Rijin Yasuda Archives – Higashi Honganji USA

November 9, 2022August 1, 2026

Delusion of Name and Form

By Rev. Ken Yamada

In today’s social media world, image is everything. Becoming an influencer, garnering “likes” and followers, evoking vibes of “Cool,” “Young,” “Rebel,” “Rich,” “Happy.”

Is it really? Or just illusion? What makes such images appealing to us?

The Buddha contemplated this phenomenon more than two millennium ago and called it, “name and form” (Sanskrit: nāma-rūpa). In other words, our minds attach names to objects (and vice versa), giving what we see real existence. Consequently, desires arise, and along with them, passions. Continue reading “Delusion of Name and Form”

February 23, 2022August 1, 2026

Nenbutsu: Not a Name Alone

“Namu Amida Butsu” calligraphy (Berkeley Higashi Honganji temple)

By Rev. Ken Yamada

What does calling Amida Buddha’s name mean in Jodo Shinshu and how does it work? Traditionally, the answer relates to “faith,” leading many to blindly recite “Namu Amida Butsu,” hoping to go to “the Pure Land” upon death. Is this really Buddhism? Continue reading “Nenbutsu: Not a Name Alone”

February 7, 2022August 1, 2026

Rijin Yasuda: Debunking Jodo Shinshu

Among the most innovative—even radical—Jodo Shinshu teachers who emerged during the 20^th Century was Rijin Yasuda. Continue reading “Rijin Yasuda: Debunking Jodo Shinshu”

January 20, 2022August 1, 2026

Seishinshugi: Shinshu’s Clash with the Modern World

By Rev. Ken Yamada

Today, government mandates clash with personal rights; an unprecedented rise in wealth clashes with unrelenting poverty; political upheaval, military expansionism, and redefined social mores and identity abound. In these changing times, we must ask, “Is Jodo Shinshu Buddhism relevant?”

These challenges confront us now, but they also confronted a small group of innovative Buddhist thinkers a century ago, spurring them to redefine, modernize and find meaning in Jodo Shinshu, which for the previous two centuries had stagnated and grown moribund. For their contributions, they were persecuted, some even excommunicated by their own denomination. Their writings continue to be studied, debated, and valued in understanding Shinshu today. Continue reading “Seishinshugi: Shinshu’s Clash with the Modern World”