Jodo Shinshu Buddhism for everyone
By Rev. Steven Toyoshima
I bid farewell
To the faces of my sleeping children
As I am taken prisoner
Into the cold night rain.
-Otokichi Ozaki, Honouliuli internee
We traveled to a place long lost to history: the site where Honouliuli Internment Camp once stood. Continue reading “WWII internment in Hawaii”
By Rev. Noriaki Ito
Our country—one of the world’s most advanced nations—is a leader in senseless tragedy. Already this year we’ve had many mass shootings and innocent deaths. How do we understand what’s happening through the Buddhist teachings? Continue reading “Who’s Evil? I am!”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
Despite Buddhism’s rise in today’s popular culture, why is membership declining at many of our temples? What’s the answer and what can we do about this vexing problem? Continue reading “Why is membership dropping at temples?”
By Rev. Ryoko Osa
A mass shooting occurred again in August. This time it was in El Paso, Texas. On that day while driving home from our temple camping trip, I listened to the radio news. Continue reading “Thinking Peace in August”
By Rev. Noriaki Fujimori
Wouldn’t you like to live in an ideal community? What makes a community ideal? Continue reading “An Ideal Community”
By Rev. Patti Nakai
“What the heck,” a newcomer may wonder after hearing a common explanation of Jodo Shinshu. The explanation? “Just recite Namo Amida Butsu and rebirth after death is guaranteed in a bejeweled paradise called Pure Land.” Continue reading “Shinran Bound and Gagged (And Finally Released)”