(Rev. Nobuo Matsumoto was minister of Berkeley Higashi Honganji Temple in California from 1941 to 1947 during a critical time during World War II, the temple’s closure, and returning at war’s end. He wrote about his experience for the temple’s 50th Anniversary in 1976, which recently was translated to English from Japanese for the temple’s 100th Anniversary this year.)
Just before the start of World War II in August 1941, I was transferred from the Los Angeles temple to Berkeley Higashi Honganji. Compared to the restrictive life of working under others, I was now in charge of my own temple and I felt greatly uplifted and encouraged. In addition, temple members treated me with great kindness, and I wanted to devote all my energy towards spreading the Dharma. Continue reading “Memories of War and Aftermath”