By James Yoshida
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Growing up, I used to think that I was very familiar with this Temple. I always looked forward to coming to the Temple for annual Tri-City Halloween Parties, Christmas Parties, or even basketball practices and games. Aside from Tri-City, I also loved coming to this Temple for the Obon. The food and festivities always made me feel closer to my culture, and I’ve made so many memories and friends from these events that I still carry with me to this day. However, these past few years have shown me a different perspective to the Temple than just basketball or the Obon; but rather its community.
I began truly realizing how special this community was when I joined YBA last year as a junior. Honestly, I was pretty nervous, even though several members were already my friends and most of the other members were younger than me. However, they quickly made me realize that there was nothing to be nervous of, and welcomed me as if I’d been a part of YBA for years. It’s been the center for some of my favorite memories these past few years, whether that be the conferences, camping trip, Santa Cruz trip, and I know for sure Hawaii will be up there when we go next month. Through these experiences, this community of new faces turned into a community of new friends, and made me realize how much I appreciate the YBA and its positive impact on my life. The only thing I wish I did
differently was join sooner. These people led with patience as I began volunteering myself in the same community events I was once eager to attend as a little kid. With every event preparation, volunteer service, or conference, I’ve seen everyone work together towards a greater goal in such a unique and irreplaceable way, strengthening my own collaboration skills in the process. I found myself surrounded by a community that displayed continuous passion, kindness, and camaraderie in such an inspiring way.
In fact, I’ve come to realize that this involvement in YBA and the Temple has begun instilling these same values and even Buddhist lessons into my own life, whether I noticed at first or not. For example, I went from simply rehearsing the Golden Chain during every service to consciously applying its message in my everyday life. It felt like with each service, I left with a deeper appreciation and a changed perspective towards the things around me. Even at school, when we would learn about Buddhism during my mythology class, I was familiar with almost all of the topics we covered as a result of attending the services. This was when I realized that the values and teachings from each service weren’t going in one ear and out the other, but instead becoming more engraved in my life.
Fortunately, I’ll still be in the area for college, meaning I won’t be far from this Temple and its community while I continue to carry the memories, lessons, and values that I learned along the way. With that being said, thank you all for familiarizing myself with this Temple and its community beyond basketball or Obon festivals.
Thank you.