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Recent Events | 2006 | 2005 Events 2006Shinnyo-en Young Adults Join Teens From Diocese of San Jose to Help Build Schools in Mexico Meet Sonja Swanson, SEF's 2006 Summer Intern! Reflections on My Journey to the Lantern Floating Festival Bridge of Friendship Annual Celebration Addresses Global Peacebuilding in Our Local Communities Foundation Staff Celebrates President’s Day in White Plains, New York Helping to Launch the Center for Sustainable Change Shinnyo-en Young Adults Join Teens From Diocese of San Jose to Help Build Schools in MexicoOn July 24-28th, eleven teenagers from the San Jose, California Diocese and six adults (including two Shinnyo-en Young Adults) traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to participate in work to help improve the educational opportunities for children in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
The uniqueness of this trip was two-fold. This was the first Mexico immersion trip sponsored by the San Jose Diocesan Offices which was inclusive of and open to all teenagers from all parishes in the diocese of San Jose, California. The second unique aspect of this immersion experience was the involvement of the Shinnyo-en Deacon Steve Herrera is the ImmersionCoordinator of the San Jose DioceseFoundation (part of the Shinnyo-en Buddhist Order) which partially funded this trip and sent two adult representatives on this trip. This collaboration enabled the diocese to offer an affordable trip to its youth. It also enabled the diocese to provide not only inter-cultural dialogue with those in the U.S.-Mexico border region but also an opportunity to have inter-religious dialogue with the Buddhist participants. The two Shinnyo-en young adults were Denise Ikeda and Mary Moran, whose stories will follow.
The teenagers were Laura Miller (St. Christopher’s), Shannon Buckley (St. Anthony’s), Megan O’Neill (St. Christopher’s), Molly Skinner (St. William’s), Cristina Leonardelli (St. Frances Cabrini), Deanna Alexander (St. Nicholas), Mary Schultz (St. Nicholas), Andi Savage (St. Nicholas), Katie Nigh (Holy Family), Alison Harrigan (St. Nicholas), and Katelin Jordan (St. William’s).
The adults supervising the trip were Andi Grandy (Youth Leader, St. Nicholas/St. Williams), Paul Hashman (former Youth Leader at St. Anthony’s), Vanessa Perry (parishioner at Transfiguration), Deacon Steve Herrera (Transfiguration), and Denise Ikeda and Mary Moran, two members of the Shinnyo-En Temple which helped underwrite the expense of this trip.
For three days the participants mixed cement by hand and helped build schools in the impoverished districts of Tijuana. From 9 AM until 1 PM the group would dump sand and gravel on the ground, poured in the cement mix, then add just the right amount of water into the mix. Once we had the ingredients in place then the group would take shovels and turn the mixture over and over until it gradually became cement. The work is arduous especially in the hot Tijuana sun, but the teens stepped up and completed all of the concrete tasks they set out to accomplish.
In addition to mixing cement, the Diocesan group also visited Santa Teresita Orphanage. Prior to the visit we made sandwiches and brought ice cream for dessert to have with the children. The visit to the orphanage was a highlight of the trip and provided an opportunity for interaction between the teens and young children.
On one of our afternoon excursions we traveled to Casa del Migrante, a project of the Scalabrini Order. This is the only Catholic religious order that focuses only on migrants. At Casa del Migrante we listened to an overview of the issues surrounding immigration, legal and illegal, and the driving force behind the migrants’ desire to cross the border. Our diocesan group also had dinner with the migrants. In the breaking of the bread with these migrants we were able to hear their stories and become familiar with why they were trying to cross the border. This visit helped our group gain an understanding of the plight and poverty faced by migrants.
After dinner with the migrants we traveled to the part of the U.S.-Mexico border called Otay Mesa. Casa del Migrante has set-up a memorial there in honor of the migrants who have died trying to cross the border. Along the wall erected by the United States, there are over six-hundred crosses with the total number of deaths to date exceeding three thousand. When the teenagers from the Diocese read the names and ages that were listed on the crosses of those who died, they were startled to realize that many were the same age or younger than themselves. And that could have easily been their name on the cross. The teenagers from the Diocese of San Jose were transformed in their understanding of the border region. They were more grateful for what they had and some even vowed to not be so high maintenance anymore! Deanna Alexander from St. Nicholas summed up the transformative power of this trip and its effect on one’s faith when she said, “My faith grew stronger, seeing how much these people have to work. They obviously have to believe in something greater than themselves to be able to have the mind-set and the will to do all this work. And so helping them and getting to spend time with them has made my will and my faith in God stronger.”
Next year’s trip will be July 23-27, 2007 and is open to all Catholic teenagers, current Sophomores thru Seniors in high school. Applications will be available beginning September 1, 2006. The 2007 trip will also include several Buddhist teenagers from the Shinnyo-en Temple to continue not only the inter-cultural dialogue but also the inter-religious dialogue that has already begun. Shinnyo-en will also be underwriting a portion of this trip in addition to providing scholarships for young people who cannot afford the expense of the trip.
For more information contact, Deacon Steve Herrera at 408-266-2287 or by email at ImmersionDSJ@aol.com. For more photos and information on the trip, click here.
Meet Sonja Swanson, SEF's 2006 Summer Intern!An interview with Sonja Swanson Stanford University Spirituality and Service Fellow and Shinnyo-en Foundation Summer Intern Sonja, age 19, will be a sophomore at Stanford University this fall, with an undeclared major (considering religion or human biology). As a self-identified “military brat” she has grown up all over, including Arkansas, Sicily, Oklahoma, Alaska, Louisiana, Virginia and Las Vegas. She has been an active member of many community service efforts including Habitat for Humanity and Ronald McDonald House. This summer she will work with Foundation staff on several initiatives as she explores questions that relate to spirituality and service.
My primary reason for applying for a position with the Shinnyo-en Foundation was a desire to step outside the comfortable boundaries I had set for myself. The most significant of these boundaries was that of my religious understanding. I've grown up learning about my Lutheran faith heritage from parents who value candid discussion and questions and I had some vague notions about Buddhism on my mother's side of the family. So, while I considered myself an open and tolerant Christian, I had never seriously dedicated any time to learning about other faiths. In the past couple of years, I've begun to challenge my beliefs and examine other philosophies so that someday, hopefully, I'll be able to state what I believe to be true with the confidence of having reasoned through these beliefs myself. I resonate with Plato's saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living," and I was very excited to see this emphasis on introspection in Shinnyo-en philosophy as well. At age sixteen, I wanted to take on the world. Now, at the oh-so-weighty age of nineteen, I feel ready to take on myself. While this questioning has led me slightly past the boundary of my limited religious understanding, a desire for new experiences has also led me to step outside my conventional understanding of service. Previously, this had meant the hands-on, soup-kitchen-serving, clothes-sorting, park-cleaning type of volunteer work. I saw in the Shinnyo-en Foundation a chance to learn about the changes that can be enacted not only on an individual level, but also on a nation-wide level, with widespread resources that are able to create a much larger (though no more vital) positive impact. Interning at the Shinnyo-en Foundation is also helping me overstep the boundary that was my fear of public transportation. After the first few of days of breathlessly arriving ten minutes early to the stop and clutching my bag while glaring suspiciously at nearby passengers, I think I'm finally getting the hang of schedules and directions. The relationship between belief and action has also preoccupied me for some time, and as a 2006 Spirituality and Service fellow at Stanford University, I have the opportunity to make the exploration of faith and service the focus of my summer. Several questions have arisen already, and one stands out as I write: "Are communities of faith vital to social change? Is this their obligation or even their proper role?" I firmly believe through spiritual communities, people can find stability, meaning and purpose. I would like to know if faith is a key factor in motivating people to work towards social change. Besides being a motivating factor, is there some inherent value in spirituality in relationship to service? Is there a purpose to keeping faith-based initiatives based in faith? The Shinnyo-en Foundation’s concept of service as an other-centered way of life has begun to provide some insights into these questions, but I know I have much more to reflect on and new questions to formulate.
Consoling My Ancestorsby Kyra Bobinet (Note: Kyra Bobinet, M.D., co-founder of Vision Youthz and long-time friend of the Foundation attended the annual Lantern Floating Ceremony offered by Shinnyo-en in Hawaii.) Months ago, Haru Inouye of the Shinnyo-en Foundation invited me to the Lantern Floating Ceremony in Hawaii. Although hearing about the ceremony for the first time, I felt the significance of this invitation. Haru was always a person of few words and exacting intention, so I knew that I was a carefully chosen guest—but I did not know why.
Months went by and I started to make arrangements for Hawaii. Imagining myself at the ceremony, I sensed a growing need to bring my daughters. As a parent with a broken lineage of Native American and Czech ancestry, I have had few ceremonial teachings to offer my children. I wanted to expose them to peace and unity promotion, to ancestor recognition, and engaged Buddhism. Shinnyo-en was very supportive of this vision and helped me. My anticipation grew. I was focused on the joy of exposing my children to the beauty of Hawaii and their participation in spirit-based ceremony. However, I still had not contemplated my own participation in the ceremony and what it meant for me. The Monday before the trip, Liane invited all of us to the Shinnyo-en Foundation for an orientation. She and Haru described the ceremony, showed footage of the previous ceremonies, and reviewed our itinerary. Then, Haru described the deeper purpose of the ceremony and his own practice of ancestor consolation. My Ojibway tribal practices included honoring our ancestors, but I had never thought of the need to console them. As I sat there listening to Haru, my mind flashed on the history of my parents and their parents. I had never thought of the severe suffering that all four of my biological grandparents had endured. My Czech Grandfather was hated by his mother, who favored his older eight sisters. He worked hard on a farm in Iowa his whole life and died of a heart attack at 54. He was known to physically beat the farm animals, his children and especially, his wife. His wife, my grandmother, was also Czech. She gave birth to six children, the youngest being my father. By the time I knew her in my childhood, she had been reduced to pretending that she was stupid, small, helpless, and invisible—perhaps it had saved her from some of the beatings. My Ojibway Grandmother was raised on the Leech Lake reservation in Minnesota, living off the land in the bitter winter. She had eight children before falling ill from tuberculosis and dying young. My mother and her siblings were taken from the family, placed in Catholic boarding school, and beaten if they spoke their language. Their father, my Lakota grandfather, was an alcoholic for years and never retrieved his children from the foster care system for long. Before he died, he recorded his life story for my mother. He told of being stolen from his Lakota family at the age of nine by the state of South Dakota because his father had gone blind. He was sent to live in the barn of a Dutch family, who used him for slave labor on their farm until he ran away at age 16. Now I knew—I was going to Hawaii to console these four ancestors. I prayed and meditated all week. Sometimes tears flowed down my cheeks as I replayed their suffering and imagined how they felt. I carried them onto the stage with me on Memorial Day for the ceremony. I held them in me as I watched all of the beautiful performances and rituals. Then, the lanterns hit the water. I picked one to watch for my relatives and imagined the great relief they were receiving. It was dark now, and the crowd broke into mass singing of “Aloha, Hawaii”. As we left the stage, I turned out to see thousands of smiling, swaying, crying, singing people. I thought, “We are all here for the same reason—to express our hearts together.” My tears flowed with happiness.
Reflections on My Journey to the Lantern Floating Festivalby Len Traubman Len and Libby Traubman run the Oseh Shalom~Sanea al-Salam, Palestinian-Jewish Family Peacemakers Camp which takes place this fall, September 1-4, 2006, at Camp Tawonga on the Tuolumne River near Yosemite National Park in the northern California mountains. They were first honored by the Shinnyo-en Temple in Burlingame as Outstanding Citizens almost a decade ago for their work that brought Palestinian and Jewish people together to create greater harmony. More information on the upcoming camp can be found at: http://traubman.igc.org/camp2006.htm
Approaching the Lantern Floating event from the parking lot surprised me and filled me with hope. Walking in, I saw it for what it was at first sight -- world-class know-how, global communication capability, organizational skill of the highest kind among humankind. This was an investment in something very different. I was filled with optimism. I said to myself, "Something very important is going on here, with this community of Buddhists." During the service, I was touched by the heartfelt presence of the attendees. They were there in totality with deep purpose, not for casual reasons. I also saw that it was an event in which technology and government-citizen-religion cooperation was really working today to heal humankind. It was a truly rare experience which should be replicated around Earth. I went deep inside to feel the meaning of the moment and came to this: bringing light to Earth is not going to be just the "three monotheistic faiths," as people in our circle are so fond of thinking and saying. Absolutely, it's going to be Buddhists, Hawaiians, Japanese, countless other women and men, six billion contributing individuals, each with gifts to bring to the alter. I found myself saying, “Good for Shinnyo-en. Good for Honolulu and Hawaii.
Bridge of Friendship Annual Celebration Addresses Global Peacebuilding in Our Local CommunitiesOn Saturday, October 14 th, City and School District officials, neighbors, community leaders and friends in Burlingame, Redwood City, and San Mateo County joined representatives from the Shinnyo-en Temple and Shinnyo-en Foundation for the 18 th annual Bridge of Friendship event. The event encouraged dialogue of building global peace in our local communities.
The event is designed each year to bridge relationships between the Temple and the surrounding community. This year included more than 150 people. During the event speeches were offered from Mayor Cathy Baylock of Burlingame, Mayor Barbara Pierce of Redwood City, and by video Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains, New York. The event also showcased the Shinnyo-en Foundation’s new initiative, “Six Billion Paths to Peace” through a performance by young people from the Oakland-based Destiny Arts Center.
During her speech, Mayor Cathy Baylock noted, “Shinnyo-en is an example of a Bridge of Friendship. They are very supportive of our schools and they extend peace by serving the community.” Mayor Pierce offered similar words and along with a warm welcome:
Avon Mattison, from Pathways to Peace was also in attendance. She deeply appreciated the event and offered a warm congratulations to Shinnyo-en and the Shinnyo-en Foundation for all the work they are doing. She noted, “They are demonstrating that peace through cooperation is how we build peace for future generations.”
Dr. Da Marto, Superintendent of the Burlingame Public Schools congratulated Shinnyo-en, noting that the organization, “has been an outstanding partner in education of our children. They have provided not only financial support. They have taught our children to reach out to the community and touch those they might not have touched, had they not been given the opportunity through Shinnyo-en.”
During his welcome, Executive Director of the Shinnyo-en Foundation, Haru Inouye, reminded guest that the role of this event is to convene community members and act as a catalyst for people to share resources to bring about a safer, better community.
In a new effort to connect with the larger, global community Joseph Findlay, former staff at the United Nations spoke as well. He offered a message from the United Nations, which read, “On behalf of the Secretary General, we thank you for your peace project. We are grateful for your support of the Secretary General and the organization. We wish you every success in your endeavors towards peace.”
Bishop Isao Ito, of the Shinnyo-en order, was one of the last speakers of the day and left people with a meaningful message about peace and service. He offered a way to see this event and the larger Six Billion Paths to Peace effort:
Foundation Staff Celebrates President’s Day in White Plains, New YorkWhite Plains, New York February 20, 2006 On Monday, February 20th Haru Inouye joined community members in White Plains, New York to celebrate the 274th birthday of President George Washington. He was the first Buddhist representative to ever offer convocation at this annual event. Invited to offer an ecumenical convocation, Haru joined City Council members, young people and others as they witnessed a reenactment of the raising Old Glory (the flag) at the Purdy House. According to John Vorperian, one of the organizers of the event, the focus of the celebration was “to spark an interest on the part of young people and others to look past dusty history books and realize that significant historical happenings went on in their town and encourage them to reflect upon the freedom and liberty that are afforded to them because of the actions of men like George Washington.” The Purdy House is a significant historical location because Washington is known to have stayed there for several months in 1778. George Washington is known for inspiring his troops against all odds and for being a man of tremendous character. The White Plain CitizeNetReporter noted that: According to The American President, Washington, at sixteen, had formed a code of conduct. He had written a book of etiquette with 110 “maxims” to guide his conduct in matters. In this etiquette book he had written, “Every action done in company ought to be done with a sign of respect to those who are not present. Sleep not when others speak; sit not when others stand; speak not when you should hold your peace; walk not when others stop; …Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matter somewhat grave…Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.”
Each year a local religious leader is invited to participate. This year it was the Shinnyo-en Temple that was invited, who then contacted Haru about attending. In Haru’s convocation he stated: I understand we are the first Buddhist order that has the honor of participating in this event. However, many of the threads that run through our spiritual tradition are shared by those of other spiritual paths, as well as shared by the founding spirit of this nation from the era of George Washington and the Founding fathers. Notably, liberty and freedom are prized among all other treasures in this nation. We then ask ourselves liberty and freedom from what? Along with our treasured social, political, and artistic freedom in this country, in Buddhism, we place great value on freedom from greed, freedom from anger, and freedom from ignorance (known otherwise as the three poisons). In this way, we hope to become well-rounded human beings and citizens that can contribute for the sake of others and create harmony no matter where we are. Every year, Shinnyo-en members have guidelines that we try to embody in our everyday lives and I would like to share one of them with all of you today: “As a Citizen of the World, to contribute with a caring heart.” In following this guideline we hope that all of us gathered here will embody this guideline and live not only as good citizens of White Plains but also as good citizens of the world. A poem written by the Founder of Shinnyo-en reads as follows:
True faith is to act for others, With devotion to benefiting the world.
Helping to Launch theCenter for Sustainable ChangeSan Francisco, CA February 23, 2006 On Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 a meeting was held at the Shinnyo-en Foundation to help launch a new non-profit organization, The Center for Sustainable Change. The Center works to promote understanding of universal principles underlying human change, and the innate capacity for wisdom and well-being. The Center’s work is done with the intention to alleviate human suffering and contribute to a more harmonious global community. |
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Gregory Smith of American Red Cross, Mark Pinto of Shinnyo-en, Harold Brooks of American Red Cross and Haru Inouye of Shinnyo-en Foundation Gathered at the Foundation's Office in San Francisco for the Award Presentation |
In addition to the donation to the American Red Cross, the Head of the Shinnyo-en Order, Shinso Ito, came to the United States from Japan just to conduct a special service on September 6th, called “The Service of Merit Transfer without Distinction of Friend or Foe of the Continents of North and South America”. During this service, prayers of loving compassion were sent to those affected, dead or alive, by Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. The merit of all the hundreds of thousands of Shinnyo-en members was collected, bound, and sent to those who were affected. This merit is the tangible and intangible benefit that results from altruistic actions accumulated on a daily basis by Shinnyo-en members who live in all different parts of the world.
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Mark Pinto of Shinnyo-en Receives Recognition Award from Harold W. Brooks, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter |
Brooks, in explaining the purpose and values of the Red Cross, said, “We are driven by our core values: humility, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. We don’t see politics, religious or other differences when people are in need. We see the universality of people and we respond to people who need our services.” Gregory Smith, Chief Public Support Officer for the Bay Area American Red Cross and Charlotte Payton, Manager of Corporate and Foundation relations were also present for the ceremony. Smith reported that two billion dollars had been donated nationwide for hurricane disaster relief efforts, which is about what the American Red Cross has estimated is needed.
In the Bay Area alone, 21 million dollars was given to local chapters and an estimated 60 million total to both local and national efforts. “It’s inspiring to see how people have stepped up,” Smith noted. The nation-wide contributions are the largest the Red Cross has ever seen for a disaster.
Funds offered, both by the Shinnyo-en Foundation and many, many others went to about 1.2 million families, comprised of about 4 million people, who needed direct financial assistance to help with food, shelter, clothing and other expenses related to getting their life back in order. An additional 2 million dollars went to shelters. There were 1,100 shelters set up at the height of the disaster and about half a million meals were served on the days immediately following the hurricanes. Additional funds went to support mental health issues and counseling to help people cope with the situation.
Both Brooks and Smith reported that these disasters were a wake up call for the Bay Area – offering a challenge to increase preparedness among residents. Currently, through an initial sponsorship from PG & E, the Bay Area Red Cross is working on “Prepare Bay Area”, an initiative to help residents ready themselves in case of a disaster in this area.
In addition to challenging people to get prepared for an emergency, these disasters have opened people’s hearts to increase their compassion and tangible actions for others. Mark Pinto is very aware of this and feels that one of the critical questions that these disasters inspire is, “How can we sustain the efforts of people now that there is an opening.” Through his own experience serving, he has found that when people serve, they feel joy. He learned the value of serving early on in his life while joining a friend to volunteer for Special Olympics. “A seed was planted way back in high school. The people I served at Special Olympics really touched me. Later, while I was in the Marine Corps I was able to serve in all kinds of ways. Service made me feel good and added a real warmth to my life. We hope through the Foundation’s efforts that more people will experience this joy and harmony by getting involved to serve others.”
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The Plaque Reads: " Hurricane Season 2005. In August, Hurricane Katrina cut a path of destruction across the Gulf Coast and left the nation facing an unprecedented tragedy. Since the beginning of the 2005 hurricane season, the American Red Cross has been there. The generous support of donors like you will allow the American Red Cross to continue to be there until the last victim of this monumental storm season is helped. Thank you on behalf of those we serve. Together we can save a life. |
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