Good morning everyone!

Thank you for coming our Sunday Dharma school service this morning.

I am really pleased to see all of…

“Hahaha, that’s cool”

“What? Who’s laughing?”

“Hahaha… Hahaha” (throwing candy wrappers)

“Oh, is that you, Sakura?”

“Yeah, hi, how are you, Rev. Kaz.”

“I… I am fine. What are you reading?”

“Oh this? This is NARUTO. It is a Japanese cartoon”

“Oh yes, I know that NARUTO is a story about Japanese NINJA.”

“Yes, how do you know about this cartoon?” (throw a candy wrapper)

“Because…

the NARUTO was started as a weekly cartoon magazine in 1999 in Japan. And it was on TV too… I saw it when I lived in Japan.”

“Oh, really? I watch it on the Cartoon channel.” (throw another candy wrapper)

“I did not know that it is already on TV here in the United States.”

“Yeah, do you know the characters?”

“Yes, I remember some of them…”

“I will show you. This is NARUTO. He is the main character” (throw a candy wrapper)

“Oh, this is pretty good. Did you draw it?”

“No, my friend gave it to me. And here is SASUKE. He is a rival of NARUTO.”

“Was this also drawn by your friend?”

“No, I drew it.”

“Hmmm, I thought so.”

“Oh, ya? Why do you say that? Well… anyway, I want to introduce one more important character, it is… SAKURA.”

“I know SAKURA. She has the same first name as you.”

“Yes. She is a cute girl. She is my favorite. This one was drawn by my friend.” (Throw a candy wrapper)

“What are you throwing from the podium, you have been tossing things out, since we started our conversation?”

“I am eating candy. But there is no garbage box in our Hondo, so I just have to throw it away.”

“Oh, no… that is not good…”

“Why? I know some of our kids eat candy or chewing gum in our Hondo, and they just leave the plastic wrappers or the candy boxes on the chair or on the floor.”

“Oh, is that so? I did not know that… Now, I feel so sad… that someone would leave garbage and litter our Hondo. Do you know why we do not have any garbage boxes in the Hondo?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Because, our Hondo is a place to listen to the Dharma teachings and also to cultivate ourselves. The Hondo is not a place of amusement, like a movie theater. That is why, we do not need garbage boxes in the Hondo.” “I see.”

“And also Sakura, if you have garbage, you should throw it into a garbage box.” “Why?”

“Ok, I will try to explain. If you eat snacks in your play room or bed room, what do you do with the snack bags and wrappers?”

“Well… I throw it into a garbage box.”

“See… If your friends throw their garbage or trash on the floor in your bed room, what would you think?”

“I would tell them… Hey, don’t make a mess in my room!”

“See… It is natural to not like it, when someone does not respect your room or your house.”

Our Hondo is a special place, it is like everyone’s room. It is a place open to the public. But, some people really do not care about how they treat a public place. But, if they know and understand our Jodo Shinshu teachings, they would consider more deeply about how they must take better care of public places also…”

“By what kind of teachings make people start caring about being considerate?”

“It is the concept and teaching of oneness.”

“The concept of oneness?”

“Yes. This means everything is connected and our actions affect others. Your actions affect others and other’s actions affect your life too.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I will give you an example. If you think it is ok to throw plastic candy wrappers away in this Hondo, you leave a piece of garbage. Right?

There are hundreds of people here today. If everyone thought it was ok to throw only one candy wrapper away, how many candy wrappers would litter our Hondo? How many?”

“Hmmm, there would be a big mess… ”

“See… Even if only one person thinks it is ok to litter in a public place such, it may affect all others.”

“That is right…”

“Your actions will affect others and some of them may start to copy your behavior…”

“I remember that is why I started littering… before, I saw my friends throw their wrappers away here in the Hondo, and so I started to do the same thing…”

“Everything is connected and our behavior affects others. This is the concept of oneness. So, everyone has to consider how they behave.”

“I see. Is this a Buddhist’s rule?”

“No, it is not only for Buddhists. It is for everyone and for everything.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes… if someone is screaming or talking loudly in your class room, no one can hear what the teacher’s saying, right? The screaming affects all of the other students, too.”

“Oh, I see.”

“That is why, we have to consider our behavior especially in public places. All of our actions always affect others. Do you understand it?”

“Yes, I will take care of a public place, like my bed room. And I will try to watch my behavior.”

“Ok, Sakura. Please keep it up.”

“Thank you Rev. Kaz. See you next Sunday.”

“Oh, next Sunday, I have to attend the National council meeting in Oakland.”

“Oh, so… you will not be here next Sunday. How about the following Sunday?”

“The following Sunday, we have Spring Ohigan service. So, we will meet again on March 25.”

“I see. I will try to cultivate good behavior until you come back.”

“Bye Bye”

In gassho

Everything is connected and our behavior affects others. This is the concept of oneness. So, everyone has to consider how they behave.

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