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What is The Living Dharma? The "Dharma" refers to the teachings of Buddhism, the essence of which is the impermanent and interdependent nature of all life. But "Dharma" also refers to the everyday experiences of our lives that make these teachings come alive. That's why we say the Dharma is "living." Ultimately, The Living Dharma is about the compassion that naturally arises in us when we reflect deeply on what it means to be a human being. |
 What Is Buddhism?
Why be a Buddhist? |
Above: WCBTs 2011 Year-End Service and Oseibo featured the expression of thanks to the temple's hard-working staff and a very diverse entertainment program.
Coming Events: Our regular 10:00 am Sunday Services in January will be on January 8, 15, and 29. January 1 will be our special New Year's Day Service and January 22 will be our annual Eitaikyo Service and General Meeting. Regular 10:00 am Sunday Services in February wll be on February 5, 12, and 26. February 17-19 will be WCBT's Annual Family Retreat at the Newport Beach Higashi Honganji Temple (no service at WCBT).
Please join us if you can.
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Common Misconceptions About Buddhism
All about reincarnation, paganism, suffering, meditation, "prayer," and more |
Frequently Asked Questions
We frequently receive questions about visiting our temple, finding a Buddhist temple nearby, coming to Buddhism from another faith, coping with illness or death, and others. If you have a similar question, please read our FAQ page. We also have a special Buddhism 101 Page with frequently asked questions from students. |
The Living Dharma Search Page
Over the years, numerous contributions from a diverse collection of authors have made the Living Dharma Website a rich resource for insights into the Buddhist teachings. Search our entire site for info on Buddhist terms, for essays by a specific Buddhist teacher, or for info on a specific topic of interest to you. |
About West Covina Buddhist Temple
E-mail Us: We welcome your questions and comments.
Map: Please visit us if you live in or are visiting the Southern California area.
Temple Calendar: Everyone is always welcome at our Sunday Services.
The Gateway: Read the current edition of WCBT's monthly newsletter.
WCBT 50th Anniversary Page: View many scenes from our 2009 celebration.
Videos:
A Brief History of Shin Buddhism From Shakyamuni to Today: This 18 min. video (15MB) traces the development of Shin Buddhism from Shakyamuni's core teachings, through the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, the Seven Masters, Shinran, Rennyo, and Kiyozawa.
Three Gathas: the 4 Higashi Honganji California temples combine to sing three popular gathas (songs) with the backing of WCBT's Bodhi Tree youth band! This is an 8-1/2 min music video (68MB). |
Real World Buddhism
Buddhism is all around us everyday,
in all forms of media |
New & Featured Articles:
Steve Jobs—Connecting the Dots: Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple Computer, passed away on October 5, 2011, and there were global expressions of sadness and naturally, gratitude for all his cool inventions. But as great as Steve’s technological accomplishments were, this essay discusses his 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University. It is quite possible that generations from now, Steve will be remembered for his commencement address. In this talk he shared the Buddha-dharma itself.
Peace, Harmony, and Co-existence: Rev. Kodo Umezu, Director of the Jodo Shinshu Center’s Center for Buddhist Education, was invited to give a talk at the United Nations, a very auspicious occasion. Buddhism, specifically Shin Buddhism, is slowly becoming more well-known both in the West and internationally.
How We Can Help Our Earth: Emerging trends in our environment appear to be warning signs that we can no longer take our planet's natural resources for granted; we must strive now to establish a sustainable future.
Richard Gere on Compassionate Action: Actor (and Buddhist) Richard Gere was recently asked about his concern for the primitive tribal peoples in South America, Africa and also for the people of Tibet. Interestingly, Gere clarified that his "action" doesn't come from a typical moralistic conviction, but is instead the result of his identifying directly with these people, and thus is an example of compassionate action. Ultimately, Richard Gere's active involvement in these causes illustrates that the true gift of Buddhism is really compassion:"This planet can't exist anymore unless all peoples are taken into account - if you suffer, ultimately I'm going to suffer.
An Inconvenient Truth: In her review of Al Gore's movie, Carol Shimizu states, "As a Buddhist, this movie drove home the idea of 'cause and effect' and 'selflessness,' that what we do now has an effect on others. It may be an 'inconvenience' to recycle or to purchase a hybrid car as opposed to a slick sports car or SUV, but in being selfless, we can affect millions of lives."
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The Living Dharma Library
Memorable Dharma talks, essays, retreats and seminars |
New & Featured Articles:
The Heart of Reverence: The key to having the courage to accept life's challenges and being able to live our lives to the fullest, says Bishop Ko Yasuhara, the Head Administrator of Higashi Honganji, is the Nembutsu. "The Nembutsu teaches us the importance of being humble, of awakening to the sense of humility. And the ultimate form of humility is the heart of reverence. Every religion begins with the heart of reverence, but especially in Buddhism, the heart of reverence is very important."
Growing the Sangha: Rev. Ron Miyamura, head minister of Chicago's Midwest Buddhist Temple, adds new insights regarding the issues facing our changing Shin Sanghas in 21st century America. Like most Buddhist temples located in urban centers, Rev. Miyamura notes the growing interest in Buddhism from Americans not from traditional Shin Buddhist families. As he states, "Obviously, the real growth of our Temple has to be from these non-traditional members. Additionally, it goes without saying, the future of our Temples depends on this group of new members. This is the real challenge for the next 20 years. I do not have a magic wand that I can wave to ensure our future. In recent years, we see a lot of initial interest in Buddhism, but we do not know how to transform that interest into a curiosity enough to join the Sangha."
Issues in the Propagation of Shin Buddhism in the West: In this essay, Dr. Alfred Bloom offers eight bold suggestions for a more effective propagation of Shin Buddhism, such as the importance of having a "minister of propagation," a person able to develop a philosophy of propagation, pinpoint areas where new Shin communities can be initiated, and develop strategies and programs for sharing Shin Buddhism. In addition, he suggests focusing propagation efforts outside traditional ethno-centric temples and also encouraging lay members to take a much more active role in sharing the teaching. Overall, it is crucial to be able to articulate why Shin is a meaningful way of life today. As he puts it, "The traditional Shin terms must be translated, not merely linguistically, but philosophically, into understandable and relevant religious concepts and principles for the Western mind."
Searching for the Way: Not having been raised a Buddhist, Reiko Ikehara Nelson explains that she had previously only encountered its teachings during funerals and memorial services, but that somehow, "I remembered the beauty of the poem “White Ashes” and decided it was time to learn and study Buddhism. Something clicked within me. It’s been a little over a year but the teachings of impermanence, suffering, the inter-connectedness of all life, and living in the present moment have opened up a new way for me to view and live my world."
The Meaning of Higan: Rev. Tomoyuki Hasegawa clarifies that enlightenment in Buddhism is often termed the "other shore" because it is "far away" due to our human limitations: "We are living in a very advanced civilization and know many things thanks to the advancements of technology and science. But we still don’t know anything about our life and death. From the Buddhist perspective, we are still ignorant. And the darkest ignorance we have is not being aware of our own ignorance. Anxieties, greed, anger and ignorance are going through our mind everyday. However, the source of these blind passions is just one thing; it is our ego-self."
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Kids Pages!
WCBT's youth groups range from pre-schoolers through college-aged |
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| The Living Dharma Bookstore |
| Please browse our selection of outstanding books on Buddhism |
The Evil Person |
River of Fire, River of Water |
Heard By Me |
Buddhism: A Concise Introduction |
Coffinman: The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician |
Buddha in Your Backpack:Everyday Buddhism for Teens |
Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens |
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The Tannisho Homepage
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In his modern translation, Dr. Taitetsu Unno, Professor of Religion at Smith College, movingly captures the timeless essence of this Shin Buddhist classic. |
Buddhist Glossary
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What those Buddhist terms mean (a bibliographic reference) |
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E-mail Us: The Living Dharma website is an experiment to find new ways to share the timeless teachings of Buddhism on the World Wide Web. As such, we're interested in what you think of our site, and welcome your questions and comments. From time to time, we put a few of these on our various E-mail Pages (e-mail addresses omitted): Coming to Buddhism From Other Faiths, Buddhism and Death, Buddhism 101 (questions from students).
Map: Please feel welcome to visit us in person at West Covina Buddhist Temple. Since 1997, many people have visited WCBT...one couple even visited us from Belgium (while on vacation, of course)!
Temple Calendar: Everyone is always welcome at our Sunday Services, which usually start at 10:00 am. However, we occasionally have afternoon services, so check our Calendar first.
Temple Address:West Covina Buddhist Temple, 1203 W. Puente Ave, West Covina, CA 91790
Mailing Address: West Covina Buddhist Temple, PO Box 1616, West Covina, CA 91793
The Gateway: Read or download the current edition of WCBT's monthly newsletter, “The Gateway,” which offers not only a glimpse into temple events and people, but also Buddhist essays and responses to some of the interesting e-mail questions we receive from all over the web.
The Living Dharma Staff: These are the Sangha members who work on this website under the guidance of Rev. Kenjun Kawawata. |
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Buddhist Temple Locations and Recommended Buddhist Sites: Check here to find a Buddhist Temple to visit or join, or to browse our list of recommended Buddhist websites, all of which offer additional Buddhist teachings. |
