Dear Dharma Friends,

We hope this message finds you all well.

Here at Bukkoku-ji we continue to practice and conduct sesshins, and we are looking forward to seeing some of you joining us. At the same time we would like to announce this digital takuhatsu (alms rounds) for the repair of the old Kannon-do (Avalokitesvara Hall) building here at Bukkoku-ji. The pillars and wooden walls were gradually getting old and damaged over the many years of hosting the hundreds of practitioners who were coming for sesshins and ango, and it has started to become dangerous to use it.

When Tangen Roshi-sama became the abbot of Bukkoku-ji in 1955, it was his first major task to repair this few hundred-years-old building that was falling apart. He went for takuhatsu daily to gather enough money to buy cheap wood, and he repaired it enough so it was in a usable condition. Before the proper zendo was built in 1975, it served as a place for Roshi-sama and his early students to practice zazen.

The times have changed, however, and to properly restore the building for it to be usable for the next many decades, begging in the nearby villages might be not enough to gather the large sum of USD$100,000 that the carpenters specializing in conserving old temple buildings have estimated to be the cost of the repair. Additionally, the repair will cost a further USD$30,000, as the location of the building makes it impossible to use the machines usually used for this type of project. Therefore, using the additional interconnectedness available in the 21st century, through the internet, we are making rounds on this digital marketplace with our digital begging bowl, shouting HOOO! (traditional shout given during takuhatsu, meaning: "Dharma").

Just as during Roshi-sama's time, there is a chanting ceremony held there every morning, and on the 18th of each month, there is a Kannon-sama (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) ceremony, with many people coming from the neighborhood and beyond to participate in it. Our sincere wish is to be able to continue to offer these services, as well as to make the building strong enough again for practitioners coming to stay at Bukkoku-ji to be able to live there.

Any donation, big or small, will be received with a grateful heart, and during Kannon-sama ceremonies we will be praying for all the supporters who are helping us to preserve this old, beautiful place of worship and practice - a building that has nurtured so many practitioners over the years, and hopefully can continue to do so over many more to come.

Nine bows,

Kogaku Harada, Bukkoku-ji abbott