"The two largest branches of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism are Shinshu Otani­ha (“Higashi Honganji”) and Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji­ha (“Nishi Hongwanji”). Over four hundred years ago, the two branches arose from a single Honganji organization. From that common origin -- taking  Shinran Shonin as their founder and his teachings as foundational – the two branches grew independently and developed in ways both similar to and different from one another. 





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ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.

PLEASE CALL (213) 680-9130 REGARDING AVAILABILITY.

LATE REGISTRATION: $40 (BENTO NOT GUARANTEED)

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  Please make checks payable to "SD BEC"

Check memo: "Winter Pacific Seminar 2016'

Mail check and registration form to:

LA Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple -   815 East First St., LA, CA  90012

Winter Pacific Seminar - 21^st Century:

Saturday, January 30, 2016

“East Meets West:

Jodo Shinshu from the Higashi and Nishi Perspectives”

           The 2016 Winter Pacific Seminar – 21^st Century: “East Meets West: Jodo Shinshu from the Higashi and Nishi Perspectives,” will be hosted at and pay homage to two historic temples in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo District on Saturday, January 30, 2016, from 9 am - 4:30 pm.

       Doors will open at 8:30 am at the Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, located at 815 East First Street, where registration, an opening service, morning sessions and lunch will take place. After lunch, the seminar’s afternoon sessions and closing service will take place at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, located at 505 East Third Street; within walking distance; shuttles will also be available. The seminar will have separate sessions in English and Japanese for all presentations and panel sessions.

       The $40 registration fee includes a bento lunch and is due by January 21^st. Southern California temple members are asked to register through their respective temples. Checks are payable to “SD BEC;” memo: “Winter Pacific Seminar 2016.” Please mail to LA Hompa Hongwanji: 815 East First St., LA, CA 90012. For registration, contact: Rev. William Briones Ph: (213) 680-9130  Email: malik615@msn.com  General registration, flyers and tentative schedule are downloadable online at www.BuddhistChurchesofAmerica.org.

       This historic gathering is presented by the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS), the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) Center for Buddhist Education and the Shinshu Center of America; and hosted by the BCA Southern District Ministers Association and Buddhist Education Committee.

       The keynote speakers are Dr. Mark Blum, professor of Japanese Studies at UC Berkeley and Rev. Henry Adams, resident minister of the San Mateo Buddhist Temple. Each will be presenting in English and Japanese on "An Introduction to Shin Thinkers from the Nishi and Higashi Traditions."

     An overview on “The History of the Establishment of the Nishi and Higashi Branches” will be presented in English by Rev. David Matsumoto, director of the IBS Center for Contemporary Shin Studies; and in Japanese by Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara, co-director of the BCA Center for Buddhist Education.

       Concurrent English and Japanese panels will feature speakers from both the Higashi and Nishi traditions. The panel in English, moderated by Rev. Matsumoto, will include: Keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Blum; Rev. Noriaki Ito, Bishop, Higashi Honganji North American District; and Rev. Marvin Harada of Orange County Buddhist Church. 

       The panel in Japanese, moderated by Rev. Kuwahara, will include: Keynote speaker, Rev. Henry Adams; Rev. Kodo Umezu, Bishop, Buddhist Churches of America; and Rev. Nobuko Miyoshi of West Covina Buddhist Temple.

       The Winter Pacific Seminar - 21^st Century continues a Shin Buddhist educational tradition, the Pacific Seminar, which began in Berkeley in the early 1950s and continued until the late 1980s. Since 2008, with the establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley, the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) and the BCA Center for Buddhist Education (CBE) revived the tradition as the “Pacific Seminar - 21^st Century,” with the goal of creating exciting new opportunities for all interested in sharing the Buddhist teachings: laypersons from all backgrounds and generations, scholars and clergy alike, and deepening the appreciation and  dialogue on the historical and doctrinal roots of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America. Learn more at www.BuddhistChurchesofAmerica.org, email: cbe@bcahq.org or phone: (510) 809-1460.

Tentative Schedule