Reedley Buddhist Church
WELCOME!
The Reedley Buddhist Church was established in 1936 with the Rev. Rijun Katsueda becoming the first resident minister. After World War II and the relocation of the Japanese residents, the church was rebuilt in 1952-53 and the Rev. Gibun Kimura became the third minister. In 1961, the Sunday School classrooms, conference room, office, and restrooms were started and completed in 1962. A boyhood statue of Shinran Shonin was donated by Mr. Seichi Hirose of Japan and placed in the U-shaped garden. The entire project was completed and dedicated on April 15, 1967.
Rev. George Shibata, our retired resident minister, began his association with the Reedley Buddhist Church in 1975 and completed 37 years in December, 2011. Rev. Hidehito Sakamoto was appointed as resident minister in March, 2012, until December, 2013. From January, 2014 through July 2015, the church was under the supervision of the Fresno Betsuin. In August, 2015, Reedley had three ministers under a shared system of the seven temples of the Central California District Council of the Buddhist Churches of America: Rev. Kakei Nakagawa, Rev. Alan Sakamoto, and Rev. Matthew Hamasaki. The shared system is coordinated by the Central California Ministers' Association, the CCDC Ministerial Advisory Committee, and the staff of the Fresno Betsuin. In December, 2016, Rev. Alan Sakamoto retired from the BCA. Rev. Matthew Hamasaki left in January, 2018, to become the minister in Sacramento, Rev. Kaz Nakata was assigned to the Central California in August, 2019, and Rev. Mieko Majima was assigned to the Central California in February, 2024. At the present time, Rev. Majima is the supervising minister of the Reedley Buddhist Church.
The church renovated the conference room and added a new kitchen facility in 2004. They added a new wrought iron fence surrounding the property in 2006, updated the hondo in 2007, and completed a storage building next to the small kitchen in 2008. The social hall bathrooms received an update in 2010 and in 2011 the grounds between the hall and the Japanese School building were graded and decomposed granite was added. In October, 2017 the church grounds between the hall the Japanese School building were cemented, and in January, 2018, a solar panel system went into service to minimize the utility costs. During the Covid pandemic, safety measures were taken and an AED was installed in the conference room, touchless features were added to the restrooms, and PPE were added so the members could safely return to church.
The membership is approximately 100 members. The Buddhist Women's Association, the Reedley Dharma School, and the Jr. Young Buddhist Association remain active and support all activities sponsored by the church.
The Reedley Buddhist Church welcomes you to join us at any service and encourages new members to join our organization.
ONLINE SERVICES:
There are services online each Sunday at 10:00 AM. Please follow the link: https://mobile.twitter.com/fresno_nishi You can also watch the service afterwards since they are recorded.
Websites for Dharma Talks has been moved to the our LINKS TO WEBSITES page.
Upcoming Services & Activities
COMBINED BODHI DAY, DECEMBER
SHOTSUKI MEMORIAL SERVICE, & FAMILY DHARMA SERVICE
Dharma School Grandparents will be honored at Grandparents’ Day.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
10:00 AM
Lunch will be served following the service.
JOYA-E SERVICE (End of Year)
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
2:00 PM
Toshikoshi Soba served following the service.
SHUSHO-E SERVICE (New Year’s Day)
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
10:30 AM (note change of time)
Reedley Buddhist Church Food Bazaar Thank You!
On behalf of the Reedley Buddhist Church, the bazaar committees, and co-chairpersons Vickie Nishida & Charlene Okamura, we wish to thank the members and friends who came out to help prepare, cook, and assemble over 600 bento boxes! From what we have heard, the meal was delicious and many raved that it was the best in the Valley! The BWA appreciates all who baked and donated to the pastry sales, and the Reedley Dharma School was very pleased with all the wonderful homemade items that were donated towards their sales at the Country Store. Their efforts will help send the Dharma School students to Camp Dharma at Camp Keola this summer! Special thank you to Ben and Diane Kubota for their donation of the cucumbers for the namasu salad, and to Hideki Otani for his donation of the rice. We appreciate their generous support.
The Reedley Buddhist Church Crab Feed & Silent Auction is back!
Tickets will go on sale in January, 2025!
December Calendar
Rev. Majima's Message
December, 2024 Newsletter Article
7 Reserved Hall & Kitchen Nishida Family All Day
8 Bodhi Day, December Shotsuki, &
Family Dharma Service 10:00 AM
8 Reserved Hall - Reedley Jr. YBA 1:00 PM
19 Reedley BC Board Meeting 7:00 PM
31 Joya-E Service (End of Year) 2:00 PM
JANUARY, 2025
1 Shusho-E Service (New Year’s Day) 10:30 AM
The Story of Shakyamuni's Enlightenment: Facing Māra
December 8th marks the day of Shakyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment, also known as “the Day of Overcoming Māra.” This day commemorates the moment under the Bodhi tree when Shakyamuni Buddha attained awakening. However, before reaching enlightenment, he had to face a profound challenge:the confrontation with Māra, the personification of inner obstacles and distractions.
This story is not just a historical account; it is deeply relevant to our daily lives, as it illustrates how we can face and overcome the inner challenges that trouble us.
As Shakyamuni meditated under the Bodhi tree, Māra appeared and tried to prevent him from reaching enlightenment. Using fear, doubt, and temptation, Māra unleashed a series of attacks, questioning the Buddha's right to attain awakening and aiming to shake his resolve. These challenges resonate with us even today. Feelings of anxiety, attachment, anger, and self-doubt often arise, disturbing our peace of mind and pulling us away from clarity.
In response to Māra’s challenges, Shakyamuni did not waver. Instead of reacting, he calmly touched the ground with his right hand and declared, “The Earth shall bear witness to my awakening.” This simple act of touching the Earth symbolizes grounding oneself in truth and finding an unshakable foundation in the face of inner and outer turmoil.
From the perspective of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, this story carries an important message. While Shakyamuni Buddha confronted Māra with unwavering strength, we, as mortal beings, often lack the ability to overcome our inner struggles through sheer willpower. As taught by Shinran, we are bonbu—beings full of worldly desires and limited by our own nature. However, the great compassion of Amida embraces us as we are, without demanding perfection or the elimination of our flaws.
This is the essence of Amida’s vow: guiding even those who are deeply entangled in doubt and desire. Rather than expecting ourselves to conquer our inner challenges, we are encouraged to entrust ourselves to Amida’s boundless compassion and reflect inwardly on our true nature.
In our daily lives, feelings of anxiety, anger, and self-criticism often arise unexpectedly. Instead of resisting or trying to force these emotions away, we can take a moment to acknowledge their presence and let them pass. Much like Shakyamuni’s act of touching the Earth, we can ground ourselves in the teachings and recite the Nembutsu—“Namo Amida Butsu”—as a way to reconnect with the infinite compassion that supports us.
The story of Shakyamuni’s enlightenment is not just a tale of the past. It is a reminder that even in moments of doubt or struggle, we are held within the embrace of Amida. By accepting this compassion and entrusting ourselves to it, we can find solace and clarity in our lives.
May we all find comfort and stability in Amida’s boundless compassion, and may it guide us through the challenges of our hearts and minds.
Namo Amida Butsu
An Old Japanese Tale
(for students)
A long time ago, in a small village, there lived a kind old man and his wife. As the New Year was coming, they decided to make straw hats to sell so they could buy some rice cakes for the holiday.
The old woman said, “It would be nice to have some mochi to celebrate the New Year,” and the old man nodded with a smile.
The old man went to the market to sell the hats, but no one bought even one. Feeling sad, he started walking home.
On his way, he saw a row of stone Jizo statues standing quietly in the snow. Jizo are kind and gentle protectors who watch over children, travelers, and people in need. They are often found standing along roads or in quiet places. The Jizo looked so cold, covered in snow, that the old man stopped and said to himself, “I couldn’t sell the hats, but maybe I can help these Jizo stay warm.”
The old man gently placed a hat on each Jizo’s head, brushing off the snow and making sure they looked cozy. When he finished, he had no hats left, but he felt happy inside. He bowed to the Jizo and hearded home.
That night something incredible happened. The old man and his wife heard a loud noise outside. When they opened the door, they found piles of rice, vegetables, and coins! They couldn’t believe their eyes. And then, in the distance, they saw the Jizo walking away, smiling at them.
Isn’t that nice for the old man shared his hats with the Jizo? He just wanted to help them. Kindness is like that-
it makes everyone happy. So, let’s all be like the old man and the Jizo, and try to bring warmth and joy to people around us. Who knows? Maybe a little bit of magic will find its way back to you, too!
See Japanese message in the December, 2024 newsletter. Click here.
The 2024 Reedley Buddhist Church Cabinet and BWA Cabinet
Reedley Board Meetings
The Reedley Buddhist Church Board started the year having their meetings online using Zoom, but moved to in-person when everyone was fully vaccinated. They have met each month and discussed ways to improve procedures when we return to on site church services and activities.
The restrooms have been updated with touchless faucets, soap dispensers, and paper towel dispensers. Doors to the restroom do not have any handles as they are being changed to push only. An AED defibrillator was purchased for any emergencies as well.
Church services resumed, but depending on the local health directives, this will change from month to month. We may be sitting further apart, but at least we'll be together to listen to the Dharma.
© 2018 Reedley Buddhist Church - Proudly created with Wix.com
2035 15th Street - P.O. Box 24
Reedley, CA 93654 Phone: (559) 638-2146
Email Church President,
Larry Nishida
lvnishida@gmail.com
Resident Minister:
Rev. Mieko Majima
mmajima@honpahi.org
Email Webmaster: reedleybc@gmail.com