How Does The Temple Operate?

Sometimes the behind-the-scenes operation of our temple (and other religious organizations) can be a little confusing. So we thought it might be helpful to give you all a short run-down of what we are doing behind-the-scenes. Our temple president, Mike Iseri, recently wrote a short article regarding funding and temple leadership that might help make our processes a little clearer. We wanted to share it here as well. Some may wonder where Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple gets money to operate. First, and probably most obviously, we have several fund-raising activities throughout the year. Our biggest event of the year is our Obon Festival. Obon is a very important holiday in our tradition--during this time we celebrate our ancestors. In fact, the dancing that we do at Obon is a way to "dance with our ancestors." Even though this is primarily a religious and cultural event and a time to share our traditions with the community, it is also a time...