Butsudan Project
Religious Department starts “Butsudan Project”
Seattle PI
Article
Do you have a Butsudan at home? Or do you know of a Butsudan that is no longer
being used as a Butsudan?
New members to our temple often ask about where they could purchase a new
Butsudan for their home. Often choices are limited, but sometimes the Betsuin is
asked if there are some for sale. The Betsuin does not sell Obutsudans. The
religious department recently took up the subject of looking at the state of
affairs for home Butsudans. Most Issei members of the Betsuin had Obutsudans in
their own home as a center of the home religious activities. However as Issei
have passed on, it appears the tradition of home Butsudans have not been passed
on to Nisei and much less so to Sansei. As such, some of us have seen old
custodians, once a center of the home of the Issei, now relegated to a dark
dusty corner of the storage room. Worse yet, we have seen some Butsudans show up
at the annual rummage sale.
The Religious Department passed a motion to start the Butsudan Project. The
purpose is three–fold: 1) Educate our members on the subject of home Butsudans,
2) Locate those which are no longer being used as a center of home religious
life, and 3) Collect and recycle those Butsudans to those members who will put
them to use as a center of Jodo-Shinshu life.
Do you have or do you know of a Butsudan at home or at your relative’s home or
in storage that is no longer being used as a Butsudan? The one and only purpose
of a Butsudan is to serve as the center of home Jodo-Shinshu life, and to house
the intent of the Amida Buddha. As such, it is to be treated with utmost respect
and honor, not something to store away with your X-mas tree ornaments or as an
object’ de arte. If you know of a Butsudan that is no longer being used as a
“Butsudan” and is available for donation to the Betsuin, please contact us with
information regarding how we can recycle it for greater use.
Since the introduction of the project, we have received a number of inquiries
from Betsuin members and friends on how the unused Butsudans can be donated to
the Temple. Some may feel that the fact that they are donating their deceased
parent’s Butsudan may somehow bring shame to the family. Nothing could be
farther from the truth.<p>
The purpose of the Butsudan project is to rescue unused Butsudans and adopt them
to families needing a Butsudan for their home. Some of the donated Butsudans may
be dusty and may require work. That is perfectly fine! Restoring a Butsudan is
indeed another way to express our “dana” or selfless giving. So please, there is
NO SHAME in donating an unused Butsudan. The alternatives are sometimes
frightful (donating to Value Village or worse yet, the county dump). Please help
us help others. Butsudan donations may be made anonymously. Please contact us
and we will make private arrangements. No names will be used. Drop offs can be
arranged.
Thank you for your interest in and support of this worthwhile project.