Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
A Way Of Seeing
It’s a good thing a Buddha was born
Hana Matsuri
A new life awaits me now
Namo Amidabutsu.
Donkon Jaan
It’s been over 2500 years since the man we call the Buddha, the Enlightened One, was born, and it has been 830 years since Shinran Shonin, the man who showed us the true essence of the Buddha’s teachings, was born. We call April 8th, Hana Matsuri, literally, Flower Festival, because the Buddha was said to be born on that day, and all the flowers bloomed in celebration.
The Buddha taught many ways for people to become Buddhas themselves, but they all required leaving homes and families and entering a new life as a monk or nun. During his lifetime, because he was there as a living example and one could listen to the teachings directly, asking questions if necessary, it might truly have been possible to realize enlightenment and become a Buddha oneself. In fact, there were at least 16, although they were called “arhats” rather than Buddhas. However, after the Buddha died and with the passing of time, it became more and more difficult until now, as he himself predicted, no one is able to realize enlightenment on his own.
Through the centuries, however, from time to time, people whom we consider to be bodhisattvas, beings postponing their own enlightenment for our sakes, e.g., Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T’an-luan, and the rest of the seven Buddhist masters, have relied on an Other Power taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, namely, Amida Buddha. The one who made that clear to us was, of course, Shinran Shonin, founder of our Jodo Shinshu way of seeing. Therefore, although we celebrate Hana Matsuri as the birthday of the Buddha, it is because he compassionately left us with the teaching that enables even such dull-witted ones as I to realize enlightenment and a new life through Amida. It’s a good thing a Buddha was born!
Gassho,
Donkon Jaan, Rev. John Doami
[I’m glad Hana Matsuri has no more than the five syllables required in a haiku, as above, although I suppose I could have written, “The Buddha’s birthday” instead.]
