JUST SAY MAHALO®

Category: my stories

  • The Only Thing to Hate is “HATE” Itself

    May all beings be happy and well.May no harm or difficulties come to them.May they live in peace and harmony. —Gautama Buddha, Mettā Sutta, the Loving-Kindness Sutra Let’s put our hands together, bow our heads, and reflect for a moment on the lives lost, the anguish of the loved ones left behind, and the fear…

  • Right View: Seeing Reality-as-it-is, not Reality-as-My-Ego-Wants

    Gautama Buddha taught “Right View” as one of the Eightfold Path of the Noble Ones, which is the path of discipline followed by monks single-heartedly pursuing nirvana, the “extinguishing” of “thirst” (tanha or craving), awakening to the Truth, Reality-as-it-is, thus becoming a buddha, an “awakened being.”   In Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji Teachings, Right View is…

  • When the Winds of Impermanence Blow…in Your Face!

    When the Winds of Impermanence Blow…in Your Face!

    Anicca, the Truth of Impermanence, is one of the Three Marks of Existence, the key Truths taught by Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha who lived more than 2500 years ago. We all understand, in an abstract sense, all things arising from causes and conditions are anicca “inconstant,” “impermanent” or “all things change”, “nothing stays the…

  • Mahalo, Aunty A for Teaching Me the Vīrya Pāramitā !

    —The Pāramitā Perfection of Vīrya: Energy, Diligence, Vigor, and Sustained Effort— Visiting kupuna elders and temple sangha friends in the hospital, hospice, and home at the end of life is stressful yet profoundly meaningful. End-of-life can stretch out over weeks, months, and years but sometimes, end-of-life comes swiftly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.  In February 2025, my…

  • “There’s Too Much Time”

    When I consider deeply the Vow of Amida, which arose from five kalpas of profound thought, I realize that it was entirely for the sake of myself alone! Then how I am filled with gratitude for the Primal Vow, in which Amida resolved to save me, though I am burdened with such heavy karma. Shinran…

  • “What can I do” during times of disaster?

    The practice of ‘o-mimai ‘ as an Expression of Caring (PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Thayer / The Maui News / Associated Press) As the impact of the wildfires on Maui becomes clearer each day, the all-too-human response is to become overwhelmed emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, to be frozen into the anxiety of inaction. We are horrified,…

  • Ondokusan: Now More Than Ever

    Ondokusan: Now More than Ever (Radio Broadcast: October 2, 2022 7:45 a.m. (HST) KZOO Honolulu. Copyright (c) 2022 Moiliili Hongwanji Mission) Aloha!  I would like to take a few moments this morning to explain the meaning and significance of the gatha Ondokusan because these words of Shinran speak to us now more than ever. Such…

  • Why did the Shin Buddhist  cross the road? To get to the Other Shore.

    —Shinran-shōnin (never said that)  Higan literally means the “Other Shore” and in Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji tradition refers to the Pure Land of Amida Buddha, Sukhavati—the Realm of Ultimate Bliss, Nirvana, Supreme Enlightenment, and Oneness with Amida. In Japanese tradition, Higan marks the seasonal equinoxes. Higan is also referred to as o-higan, using the honorific prefix…

  • Sunday Fun Day Service: What’s the Magic Word that Scares Away Scary Things?

    Barkley the Dog and Lucy the Lady Bug save the day when that pesky King Tut and scary minion Coconut Monkey kidnap Sensei and give the Dharma Buddies an impossible choice: give up all their candy —OR—uncover the Secret Word That Scares Aways Scary Things!

  • BAT IN A BIRD NEST

    In the Children’s Dharma Story Time on October 24, 2021, Barkley the Dog and Lucy the Lady Bug shared the classic book, Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon, a book I fondly remember reading to our son. Stellaluna teaches a profound lesson about harmony: living together despite our differences.   Stellaluna is a fruit bat, who is…