Dear Sangha,
I wished to thank and simply honor a few of our members who have been particularly active and supportive of this Community for many years, some almost since we first opened the doors here. This is not the bestowing of any rank or raising up in status, so much as just a symbol of our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for the service and caring that these individuals have manifested here for such a very long time. As such, their names will be included with special mention during our upcoming Jukai (Undertaking the Precepts) Ceremony on January 16th.
The little certificate which they will receive says this:
For their years of service, support and caring within our Sangha, Treeleaf Sangha does hereby bestow upon them the Bodhisattva Precepts as an UBASOKU (Upāsaka in Sanskrit), an ancient designation given to a lay Buddhist follower who has been a sincere, consistent, good and helpful support to others on their Path, traditionally written in Chinese and Japanese script with three characters expressing 優 (U) Excellence in personal character and dedication, with possession of a 婆 (BA) Grandmotherly heart in helping others, thus constituting a 塞 (SOKU) Foundation of the community.
A Buddhist laymen. Those who have faith in Buddhism, revere and serve the three treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and observe the precepts that forbid killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and misusing intoxicants, yet who do not renounce secular or family ties. Upāsaka originally meant to serve or one who serves. Buddhist laywomen who, like upāsaka, acknowledge allegiance to the three treasures and observe the precepts are called upāsikā in Sanskrit.
Please join me in Celebrating our friends, all well known faces and voices around here, in alphabetical order:
Doshin
Jinmei (Kellyrok)
Jinyo (Willow)
Jishin
Meian
Nenka (Jen)
Rich
Risho (Cyril)
Ryumon (Kirk)
Tai Shi
उपासक
Gassho, Jundo
SatToday LAH
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