Orange County Buddhist Church

Reflections on 15 Years at OCBC

    As I write this article for the month of June, I await the celebration to occur this weekend commemorating my fifteen years here at the Orange County Buddhist Church.  I would like to take a moment to reflect back on those fifteen years.
    I wonder if people in other careers are given this opportunity to look back on their first fifteen years of work?  Does a teacher have the opportunity to pause and reflect on fifteen years of teaching?  Does a doctor have the occasion to look back on his or her practice of medicine for the past fifteen years?  Does an engineer, or a chef, a lawyer, or a gardener, have such opportunities?  I feel most grateful for the opportunity to look back on my first fifteen years of ministry, and what it has meant for me and for my family.
    In 1986, when I began here at OCBC, my son Riki was just barely a year old.  Keiko wasn’t even born yet.  For my children, Orange County is the only home they have ever known.  Their friendships in SEYO, Scouting, Dharma School, Taiko, Sangha Teens, Jr. YBA, etc., have all been here at OCBC.  For my family, OCBC has been more than my place of employment.  It has been their home.  It has been the source of their friendships, the focal point for their youth.
    We arrived here in Anaheim in late August of 1986, and my assignment was to officially start Sept. 1.  The first day I arrived, I met with Rev. Hirata, my new boss and resident minister that I was to work under.  Sensei and Okusan greeted us warmly, and then after visiting briefly Sensei said, “We have a funeral tomorrow.  Can you help me?”  Needless to say, I got my feet wet right away, assisting at a funeral service even before my official assignment began.
    I feel very fortunate to have served under a senior minister with the longevity and experience that Rev. Hirata had.  I will never forget one of the first things that he said to me.  He told me that the ministry is like a marathon race and that I should prepare myself for the long haul.  He advised not to sprint and burn myself out.  It was good advice, and because of his guidance and supervision, I am able to celebrate fifteen years of ministry.  I realize that I have many more years ahead, in comparison to his forty years of service.
    In the beginning, full-time ministry was a shock.  I was not prepared for the physical and mental strain of the work.  I can recall talking with the late Rev. Russell Hamada, how both of us wondered how the older ministers kept this up for forty years.  That seemed like yesterday, and now it is fifteen years later.
    Looking back over the last fifteen years, I cannot help but think of the many wonderful members here who were so supportive and encouraging, who are no longer with us.  Because of their dedication and sincerity, I was given constant encouragement in my ministry.
    I recall reading in a book by the Shin Buddhist priest and scholar, Daiei Kaneko, who wrote in one of his books, that a minister is “made” or “created”, by the Sangha that he serves.  Just like a plant in a garden, or a young child in a family, a minister is nurtured, raised, by the Sangha itself.  The minister is a fruit, an end result that reflects the nurturing of the Sangha.
    I really feel that this is true in my fifteen years of  ministry.  It has been fifteen years of being nurtured and cultivated by the fertile soil of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha at OCBC.  While we normally think that it is the role of the minister to share or spread the teachings, on the contrary, it is I who has been nurtured within the Dharma through all of you.  Your questions, your sincerity in listening, your dedication to your temple, your criticism, your praise, your encouragement, your advise, your honest responses, have been like a guiding hand of a parent that raises a child.  Whatever I am as a minister, is a reflection of the sustenance I have received through all of you.
    A painter cannot paint without a canvas or a brush.  A musician cannot create music without an instrument to play.  What is a minister without a Sangha to serve?  The real meaning of being a minister is only made possible because of a Sangha.
    You the Sangha have had to endure a lot over the last fifteen years.  You have had to endure my rookie mistakes, my errors of judgment, my lack of preparation, my lack of understanding.  Undoubtedly, there will be much more that you will have to endure in the future.
    However, despite my inadequacies, I look forward to the future and serving all of you.  We can be thankful for the growing Sangha that we are all a part of here at the Orange County Buddhist Church.  I hope that we can continue to grow, and that our new ventures into our Buddhist Education Center and publications can help share the teachings with more of our friends and neighbors in our Southern California community and beyond.

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