Buddhist Churches of America

The Buddhist Churches of America (abbreviated as BCA in English, 米国仏教団 or Beikoku Bukkyōdan in Japanese) is the United States branch of the Nishi Honganji subsect of Jōdo Shinshū ("True Pure Land School") Buddhism.

The BCA headquarters is at 1710 Octavia Street, San Francisco, and currently under the leadership of Terri Omori, its first female president. It is the oldest Buddhist organization in the continental United States.[1]

Origins and development

An earlier separate branch of the Nishi Hongwanji-ha was established on the Hawaiian Islands in the 1880s when it was the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. Many Japanese had also immigrated to Hawaii to work on the plantations there.[2]

The BCA hopes that ongoing American interest in the Dharma will lead to a new interest in Jōdo Shinshū and its revival in the United States. The BCA has attempted to accomplish this goal chiefly through academia, "minister's assistant" training, and through cultural events open to the public, such as the Bon Festival, taiko, and Japanese food bazaars.[3]

BCA was among the first American Buddhist communities to sanction same-sex marriage and support LGBTQ rights.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Seminary and education

BCA ministers have also been the only Buddhist chaplains to serve in the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, Rev. Shoko Masunaga (1975-1976) and Rev. Bob Oshita (2017-2018).[10][11][12]

Style

In the United States, BCA priests may be addressed as either sensei ("teacher"), "Minister", or "Reverend". BCA ministers have historically been all male and ethnically Japanese, but there is now a substantial number of female, and non-Japanese, ministers. In 2022, the BCA appointed their first female president, Terri Omori.[1]

References
  1. Kawamoto, Jon (8 March 2022). "Major Milestone for The BCA". Buddhist Churches of America. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  2. "Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi". official web site. 2005. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  3. Wilson, Jeff (2012). ""All Beings Are Equally Embraced By Amida Buddha": Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and Same-Sex Marriage in the United States". Journal of Global Buddhism. 13: 31–59. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  4. "Seattle Betsuin Brings New Light to LGBTQ Issues: Northwest Dharma Association". northwestdharma.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  5. Wilson, Jeff (2018-06-20). "Buddha's Big Shrug: The Non-Conflictual History of Same-Sex Marriage in the Buddhist Churches of America". www.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  6. Hamamoto, Ben (2014-07-10). "Seminar traces roots of Buddhists' support for LGBTQ rights » Nichi Bei". www.nichibei.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  7. "The Buddhist pioneers of same-sex marriage in the West: a little-known history of compassion in action by Dr Michael Vermeulen". www.ebumagazine.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  8. Kuwahara, Kiyonobu Joshin (2017-06-02). "Is My Sangha Inclusive?". Lion's Roar. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  9. Wilson, Jeff (2015-06-27). "A Big Gay History of Buddhist Same-sex Marriage". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  10. "Senate Chaplains". California State Senate. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  11. "Rev. Shoko Masunaga". calisphere. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  12. Koseff, Alexei (26 December 2016). "Bob Oshita, Sacramento Buddhist reverend, takes over as Assembly chaplain". Sacramento Bee.
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