“Although I say the nembutsu, the feeling of dancing with joy is faint with me, and I have no thought of wanting to go to the Pure Land quickly. How should it be [for a person of the nembutsu]?
When I asked the master this, he answered, “I, too, have had this question, and the same thought occurs to you, Yuien-bo!
When I reflect deeply on it, by the very fact that I do not rejoice at what should fill me with such joy that I dance in the air and dance on the earth, I realize all the more that my birth is completely settled. What suppresses the heart that should rejoice and keeps one from rejoicing is the action of blind passions. Nevertheless, the Buddha, knowing this beforehand, called us ‘foolish beings possessed of blind passions’; thus, becoming aware that the compassionate Vow of Other Power is indeed for the sake of ourselves, who are such beings, we find it all the more trustworthy.”
On June 26, 2021, as part of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Center for Buddhist Education (CBE) Seminars Online for All (SOFA) we had Rev. Masao Kodani and Johnny Mori as the speaker/lecturers. The seminar was on Kinnara: The Roots of Buddhist Taiko. As the director of CBE, I wanted them to speak about how Taiko in the U.S. has developed into a part of the Japanese American culture. During this talk, Rev. Kodani mentioned that there were two very Japanese American cultural activities: Taiko and Bon Odori. If you are curious about what they said, all the seminars are recorded and posted on the BCA CBE You Tube channel.
(On July 10, July 17 and August 15, the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, Ogden Buddhist Temple and the Buddhist Churches of America will be holding virtual Bon Odori programs. However, on July 11 and July 18 we will be holding our first in-person services in Salt Lake and Ogden. These services require pre-registration, everyone attending must have been fully vaccinated, and social distancing will be enforced.)
During a past CBE seminar, Johnny Mori was speaking about his early involvement with BCA’s Relevant American Buddhists (RAB) program and someone from the listening group spoke out and said, “Without Taiko, our temple would not have survived.” No one responded to this comment. When I heard this, I thought “What an ignorant statement. The person who said this has no idea of why we have our temples.” This statement really bothered me and I was very curious about what Johnny and Rev. Mas would say and I was planning on asking them a question in regards to this. However, it wasn’t necessary. One of the first things Rev. Mas explained was that Taiko was just one small part of the temple. Taiko was established at Senshin as something to do for the younger people and to keep a relevancy for the Japanese culture that their parents and grandparents were born into. Basically Kinnara Taiko, gagaku (classical Japanese court music) and bugaku (classical Japanese court dance) were vehicles for the members to understand the Jodo Shinshu teachings and their cultural heritage. Personally, I believe that if a temple is to only be there for the taiko group, then the temple should not be there.
However, this brings me to another question, are our temples a vehicle to convey Japanese American culture or Buddhist culture? I have always believed Buddhist culture specifically Jodo Shinshu teachings are the reasons we have a temple. Rev. Mas said there were two things that he felt exemplified Japanese American culture, Taiko and Bon Odori. However, what I would like all of us to think about is what would our temple’s culture be if there were no longer Japanese or Japanese Americans as the majority of temple members. If Jodo Shinshu is to survive in America, we have to understand that at some time, it will no longer be a Japanese or Japanese American temple because Jodo Shinshu is about human beings, not just about Asians.
We are seeing Jodo Shinshu temples and priests in the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe and throughout the United States. Although, I doubt that Jodo Shinshu or Buddhism will become a major religion in the U.S. within the next two or three hundred years, I hope it will continue. Besides the Pew report, when last October, I drove the 48 contiguous states, I was quite surprised how many Christian churches there were throughout rural America. It wasn’t just in Utah and Idaho with the Mormon Church, as I had thought. The 2008 Pew report “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey” estimated .5 to .7 percent of Americans were Buddhist, 68 percent are Christian. In 2018, it was reported in another Pew research study that it is estimated about 46 percent of U.S. born Asians married someone of a different race. How many of you or your family (if you are Asian) are married to a race other than your own? With this type of percentage, you can understand at some time in our future, we will have temples with a smaller percentage of Asians than non-Asian. At that time, will we still celebrate Bon odori or Taiko? We can still have Obon, for the Hatsubon and Obon service is a very Buddhist holiday. However, the Bon odori dance is very Japanese or specifically Japanese American. You don’t really see it much in Japan.
The passage I began this month’s article speaks of dancing with joy. In this particular instance Shinran and his disciple Yuien were not discussing Obon. When I think of myself in regard to Bon odori and dancing with joy, I always say that we should just dance at Obon, don’t think about race, culture or how you look, just dance. However, I am Japanese-American and my Auntie Maxine was the Bon odori instructor for my entire life and now my cousin Sandy Iwasaki and her daughter Emily are continuing what Maxine taught them. We are dancing in many ways to reflect our love and familial obligations to Maxine, not just for religion. I’m sure that our dance instructor Tracy Roberson also dances as a way to honor her grandfather, Rev. Shintatsu Sanada who built the current Salt Lake Buddhist Temple. In Ogden, although Aiko Hamada is still alive, I know Ruth Schriock and Betty Yamada dance to honor her years of teaching odori in Ogden. However, when I dance Bon odori, I can’t say it is dancing with joy. I dance partially because of the obligation and responsibility of continuing this tradition and the love I have for my Auntie Maxine. When I dance, I think of her and my Mom, who would always enjoy dancing. However, I am not a dancer by any stretch of the imagination and no matter how many years I have danced in Obon, I am still embarrassed.
As for Taiko, when Ogden began the Ogden Taiko group in about 1976, I did go to a few practices. I was at the original workshop that Johnny Mori and Kinnara held in Ogden. However, Taiko rhythms can drive me crazy. I have a minor obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and when I have to memorize rhythms, I can’t get the sound out of my mind, it plays over and over and over. I could still probably play the first song Johnny Mori taught “Ashura” and that was almost 50 years ago!
Rev. Mas said he felt that Bon odori and Taiko were Japanese American culture. I would have to include many food items, such as Barbecue Teriyaki chicken, chili rice, bacon fried rice and spam musubi. You can’t find these in Japan and I think these food items may outlast Taiko and Bon odori. However, I hope that our Nembutsu teachings and our Buddhist culture will have a long life in America, even though someday those will fade and die as all things do. Until then, I hope you join us for our Japanese American Jodo Shinshu Bon odori that we will be holding virtually for one more year. Although Bon odori and Taiko may disappear, saying “Namo Amida Butsu” brings home the timelessness and universality of the culture of Obon. Obon culture is not just dancing around to Taiko sounds, it is remembrance of our loved ones who have died, expressing gratitude and Namo Amida Butsu. Merry Obon, Namo Amida Butsu, Itadakimasu, I think I’ll have to make some bacon fried rice, with kimchee, to celebrate! Please join us for our Temple’s Obon.
~J.K. Hirano