Light of Compassion at the Temple of Great Happiness: Rev. Jiko Nakade at Daifukuji Soto Mission
The weekday commuter traffic creeps up Hwy. 11 in South Kona near the Y-intersection at Honalo, slowing down briefly to pause at the intersection before accelerating on to the next daily obligation. Drivers glance at the familiar sight of the red-and-white Daifukuji Soto Mission building, stoic like a sentry over the hectic scene.
Seen from the steps of the Mission, the pace of life, even in Hawai`i, is symbolically represented by the hustle and bustle of the highway traffic. While inside the picturesque temple resides a noticeable calm. A feeling of serenity and peace envelopes any visitor and invites the practice of silent reflection.
The atmosphere in the Soto Zen temple circulates around a petite woman with uniformly cropped black hair and a welcoming and tranquil presence. Embodying the Buddhist philosophy in her very persona, Reverend Jiko Nakade has become the 12th—and first female—minister at the Daifukuji to invite Buddhist patrons and newcomers alike to share in, practice and live the Soto Zen lifestyle.
Soto Zen, which teaches the values of seated meditation, asks Buddhists to realize the universal nature of releasing personal goals, allowing the body and mind to let go of ideas, identities and possessions and focus entirely on the present moment. The practice follows 16 precepts that Buddhists ask to be attributed to daily living, including manifest truth, living with clarity, looking and listening deeply, actualizing compassion and respecting all life. While in traditional Japanese customs it was typically males that were priests, over the years female ministers have become more and more popular and have made significant strides in increasing their numbers. Jiko is currently the only ordained female Soto Zen minister in Hawaii. She says she is very excited about the increasing number of women that are partaking in priesthood throughout all the Buddhist sects.
“There is change happening. In the zen centers on the mainland there are many female priests/teachers, there is more of a balance happening. I have never felt any discrimination for being female among my fellow male ministers. There really is a transition period now, in a good sense.”
Having served as minister since June, 2004, Nakade’s journey to her current position has mimicked the precepts of which she now shares. Throughout her formative years, Nakade always maintained a dedication to the act of patience, knowing since she was young that one day she would want to be a minister.
Born Mary Beth Oshima, Nakade was raised at the Daifukuji temple under the late Bishop and former Reverend Gyokuei Matsuura. At the age of nine Nakade experienced a life-altering event that drew her closer to her belief. The death of her father increased her awareness and curiosity surrounding her beliefs.
“I was touched by the suddenness of his passing. I became aware of the impertinence of life and I wanted to understand life and death more deeply,” Nakade recalled. “ That’s what Buddhist teachings were about. The interdependence of life.”
After graduating from Konawaena High School and having an interest in her spiritual connection but feeling she was too young to pursue priesthood, she left the island to attend college in Seattle. There she studied a number of subjects but always found herself drawn to faith-based learning.
“I was always interested not just in Buddhism but world religions,” said Nakade. “I really respect them and find that they enrich our community.”
During an American Literature course, Nakade recalled that her professor announced that a friend, a professor in Japan, needed an assistant for his English program at a Soto Zen school.
“After class my professor came up to me and said, ‘I really had you in mind for this program.’ So I took a year off of school and volunteered in Japan. This rekindled my interest in Zen. I looked into my heart and felt I really needed to understand my Buddhist tradition so I transferred to University of Hawai`i-Manoa, Department of Religion.”
Back on the islands, Nakade studied comparative religions with an emphasis on Japanese religions and language. While learning satisfied the academic thirst, Nakade desired to quench her need to fully immerse herself in the practice. When the availability to study and live as a layperson among 25 Buddhist nuns in Nagoya, Japan, presented itself, Nakade gladly accepted the invitation.
“The training gave me a full tasting of the Zen life, practice and my traditional roots. It was rigorous and very challenging,” remembered Nakade of the monastery experience, joking that she felt like her legs would fall off from all the sitting. “ I developed a deep appreciation for this particular tradition.”
Following her two-month study, the young theologian took time to reflect and process her experience. She felt that she had just begun to skim the surface of the intensity of Zen living. Upon completion of school at Manoa, the graduate soon found herself back in Japan, having received a scholarship to study at a Soto Zen university in Tokyo.
Finishing her academic study in her early 20s, Nakade still felt she was too young to become a priest.
“I needed more life experience (in order) to serve a community. I patiently waited to see when that time would come along. I didn’t want to rush into anything,” she said.
Leaving academics behind, Nakade moved to Berkeley, California for five years, focusing on her family, which included her husband and two small children. After her husband received his master’s degree, the family returned to Kona and Nakade became the leader of La Leche League International, a breast-feeding mothers’ support group. For four years she promoted breast-feeding in the community before her mother took ill and she devoted the next six years to her care.
“That was also part of my training for my current position,” Nakade said of her mothering and care giving. “Just doing your ordinary tasks, that’s where you apply your training. Your meditation has to go into daily life or it’s of no use.”
During the time of her mother’s illness, Nakade reconnected with the current Daifukuji minister, Reverend Tamiya, who was aware of Nakade’s lifelong interest in priesthood.
“He asked me one day, ‘Does this feel like the right time?’” she recalled, noting that it is crucial that the timing is right for both teacher and student, for the relationship between both is paramount in Zen training.
For the next five and half years Nakade became a disciple under Tamiya, training and caregiving for her mother simultaneously. She immersed herself in the study of the Dharma (Buddhist teachings), meditation practice, temple administration, pastoral care and counseling, and sangha care. In the past all priests had trained in monasteries in Japan, but to aid in serving the Buddhist community (sanghas) overseas, the Soto Zen temples developed a Hawai`i training program.
Near the end of her training, Rev. Tamiya returned to Japan and the temple board asked Nakade to stay.
“It was a smooth transition. I had been there for a number of years. I feel so fortunate to serve the community that I grew up in and to give back to the community that raised me,” said the Sensei, explaining that during her ordainment ceremony she received her Buddhist name Jiko, meaning “light of compassion.”
Currently Nakade is minister to the 200 Buddhist families of the landmark Soto Mission, founded in 1914 by Reverend Kaiseki Kodama. While in the past the temple served to unite the immigrant Japanese community, today the congregation is multi-ethnic, generational and cultural.
“Daifukuji (which means the Temple of Great Happiness) is a gathering place for individuals or groups to come and study the teachings and find a peaceful place in the community to sit, meditate and find good Dharma friends,” said Nakade who oversees 15 temple subgroups, along with her pastoral obligations and Zen services. “People find the temple as a place to work in harmony, with compassion and respect and support each other on their spiritual paths, with a great deal of acceptance and without judgment.” ❖
For more information on the Daifukuji, Sunday services, Kannon (Kwan Yin) services, Zen meditation, memberships, registration or confirmation contact Jiko Nakade at 322-3524, by email or visit their website.
