The temple is definitely a place to see impermanence in action. I’ve attended services since I was a child—close to 75 years! I don’t remember too much about those early services at the community hall. Some of my memories include sitting on hard wooden folding chairs that creaked and clattered when we moved, hearing the sound of nenju beads hitting the wooden floor when one broke, chanting the Junirai and hearing “Ko ga cho rai mi da son” loudly chanted by the youngsters. (It was the only line that we recognized.) Of course, Dharma talks were given in Japanese so that made the squirming in the chairs even louder as we children tried to sit still and failed. Photo: Don't those chair look comfortable....   The Sunday School (now Dharma School) children celebrated birthdays by bringing pennies equal to their age on the last Sunday of their birthday month to drop into the “birthday box”. The Sangha would sing “Happy birthday” in celebration. Back in 1974, Rev. Marvin Harada and I put ...