• Streaming Video
• Introduction
• Keynote Video
• Registration Info
  • Registration Form
  • Transportation and Parking
  • Fairmont Hotel
• Program Schedule
• Symposium & Speaker Bios
• Life of Shinran Shonin
• Wheel of Dharma Articles
• Art Contest
• Haiku Contest
• JSC Commemorative Project
• District/Temple Activities
• Book List

Wheel of Dharma Articles

The following are links to articles related to the Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial that have appeared in the Wheel of Dharma Newsletter...

• BCA Silent Auction a rousing success (March 2009) - PDF
• Rev. Tanaka accepts keynote speaker invitation (Feb 2009) - PDF

Press Release

January 8, 2010

Buddhist Churches of America to observe 750th commemoration of Shinran Shonin

During the weekend of February 27 and 28, 2010, the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) will commemorate the 750th memorial anniversary of the founder of Jodo (PureLand) Shinshu (True Sect) Buddhism, the Venerable Shinran Shonin.

The BCA anticipates over 700 Jodo Shinshu followers and friends to attend activities that will be held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California.

The commemoration’s theme is “Peace and Tranquility”.

On Saturday, February 27, activities will kickoff with an opening service led by Socho Koshin Ogui, Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America. He will be accompanied by ministers from all of the BCA temples, as well as representatives from Hawaii, Canada and Japan.

Following the service, Dr. Rev. Ken Tanaka, professor of Buddhist studies at Musashino University in Tokyo, will deliver the keynote address. Rev. Tanaka, a product of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple and BCA, will focus his topic on “Shinran Shonin’s Wish for Us and the World: From Inner Peace to Outer Peace”.

Delegates will be able to choose from among a selection of speakers for the mid-afternoon Symposium. Dr. Rev. Tanaka will address the Japanese-speaking attendees. Rev. Harry Gyokyo Bridge, resident minister from the Buddhist Church of Oakland, will present The Meaning and Potential of Music in Shin Buddhism. Professor James Dobbins, the James H. Fairchild Professor of Religious Studies at Oberlin College in Ohio, will speak on “Shinran and Eshinni: Husbands and Wives in Shin Buddhism.”

Jacqueline Kramer, a practicing Theravadin Buddhist for over 30 years, will speak on “The Practice of Buddhism in Everyday Family Life.”

Following the symposium workshop sessions, a Shin Expo will be held that will offer: A Shinran Shonin video, Book Reading and Signing by the symposium speakers, interactive techno display of Jodo Shinshu communities in the world, Peace and Tranquility displays and selected art posters submitted by Dharma (Sunday) School students, and the Life of Shinran Shonin panels will be all part of the program.

Mr. Pieper Toyama, head of school of the Pacific Buddhist Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii, will be the featured speaker during the evening banquet. Pacific Buddhist Academy is the only Buddhist college-preparatory school in the United States. Mr. Toyama has held his current position since the school’s opening in 2003.

On Sunday, February 28, the halls of the Fairmont Hotel will be filled with music. A medley of music will blend together during a very unique presentation commemorating the life of Shinran Shonin. The service, which is free, and open to the public, begins at 9:30 a.m. with a memorial service led by Socho Ogui. A video message from the Monshu Koshin Ohtani, a 24th generation direct descendant of Shinran Shonin, and head of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha in Kyoto, will address the attendees.

Following the service, a musical program entitled “Take Refuge in the Pure Music” will begin.

Nationally acclaimed multi-talented singer, song writer, composer and lyricist, Russell Daisey will sing “Shinran Shonin, He Stood There Watching.”

Daisey, who is associated with the New York Buddhist Temple, was inspired to write the song based on the Shinran Shonin statue that withstood the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and was later brought to the New York Buddhist Temple.

Songs written by individuals representing BCA and Hawaii temples will be performed by temple choirs and sung by all service participants.

The Music service will culminate a weekend of activities dedicated to the Great Spiritual Teacher, Shinran Shonin.

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, a Pureland tradition, was founded nearly 800 years ago in Japan. The BCA is affiliated with the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha located in Kyoto.

Jodo Shinshu is the largest Buddhist sect in Japan. Its teachings spread throughout the world including the mainland United States, Hawaii, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Europe, Taiwan and Thailand.

The BCA, with its headquarters located in San Francisco, is home to over 60 temples and fellowships across the U.S. mainland. Its membership totals over 16,500.

The registration fee for attending Saturday’s commemoration symposium and banquet is $110. Registration deadline is January 27, 2010. Check the Shinran Shonin 750th web site www.ingassho.com to download the registration form.

For more information regarding the 750th events, please contact committee co-chairs Judy Kono (510) 541-8119, email: jakono@aol.com; or Rev. Ron Kobata (415) 776-3158, email: kobatar@sbcglobal.net. Or, view the Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial web site at www.ingassho.com .