www.calgary-buddhist.ab.ca
Sharing with our congregation, services conducted by Rev. Tatsuya Aoki, the minister of the Vancouver Buddhist Temple as well as Socho or Bishop of the Buddhist Temples of Canada:
Hanamatsuri Service: https://youtu.be/BZCsXWpvGo8
April Shotsuki Service: https://youtu.be/QnARLXx8z-M
You are welcome to subscribe to his YouTube channel for updates.
The Temple will be having the April Shotsuki Hoyo (Monthly Memorial) Live Stream service on Sunday, April 05, 2020. This service is in memory of those people whose date of death falls in the month of April.
The Sunday service will start at 10:00 am (MST) and will be streaming using Facebook Live from the group, Calgary Buddhist Temple Group on Facebook
Below are the relevant sections from our service book for this service.
VandanaTiSarana AmidaKyo EightfoldPath LovingKindness
Gassho,
Calgary Buddhist Temple
Dear Dharma Friends,
We hope you well and healthy! The Calgary Buddhist Temple will be having a Sunday service tomorrow March 29, 2020 – The service will start at 11:00 am MST and will be streaming using Facebook Live from the group, Calgary Buddhist Temple
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CalgaryBuddhistTemple/ is the link to the Calgary Buddhist Temple Group on FaceBook
The FaceBook site includes an attachment with the relevant sections from our service book for this online service.
Everyone welcome!
It has been a while since I wrote a President’s message, but given the current serious situation, I decided that this is the right time for one.
I hope you are all staying safe and staying connected with family and friends as best as you can. I am sure that like me, you are all watching the ever-changing development of this public health crisis. Three months ago we were merely observers as China grappled with COVID-19 outbreak. How things have changed since then; just six weeks ago it was their virus and now it has become our virus. Ironically it has become the equalizer and the common ground in our communities, country, and also globally.
I am sure we will all have stories to share when this is over. Sadly, a Steveston Temple member, who was on the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, recently passed away in Japan. As for me, after attending the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver with 20 of my staff, my wife and I are in isolation while waiting for our test results. I appreciate all the emails and expressions of concern for us. But I want to reassure you that we only have mild, cold-like symptoms, and are not too worried. We are keeping busy working from home and walking our dog for breaks, much like the rest of you. I feel grateful for Buddha’s teachings, which reminds me to accept the current realities with graciousness while feeling grateful for our family and friends, our Sangha, and the greater community.
Our Temple board had decided to temporarily suspend all of our in-person services and activities, but we are looking for ways to stay connected online. Robert Sensei is currently working to set up an online platform for services so we will let you know when he is ready to go. We will also explore other Sangha engagement opportunities so please stay tuned by checking your email, our website, and Facebook.
In this time of self-isolation and social distancing, my hope is that we can all stay connected and support one another as a Sangha. The world of technology is a wonderful thing, and as all the temples are gearing up for online services, we also have a unique opportunity to connect to other temple services around the world, thereby forming a link in Amida Buddha’s golden chain that stretches around the world.
Please stay safe and healthy, and hopefully soon this will become a distance memory.
In gassho
Lester Ikuta
In these uncertain times, when we all seek guidance, we are sharing this video message from Rev. Grant Ikuta, from the Steveston Buddhist Temple in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
The Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada (JSBTC) has just published a special edition of the Nenju News considering COVID-19. Dharma messages, links to Temples, and additional information is provided.
