is available on YouTube.
UPDATE 12/29/23: This post has been updated to reflect that the January 20 session has been cancelled. Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto will instead address both “What is Mahayana Buddhism?” and “What is Pure Land Buddhism?” in the January 13 session.
The first session is on Saturday, January 13 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (Hawaii Standard Time). The featured speaker will be Dr. David Matsumoto of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley. He will address “What is Mahayana Buddhism?” and “What is Pure Land Buddhism?”
The series will continue in February with two lectures, and then from March through August there will be one session per month. Here is a flyer listing all the speakers and topics:
The sessions will be delivered online via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please register using this link: https://forms.gle/fDZmLGBZuW1AHata8
About the Triple Celebration
Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii will commemorate the Triple Celebration on September 7 & 8, 2024. The year 2023 marks the 850th anniversary of the birth of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition, and 2024 will be the 800th anniversary of the establishment of the Jodo Shinshu teaching and the 135th anniversary of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. Accordingly, in 2024, we will observe commemorative services and workshops relating to those auspicious events.
More About the Education Series
Topics in the education series align with the structure of the Kyogyoshinsho, a work written by Shinran Shonin in 1224 that was the basis for establishing the Jodo Shinshu Tradition. The Kyogyoshinsho shows the way of attaining enlightenment (sho) through reciting the Name of Amida Buddha (gyo) caused by entrusting heart (shin) which is taught in the Larger Sutra (Kyo).
The education series will consist of 4 main topics:
- The Significance of the establishment of Jodo Shinshu Tradition
- Essence of Kyogyoshinsho
- Transmission of Jodo Shinshu from the past to present
- The world is waiting for Buddhism and Shinran Shonin
For more information about individual sessions, including specific session flyers, please view the calendar (the link displays a listing of the Triple Celebration Education Series events).
Organizers hope the series will help participants relate the teachings to their lives, bring the Buddha’s wisdom to social issues, and inspire individual temples to hold Buddhism classes. The overarching goal is transforming people’s lives guided by Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow.