San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin

San Jose, California, 95112 United States

Mission Statement

The mission of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin is to learn and to share the Jodo Shinshu understanding of the Three Treasures; Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

About This Cause

The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin serves its members throughout Santa Clara County including Morgan Hill and Gilroy as well as some members in neighboring counties. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin’s main temple is located at 640 North Fifth Street in the Japantown section of Central San Jose. Our temple is part of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) headquartered in San Francisco, California. The BCA, in turn, is affiliated with the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha (Nishi Hongwanji) in Kyoto, Japan. In America the term Betsuin refers to a special status accorded to certain temples of particular historic or geographical importance. This status was accorded to the San Jose Buddhist Church in 1966. Our Betsuin belongs to the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha (the sect of the True Essence of the Pure Land tradition, Shinshu). Our doctrinal founder is Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), who lived during the Kamakura Period of Japan. He was given the posthumous title of Kenshin Daishi (the Master who saw the Truth) by Emperor Meiji. A statue of Shinran Shonin is located at the front of the temple. The history and development of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin is deeply connected with the history and development of the Japanese-American community that settled in the Santa Clara Valley at the end of the nineteenth century. The temple served as a religious and cultural center in the lives of those early pioneers, the Issei.

San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
640 North Fifth Street
San Jose, California 95112
United States
Phone 408-293-9292
Twitter @SJBetsuin
Unique Identifier BSV_2K2588E2QP