Ken Tanaka Invites BTSD Sangha to REGISTER NOW for OCEAN 2
The Sequel to Ocean 2 Will Be an Online Course from the Author of Ocean
SPECIAL LETTER FROM REV. KEN TANAKA
The Temple received this email recently from Rev. Tanaka:
Dear Friends in the Dharma at the Buddhist Temple of San Diego:
It's been a bit more than two years since my last visit to your temple. I hope this will find you well, despite the extraordinary circumstances we continue to find ourselves in.
This course will not start till next February. Please consider registering if yourself or anyone you know are interested.
Please note that tuition is to be donated to an organization (Buddhist or otherwise) of your choice, for I am not accepting any payment for the course.
In Gassho,
Ken Tanaka
Ocean 2: Further Introduction to
Shin Buddhism in the West and Beyond
The Seven Phases of the Pure Land Way
New Online Course on Shin Buddhism Starts February 2022
As you will read below, the course will be held every second Sunday (not Saturday) of each month in 2022 (except for January and August); sessions will run from 5 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m. each month. The link for registration is below, but Rev. Tanaka asks us to read more before registering.
More about the Course from Ken Tanaka
In this once-a-month, ten-part course, I hope to build on the original Ocean book to present a deeper and fuller dimension of this tradition. This course offers a “birds-eye view” through the lens of the story of the “Sailor and the Ocean.” This approach makes it easier to understand the uniqueness of Shin Buddhism, which many find difficult to grasp when it is described as “a form of Buddhism in which a person is saved merely by reciting the Name.”
This course is for those who want to learn more about 1) Shinran (the founder of Shin Buddhism), 2) the deeper meaning of Amida, Pure Land, Shinjin, Nembutsu, practice, social engagement, and other main teachings, and 3) tips to deal more effectively with the ups and downs of ordinary lives: family, work, school, and human relations. It is also meant for those who 1) experience the challenges and difficulties of living, 2) have become more aware of their personal imperfections, and 3) are in a sincere search for greater meaning and fulfillment in their lives.
If you are interested, please join others with similar aspirations as we share our stories and support each other in our struggles and hopes in order that “we may all attain perfect peace”!
Topics by Week
Meaning in Our Lives Parable of the Sailor Shinran’s Life
1. February 13 (1) Being born a human being Boarding the Ship Born in Kyoto
2. March 13 (2) Experiencing difficulties Falling Off the Ship Losses and anxiety
3. April 10 (3) Striving on the Buddhist path Swimming by Striving Training as a monk
4. May 8 (4) Limits of “self-power” Gasping for Air Hitting a “wall”
5. June 12 (5) Shinjin realization 1 Letting Go Meeting Honen
6. July 10 Shinjin realization 2 Floating Learning from Honen
7. September 11 (6) Assurance and confidence Swimming with Ease Family & Exile
8. October 9 Gratitude and vitality Swimming with Ease Family & Exile
9. November 13 Being of benefit to Others Working for Others Propagation
10. December 11 (7) Birth in the Pure Land Reaching the Island Passing
Returning to Oneness Returning to the Ocean “Returning”
Please note that sessions will occur on the second Sunday of most months, starting in February 2022. Each session will start at 5 p.m. and may run to about 7:30 p.m. There will be no meetings in January and August. So there will be meetings in February, March, April, May, June, July, September, October, November, and December. ;
Calendar Dates: 2/13, 3/13, 4/10, 5/8, 6/12, 7/10, 9/11, 10/9, 11/13, 12/11
Each class will be recorded to enable those who are absent to watch later.
The current plan is to break each session into two talks with Q&As following each talk, taking the course to 6:30 p.m. Following the formal session is a “Happy Hour” (from 6:40 - 7:30 or so): Participation is optional and will not be recorded
Course Tuition
$50 - $100 for the entire course (to be donated).
The range in the tuition is meant to accommodate your ability or willingness to pay. You are asked to donate the tuition payment to your favorite Buddhist organization or to a charity or organization not necessarily affiliated with Buddhism. You are encouraged to mention to the recipient that the donation is made in lieu of the tuition payment for this course. The Lecturer does not accept any payment.
About the Lecturer
Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka, is Professor Emeritus, Musashino University, Tokyo. He was formerly Assoc. Prof. and Assist. Dean, the Institute of Buddhist Studies and the Resident Minister at the Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church. H is the author of numerous books, including Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism in America. He is also the 2017 recipient of the 27th Nakamura Hajime Eastern Academic Prize awarded by the Eastern Institute and the Indian Embassy in Tokyo.
Before You Register, Read the Conditions for the Participants
1) You are asked to show your face during the class in the spirit of openness and oneness of an interactive class. If you must hide your face during class, please inform the Lecturer prior to the class.
2) The classes will be recorded and be made available only to those registered for this class and the “over-flow” class during 2022. Starting in 2023, the recorded classes may be made available to the public.
(Note: an “over-flow” class will be set up to accommodate those could not be included in the primary class.)
Registration
Please register after you have read and agreed to the “Conditions for the Participants” stipulated above.
https://forms.gle/viWyn4fPAFrWBUA27
If you do not receive an automatic confirmation within 24 hours, there is a good chance that you inputted your email number incorrectly. So, please try again or email the Lecturer at: chacotanaka@gmail.com
Reference Books
Access to the following books will be useful for the course. However, you are not required to purchase them. The first three books will be made available to you free of charge, and the fourth book (by J. Ducor) is optional.
Takamaro Shigaraki. Tran. by David Matsumoto. Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path - A Life of Awakening. Wisdom Publications, 2013. A Pdf version of selected pages will be made available free of charge to those who register for the course.
Kenneth Tanaka. Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism in America. WisdomOcean Publications, 2017. A digital text or web version is available free of charge at http://www.yamadera.info/ocean/ocean-index.htm << you may need to paste this URL into your web browser’s address to access >>.
Kenneth Tanaka. Jewels: An Introduction to American Buddhism for Youth, Scouts and the Young at Heart. BDK America, 2020. (Pdf can be downloaded free of charge; a printed softcover copy of the book is available in the United States for $6.00 (including shipping) at https://www.bdkamerica.org/book/jewels-introduction-buddhism-youth-scouts-and-young-heart << you may need to paste this URL into your web browser’s address to access >>. See the blue DOWNLOAD button to download the PDF at no charge.
Jérôme Ducor. Shinran and Pure Land Buddhism. Jodo Shinshu International Office, 2021. (This can be purchased at Buddhist Churches of America Bookstore $20: https://bcabookstore.mybigcommerce.com << you may need to paste this URL into your web browser’s address to access >>.