Buddhism Today /

Buddhist Temple

of San Diego

Sharing the truth and compassion

of Amida Buddha…

2929
Market St.

San
Diego, California 92102

(619) 239-0896

www.btsd.net　　e-mail: [email-masked]

Welcome

・
Buddhism
Today・
The Founder of Buddhism・The Teachings

・
The
Path of Shin Buddhism・Buddhism
in San Diego・The Main
Temple Hall

・
The
Sangha・Ongoing
Programs ・Temple-Affiliated
Organizations

・
Annual
Observances and Events   ・Recommended Reading

Welcome. Our tradition teaches us
that, just as rain falls on all vegetation, so Buddha’s compassion
extends to all people. And to all people, the Buddhist Temple of San Diego
says, “Welcome. Come share the truth and compassion of Amida
Buddha.” This pamphlet will tell you a little about Buddhism and our Jodo Shinshu tradition.

Buddhism Today

Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest religions, and
yet its tenets remain fresh and new. Those discovering Buddhism for the first
time are finding that its essential truths hold much hope to people coping with
modern life. Our own branch of Buddhism, Jodo
Shinshu, is one of the largest Buddhist
denominations. It is also known as Shin Buddhism or Pure Land
Buddhism. There are Jodo Shinshu
temples in Japan, North
America, South America and throughout Europe, as well as  fellowships in Africa
and Australia.To better understand Buddhism today, we
will look briefly at how Buddhism was founded.

The Founder of
Buddhism

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born over 2,500 years
ago in India near
present-day Nepal.
And yet the essential conditions of life then were no different from what they
are today. Like many of us, Siddhartha was blessed with great material comfort.
In fact, as prince of a tiny kingdom, Siddhartha could have lived a life of
untroubled luxury. Instead, he recognized that his existence was spiritually
empty. He wanted more than to be distracted from the problems of suffering and
death. He wanted to find an answer.

At the age of 29, Siddhartha renounced his kingdom to
devote himself entirely to a search for the truth. It must have been a painful
decision, because he also had to leave his wife and his family.

Many of the spiritual traditions of the time demanded utter
renunciation of the world, and they often required the most severe ascetic
practices. So great was Siddhartha’s desire to find the truth that he
accepted these sacrifices. For year after year, he sought out spiritual leaders
and underwent severe hardships.

Finally, six years after he began, Siddhartha was
meditating on the nature of things and experienced a deep spiritual insight. He
realized that it was possible to escape the chain of birth and death. He became
the Buddha, the Enlightened One, the Awakened One.

The Teachings

The teachings of Buddhism are called the Buddha Dharma.
The truth of the Buddha Dharma carries a welcome message: that wisdom and
compassion can transcend the suffering caused by greed and ignorance. Buddha
Dharma further tells us that through the development of inner peace and calm,
and through compassionate concern for our fellow beings, we may all attain
enlightenment. There are positive messages, and the freshness and accessibility
of what Buddhism teaches help account for its current appeal.

The Buddha’s spiritual insight is not as mystical and
abstract as it may sound at first. His great awakening was based on the
realization of four concrete truths about life—The Four Noble Truths
of Buddhism. The first is that life, because of its fleeting nature,
is painful. The second is that this pain is caused by our desires and
our attachment to worldly phenomena. The third truth is that it is
possible to eliminate the suffering of existence. The fourth truth is
that there is a path that leads to the elimination of suffering: The
Eightfold Noble Path. The path is composed of Right Views, Right Thought,
Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness,
and Right Meditation.

The Buddha Dharma thus asks us to know and regard life as
it is, to accept life’s ebb and flow, and to live our lives naturally,
spontaneously, and freely.

The Path of Shin
Buddhism

The Buddhist Temple of San Diego belongs to the Shin sect
of Buddhism (or Jodo Shinshu in Japanese), part of the Mahayana Buddhist
tradition. Jodo Shinshu
translates as the True Pure Land Teachings. It focuses on the vow of Amida
Buddha, which is to enlighten all beings, regardless of their backgrounds
or past actions. This is a vow of sweeping power, one that promises hope and
life’s fulfillment to all.

Although Shinran Shonin (1173-1262) is often called the founder of Jodo Shinshu, Shinran
never claimed that he was founding a new religion. Rather, Shinran
merely emphasized concepts that had always existed in Buddhism. He taught that
the purpose of Gautama Buddha’s advent on earth was to awaken people to
the wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha.

Shinran formulated the teachings after two decades
of study in the Buddhist monasteries of Mt. Hiei.
He came to the realization that if a person has to rely on self-generated
effort, then enlightenment is impossible. He reasoned that human life is
finite, human knowledge is incomplete, and human capacity for perfect goodness
is limited. He renounced the monastery and left Mt. Hiei.
Shortly thereafter, he met Honen, a kindly priest who taught a simple
faith in Amida Buddha and the recitation of the Nembutsu
as an expression of faith. Shinran embraced the
teaching of Honen and built upon them.

Faith is an important element in Shin Buddhism. The Nembutsu (“Namu Amida Butsu”)
means literally, “I put my faith in Amida Buddha.”  It is the core of Amida’s
vow, for Amida Buddha communicates with us through His name. As we recite the Nembutsu, Amida’s voice
calls to us, and at the same time, we respond to his call. When we hear Amida’s voice in our innermost being, faith is
awakened. Faith completes our oneness with Amida and is the true cause of our
Enlightenment.

Buddhism in San Diego

The path of Shinran bridged the
Pacific Ocean in 1899 when two missionaries from the Nishi Hongwanji
in Kyoto arrived in San Francisco to serve the needs of the early
Japanese pioneers. In San Diego,
Buddhism began some years thereafter as Japanese immigrants would meet
periodically in small groups. The meetings became more frequent and more
organized. Although there was no minister, for special ceremonies a minister
would travel from Los Angeles.

A tragic event marks the birth of the temple in San Diego. On January 27,
1916, after two weeks of rain, the Otay Dam broke. A
torrent of water flooded the Otay Valley,
where a colony of Japanese farmers lived in a camp. Eleven died. Following the
funeral, Buddhists discussed the possibility of organizing a church. The
discussions proved fruitful as ten years later, on May 26, 1926, the first
Buddhist church was formed, and services were held on the second floor of a
building at Sixth Avenue
and Market Street.
In 1928, a growing membership decided to build a permanent temple at Market and
29th Streets, our current location.

The outbreak of World War II saw the entire
Japanese-American community of approximately 2,000 individuals evacuated, first
to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, and later to various relocation camps in
isolated areas. During the war, the temple grounds were used as dormitories for
defense workers. In 1943, vandals broke into the temple and set it on fire,
causing extensive damage to the altar section and the second floor. At
war’s end, San Diegans returned to reestablish themselves and to restore
the temple. Over time, the life of the temple resumed.

Today the Buddhist
Temple again serves as a meeting place
for its members as an affiliate of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA),
which is our link to the Nishi Hongwanji, the
main temple of the Hongwanji School of Jodo Shinshu in Japan. We are
proud of our roots in Japan
and in America.

The Main Temple
Hall

San Diego’s main temple hall is called the Hondo. Here,
followers of the Nembutsu gather on Sundays for the
Family Service or special observances to listen to the teachings and to share
their lives with others. Weddings and funerals are conducted here, too.

Certainly the most striking feature of
the Hondo is the beautiful and ornate altar. Much of the main shrine is made of
wood and has traveled to San Diego from Japan. At the central altar is a small
shrine with a gold-leafed statue of Amida Buddha inside. Amida is
depicted as an active Buddha in a standing position, hands held up in a gesture
of bestowing blessings on all beings and leaning forward
slightly—symbolizing the eternal activity of wisdom and compassion. Amida
Buddha—and not the statue—is our true object of worship.

Flowers are offered to symbolize the beauty and
impermanence of life. The incense purifies the air and creates the proper
atmosphere for meditation. Candles symbolize the infinite light of the Buddha.

The Sangha

The Sangha, our Buddhist community, is the lifeblood
of the temple. It continues to grow, reflecting not only the Japanese heritage
of our temple pioneers, but also our heritage as Americans from many different
backgrounds. All who wish to hear the Buddha Dharma in the company of fellow
travelers are welcome here. The truth of Amida Buddha unites the San Diego
Sangha with Buddhists throughout the world.

Ongoing Programs

Our resident minister or associate ministers conduct an Adult
Discussion Class Sundays following the Family Service to further our
understanding of the Buddha Dharma. Morning meditation sessions which
occasionally precede the Family Service help make our minds receptive to the
Dharma message which follows.

Our ministers and lay leaders also participate in local
religious and educational exchanges to further understanding of Buddhism in the
greater community. In addition, the Buddhist Education Committee (BEC)
sponsors lectures on Jodo Shinshu,
offers regular services at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, and conducts the Fourth
Sunday Program, an hour-long informal introduction to Buddhism, Shin
Buddhism and our temple. This
class is free and open to the public at 9:00 am every fourth Sunday of
every month except July and December.

Temple-Affiliated
Organizations

Temple groups which meet regularly include the Dharma
School, the Buddhist Womens Association (Fujinkai),
Adult Buddhist Assn., Young Adult Buddhist Assn., Jr. Young
Buddhist Assn., and other youth and service groups. mailto:mailt:[email-masked]
offers periodic opportunities for informal social/religious/cultural activities
which both the Sangha and non-temple members are invited to experience
together.

The temple is also a founding member of the Interreligious Council, the first community multi-faith
organization in San Diego.

Annual Observances and
Events

Please call the temple or visit our website (www.btsd.net) to
confirm dates and times. The public is welcome to all BTSD observances and
events.

JANUARY - New Year Day Service;
Ho-Onko Service; Temple New Year Party

FEBRUARY - Nirvana Day Service

MARCH - Spring Higan; Spring
Benefit Luncheon;ABA Chow Mein
Luncheon

APRIL - Hanamatsuri
Service (Buddha’s Birthday)

MAY - Gotan-E
Service

JUNE - Japanese Cultural Bazaar (the first
Sunday)

JULY - Obon
Service; Bon Odori: Festival of Joy

AUGUST - Weekend Rummage Sale

SEPTEMBER - Fall Higan
Service,  Golf Tournament
Bon Odori:
Festival of Joy

OCTOBER – Fall Food
Festival

NOVEMBER – Eitaikyo Service

DECEMBER - Bodhi
Day; Mochitsuki (rice-pounding); Year-end Service;
New Year’s Eve Bell-ringing at Shelter Island’s Friendship Bell (11:30
pm)

To
be notified of upcoming events and activities, please leave your e-mail
address. We do not share our list with other individuals or organizations.

Recommended Reading

Bloom,
Alfred. Shoshinge: The Heart of Shin
Buddhism. Honolulu: Honpa Hongwanji
Mission of Hawaii,1986. ISBN: 0938474065.

Bloom,
Alfred. Tannisho: A Resource for Modern
Living. Honolulu: Buddhist Study Center, 1981.

ISBN:
0938474006.

Burtt, Edwin A., Ed. Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha. New
York: New American Library, 2000. ISBN: 0451200772.

Conze, Edward. Buddhism: Its Essence and Development. Windhorse Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 0042941237

Goddard,
Dwight, Ed. A Buddhist Bible. Beacon, 1994. ISBN: 0807059110.

Hanh,
Thich Nhat. Our
Appointment With Life: The         Buddha’s
Teaching on Living in the Present:

Berkeley, CA: Parallax, 1990. ISBN:
0938077368.

Kikumara, Norihiko. Shinran: His Life
and Thought. Los Angeles: Nembutsu Press, 1972.

—-—.
Shin Buddhist Handbook. San Francisco:

Buddhist
Churches of America, 1972.

Kubose, Gyomay. Everyday Suchness: Buddhist Essays on Everyday Living. American
Buddhist Association, 2004. iSBN: 0964299208

*Smith,
Huston & Philip Novak. Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. Harper,
2004. ISBN: 0060730676

**Tanaka,
Kenneth K. Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo-Shinshu
Buddhism in America. Berkeley, CA:         WisdomOcean Publications, rev. 2004. ISBN: 01965806200.

*Available
from the BTSD Buddhist Education Committee (BEC). **Available from the BTSD
Bookstore. Most of the titles are also available from the San Diego Public
Library or may be purchased from the Buddhist Bookstore at the Buddhist
Churches of America (BCA) Headquarters in San Francisco. You can order BCA
books online at  buddhistchurchesofamerica.com.

[pamphlet revised June 2005