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In This Issue:

Sensei Message p. 1, 2 Summer Service Break p. 2 Thank You p. 2 July & Aug Calendar p. 3 Keirokai p. 4 Semi-Annual Cleaning p. 4 Library Day p. 4 Temple Garage Sale p. 5 Ikebana Class p. 5 Obon p. 5 Condolences p. 5 Donations p. 6

Sangha News

July 2017

Honestly? Once upon a time there was a boat builder who was renowned for his boat building skills and quality of his crafts-manship. It is said that people from miles around would be willing to stand in line for the opportunity to purchase one of his fine boats. One day a man who had been searching to purchase a boat for a long time showed up at the boat builder's door. The boat builder showed the prospec-tive buyer his latest craft which he had just finished building. As the potential buyer walked around to

view the craft he eventually stopped

and said to the boat builder, “I’m sorry

but I just don’t have the necessary amount of money to purchase such a beautiful boat. Your boat is one of the finest

that I have seen in quite a while and obviously worth a lot of money. It would be unworthy of me and insulting to you

to only offer the amount of money that I have saved for purchasing a boat.”

Continued on page 2

The boat builder mused for a moment and then replied, “Yes but you did not notice the defect in the railing and then you also overlooked the fault that is in one plank that I used along the side. It is really not a perfect boat; therefore, I cannot possibly charge the full price. There are a few other im-perfections as well so I am willing to accept what you can pay.” With that being said the purchaser was able to buy a boat that fulfilled all his needs and the builder set about to build his next project knowing that perfection was impossible yet anticipating that his next boat would be flaw-less. Well, the story did start with once upon a time so it is a fairy-tale. Still I love this story because it offers a perspective that is totally contrary with how modern society usually functions. Unfortunately, false speech and obfusca-tion seem to have become a part of everyday life.

Right speech can be a very difficult to practice, especially when our own greed and ego come into play. When they become more important, dishonest speech becomes the norm. When I think of this story I realize I have a long way to go as a boat builder. In Gassho, Sensei James

Newsletter Volunteer Needed We are currently looking for someone to kindly take over putting together of the Temple newsletter. If you can help or would like more information, please email [email protected].

Reminder - Summer Service Break There will be NO temple services between July 3 to Aug 5, 2017

Thank You For Your Support At the recent JSBTC Annual General Meeting hosted in Toronto, the Women’s Federation made a very sizable donation of $120,000 to the Ministers’ Retirement Fund. The funds were proceeds raised through the very successful World Buddhist Women’s Convention held in Calgary in 2015. Also at the AGM, the Toronto Buddhist Church made a gener-ous donation towards the Ministers’ Retirement Fund. Both of these donations were due in part of the ongoing efforts of the JSBTC to promote the importance of providing long term security for our dedicated ministers who have spent a lifetime spreading the Nembutsu teachings at temples across Canada. On behalf of the Ministerial Association as well as those ministers who are already beginning to receive the benefits from the Ministers’ Retirement Fund, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Women’s Federation, to the Toronto Buddhist Church, to the JSBTC and to all the individuals who have contributed to this fund. Your contribution and ongoing effort is truly appreciated by all of the ministers, both those who are currently serving our national organi-zation and those who have already retired. In Gassho, Rev. Grant Ikuta, Chairperson JSBTC Ministerial Association

Continued from page 1

Support Our Temple It is the Calgary Buddhist Temple's hope

to continue living & teaching a life of

dharma for many years but we can only

do so through the support & generosity

of our membership.

Calgary Buddhist Temple

July 2017

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

2 Shotsuki Service

3 4 Temple Refuge Circle

5 6 Closed

7 8

9 Closed


12 13 Closed

14 15

16 Closed


19 20 Closed

21 22

23 Closed


26 27 Closed

28 29

30 Closed

31

August 2017

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 Temple Refuge Circle

2 3 Closed

4 5

6 Sitting Meditation Shotsuki Service


9 10 Evening Service

11 12

13 Sitting Meditation Morning Service Library is Open



18 19

20 Sitting Meditation Morning Service



25 26

27 NO Meditation/ Morning Service OBON Service at

3:00pm




Keirokai - May 28 Photos by K Saruwatari

Keirokai is a yearly event honoring our members who are 'Keiro', that is, our senior, experienced Sangha members. After the morning Gotanye service, the honorees, their families and the congregation gathered to share delicious food and a bento lunch. Thank you to all special guests, Temple members and volunteers who helped make this day so special!

Semi-Annual Cleaning Held on Sunday, June 11 - A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who came out to lend a helping hand. The Tem-ple looks great! Special thanks to Tracee for leading.

Library Days After service every second Sunday of the month (except July), please come visit our downstairs library at the Tem-ple which has a variety of books for loan. A membership is $20.00 and the books can be borrowed for a one month period. You may also join us and have a cup of tea and an informal discussion on various topics!


Temple Garage Sale - June 3 Thank you to everyone for coming out and supporting this successful Temple fundraiser! Total sales were an impressive $1,646.25 which is almost $450 more than last year so exceeded expectations! Thank you to the volunteers who worked Thursday and/or Saturday – especially the young adults with all their energy! The garage sale was well worth the effort!

Ikebana Classes (Japanese Flower Arrangement)

Five classes are being offered by Rika Saruwatari, who trained under Ms. Takato Yokoyama. Rika became a certified shihan (teacher) in 2012.

Classes will be held Saturday mornings 10:00 am -12:30 pm on September 16 & 30, October 14 & 28, and November 11 at the temple. Cost is $175 included tax. Students must supply their own containers (please ask Rika for suitable size and shape), scissors and kenzan (frog). Feel free to ask Rika if you need help selecting your items but these are not supplied as part of the class. Sorry, no refunds for missed lessons and class size is limited so register early! Contact Rika at [email protected] or call 403-701-0390 with questions or for more information.

Obon August 27 3:00 pm (NO morning temple service) Obon season is a time to express our gratitude to loved ones who have passed on before us. Without them, we would not be who we are today, due to the basic tenet of interdependence. We would not be where we are and we would not be able to do the things we do to enjoy life. Since we’re all influenced by a countless number of beings, our interconnec-tions, and therefore our debt of gratitude, is without bounds. Thus, temples hold an Obon memorial service to enable people to pay tribute to the departed.

Looking for a venue?

Need a boardroom for a meeting? A family celebration or a space to hold a class you would like to teach? Consider the Calgary Buddhist Temple for your next professional function or social gathering. For more information and to book, contact: [email protected]

Sincere condolences to the Nishiyama family on the passing of Makiko (Mac) Nishiyama


Aug 27 schedule for cemetery visits:

Strathmore – 9:00 am

Mountain View – 9:45 am

Burnsland – 10:30 am

Eden Brook – 11:00 am

Queens – 1:00 pm

Temple service – 3:00 pm

Calgary Buddhist

Temple

658 - 1 Avenue N.E. Phone: 1-403-263-5723

Mailing address: 207 - 6 Street NE

Calgary, AB Canada T2E 3Y1

Web: calgary-buddhist.ab.ca

Email: [email protected]

Apologies for any Errors or Omissions

Regular Donations

Anonymous

Alexander, Robert

Bedford, Keith

Desile, Yuri

Dharma School

Dooge, Frank

Esler, Fran

Greer, Chris

Hayashi, Debbie

Hinatsu, Keiko

Hironaka, Marshall

Hironaka, Russell

Horiguchi, Dave & Tam

Ikuta, Lester

Kaminishi, Edward

Kanagawa, Richard & Suyeko

Kawamura, Toyo

Kimura, Alice

Canada Helps Donations

Giggs, Melanie

Nguyen, Loc

Madden, Ken

Martin, James

Stewart, Matthew

Sugimoto, Laura

Kitagawa, Mike

Kitagawa, Susan

Kondo, Lido

Medlock, Jennifer

Nishihata, Eiji

Nitta, Kayo

Odagaki, Earl & Sekiko

Odagaki, Yo

Radau, Perry

Robb, Barrie and Jackie

Ryan, Danielle

Sakamoto, Tobie

Saruwatari, Rika

Sharma, Suman

Sugimoto, Takako

Tajiri, June

Tamaki, Linda

Yoneda, KC

Thank You!


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