The longest continuing Buddhist Temple in San Diego is celebrating its first 100 years with a special service and other events.
The Buddhist Temple of San Diego (BTSD) has been a presence in San Diego since 1926.
“It is with deep joy and gratitude that we are able to celebrate the Buddhist Temple of San Diego’s 100th anniversary,” Resident Minister Rev. Sterling Davenport said. “Guided by the theme ‘Gratitude for the Past, Present, and Future,’ we honor the pioneers who established this temple, give thanks for the vibrant members who sustain it today, and look with hope to the generations who will carry the teachings of the Buddha forward.”
In 1926, BTSD began in a leased space at Sixth and Market streets. For the next four years, temple and community members raised funds and built a permanent home at 29th and Market streets, about two miles east on Market Street.
For the new temple’s dedication in 1930, members walked on Market Street from the old temple to the new.
“We are so grateful to our Japanese immigrant pioneers who started this temple,” said LuAnn Lee, anniversary chair. “Although our Sangha is now diverse, the families of many of these founders remain members today.”
Temple lore has it that the temple was a refuge for Buddhists from other Japanese traditions and so chose a generic name.
“Now the temple continues in that vein for spiritually minded people and unaffiliated Buddhists in San Diego,” Lee said.
If you visit the temple, you will not see monks and nuns, as Shin Buddhism is for everyday lay people. “We are a devotional temple, not a monastery,” Lee said. Jodo Shinshu is now the largest sect in Japan. BTSD services have talks, songs, and chants, mostly in English. Services are on most Sundays at 10 a.m.
The teachings and practice focus on Buddhist concepts of gratitude and compassion. Lee said the temple is meant for ordinary people. “We call it everyday Buddhism.”
The temple will be hosting various celebrations in September to mark the occasion.
“May we continue to build a welcoming community where all can encounter wisdom and compassion, and may our shared spirit of gratitude inspire the next hundred years,” Rev. Sterling added.
BTSD is located at 2929 Market St., San Diego. For more information, call (619) 239-0896 or visit buddhisttemplesandiego.org.
The mission of the Buddhist Temple of San Diego is to share the teachings of the Buddha. We strive to sustain and grow the temple’s presence by cultivating the values of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in our community through religious practice, cultural activities, and educational programs.
BTSD is one of over 60 temples in the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), the oldest continuing Buddhist national organization in the U.S. Founded in 1899 as the Buddhist Mission of North America, BCA is the national representative for the Jōdo Shinshū tradition. The organization is headquartered in San Francisco.