Spotlight on Marion Nishimura

Marion Nishimura

“My favorite festival food is wonton… each bite is amazing.” — Marion Nishimura

What is your favorite OCBC festival food?

My favorite festival food is wonton.  It has the right amount of special ingredients and umami, wrapped up in a neat pocket and fried until golden brown.  With the sweet and sour dipping sauce and that crunch of flavor, each bite is amazing.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley.  I attended the San Fernando Buddhist Church and was active in Junior and Senior Young Buddhist Association (YBA) at San Fernando Valley Church and in Southern District activities.  The Buddha Dharma made so much sense to me, and I was hooked from the beginning.  I have made some lifelong friends at the San Fernando Buddhist Church as well as OCBC.

Are you related to anyone at OCBC?

Joanne Ishii is my sister.  Joyce Fujita is my father’s cousin.  I am a distant cousin of Denise Ueno by marriage.  

What is the most significant moment for you during the last 2 years? 

During the early lockdown of the COVID-19, I had time to reflect on what I wanted to do.  Like all of us, we discovered many ways to fill the time. I read, painted, sewed, crocheted, created artwork, exercised, organized, did jigsaw puzzles, designed greeting cards, etc.—things I would not have done otherwise.  Our Sangha could not gather, so we met on Zoom for meetings, Dharma School classes, crafts, exercise, chats, services, games (Bingo and Scattergories), and ukulele classes.  What fun!  We kept the connection, friendship and the Dharma going online.  We discovered that technology is a wonderful tool!

How did you decide to attend OCBC?

We moved out to Orange County and my sister, Joanne, asked me to assist her in her Dharma School class.  My two older kids joined the OCBC basketball teams and Brandon joined Junior YBA. At the time, Margaret Abo was the Junior YBA advisor, and she was so welcoming and appreciative of his contributions at festivals and other activities.  My younger two boys started Dharma School in pre-school and continued since then.  They were also involved in OCBC basketball, baseball, Junior YBA, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.  My granddaughter, Avery, started Dharma School this year.  She loves it! 

What OCBC activities do you participate in?

I am a Dharma School teacher, a Buddhist Women’s Association (BWA) member, Project Kokoro Crafts Wednesday member, Scattergories player, Strummer in the OCBC Jammers Ukulele group, OCBC Board Member, and Friday Maintenance volunteer. On the second Monday of every month, BWA will be serving lunches again for the maintenance group, BWA seniors, and the Tomodachi Bento Project recipients.  Please come out to help the group, and then join us for a delicious home-cooked meal! 

Is there someone at OCBC who has had a meaningful impact on you?

This is what Sangha Strong means to me. I respect and admire the OCBC Maintenance group.  They work behind the scenes as a team.  While we were at home during COVID-19, they were at OCBC.   They make sure everything on campus is safe and in working order.  There is so much to do—watering, weeding, landscaping, planting, spraying, fertilizing, trimming, and more. Indoors, they make sure everything is working properly and efficiently. The group also cleans adjacent areas and makes repairs as needed.  It’s more than a full-time job, but together they get it done.  They can always use more help!  There are so many at OCBC who volunteer and help.  No matter what organization or group one belongs to, if assistance is needed, someone will come and lend support.  That’s what makes OCBC such a strong Golden Chain of love.

Namo Amida Butsu,
Marion Nishimura