Category: Rinzai Blog

Maui Ryukyu Culture Group would like to thank Rinzai Zen Mission for allowing our group to use its facilities for our activities. Sensei Norman Kaneshiro and Eric Wada from Honolulu provide classes in sanshin, kuchoo, fwanso, odori and Okinawan language twice a month. Our yearly Yard Sale fundraiser is also held on temple grounds. Anyone interested in MRCG should contact Amy Shinsato, President, at 276-6684.

We put a lot of energy into advancing technology in order to serve our lives better, and we exploit the non-human elements, such as the forests, rivers, and oceans in order to do so. But as we pollute and destroy nature, we pollute and destroy ourselves as well. The results of discriminating between human and non-human are global warming, pollution, and the emergence of many strange diseases. In order to protect ourselves, we must protect the non-human elements. This fundamental understanding is needed if we want to protect our planet and ourselves.
~Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion

Please CLICK HERE to view the new Gallery

We have received many beautiful photos from Masako Cordray who has been taking photos of our Obon for years. You will find her beautiful photos for the last couple years and will soon have this year’s one, if not posted already. Masako and her husband Greg have given us beautiful flower arrangements for every major ceremony too. You may find yourself or a family member on our site. Enjoy!

Tropical Storm Iselle landed in the early morning of July 20. Five trees and a light post fell on the makai side of our grounds. The winds were so strong that they knocked down many trees at the Country Club and the county property on the beach, as well as the Maui Electric post in Baldwin Park. Thanks to our president Alan Nago and the demolition workers next door, we were able to clear all downed trees and branches before the Obon.

You may have realized that the house on the beach is now gone and fewer trees are there. It is a very bare land now between the ocean and us. We hope the Pacific Ocean will give us many more years to enjoy our sanctuary.

Bon Dance practice

Our Bon Dance practice will be only four Tuesdays: July 15, 22, 29, and August 5, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Please come to Paia and enjoy practicing Okinawan dance. Bring your friends too for some fun times.

Bazaar

We would appreciate donations for the bazaar. Fruits (bananas, oranges, mangoes, pineapples, lemons, etc.), vegetables, plants, and cut flowers are welcome.

Baked goods (bread, mini cake loaves, cookies, bars, party mixes, etc.) are also good sellers. Mochi other than nantu would be good too. Health Department rules don?t allow for baked goods with cream, nor rice dishes, unless they?re made in the RZM kitchen on the date of sale. All baked goods must be labeled with ingredients. Please list ingredients in the order of quantity, listing the major ingredients first. If you wish the labels be done for you, please bring a copy of the entire recipe.

Bazaar items may be brought to RZM on Saturday, the morning of the Obon. If you wish to have your donated item sold at a certain price, please make a note of it or let us know.

We are mailing this newsletter via the U.S. Postal Service to many places in the country and overseas. The newsletter is our way of communicating and keeping in touch with family and friends.

If you have email, would you please let us know so we can send this newsletter via email? Send your email address to info@rinzai-maui.org. You may also find our
website at rinzai-maui.org, which has the newsletters,
photos, and lots more information.

If you don’t have internet access, we will keep sending you the paper newsletter.

Rev. Yamaguchi will Translate

Rev. Yamaguchi will help you with the translation of historical papers. You may have old Japanese documents or a family tree sitting in the drawers of your Butsudan or of your parents’ old dresser. Rev. Yamaguchi is still able to read old Japanese and translate to English( poor one). It is good to know the family history with your parents’ papers, before Rev. Yamaguchi becomes too old. Just call him and ask what he can do for you.

This is the 25th year of the rebuilt Rinzai Zen Mission and it started to leak in the main temple building. It is so fortunate that we have very dry winters here in Paia and we could finish all three buildings at the same time. The bell house was way overdue, but nobody lived under it and nobody complained. The bell house now has 50-year presidential shingles. All other buildings have 30 year shingles. We hope our buildings stay in good shape in the years to come.

Thank you very much for your support for this very important project. Because of your generous DANA(donation) we are still able to keep going as the only Rinzai Zen temple on Maui. Our Vice President Mr. Valentino Dieguez has been in charge of this project and worked hard to oversee this work, from choosing a contractor to checking the workmanship. Thank you Val, job well done!

MRCG’s Rummage Sale will be on Saturday, December 7th, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You may drop off things at RZM at the following times:

If you can’t make these times, call 268-2209 to drop off items at another time. The Mission will not have its own rummage sale in the near future, so we can all help MRCG have a successful one!

Please Click Here to view the Paia Rinzai Zen Mission 2013 Hanamatsuri Photo Gallery
Please Click Here to view the Paia Rinzai Zen Mission May-June 2013 Newsletter

In 2011, we could not have the entertainment or bingo game to enjoy like every other year because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. So, we really enjoyed this year’s Hanamatsuri at our Mission with our guests from Japan. The Secretary General of Myoshinji, The Most Reverend Matsui with his wife Akemi became very familiar faces on Maui at this time of year, just like our old friends Rev. Hoshi and Rev. Kajiro. Because of the big repair project in Japan, Rev. Chisaka was absent from our activity for the last two years but this year graced us with his beautiful chanting voice at our altar. The gifts they brought from Japan were so overwhelming at our dinner the night before Hanamatsuri. Our president Alan Nago and his family brought their big BBQ equipment and fed us very well. The Rev. Chisaka’s report of our donation to Miyagi was very detailed and it was truly meaningful for us to know of the recovery of Tohoku.

Without question, the Secretary General’s Dharma talk was the highlight of the Hanamatsuri service. The interpreter had a hard time because of his own tears and could see many attendees’ as well.

Everyone got three omamori (good luck charms) from Hoshi Sensei and one of them was 24k gold plated. Someone came to return it later in the day, saying “I do not deserve one.” We just say thank you to our old friends. The Rev. Kajiro carried so many furikake in his suitcase that he was questioned at the airport. So was Rev. Chisaka who carried one hundred gold plated omamori. (So heavy!)

Because of President Alan Nago’s generosity and Mantokuji members’ two days of cooking, we had a wonderful lunch. Thanks also to Maui Ryukyu Culture Group’s entertainment. Our Hanamatsuri was an impressive one to remember. We hope that Paia Hanamatsuri will keep going like this for years to come and keep our Buddhist community together. Thank you to everyone who helped make this Hanamatsuri a successful one.