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. 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)”
Summer is for ghost stories in Japan, sending chills down spines on hot summer nights. Consider this ghost story involving Shinran Shonin. Continue reading “Ghost Stories and Shinran”
In May, a special service commemorates the birthday of Shinran Shonin, revered as the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. For Shinran, the Buddhist path requires a true and honest introspection of one’s own limitations and ignorance, which is an essential step towards spiritual liberation and awakening, and is a path that anyone can follow. Continue reading “Shinran Shonin Birthday Service”
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”