Hanamatsuri "Flower Festival"

“Wherever the Buddha resides, there is no place which does not benefit from his virtue.  Peace and harmony reign where the Buddha resides.  The sun and moon shine brightly, the wind and the rain are prosperous and the people live in peace, there is no need for soldiers and weapons.  People respect virtue, cultivate benevolence, and diligently observe propriety and humility.”

The Watsonville Buddhist Temple is where the Buddha resides, and within the grounds of the temple we cultivate peace and compassion.  We are a haven for our members and friends to come and feel safe and at peace. The goal of our temple is to help our members and friends aspire to reach enlightenment.  Coming to our temple reinforces that aspiration that they take home with them after coming to the temple.

 This is not an easy task in today’s world. The world is wavering and unsteady.  There continues to be conflicts around the world, there continues to be sickness and poverty, terrible incidents and tragedies happen one after another.

At the same time our own minds are wavering and unsteady.  We bounce back and forth from laughter to tears, from joy to sadness, from contentment to anxiety.  Our human goal for ourselves is to live in peace, gain wealth and live undisturbed.  We are still trying to find ways to achieve those goals.  In our pursuit of these goals, we can become divisive.  Perhaps it is time to reconsider what the goals of our life. 

What better time to do this than during Hanamatsuri, the flower festival that celebrates the birth of the future Buddha.  His birth represents the aspiration for enlightenment and the celebration of his birth reminds us of our own aspiration for enlightenment.  The Buddha represents that which is steady the reliable.  Amida Buddha reminds us that in an uncertain and changing world we should aspire for birth in the Pure Land.  Instead of pursuing that which is unreliable and changing, we should seek peace of mind through Nembutsu, Namoamidabutsu.

Shakyamuni Buddha was born Siddartha Gautama on April 8, 563 BCE in a small grove of flowers and trees called Lumbini.  At the age of 35 he attained Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha the awakened one.  His teachings started out small, but soon grew into the light of Asia.  Over 850 years ago as Buddhism grew in Japan, Shinran Shonin centered on the Nembutsu teaching of the Buddha.  That teaching came to America with the Issei pioneers who immigrated to the United States.

Watsonville started out as a small Buddhist community that grew into a sizable sangha that served the communities of San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz and the Pajaro Valley.  Our predecessors built this temple as a haven as a center of the Dharma, a center of the Nembutsu teaching.  It was their dream that generations later, the Buddha Dharma would continue to live and thrive in the Pajaro Valley and beyond. 

If you believe in equality for all and that wisdom and compassion can save the world from tyranny and suffering, then you can find and affinity with our Buddhist Sangha in Watsonville.  Come join us to celebrate the birthday of the Buddha.  Join with like-minded people who believe in respect for our fellow human beings, virtue and benevolence.  We begin the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday with our Festival on April 5th and our service celebration on April 6th. 

Gassho,

Rev. Shinseki