctly how the rhythm was supposed to go... but actually performing that task myself was a lot harder than it sounded! The way you do it is you ring the bell 7 times, slowly, at a medium volume. Then you ring it really fast and really soft, but get louder and slower, then back down again. Then you hit it 5 times... do the crescendo/decrescendo one more time, then hit it 3 times. Sounds simple right? Believe me... it's not.

Reverend Kevin wanted me to ring the bell for church next Sunday... but it's such a big responsibility, I think I'm going to hold off and get some more practice in. When I go to Japan for my Tokudo Ordination, this aspect is going to be a really big deal, so I want to make sure I get it right. Anyway, that's it for now!

In Gassho,

-Hank