Later this year (Sept 16-18) IOBT will be hosting the 75 th Northwest Buddhist Convention and also celebrating our 75 th Anniversary of the temple! Because the pandemic has made everything so uncertain, we are holding out hope that things will get back to normal. We HOPE to have the convention in person with guests here from around the Northwest. We HOPE to gather together to have meaningful services, discussions, and workshops. Most importantly, we HOPE to have fun together as fellow Jodo Shinshu Buddhists. You might be wondering what the convention theme is all about. We thought, since we are celebrating our temple’s 75 th anniversary, that the theme should focus on the history of our Northwest temples AND then look ahead to our influence on the future of Buddhism in our region and our country. First I want to share some reflections on our temple’s past. I’ve been looking at many old photos with my mom. These pictures bring back memories of our temple’s past. There are pho

September of 2022 will be here soon and we are trying to gear up for  A BIG EVENT  that combines the 75th Northwest District Convention AND the 75th Anniversary of Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple .  The theme for our event is " Reflecting on the Past; Looking to the Future . "   This is our poster announcing the event.  It has pictures of all our IOBT resident ministers from our first minister in the upper right to our current minister in the upper left.  Can you name them all?!? As we begin the planning stages of this event, we are filled with a sense of uncertainty.  There is so much we don't know about what the world will be like in 2022.  Will the corona virus continue to challenge the safety of large gatherings?  Will our conference need to be virtual, like the Oregon Buddhist Temple's convention was this year?  If we have a face-to-face conference, will the switch to a fall convention schedule (it used to be winter) affect how many volunteers we have, since we re

Our annual Obon cemetery visits and services start tomorrow, July 27, 2021. Obon cemetery visits are an important part of our Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition and something I look forward to every year.   (For full schedule and a link to the map, scroll to the bottom of this post) Bonye No Uta* Lanterns aglow from the house to house, Lighting the path of the Dharma Those who live and those now gone All come together this festival day. Time that flows shall not return, But deep within the cemetery’s moss Hearts beckon each other, every year, And loved ones meet, this Festival Day. *(Original version in Japanese by S. Shibutani and Kiyomi Fujii)   The tradition of Obon is a reminder of the sadness of loss. Obon traditions remind us that missing our loved ones is a  normal part of human life.  The traditions reassure us that grief is normal and nothing to be ashamed of.  But that is just a small piece of what Obon is. At the heart of Obon is the fundamental teaching of