Back in May, I had the opportunity to speak to the Sangha during our weekly Sunday service. My talk was about Generational Buddhists. If you were born a Buddhist, and your parents and grandparents are Buddhist, you are a Generational Buddhist. Sometimes you are also referred to as a Hereditary Buddhist.

My grandparents immigrated to the United States in 1904 and were active members of the Fresno Buddhist Temple. My father grew up at the Fresno Buddhist Temple and I grew up at the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (Nishi Hongwanji) in Little Tokyo. I’d say I’m a typical, Sansei, Generational, Japanese American Buddhist. My grandparents and parents, and now my kids, have been part of a BCA (Buddhist Churches of America) temple our entire lives. There are many, many OCBC Sangha members that have similar stories. Many have been around so long that temple life is truly part of their lives. It is often said that Shin Buddhism is about the heart and how you live. It is not a religion of the mind. You can’t get the most out of Shin Buddhism through books or self-study.

As I was researching the history of the BCA, I pulled a dusty book off a bookshelf at my parents’ house. It was the BCA 75th Anniversary Book published in 1974. There are several pages dedicated to each BCA temple, which include details about their history and several pictures.  The following picture was part of the OCBC section.

Many of these families are still part of OCBC! These families live with so much Namo Amida Butsu and gratitude in their heart that they give back continuously to our temple. The Furumoto family is still around with Itsuo Furumoto’s son, Bryan, as our current Board President!

The BCA Generational Buddhist have a lot in common. Issei grandparents or great grandparents who were temple pioneers, Nisei parents or grandparents who were in American Concentration Camps during World War II, Sanseis that were part of the rapid growth of temples in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Current Yonseis and Goseis reminisce about the good times they had at Jr. YBA Seminars and as they went temple hopping during Obon season.

I ended my talk with a list of “You Know You are a Generational Japanese American Buddhist When” which was inspired by the “101 Ways to Tell You’re Japanese American” which was originally published in the Rafu Shimpo in March 1996 and written by Jenni Kuida and Tony Osumi. (Go check out their follow-up 20th Anniversary interview published online by the Rafu Shimpo in January 2017.) Perhaps you have more to add to the list!

 You Know You Are a Generational Japanese American Buddhist When…

•  Your obaachan’s house smells like osenko.

• The first thing you do when you go to your obaachan’s house is to Gassho in front of the Obutsudan.

• You’re not sure if that church goes by “church” or “temple.”

• You thought it was called an Ojuzu, but now it’s called an Onenju.

• Three Treasures started with “I put my faith in…”

• You thought it was NaMU Amida Butsu, but now it’s NaMO Amida Butsu.

• Your mom’s only form of adornment is an onenju.

• Your mom lets flies out of the screen door instead of swatting them.

• There is Chinese Chicken Salad at any temple potluck.

• You can’t eat Chili without rice.

• You automatically say “Itadakimasu” before digging in.

• You know both versions of Ondokusan by heart.

• You know the Juseige by heart, but you still use the book.

• You’ve been to more weddings than funerals before the age of 20.

• You know you’ll have Chinese food after the funeral.

• You take a goldfish home from an Obon Carnival.

• You find someone to give all your goldfish away because your mom said you couldn’t keep them.

• You go to Obon Odori practice for the Snack Shack.

• You spent all day working shifts at Obon.

• You sat through service in your basketball jersey.

• You’ve been to LABCC Summer Camp, you cried at LABCC, you left LABCC early because of basketball.

In Gassho,

Ann Nakahira, Ministers’ Assistant