2008 September Bulletin - West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple September 2008
West LA Taiko Performs over July Fourth Weekend
It was a historic occasion for
WLABT’s Buddhist Taiko group:
We performed for the San
Fernando Valley Hongwanji
Buddhist Temple Obon Festival
over the July Fourth weekend.
Our selfless taiko sensei, Elaine
Fukumoto, Joyce Layne, and
Audrey Nakasone (in alphabetic order), spent
countless hours to prepare our WLA Taiko for
the occasion. We performed both on Saturday
and Sunday, falling into exhaustion and
exhilaration in the valley heat.
Elaine, Joyce, and Audrey led us in a running
sprint (or was it more like a trot?) to perform in
front of the yagura to show our stuff (see photo
below of the hordes descending). Rev. Fumiaki
Usuki, the founder of WLA Taiko and builder of
our 20-plus taiko, cheered us on.
Rev. Art Takemoto served as a minister at
WLABT from 1964 to 1976. He was WLABT’s
first English-speaking minister, guiding the
Temple during its early period of transition from
Japanese to English services. Rev. Takemoto
wrote eloquently about Buddhist Taiko as contrasted
with other taiko forms.
“Buddhist Taiko, then, becomes the three treasures
of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha working
and revealing itself to us. Because of this fact,
the joy that can be found in taiko becomes the
joy of hearing the Buddha-Dharma. To perform
becomes an expression of one’s joy and gratitude
by Rick Stambul
at being able to hear and receive that which is
most difficult to hear and receive. It is for this
reason that this joy, Horaku, is accompanied by
a sense of deep respect and reverence. For
example, one notes that the beginning of a
performance often begins with the blowing of the
Hora (conch shell). This signals the movement of
one’s entering into the path of the Dharma (the
voice of the Buddha-Dharma), and the
performers will put their hands together in
gassho with the bachi held between the thumb
and index finger and bow with reverence and
repeat Namo Amida Butsu.
On the other hand, however, when one disregards
the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, disharmony
and discord result. This is reflected in
the performance. The performance becomes filled
with ego, and the harmony that can be found in
the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha disappears.
Hence, Buddhist Taiko represents the beauty
and joy of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
working harmoniously, or represents the discord
that can result when the ego works in opposition
to the Buddha and Dharma and becomes more
important than the Sangha.
As a means of Jodo Shinshu Buddhist propagation,
the primary purpose and goal of each taiko
player and the listener is to teach and learn the
Dharma by being embraced in both body and
mind to the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha.”
Namo Amida Butsu.
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