Message from the Bishop: “Awakening to Compassion in Turbulent Times” Bishop Toshiyuki Umitani February 2, 2026 Dear Dharma Friends, Today, I write to you with a heavy heart. Mourning the tragic events in Minnesota caused by state-sanctioned violence and fear, I grieve the lives lost and the pain families and communities are experiencing, and I […]

Originally released in Japanese on January, 16, 2023 – Japanese version available as a PDF. Message on the new Ryogemon, a way of appreciating the teaching “Gratitude for the Jodo Shinshu Teaching” In March of this year, we will be observing the Joint Celebration of the 850th Anniversary of Shinran Shonin’s Birth and the 800th […]

Delivered April 15, 2021 (translated September 2021) This year we will once again have the opportunity to observe the Commemorative Service of the Establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Teaching together. This service’s name, ‘Establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Teaching,’ refers to Shinran Shonin’s systematical presentation of the Jodo Shinshu teaching through his main writing, Kyōgyōshinshō, […]