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By Victor Ogundipe

Aspiring for the Other Shore of awakening, I made a commitment to learn, share,  and live the Buddhadharma with our sangha. That’s why I received tokudo ordination from Higashi Honganji, which took me to Japan for the first time last year.

I’ve come to realize being ordained isn’t about the ceremony or achieving something. It’s about reflecting on my so-called “self.” It’s not about “going up,” but rather “going down”—seeing my delusions, becoming humble, and understanding myself more clearly. Continue reading “Tokudo ordination: Not going up, but down”

By Rev. Ken Yamada

When I first studied Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism, it really made no sense. A mythical buddha Amida supposedly embraced me with infinite compassion, assuring me of birth in the Pure Land when I die. I joked it was all “Buddha crazy talk.”

Years later, after experiencing suffering that life inevitably brings, Jodo Shinshu began to speak to me. My Higashi Honganji teachers related the teachings to life experiences, thought processes, perceptions, and emotions, guided by Shinran’s writings. Words and concepts were analyzed for their deeper and sometimes symbolic meaning. It all began to make sense.

For hundreds of years, Shinshu was transmitted and believed the way I first heard. How did these teachings transform so that contemporary people like me could understand? Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1903) gets much credit—he’s considered the first modern thinker of Jōdo Shinshu. Continue reading “Jodo Shinshu Revolution”

The year-end service at our temples is called “Joya-E.”

At Joya-E, we reflect on events and people of the past year that have shaped our lives. It’s about understanding our karmic conditions and connections, and innumerable links to everything around us. Knowing without them, we could not exist. Consequently it’s a time to express our gratitude and appreciation. Continue reading “Remember: Year End Service”

Frederick Brenion embraced Christianity whole-heartedly growing up and was an insatiably curious teenager. He became interested in world religion and sacred books. Yet, big questions nagged him: “What is truth?” “Who am I?” “Why am I?” Turns out, a children’s story held the key. Continue reading “Profile: Rev. Frederick Brenion”