800th Memorial Anniversary Service of Honen Shonin
Invitation to the 800th Memorial Anniversary Service of Honen Shonin Saturday, June 23, 2012
RSVP Form, please fill out and return it to the temple.
May 3, 2012
Dear Members, Supporters and Friends;
We hope this letter finds you well. The 800th Memorial Anniversary Service of Honen Shonin (1133-1212) will finally take place on Saturday, June 23, 2012. We wish to officially invite you to attend this service. As previously reported, the Right Reverend Yuishin Ito, the Chief Abbot of Jodo Shu, Archbishop Ryoji Toyooka, the Secretary General of Jodo Shu, and many Jodo Shu ministers and followers will attend this service. As of today, almost 150 people from all over the world (Japan, Hawaii, Australia and Brazil) are supposed to visit Los Angeles in order to celebrate this solemn occasion with each of us, people in the United States. This privilege occurs all because of Honen Shonin, the founding master of Jodo Shu.
As the local congregation who will receive these precious guests’ visit to Southern California, let us make our best effort to create a warm-hearted service that will remain in everyone’s heart. This is what we can do to best pay tribute to Honen Shonin. In order to do so, the attendance of local congregation is vital. We would like to ask each of you to join in this “Sangha,” an international circle of friends who are connected with each other in the name of “Nembutsu,” the recitations of “Namu Amida Butsu.” Please refer to the enclosed flyer attached for the details of this service.
For those who are the long-time members/supporters, please be a part of this service with your family, relatives and friends. This commemorative service will serve as a golden opportunity for your family to pass an important tradition upon the younger generation. For those who recently started to build a relationship with our temple such as the new comers at the Goju Soden retreat, or for those Nembutsu practitioners who reside all over the United States, and our on-line friends, please visit Los Angeles for this service. For those who are in different places but have ancestors who belonged to Jodo Shu, please take this opportunity to come honor them. Everyone is most welcome.
Please fill out the form attached and RSVP by returning the envelope enclosed. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the temple office via phone, fax or Email. Since this is a full day event, we wish to make the best effort to enable as many people as possible to attend this service. Please do not hesitate to consult us with the issue which obstructs you such as transportation. If you are available for offering a ride for elderly people to visit the temple, please let us know. Your understanding and cooperation is most appreciated.
Namu Amida Bustu
Kodo Tanaka
Head Minister (Hon-in)