By Joseph Deschenes
Karma sent me to Japan. At least that’s how I felt after visiting Higashi Honganji’s main temple in Kyoto. And karma allowed me to encounter Shinran Shonin and Jodo Shinshu. Continue reading “Call it Karma”
Kiyozawa: What was Shinran thinking?
By Rev. Wayne Yokoyama
Someday I hope Shinshu teacher Manshi Kiyozawa will be widely recognized as a truly brilliant mind of the modern era. He not only entered the Shinshu Otani-ha (Higashi Honganji) denomination from the outside, his influence on religious thought extends far beyond his native Japan.
Daiei Kaneko’s Guide to Shin Buddhism
By Rev. Ken Yamada
Buddhist scholar Daiei Kaneko represents a modern understanding of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, although he’s not widely known in the West. An e-book, “A Thinking Person’s Guide to Shin Buddhism,” captures his thinking and helps explain Shinshu in contemporary terms. Continue reading “Daiei Kaneko’s Guide to Shin Buddhism”
Transcending All Together
By Rev. Patti Nakai
Imagine a race with you leading, crossing the finish line amid loud cheers and winning the coolest of prizes. Although people may think it’s true, this does not describe spiritual enlightenment. So then what does it feel like? Continue reading “Transcending All Together”
A Great Earthquake and 14 Students
By Dr. Yasushi Kigoshi
The greatest earthquake on record struck a peaceful town in Eastern Japan. The disaster, known as the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, changed the residents’ lives forever. About 800 people in the town lost their lives or were missing due to the tsunami that followed the quake on March 11, 2011. Continue reading “A Great Earthquake and 14 Students”
Shin Buddhist Responses to Suffering
By Rev. Patti Nakai
In the face of the suffering of others, whether in large groups of people or as individuals, how do we as Shin Buddhists respond?
Describing relief efforts in eastern Japan devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Otani University president Prof. Yasushi Kigoshi gave two poignant presentations related to his personal involvement. The discussion took place at a March 10, 2018 seminar for Dharma Seeds (lay leaders from the North America district temples) held at the Los Angeles Higashi Honganji Betsuin temple. Continue reading “Shin Buddhist Responses to Suffering”