Kelly Shea
9 November 2020
History of Enmanji
Enmanji’s history began in 1926 with a Buddhist Sunday School and affiliated Japanese language school. The official beginning of the temple was two years later, in the spring of 1928 when a Buddhist minister was sent to Sonoma County to do missionary work. In 1932, Japanese residents of Sonoma County held a meeting to discuss and finalize plans for establishing a temple. In June of that year, Rev. Shodo Goto became the temple’s first minister. The Temple’s central shrine’s image of Amida Buddha was gifted by the Hompa Hongagwanji of Kyoto.
The Temple’s building was originally built by the Manchurian Railroad Company for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. It was donated to the Buddhist Mission of North America after the fair, and offered to members of the Sonoma County Buddhist Temple, who elected to reassemble the building. Built without nails, it is a 12th century Kamakura-style representation.
As reflected by its name, Enmanji Temple has been granted special recognition from its Mother temple in Japan. It was the first temple in North America permitted to use the title of “ji” in its name.
Foundations of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism
Enmanji Temple is a Jōdo Shinshū (often shortened to Shin) Buddhist temple. Shin Buddhism refers to the Japanese Pure Land Tradition, which was founded in the 12th century by Shinran Shonin (1173-1263). As stated above, Enmanji was founded through a community effort; it refers to Shinran as the Founder. Shinran was born into an aristocratic family near the end of the Heian Period, when the imperial court had begun to lose its power to the Shogunate, or warrior clans. While Shinran’s father served at one point in the court, Shinran himself joined a Tendai temple on Mt. Hiei at the age of 9, where he then practiced for 20 years.
Despite two decades of monastic training, Shinran found himself dissatisfied with the study and worrying that he may never achieve awakening. He studied the works of the seven masters of Pure Land teachings, which center around reciting the nembutsu, and Amida Buddha’s promise to bring all beings to Enlightenment.
Shinran eventually left Mt. Hiei and became a student of one of the seven masters, Honen Shonin, who had also previously left Mt. Hiei’s Tendai tradition. However, competing traditions disliked Honen’s movement, and petitioned the Emperor to prohibit the nembutsu teaching. Honen and Shinran were consequently banished from the capital and exiled to different provinces. No longer fully a monk, Shinran lived between monasticism and lay life; he continued to practice, but also married and began a family.
Though Shinran and Honen were pardoned five years later, Honen died before the two could ever meet again. After his exile had been lifted, Shinran did not at once return to the capital. He reflected deeply on his mission and made it his goal to alleviate the suffering of peasants through the teaching and practice of the nembutsu. Shinran did not build a temple, but instead met with practitioners, gaining a following in the way he spoke with and treated them on equal grounds, regardless of status. In these years, Shinran also completed a draft of his monumental work, Kyogoshinsho, which came to be the core texts of the Jōdo Shinshū tradition. The year in which he finished this first draft, 1224, is now considered when Jōdo Shinshū was established.
At the age of 63, Shinran returned with his family to Kyoto, where he met continued resistance from the Kamakura government against nembutsu teachings. Thus, Shinran devoted himself to revising Kyogyoshinsho and writing about Nembutsu teachings in everyday Japanese. On January 16th, 1263, at 90 years old, Shinran passed away while reciting the Nembutsu at his younger brother’s temple. He was cremated, and his remains were moved north, where his daughter had a tombstone placed over his grave.
Pure Land Buddhist Practices
Pure Land Buddhism centers around three Principal Pure Land Sutras:
-
The Sutra of Immeasurable Life (Bussetsu Muryoju Kyo), also known as the Larger Sutra (Daikya);
-
The Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life (Bussetsu Kanmuryoju Kyo), also known as the Contemplation Sutra (Kangyo); and
-
The Sutra on Amida Buddha (Bussetsu Amida Kyo), also known as the Smaller Sutra (Shakyo).
The endeavor of the tradition is “to live a life of gratitude and compassionate activity” (Honganwanji) and share the tradition’s teachings with others to lead them to Enlightenment. According to the tradition, all are embraced in the power of Amida Buddha’s Final Vow; Amida Buddha vowed to bring about the awakening of all beings through his Primal Vow and the intonation of his name. Entrusting in this Vow will allow one to live with peace of mind and assurance that they will be born in the Pure Land, and there attain Enlightenment. The teaching aims to allow people to live life to its fullest and truly understand the potentiality and also restrictions of life. Shin Buddhism also advocates for a detachment from material desires, which (if achieved) will in turn lead one out of the cycle of suffering.
Core Shin Buddhist Teachings & Enmanji Temple
The practices of Enmanji align with the traditional core teachings of Shin Buddhism. Enmanji’s website stresses these teachings largely through the words of Reverends from the community. The following sections will explain key issues and how they are addressed on Emanji’s website.
Transcending Worldly Desires
Rev. Marvin Harada, a Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, emphasizes that we all have worldly wishes throughout our lives, but what brings true meaning to us are those wishes which transcend worldly desires. He says that when we discover those wishes, “then our life is always meaningful, always gratifying, and always fulfilling.”
Reality & the Concept of Self
Rev. Jundo Gregory Gibbs of Pasadena Buddhist Temple explains the Temple’s stance rejecting Soul Theory (i.e., rejecting the idea that individuals have souls), and calls every individual “unique presentations of Buddha-nature.” He explains that the idea of Self and the individual are not inherently denied by this theory, but are not the same as the idea of Atman, or having a soul. Rather, the Self is constantly changing, and each individual’s uniqueness exists in relation to other beings and one’s circumstances.
Death
Rev. Koho Takata of Los Angeles Betsuin describes death as an inevitablility of life, adhering to the classic Mahayana idea that “[all] things in this world, including life and death, are empty and temporary.” He highlights death as not the end of life, but one of life’s processes. And, he stresses the importance of understanding this fact as the only way to escape the suffering of life.
LGBTQ+
Enmanji promotes equality among all its members regardless of sexual orientation. Its website has multiple pages addressing same-gender marriage. Speakers note that there is no text or tradition against marriage equality, and that in fact same-sex marriages have been present in Buddhist communities for decades – with the first known Buddhist same-sex marriage performed in San Francisco in the 1970s. Voices on Enmanji’s website point out reasons for this acceptance, including that the Shin tradition of Pure Land Buddhism is more open about sexuality because of the tradition of marriage among the monastic community; that Japanese-Americans and Buddhist communities do not tolerate discrimination particularly after the WWII internment of Japanese-Americans; and most importantly, that Amida Buddha’s ideals of equality and treating others without judgement are paramount to the tradition.
Enmanji’s Congregation & Relationship to Other Buddhist Communities
From the Enmanji website’s inclusion of these teachings by Reverends in the community, it’s evident that Enmanji Temple has a strong relationship with other Buddhist Temples. It is a member of Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), which has 60 member temples and is the oldest Buddhist organization in the United States. BCA itself is affiliated with the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji ha denomination located in Kyoto. As was previously mentioned, Enmanji has also historically shared a close relationship with the Shin denomination in Kyoto.
Enmanji is also active in its local community. The Temple hosts an annual chicken teriyaki barbecue and bazaar, an annual Obon festival, and an annual mochi-making event. It also hosts a monthly Enman no Tomo; a time for Japanese-speaking elders to meet and socialize. It regularly hosts other events and benefits, as well.
The Temple is inclusive to those of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. A majority of members do seem to have ethnically or culturally Japanese backgrounds, but Enmanji’s website stresses the Temple as a space of inclusivity, and Amida Buddha’s love for all.
Sources
BCA Website, https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/
Enmanji Temple Website, https://www.enmanjitemple.com/
Hongwanji, Jodo Shinshu: A Guide: Concise, Abridged Edition. Buddhist Churches of America, 2006. https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/dec2016/wp-content/uploads/jodo_shinshu_a_guide.pdf