Symposium Schedule
& Guest Speaker Bios
Shinran Shonin 750th Memorial Symposium
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Imperial Ballroom
1:45pm – 2:45pm
Shinran Shonin’s Wish for Us and the World:
From Inner Peace to Outer Peace
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka
Kenneth Tanaka is a professor of Buddhist studies at Musashino University in Tokyo. Prior to that he was a professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is currently the president of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies. He is the author of numerous texts, including The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Buddhist Doctrine, Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America, The Faces of Buddhism in America, and many scholar articles.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
SESSION I – SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOPS
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Japanese Language Session Almaden Room
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka
Professor, Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan
Topic: アメリカ浄土真宗の歩みと展望とその意義 － アメリカ仏教全体を背景に
Amerika Jodo Shinshu no Ayumi to Tenbo to Sono Igi –
Amerika Bukkyo Zentai wo Haikei ni
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Shin Buddhism and Music Pagoda Restaurant
Speaker: Rev. Harry Gyokyo Bridge
Minister, Buddhist Church of Oakland
Rev. Harry Gyokyo Bridge spent various parts of his youth in both Tokyo and the Boston area. He encountered Buddhism while in college, and although he had dreams of becoming a professional musician, he instead found his way into the Buddhist ministry. He received Masters Degrees from both the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California and Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan.
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Shinran and Eshinni Imperial Ballroom
Speaker: Professor James Dobbins
Oberlin College
Topic: Shinran and Eshinni: Husbands and Wives in Shin Buddhism
James Dobbins is the James H. Fairchild professor of religious studies at Oberlin College in Ohio. He is a well-known scholar of Japanese religions, with a particular interest in Japanese Pure Land, Jodo Shinshu, and women in medieval Japanese Buddhism. He is the author of two texts, Jodo Shinshu: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan and Letters of the Nun Eshinni: Images of Pure Land Buddhism in Medieval Japan, as well as numerous scholarly articles.
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Buddhism and Family Life Club Regent
Speaker: Jacqueline Kramer
Author
Topic: The Practice of Buddhism in Everyday Family Life
Jacqueline Kramer has been studying and practicing Theravadin Buddhism for 30 years. She is the founder and director of the Hearth Foundation of northern California, which is dedicated to supporting and inspiring mothering and homemaking as a spiritual practice. Ms. Kramer is also the author of a widely acclaimed book, Buddha Mom, in which she explores how she has become a better Buddhist through opening herself to motherhood.
SESSION II Shinran Expo 4:15 – 5:30pm
Shinran Shonin Video, Book Reading & Signing ( Dr. Rev.Tanaka, Prof. Dobbins, Ms. Kramer) Interactive Jodo Shinshu Global Websites, Peace and Tranquility Displays, Display of selected Dharma School Art Posters and Life of Shinran oil painting panels.
“Shinran-sama – His Wish and Light “ Almaden Room
The animated story of the life of Shinran Shonin told in the words of Shinran
himself. Through his eyes we see depicted the trials and tribulations of those
who lived with him in the same period.
Book Signing Imperial Ballroom Foyer
Prof. James Dobbins Jacqueline Kramer Rev. Dr. Kenneth Tanaka
Nembutsu “Ko” Club Regent
Interactive discussions with ministers and other participants
Peace and Tranquility Displays Market Street Foyer
Interactive Techno Display of Jodo Shinshu Communities in the World
A display of a new website created to highlight the extensive reach and range of traditional
and recently established Jodo Shinshu organizations, temples and sanghas in all areas of the
world.
Berkeley Buddhist Temple
BLEND (Buddhists Living in Equality and Non-Discrimination), a program that seeks to
actualize the Buddhist principles of tolerance and harmony in individuals and the world.
Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Church and San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
EcoSangha, a program devoted to the propagation of Buddhism as an inherently ecological
perspective and to finding answers to today's urgent environmental challenges.
New York Buddhist Church
Buddhist and interfaith peace activities in NYC, which augment the spiritual community's
role in leading the movement for international peace.
Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple
Project Dana, which is an outreach program that provides religious, nutritional and other
support and services to the elderly population.
The 12 selected BCA Dharma School Art Posters
From the 300 entries in the BCA DS Art Poster contest these 12 were selected to be
included in the BCA 2011 calendar
“Life of Shinran” oil painting panels
14 copies of original oil paintings by Makio Takenaka. The Panels were donated to the Buddhist
Temple of San Francisco by Mr. Koshiro Kametani of Osaka as an Eitaikyo offering in 2007.
The Hongwanji Goeido Founder’s Hall Restoration DVD
The great restoration took 10 years to complete, calling upon the skills of many craftsmen
specializing in the repair and preservation of cultural assets. They used traditional techniques as
well as the latest technology to overcome various arduous tasks.