STEPPING FORWARD AGAIN WITH THE NEMBUTSU
How was your summer this year?
The long summer has passed, and now the September breeze gently tells us that autumn is on its way. Looking back, I feel that this summer was filled with many experiences—from our own Bon Odori, to attending Steveston Buddhist Temple’s Bon Odori where I was invited as a guest speaker, to visiting a Japan Festival organized by one of our TBC Youth members at their university, to Camp Lumbini, and even joining a JCBL baseball game.
In mid-August, I had the chance to attend a lecture by a university professor of religious studies. The lecture focused on Buddhist ministers in Japan—people living in temple environments, which differ in many ways from ordinary households. For most people there, the stories of temple life in Japan were completely new and fresh. But for me, having grown up in a temple and knowing fellow ministers, the content resonated deeply and was very interesting. What struck me most was the professor’s reason for focusing on the lives of ministers, rather than the doctrines they teach:
“Religion spreads through individuals—so I wanted to look there.”
Hearing this reminded me of something a temple member once told me in Japan, when I had the opportunity to share a Dharma talk at a rural temple during my graduate school training:
“I don’t come to the temple to hear an entertaining story from you. If that’s what I wanted, I’d go to a comedy show. I come because I want to hear Amida’s precious teaching through you as a person.”
Those words still guide me whenever I prepare a Dharma talk.
Even though temples and organizations exist, the Dharma is always transmitted from person to person—through the “medium” of an individual. For many of us, our encounter with the Buddha’s teaching began with someone’s words, actions, or way of life that made us think, “I want to be like that person” or “I want to hear more from them.” Shinran Shonin’s teachings spread not only through his writings, but through disciples and temple members who met him directly. It was never just about passing on information—it was about a living connection: “This person rejoices in the Nembutsu, so I want to hear it too.”
If we think about it, one reason we come to Sunday services or special memorials is because we want to meet those who cherish the teaching, or to feel the atmosphere of that gathering. Each of these encounters becomes a chance to receive the Dharma and, in turn, to share it with others. The idea that “religion spreads through individuals” is not just a theory—it is something we experience here and now.
In Japan, April marks the start of the school and work year. Here at Toronto Buddhist Church, we begin our temple year with “Rally Sunday.” This term comes from Christian churches in North America and refers to a special day when members return after the summer break, gathering to begin a new year of worship, Sunday School, and activities. I suspect that few other Jodo Shinshu temples in Canada or the U.S. use this term—it was new to me before I began working here.
From this September, we will also begin something new for our Sunday services. On the fourth Sunday of each month, we will hold a Family Service. On this day, the children who usually have Sunday School classes downstairs will join the Hondo for service together with the adults.
This change comes from our wish to have all generations gather in the same space to recite the Nembutsu and hear the Buddha’s teaching together. For the children, it will be a chance to see the naijin (altar area) up close and to experience the flow of the service. For the adults, having the children’s voices and presence in the Hondo will bring fresh joy and energy to our practice.
Our connection to Jodo Shinshu does not suddenly begin when we are adults. The Nembutsu and Dharma talks we naturally hear as children, together with adults, can resurface in our hearts during important moments or difficult times later in life. I hope that the Family Service will be such a place.
Please join with your whole family. Invite not only your children or grandchildren, but also friends and neighbours. From September onward, let us share the joy of coming together in the Hondo, joining our hands, and reciting Namo Amida Butsu.
In gassho,
Kensho Hashimoto
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