Author: Kenjo Igarashi

Right now, at this moment, we are living our life as human beings. However, there are those that are tired of living a life as a human being, which is a depressing prospect. Buddhists emphasize the teaching of “transmigration,” which is the process of reincarnating through the many stages of the suffering world. We are not randomly born as humans, but are here right now due to the cause and effects created during the numerous past lives that we have lived. Through every reincarnation, we accumulate such actions, which lead us to this present moment. Living this life as a human being is important because the realm of humans is the only escape route from this suffering world. If we think of it this way, it would be unfortunate to waste our whole lifetime in this manner, when such an opportunity is a possibility.

Sakyamuni Buddha expresses the necessary graciousness involved in us being born as human beings in the following manner: “It is hard to be born as a human being. It is hard enough to provide life to those that have already lived in this suffering world—thus reincarnation. It is hard to meet the right teaching.” This quote states how while being born as a human being should be considered a benefit, at same time, it is hard to find the right teaching and follow the right teaching in the expected time period that every individual has in every life. To be able to accomplish this goal is difficult and thus to know that you may repeat this process of self-discovery and continued training in the next life is an interesting idea to consider.

In the Buddhist form of transmigration, it is stated that there are six realms of the suffering world. By ordering the levels of suffering from the least to the greatest, it would be the following. First and foremost, heaven consists of the least suffering. The second is the realm of men or rather us, human beings. Third is ashura, individuals who always desire to fight. Next is the realm of animals, followed by hungry spirits. Lastly, hell, is the realm with the most suffering. The last three realms obviously involve the most suffering and are thus known as the three evil paths. In order to avoid such realms it is stated that we must make benefits through good deeds. Once you fall into these three evil paths, it is said to be difficult to escape such realms and to be born in the realm of human beings is impossible. In realm of hungry spirits and the realm of animals, it is quite hard to accumulate good deeds and make benefits in the way that human beings can. No matter how many times the individual goes through reincarnation and no matter how many lives they live, it is hard for them to be born a human being. However, it is possible for the individual to fall into the sub-realm of hell, abi, the lowest of hell where the sinners suffer interminable pain.

The idea that humans are the only individuals able to escape the suffering world was created from such reasoning. Thus, human beings are only individuals with the possibility of obtaining emancipation from the six realms of the suffering world. Many of you may be wondering if being born as human being is much more beneficial than being born into the realm of heavenly beings. The answer to that is yes. It is more beneficial to be born as human beings due to the following reasons. When we are born into the world of heavenly beings, we have the physical body that we use and that enables us to create benefits and move up the ladder to better realms. However, in world of heavenly beings, without our body, we are unable to create benefits that we created as human beings. It is true that individuals born into heaven live a rather relaxed life; however, emancipation from the suffering world is not a possibility. Thus, as a result, we are able to live in heaven through using up our benefits. When we use up all of the good deeds that we have accumulated, we are forced to return to the different realms, including that of the realm of human beings and create benefits once again to move up that ladder, creating the possibility of obtaining enlightenment and escaping from the six suffering realms once and for all. As human beings we are underneath the realm of individuals in heaven, however, if we think of this idea of such ability and opportunity to practice through finding the right teaching we are actually very lucky to be born into this realm. Such opportunity is only provided to human beings.

This is why, as stated in “verses for opening the sutra” or kaikyoge that we chant during the service, we must understand the gratitude that we must have towards being born into this realm and meeting the teaching of Buddhism to provide us with the opportunity to escape the suffering world once and for all.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
November/December 2020

Many miso (soybean paste) companies have been using the modern method of making miso, which is significantly different from the traditional methods that have lasted for hundreds of years. With the demand surpassing the supply of miso, the factories are rushing to meet this demand by speeding up the process of making miso. The time used to mature the miso has decreased, leading to the loss of the desired flavor that the Japanese are so accustomed to. Therefore factories have been adding glutinous malt-sugar to imitate the natural sweetness. Traditional methods of making miso however have not been completely lost. Old miso companies have continued to make miso by letting it sit for the desired amount of time in the traditional big barrel. The sign of this old method is seen by the remains of the mold that is used to ferment miso from the rice, barley, and soybeans, left on the walls of the shacks where the barrels are placed. Mold from the previous batch of miso is included in the new batch to further draw out the desired flavor. The malt-sugar is not enough to bring out this flavor.
The same can be said about the sutras that I chant daily inside the temple. Just like the mold, every time I chant the sutra, each Chinese character stays inside the temple and does not disappear. Each character is essentially a Buddha. When you come to the temple, each Buddha enters your spirit and provides you benefits and guidance in your life.

Nichiren Shonin mentions in one of his teachings the story about a famous Chinese calligrapher named Oryou and his son, Iryou. Oryou did not approve of Buddhism, especially the Lotus Sutra and therefore never wrote any sutras. At his deathbed, Oryou made Iryou vow never to write any sutras even when he became a famous calligrapher. After some time, just like his father, Iryou acquired respect as a calligrapher by many, including the emperor of China. The emperor that had gained an interest in Buddhism desired to have the sutra written by Iryou. However, having vowed never to write any sutras, Iryou refused the job, but in the end, was forced to fulfill the emperor’s wishes. Iryou wrote the sutra with regret and remorse for having broken his promise with his father. He cried in front of his father’s grave and eventually fell asleep in front of the tombstone. In his dream, he saw his father who approached him to tell him, “I have fallen into the suffering world and have been trapped in this world of darkness for having rejected Buddhism. At first, I tried calling your name many times, but you were unable to hear me. Then one day, I saw a small light in the distance. I walked towards the light and saw that it was a Chinese character. In hesitance, I asked what it was. It answered, “I am ‘myo’, one of the Chinese characters of the sutra that your son wrote.” The light was a Buddha. The light continued to accumulate and many more appeared. Thanks to the sutra that you wrote, I was able to escape from the suffering world due to the light that Iryou, you provided me.”

Similar to this story, each Chinese character is guiding us and helping us to make benefits. The next time you chant the sutra, please try to think about the significance of each character that you are chanting and this may help in your own practice of Buddhism.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
September/October 2020

I am hoping that everyone is staying healthy and safe despite this pandemic that has changed the lives of so many people. As the death tolls increase worldwide, we continue to worry about the second wave of COVID-19. Everyone is left in a state of confusion, not knowing how much longer we will have to stay within the confines of our home or practice social distancing.

No one can predict when a natural disaster or pandemic will occur. While very different from the current COVID-19 situation, I was recently reminded of a story of a person affected by Typhoon Vera (also known as Isewan Typhoon) that struck Japan in September 1959. This is known to be one of the deadliest typhoons to have hit Japan, causing 5,238 deaths. During the early years of my training as a minister, I visited various temples in the countryside with my master. During one of those visits in 1968, my master and I were talking with the head minister of the temple when we saw an individual approaching us, beating a Japanese hand drum and chanting the odaimoku. We could tell from afar that the individual was not a minister, though it was apparent that he was on a pilgrimage on foot (angya). We waited for him to finish chanting the odaimoku and the head minister offered him tea, as he joined us for a conversation. We asked him why he was on this pilgrimage, to which he replied that he had lost his whole family when Typhoon Vera struck Japan almost 10 years prior. At the time, he was lost in his ways and did not know what to do. That was when he received a Japanese hand drum from the head minister of his temple, who suggested that he go on this pilgrimage across Japan to pray for his family members that he lost.

Because of this individual, the spirits of his family members who passed away as a result of Typhoon Vera were properly prayed for and could peacefully leave this human realm. However, with Typhoon Vera, there were also situations where all the family members passed away with no individual remaining to pray and guide the+ spirits after death. We are unfortunately seeing the same situation with COVID-19. As we currently pray for the end of this pandemic and for all the individuals whose lives have been affected by this coronavirus, I am hoping that you will also take the time to pray for these spirits as well.

I hope that all of you will remain hopeful that this will one day all pass. I look forward to seeing you once this suspension of public gatherings ends and we can start our Sunday services again.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
May/June 2020

Many of us try to justify our actions and beliefs using primarily logic and reason. This makes sense because many of our beliefs are built in our experiences, which allow us to justify and provide what we consider to be support for making the decisions we make and taking the actions we take. However, we rarely see these terms being used to describe someone’s faith in a religious belief. Though there are various explanations behind this, one of the main reasons probably has to do with the fact that we ourselves cannot fully experience or even see the “higher being” or deities that we believe in. That being said, many people still try to use solely scriptures and texts to deepen their faith, thinking that comprehending written words alone will give them something even remotely close to the “logic” and “reason” that some of us so often yearn for in our religious practice. However, it is my belief that text alone cannot teach you or help you to fully understand your faith – some knowledge must be acquired through action and experience.

My reason for believing this has to do with my experiences with aragyo, which I have talked about multiple times in the past. Aragyo ended this year on February 10th, with all the practitioners exiting the Nakayama Hokekyo-ji Temple via the zuimon or gate. The zuimon opens only twice a year (on the first and last day of aragyo) and permits only the practitioners to pass through these gates. Though I passed the zuimon for the last time during my fifth and final practice over ten years ago (2008), I still remember the sadness I felt, to know that I will never pass this gate again. I had completed my first aragyo practice before coming to the U.S., thinking that I would never have the opportunity to undergo this practice again. However, 13 years later, I entered aragyo for the second time, soon followed by the third, fourth, and fifth time, the last few times even being asked to enter aragyo. And while it is true that every time I entered aragyo, I underwent ascetic training that was both strenuous on my mind and body, I was also able to acquire knowledge and have experiences that I would not have had otherwise. It was through these experiences that I learned that not everything can be explained via logic or reason.
In the same way, I am also reminded of Nichiren Shonin who, through his practice and studies during his exile to Sado Island, underwent the realization that he was the reincarnation of Visistacarita (Jp. Jogyo Bodhisattva), who is thought to protect not only the Lotus Sutra, but also its devotees. Though this may be a little difficult to explain, it is in fact my belief that Nichiren Shonin’s spirit was not initially that of Visistacarita and by this, I mean before he started his practice of the Lotus Sutra. It was through finding the Lotus Sutra, fully embracing it, and risking his life to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to many people that he acquired the spirit of Visistacarita into his own. To further explain, throughout my own training as a minister, I feel as if the spirits of various benevolent deities
(Shoten zenjin) have entered my own spirit to not only help me further my practice, but also protect me during any arduous training I have undergone and also help me spread the teaching of Nichiren Shonin and the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, it is my belief that our actions will reflect the spirits that enter our own pre-existing spirit and protect us – those that commit crimes will have several types of evil spirits entering their soul, only to destroy them from within. However, taking actions to deepen our faith and making an effort to live our life to the fullest by following the teachings of the Lotus Sutra will allow for these benevolent deities to enter our own spirits and protect us from within. This is why faith cannot just be acquired through solely logic or reason, but requires action – you have to work for it.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
March/April 2020

In some of the previous newsletters, I have talked about my experience as the head minister of the San Francisco Nichiren Buddhist Church. When I became the head minister in 1976, the church itself was just an apartment room. Aside from the monthly services I held there, I also prepared the church newsletter and performed other daily tasks for the church. However, these tasks could only keep me busy for so long and I was always searching for other activities that I could do. I really wanted to go to the local Adult School to learn English but I did not have money to take the bus and gave up on this idea. I also spent some time reading the few books that I had brought from Japan and was left trying to find more books in the church, but could not find too many. I also tried to spend my days chanting the sutra, however, the neighbors told me that I was too loud, and I had to find other ways to continue my daily practice without disturbing my neighbors.

As a result, I decided that I would hand deliver my handwritten church newsletter along with the Nichiren News by doing “angya” (walking while also beating my handheld taiko and chanting the odaimoku). I walked from Sunset District all the way to Downtown San Francisco, passing through Haight-Ashbury District, the birthplace and center of the hippie community. During one of my trips, I remember passing through the Haight-Ashbury District only to be surrounded by several hippies. At the time, I did not understand or speak any English, so I was very confused and slightly troubled by this situation. Therefore in that moment, I decided to escape that situation by handing them the Nichiren News and quickly walking away.

During one of my other trips, I was approached by a woman at a stop light. I remember her pointing to the sky and yelling, “There is only one God!” She proceeded to spit at my feet and quickly ran away. I felt several different types of emotions — I was angry, shocked, and very frustrated that I could not say anything back to her. However, I still had newsletters to deliver and could not just stop my angya. As I proceeded to continue walking and chanting the odaimoku, I was able to calm down and remembered the words of the Never Disparaging Bodhisattva (Jp. Jofukyo Bosatsu) in Chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra. The Bodhisattva states to those who scrutinize the Lotus Sutra, “I respect you and I do not disparage you. The reason for this is because you are all practicing the way of the Bodhisattva and will all become Buddhas.” Though there are many people living in this world right now, but there are not too many individuals who know about the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Shu, especially in the United States. It is equivalent to the number of specks of dust and dirt that we can place on a fingernail, a common phrase in Buddhist literature to refer to the scarcity or rarity of a situation.

Unfortunately, many people in this world face a lot of different types of discrimination, one of them being related to religious beliefs. Although that woman tried to disparage or belittle me, at least through that experience, she was able to hear the odaimoku and in turn become exposed to the Lotus Sutra. Every single person has a Buddha nature and therefore a potential to reach Enlightenment and become a Buddha. One of our tasks ss Buddhists is to help people realize that they have this Buddha nature and that through practice, they can reach Enlightenment. When more and more people come to realize this, the world will become more peaceful and closer to heaven or paradise.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
January/February 2020

In the Hannyakyo sutra, the Buddha states, “A foolish person always looks for a person’s bad qualities and uses those faults against them, boasting to everyone as if they themselves are perfect.” Every human being has a greed for knowledge or curiosity-trying to learn more about what they do not understand or trying to make certain, the things that are unclear to them. This is why we have education, which in turn assists in the development of knowledge and a better understanding of the world around us and ourselves.

Often times our education is driven by our own curiosity to learn more, for example, about a particular topic. Unfortunately, for many people, most of this curiosity is driven by wanting to validate rumors or seeking out the truth that has nothing to do with themselves. The society’s desire to acquire such information is why magazines that write about the private lives of celebrities are topping the sales charts today. As many of you know, most of these magazines often exaggerate and add their own fake storyline to make the story seem more interesting and one that people would want to read about. Even during family gatherings or when meeting with friends, people often focus on and enjoy gossiping about the flaws of other people. Sometimes they go as far as to involve themselves in family disputes and troubles of these people. As with many of the magazine writers, many enjoy overexaggerating little mistakes and adding their own twist to these rumors that they hear. For many of these people, gossiping is their hobby and they enjoy hearing and spreading rumors. Therefore, in most cases, these people that spread these rumors hold no grudge against the person they gossip about.

What do these people really gain from spreading these rumors about different people? Those people who take these actions will eventually have the same done to them, not realizing that they will have to suffer the repercussions of the bad karma that they have accumulated from these actions. Much of the suffering that we experience in this “suffering world” is one that we often times cannot control. However, this action of spreading rumors is one that every person can control and prevent. There is nothing more foolish than suffering as a result of actions that we ourselves can control.

As a result, many people forget about the important qualities that we ourselves hope to portray and in turn, see in others. These qualities may include honor and respect for others. We acquire and develop these qualities through the experiences that we have throughout our life. In this process, we are also purifying our spirit and accumulating good karma.

As this year comes to an end, I am hoping that we will all take the time to reflect on the actions we took this year and think about ways that we can improve the next year.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
November/December 2019

In Buddhism, it is said that as human beings we are born into this Saha world, or world of suffering. But becoming a minister in this suffering world involves being prepared to undergo a lot more hardships and struggles that others may not face.

I would like to briefly talk about our Buddhist attire. We must treat our koromo and hakama that we wear as items that we received from the Buddha. When I was just a shami all those years ago, one of my daily duties was to fold my master’s kesa, koromo and hakama. I recall one day, my master decided to watch me fold his Buddhist attire. I had been standing on my knees while folding his koromo and my knees had briefly touched the edge of it. My master immediately became very angry with me and told me that I should never be stepping on or even touching his koromo with my knees. Despite the fact that it was winter, for the next month, my master forbade me from wearing my koromo, and would only let me wear my thin hakui. Needless to say, that experience taught me the importance of my koromo.

When I underwent my 100 days of aragyo training, which as you may know also occurs annually during the winter, I was also only allowed to wear my hakui and koromo. All of you may think that it is just a thin hakui. But this hakui was vital in saving me from the cold winter weather. Every time I finished my 100 days of aragyo training, I appreciated my hakui a lot more. It is this hakui and koromo that I received from the Buddha that helped me complete my aragyo trainings.

Also, when you look a kesa closely, you can see that looks like a patchwork quilt, like small pieces of cloth sewn together. The reason for this lies in the origin of the kesa. It is said that the first kesa was made by a minister who combined the small pieces of cloth that he received as a donation and token of appreciation from various lay members. This donation in Japanese is called “fuse.” Interestingly, the kanji character for “fuse” is written as “donating or giving cloth.” As ministers, we receive this fuse for saving others through propagating Buddhism. Once again, similar to the hakui and koromo, we must treat our kesa as an item that we received from the Buddha as a token of appreciation for saving others through spreading the teachings of the Buddha.

As ministers, we undergo various forms of training and learn through various measures. One of these includes learning through reading books and other forms of literature. However, there is so much that we cannot learn from just reading. It is undoubtedly essential to learn through reading; however, it is through our own experiences and realizations that we further progress as ministers.

Lastly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everybody who celebrated my 30-year anniversary. I really appreciated it, thank you.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
September/October 2019

Recently many religious communities have been frequently using the term “interface” to describe the notion and possibilities of merging doctrines and teachings of different religions. Is the frequent use of this term suggesting to us that maybe many religions need to somehow change in order to better adapt to the rapidly changing and advancing world? Does this mean that many religions need to find a way to unify? With this, we must consider the purpose of religion and its importance in our daily
lives.

Often through the news, we see instances of people forcing their own ideas upon others. Examples can be seen in politics in the form of capitalism and communism as well as in economics where different companies try to expand their business and fight over global power. In all instances, especially in the case of politics, we see that this can become a form of oppression. In such cases, people try to find a way out and understand what ultimately makes them happy. This is the same with religion. In the case of Buddhism, we are taught that all individuals are born into this suffering world; however, we are all trying to find some sort of happiness. However, how can people find happiness, while accepting the inevitable suffering (along with the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path) in this world?

People cannot live life without concerns or problems. They want to live a healthy life, they need some money to survive, and they also want their family to live a life filled with happiness and joy. In such situations, they often rely on religion in the hopes of it helping them fulfill their wishes. Yet, it is also true that religious leaders of some established religions that have existed for several centuries or even thousands of years, believe that using religion for the sole purpose of attaining certain benefits is indecent. They believe it takes away from the fact that there is more to religion than just attaining benefits.

When I first came to the United States, there were only a few priests who had been properly trained to use kito (ritual prayer). This was because at the time, many priests believed that the only way of propagating Nichiren Shu was to focus on teaching the Nichiren Shu doctrine to both the members and the public. As a result, they believed that only the first 22 chapters of the Lotus Sutra (which consists of 28 chapters total) were most important teachings. Interestingly, the 23rd to 28th chapters focus on the benefits that could be obtained from accepting the Lotus Sutra as well as the Shoten-zenjin (protective deities). It is through kito that we learn of these chapters. Without learning or knowing about the existence of these chapters, would people continue to maintain faith in the Lotus Sutra?

Nichiren Shonin himself preached the importance of the Lotus Sutra during his time. However, he also used kito to pray for everyone’s happiness and well-being. Interestingly, the most prominent priests in the history of Nichiren Shu were all famous kito practitioners. In a way this could suggest to us the importance of one again focusing on kito as a way to aid in attaining happiness. It is also true that there are some Nichiren Shu priests who believe that kito is a shaman-like teaching that should not be propagated outside of Japan. It is such beliefs that have led to the misunderstandings behind the purpose of kito and its proper usage.

Many believe that the purpose behind religion is to pray for world peace and for your ancestors. Yet it is also important to focus on religion to help us find our own happiness in this present life. We cannot attain world peace without first obtaining individual happiness.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
July/August 2019

With the help of Mr. Yoshlaki Nunome, I was able to continue and hold services for the members of the San Francisco (SF) Nichiren Buddhist Church and the Nichiren Sangha Association in Los Angeles. By being able to continue my duty as a Nichiren Shu minister, I was able to uphold one of the vows that I took during my tokudo shiki (ordination ceremony) -to part from the life I had always known in order to follow the path towards saving others from this world of suffering (Saha World). This also meant that I could not suddenly decide to quit and change occupations. Given this mindset, I was always surprised to see people choosing an easier path for themselves or just giving up. For example, as I previously mentioned, I had at one point taught judo to Mrs. Sano’s grandchildren and a few other individuals. One individual placed second in the U.S. Junior Judo Championships and another became the Pan American Judo Champion. Despite these accomplishments, they both decided that it would be difficult to make a living as a judoka and quit judo. While I understood their reasons for making their decisions, given the vow I took, I knew that quitting was not an option for me.

However, I cannot emphasize enough that it was because of Mr. Nunome’s kindness that I was able to continue my journey as an overseas minister in America. I continued to travel to Los Angeles to hold monthly services for the members of the Nichiren Sangha Association. While I had registered Mr. Nunome’s home address as the official address for the SF Nichiren Buddhist Church, it was not realistic to hold services at an apartment. So once again, Mrs. Sano kindly allowed me to hold services at her house. I remember picking up the elderly members in my car and driving them to and from her house. After the service, we would have a potluck and the members would always give me the leftovers to take home with me. Mr. Nunome had to work on Sundays and could not join us for these services, but we would often eat the leftovers together at his apartment.

During one of our meals, Mr. Nunome mentioned to me how his father had once told him that he had considered becoming an overseas minister when he was still a young minister. Upon continuing to listen to his story, I learned that Mr. Nunome’s father, Rev. Chotei Nunome, and Rev. Chikyo Kurahashi, one of the previous head ministers of the SF and Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church were actually brother disciples. If you recall, I had been praying for Rev. Kurahashi and was surprised to hear about this connection between Rev. Kurahashi and Rev. Nunome. Mr. Nunome continued to tell me that after Rev. Kurahashi left to go to the U.S. and become an overseas minister, Rev. Nunome seriously considered going to the U.S. himself. However, before he could make a decision, World War II started, and he decided to give up on the idea Shortly thereafter, Rev. Nunome fell ill.

However, there was not enough food or medicine in Japan so Rev. Nunome prepared for death. As a last attempt, he wrote a letter to Rev. Kurahashi asking him ifhe could send him medicine. Rev. Kurahashi quickly sent over the medicine and Rev. Nunome said that he was saved from his illness because of this act of kindness. Rev. Nunome wanted to send Rev. Kurahashi something in return, but was unable to do so before Rev. Kurahashi passed away on November 1, 1957.

When heard this story I realized that Rev. Nunome, Rev.Kurahashi, Mr. Nunome., and I were all connected by cause and condition. I had been praying for Rev. Kurahashi, who had helped Rev. Nunome, whose son eventually helped me. This is slightly difficult to explain, but Mr. Nunome’s kindness and bis efforts in helping me and the SF Nichiren Buddhist Church may be related to how Rev. Nwiome was unable to repay Rev. Kurahashi for saving his life. This leads us back to our title of how our karmic benefits continue to circulate even after we leave this world. While we do good deeds. not expecting anything in return, we will often times receive something in return in some shape or form. This ‘something’ is not always returned to us by the same individual that we help. The same goes for bad deeds as well-we will feel the effect of our actions and doings in the long run. Thus, our actions, deeds, and karmic benefits, all have repercussions, both good and bad.

Ven. Kenjo lgarashi
May/June 2019

Part 1   Part 2

Before continuing my story, I must first introduce Mr. Yoshiaki Nunome, without whom I probably would not have been able to continue my occupation as an overseas minister in the United States for all these years. Mr. Nunome had arrived in Los Angeles (L.A.) from Japan, only a year prior to me, to start a restaurant business in Little Tokyo. I first met him after a member of the L.A. Nichiren Buddhist Church invited me to eat dinner at his restaurant. I would subsequently dine at his restaurant on a few more occasions and had opportunities to talk with Mr. Nunome. I would learn that his father and brother were Nichiren Shu ministers. We even discussed how I had attended Minobusan University, only to realize that his brother had actually been one of my classmates there. After some time, I was informed that he was moving to San Francisco (S.F.) to open a new restaurant in Japantown. I was still living in L.A. at the time and thinking that I would never see him again. I bid him what I thought would be farewell. Soon after, I was surprised to be assigned the position of the head minister of the S.F. Church and would reunite with him several months later in Japantown. When I first moved to S.F., the S.F. church/apartment I stayed at was somewhat far from Japantown. Despite this, he would take the time to cook and bring me food a few times a month. I was saved on many occasions by his acts of kindness. Once the S.F. Church moved to the new apartment, I was living much closer to Japantown. Mr. Nunome was kind enough to tell me that if I was ever out of food or wanted to dine at his restaurant, I was always welcome to stop by.

It was also around this time when what remains in my memory as the “infamous November S.F. Church meeting” occurred. Being informed that the S.F. Church was to be shut down in a month left not only myself, but also the elderly members, who were also hearing this news for the first time, in a state of absolute shock. Many thoughts started running through my head as I tried to process the fact that in that very moment, I had lost both my job and my home. To make matters worse, this was happening in a foreign country and an environment (language, people, etc.) that I was still in the process of adjusting to. It was also very clear that the Nichiren Shu Headquarters and the Nichiren Order of North America (NONA) had no intention of helping me get through this situation. No one was going to advise me on what I should do. I ultimately came to the conclusion that I realistically had two options: (1) return to Japan or (2) stay in S.F. and essentially become homeless. Returning to Japan would be the easy way out, though it would also mean that I would be abandoning the Shintokai members and also the remaining members of the S.F Church. However, I knew that it would be impossible for me to find an apartment in S.F. given the little money I had at the time. In other words, this meant that I would most definitely end up having to live on the streets.

Days and weeks passed as I continued to think of more options. Next thing I knew, it was already well into December and I only had a few weeks left to make a decision. It was during that time that I received a phone call from Mr. Nunome. He had become concerned that I had not visited his restaurant recently and suggested that I stop by some time soon. Given my circumstance, I had not had the chance to visit Mr. Nunome since the November S.F. Church meeting. I also knew that December was a very busy time for his restaurant, and I had avoided visiting him so as not to “bother him. I stopped by his restaurant a few days after his phone call, and he cooked a full meal for me, as always. During our conversation I ended up casually mentioning my situation to him, including how I had to leave my current apartment at the end of the month. Without any hesitation, he immediately said, “You can come live with me.” He explained that he was living by himself in a two-bedroom apartment, but had been using only one of the rooms. He told me that I was welcome to use the other room if I wanted. I did not expect that a visit to Mr. Nunome’s restaurant would lead me to a solution that would allow me to stay in S.F. and not become homeless. To this day, I am forever grateful for his many acts of kindness.

In the remaining days until December 31st, I cleaned the apartment to prepare for my move. I realized that aside from all the religious items I had to give away or dispose of_mapy large items (tables, etc.) that I could not take with me. Upon informing multiple S.F. Church members about this, many members that never attended the Church services showed up. It was clear that they had their eye on certain items, which they ultimately took with them. After several phone calls, I was able to give away the remaining items, including a couch, bed, and desk. Then on December 31st, I left the apartment, carrying all the religious items/objects and my few belongings. Starting January 1st, Mr. Nunome’s apartment address would be registered with the Nichiren Shu Headquarters as the new address for the S.F. Church. As a result of Mr. Nunomc’s kindness and generosity, the S.F. Church was not going to be shut down any time soon.

To be continued…

Ven. Kenjo lgarashi
March/April 2019

Part 1  Part 3