I hope that 2021 will ultimately be a better year. As we begin the new year, I would like to thank all of you for supporting the Dharma School, especially given the challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has presented. I am particularly grateful for our teachers who have remained resilient and adapted to remote and online instruction. I am also appreciative of our students and families who have continued to hear and learn the Dharma despite remaining apart. And, I thank the Sangha for your continued support and contributions.
ACTIVITIES
Teacher and Cabinet Appreciation Activity
The Dharma School teachers and cabinet members were treated to an online chocolate making party with Brigadeiro kits from “tiny B chocolate.” It was a fun and tasty activity! A special thank you goes to Debby Inenaga for making the arrangements!
“tiny B chocolate” Party: Fun & Tasty
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Volunteers Needed for Online Engagement
The Dharma School is seeking volunteers to help plan and execute online activities to help reconnect and re-engage our families even as we continue to remain in our homes.
2021 started with a dark moment in our history. The deplorable invasion of our nation’s Capital Building put into stark focus the ugliness that greed, anger, and ignorance can create when left unchecked without self-awareness and self-reflection. Buddhism teaches us to see the true nature of the world as it is:
“To move past our own preconceptions and prejudices and listen with empathetic ears, open minds, and compassionate hearts to the suffering around us, and then act to alleviate those conditions.”
While it is easy to point to external causes for our suffering, with a reflective mind, we can begin to see and understand that much of it is created by our own egos, desires, and our fears.
The tragic events that we saw unraveling on television, in text chats, and on social media that day provides us with an opportunity to discuss how our thoughts, words, and actions affect the people and the world around us. In our Sunday Services and in our Dharma School classes, we learn about interdependence and dana, our imperfect selves, and compassion for ourselves and others. Let us work together as a Dharma School and Sangha to make sure that our words and actions inspire and unite not only future generations, but our current community as well.
In Gassho,
Brent Izutsu
Dharma School Superintendent