WELCOME MESSAGE

We appreciate your interest in the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple.

The heart of our temple lies in what we call the Three Treasures: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

The Buddha, refers to the historical Siddhartha Gautama, who went on to become the Buddha Sakyamuni, after his awakening to the realities and truths of this human life. He then provided a teaching (Dharma) of the Buddha Amida representing the ultimate way in living a life of immeasurable wisdom and unwavering compassion. He shared this Dharma to a community (Sangha) willing to listen and practice.

The Palo Alto Buddhist Temple belongs to a sect of Buddhism called Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha or simply, Jodo Shinshu. The founder of this particular sect was Shinran Shonin (1173–1263) who advocated that all is necessary to attain Enlightenment is the reliance upon the Infinite Wisdom and Compassion, embodied in the act of reciting the Nembutsu (Namo Amida Butsu). This form of Buddhism advocates that you do not need to be a monk to practice.

Our mother temple is located in Kyoto, Japan, and our National Headquarters (The Buddhist Churches of America) is located in Berkeley, California.

Our temple programs and services are open to all who wish to observe and participate. But in order to maintain these temple activities for the community to enjoy, we rely upon donations and individuals who make annual financial pledges to maintain temple operations. If you feel the temple can be of assistance upon your path, I hope you will consider becoming a member of our community so that we can continue to offer the Three Treasures to others who may be interested.

If you would like further details or have questions, please feel free to contact me:

650-856-0123

dkoyama@comcast.net

In gratitude, Namo Amida Butsu,

 

Rev. Dean Koyama
Resident Minister