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| | Reflections to Conclude the Year: Kyoto by moonlight, a short journey with Bishop Toshiyuki Umitani
Dear readers of the What's New,
Last week, for the first time since before COVID-19, I traveled with Bishop Toshiyuki Umitani to Kyoto for the semi-annual gathering of the school leaders of the Ryukoku Sogo Gakuen (RSG), the network of 24 Shin Buddhist schools of which PBA is a member, and the lone representative outside of Japan.
The winter gatherings, which are always held in Kyoto, have an identical format. The RSG board, of which Bishop Umitani is a member, is held in the morning. The full delegation meets in the early afternoon to review the year’s financials, upcoming year’s budget, and to learn about programs. School leaders make announcements about special programs they are launching. There is always a presentation on a topic of emerging interest. One year, we heard a presentation about a hospice program run as a program of Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, the Shin Buddhist denomination. And following the formal meetings, we attend a big banquet, which is where the real work seems to get done.
This year, because it is the 30th anniversary of the RSG, the largest private school network in Japan, we began the proceedings in the Hall of Amida Buddha, the Amidado, of the mother temple, where we removed our shoes, chanted on tatami, and revered the moment. Former Bishop Eric Matsumoto was one of several RSG leaders recognized during the program for his long tenure as an RSG trustee.
| Later, in the afternoon, nine long-time RSG school leaders shared their thoughts about the importance of religious education as part of their schools’ academic programs. I had tried using the Apple translation app with my Airpods, to no avail. Bishop Umitani translated for me. Yasui Sensei, a former school head at Heian High School and good friend of PBA’s founding Head of School Pieper Toyama, used the analogy of a pine tree to emphasize the importance of Buddhism in the education of students, the way the pine needles purify the air, the tendrilled roots purify the water, making our | | environment wholesome, supporting life – even so Buddhism in the educational program of his school, interacting with the regular academic program, ensuring the graduates of his school leave with a firm grounding in values to support their future work.
I thought about that analogy the next day as I traveled to Kansai International Airport on my own, the Bishop soon to see his daughter, PBA alum Riho Umitani in her first year at Sophia University in Tokyo. The Buddhist education at PBA is but one pillar of the school’s mission here, but it plays a vital role in everything we do. Buddhism informed the thinking of our program design and its emphasis on peace education. It guided our school founders to emphasize taiko, sado, and other budō as required elements of the ninth-grade year as a sort of values and discipline tuning. It infuses our very language at the school. We call restorative circles, a common practice of restorative justice design, “sangha circles.”
As we round the bend of the year past Bodhi Day, and move toward the winter solstice, this great season of celebration – Bodhi Day, solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah – don’t all the faiths purify our air and water, guiding our intentions, instructing us how to interact and leave our world better, and work more mindfully to tend to those less fortunate?
I do not suggest the ends of each faith are the same. I am never satisfied by the idea that the goals of each faith are universal. To me, enlightenment looks different than the salvation of other faiths. It took root in soil from a different tradition, and I celebrate the difference as best I understand.
But I welcome the notion that we can work side by side at PBA to hear each other and learn together and embody the wisdom that comes from without and within. As I looked out the window of the Haruka Express, thinking about the last week of Cycle 3 we conclude at tomorrow night’s Winter Ball, I was excited for my return home, restored by the brief respite of my Kyoto adventure, the wonderful saxophone quartet that played at the RSG banquet, student players from Ryukoku University, the fish bone miso the Bishop took me to for our first evening walkabout in Kyoto, the Yasaka Shrine overlit by the moon, the nembutsu chanted by the many minister educators the first morning of our conference, namo amida butsu. Wishing all of you a wonderful winter holiday and the best of your traditions. | Warmly,
Josh Hernandez Morse
Head of School | | Hyaku Sen Ki Kai Performs Taiko for Students at Voyager School
With three Voyager Public Charter School alumni now attending Pacific Buddhist Academy, Hyaku Sen Ki Kai’s visit to perform for Voyager students was especially meaningful. The student taiko ensemble performed four pieces for the K–8 audience, including original works from the PBA community including “Wa,” composed by Sensei Jay; “Saku,” composed by senior captain Maya Galvez; “Aspirations,” composed by Chihiro Okawa ’23; and “Ukiyo,” composed by Rev. Blayne Nakasone Sakata.
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| Two PBA seniors who came from Voyager, Zac Robertson and Jolie Rapoza, were fondly remembered by students and staff, with one staff member saying that Zac is her son’s best friend and Jolie is her neighbor. The crowd of students cheered when PBA delivered news about sophomore Ethan Emery, having just graduated from Voyager two years ago. The Voyager students welcomed the taiko group with enthusiasm. They presented lei and performed an oli showing their Voyager spirit. |
The performance was an opportunity to build bridges between the taiko community and Voyager’s young leaders, hoping that future Hykau Sen Ki Kai players were watching in the crowd.
| | Join Us for the Annual Walk/Run for Peace!
It’s time for our annual student-led fundraiser, the Walk/Run for Peace! Each year, PBA students aim to raise $20,000 to support tuition assistance. Thanks to your generosity, PBA awarded $184,667 in aid to 28 families this school year. We warmly invite PBA supporters to join us on a 5-mile walk around Diamond Head on January 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Family and friends are welcome to participate in the walk or enjoy a potluck in the park. This special time together lets us enjoy the Waikiki sunset while reflecting on the strength of our PBA community and the importance of supporting our peace-education mission. Learn more about the walk or how to support the Walk/Run for Peace fundraiser on our website: Thank you for supporting peace-education at PBA! | | OFFICE HOURS
9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
OFFICE CLOSED
December 25-26 - Christmas Holiday
January 1-2 - New Year's Holiday | | |
