Weekly Dharma Services are held on Sundays at 9am at the temple. Click here to see the speaker schedule.

crafts

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First Sunday Family Service

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For today's Dharma Talk about greed and its role in causing suffering, Prudence shared Should I Share My Ice Cream?, a book in the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems. The dilemma faced by Gerald the elephant as he debated sharing his ice cream with Piggie, and the surprising outcome, was one that both kids and adults could relate to.

Rev. Umitani & family

After today's service, we had, not one, but two fun First Sunday craft activities. First, we made paper spider hats complete with bulging eyes and eight creepy legs, each one uniquely decorated.

The second activity was making slime using glue and a secret ingredient (hint: it was saline solution). Everyone chose their own colors and added their choice of glitter to make it sparkle.

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Rededication & First Sunday Family Service

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Our first Family Service since our summer break was also our Rededication Service. Rev. David Nakamoto gave today's Rededication Dharma Talk and reflected on his conversations with the late Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom, who recently passed away. 

Being that it was also our First Sunday Family Service, children and adults alike participated in two fun craft activities after the service: making peace bracelets in celebration of Peace Day later this month, as well as coloring paper dolls. The dolls are on display in the church.

The new uchishiki (altar cloth) donated by the Kailua Hongwanji Buddhist Women's Association (KHBWA) was on display on the alter. Rev. Umitani helped to order and pick up the uchishiki on one of his trips to Japan.

International Peace Day is on September 21, 2017

International Peace Day is on September 21, 2017

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First Sunday Family Service

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Dennis Tashiro gave today's Dharma Talk, highlighting several key events happening for him in July: Kailua Hongwanji's Bon Dance on July 22, the 4th of July holiday, and the upcoming Tashiro family reunion, which takes place every 5 years. While all three are distinctly unique events, they are all opportunities to express gratitude for those who've come before us.

After the service, we had two First Sunday craft activities for both kids and adults. We decorated fans, perfect for our Bon Dance, and we made 4th of July lanterns to hang at home.

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First Sunday Family Service

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Shirley Yanagisawa shared a message of gratitude and photos from her recent trip to Japan. After the service and refreshments, Cynthia Rodriguez lead our First Sunday family activity, where we personalized our own colorful visors, just in time for summer. 

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First Sunday Family Service with Rev. Kaufmann

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Our guest speaker for today's service was Rev. Arthur Kaufmann. Born and raised in New York City, Rev. Kaufmann began studying Jodo Shinshu Buddhism at the Denver Tri-State Buddhist Temple after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Rev. Kaufmann shared his experiences growing up and how he became a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist.

After the service, Prudence lead the group in making a special, three-dimensional Buddha Day greeting card, followed by coloring of eggs. While the activities are usually targeted for the younger members, everyone enjoyed participating, as you can see below. We predict that many members will be having egg-salad sandwiches for lunch in the days to come.

The MCs for today were the Fujikawas.

Dennis' special University of Hawaii-edition egg

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First Sunday Family Service

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After a two-week break, Kailua Hongwanji held its first Family Service of the year on January 8, 2017.

We also celebrated Patsy's 93rd birthday. Happy Birthday Patsy!

Today's First Sunday family activity involved roosters, as 2017 is the Chinese Year of the Rooster. Instead of traditional paint brushes, Prudence provided ordinary plastic forks to uniquely "paint" each work of art. 

Enjoy the gallery of unique roosters.

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Bodhi Day & First Sunday Family Service

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Rev. David Nakamoto delivered today's Dharma Talk commemorating Bodhi Day, which was followed by a Bodhi leaf family craft activity.