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Members Remember — by Madge Honda Takamori

The following remembrance by Madge Honda Takamori of Livermore, California appeared in a booklet created in 2008 for the 70th anniversary of Jikoen Hongwanji.

temple building on Houghtailing St.
Temple and dorm building on Houghtailing St.

I was in our local temple annex on upper Houghtailing Street in Sunday School when my grandmother Mitsu Honda appeared an took me home because they learned of Pearl Harbor. Most of the temples were inactive. Then she heard about the opening of the Jikoen Temple Sunday School. It had many steps up to the building from the sidewalk.

I was in my teens and for the first time, I learned about Buddhism in English from an old British minister. I value this experience and basic information which enabled me to appreciate my religion and grown in understanding of life and religion.

Toward the end of the war years, we formed a group of teens and pondered a great name. While I had something jazzy in mind, Lily insisted our goal and name should be “Association of Truth Seekers” and so it became ATS. Both Lily and I became teachers as did her brother Albert Miyasato.