Jodo Shinshu Buddhism for everyone
By Rev. Ken Yamada
What does Jodo Shinshu say about social and political activism? An important question amid today’s social unrest.
Buddhists sometimes are criticized for being passive and uninvolved, too focused on their own personal enlightenment. But according to Rev. Junshō Tamamitsu, a Higashi Honganji teacher focused on activism, Jodo Shinshu urges us to look outward and face society’s problems. Continue reading “Protests, Patriotism, and Jodo Shinshu”
By Rev. Marcos Sawada
A confession: I’m more a speaker than a listener. Are you a good listener? Many people are not.
Generally, I think people like to talk more than listen. That’s strange, given we have two ears but only one mouth. Mouths have two functions which keep them busy—speaking and eating. The job of ears is merely to hear. So why is listening so difficult? Continue reading “The Art of Listening”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
Although considered the “second founder” of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Rennyo Shonin shaped foremost how Shinshu is practiced today. Moreover, living in a turbulent era of civil unrest, religious persecution, and social upheaval, he literally saved the Honganji temple from the flames of war and conflict. Continue reading “Rennyo to the Rescue”
By Rev. Miki Nakura
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we should learn deeply from the perspective of Buddha. Continue reading “Epidemics and Karma”