Three C’s and the 125th Anniversary

Three impactful words define the Buddhist Church of Sacramento’s 125th Anniversary celebration – “Compassion. Culture. Community.” 

The three C’s were selected for the anniversary theme because they reflect everything our temple has represented from the beginning:

• Compassion

  Among the many core teachings in Shin Buddhism is compassion, a wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. As cited in our Golden Chain, “We will be kind and gentle to every living thing and protect all who are weaker than ourselves.”

• Culture

  The Issei, first-generation Japanese immigrants, brought their traditions and values to their new home, and their cultural influence has carried forward over many generations. We continue to share the Japanese culture at our many events including the annual Food and Cultural Bazaar and the Sakura Gakuen language program.

• Community

  The founder of our Shin Buddhist tradition lived in Japan over 800 years ago. Shinran Shonin sought to make Buddhist teachings accessible to anyone. Today, generations of families and newcomers interested in Buddhism come from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome to be a part of our Sangha community.

Rev. Matt Hamasaki shared his thoughts on the anniversary theme at the New Year’s Day Dharma service. “We continue to have this wonderful temple because we have the efforts of all of those before us,” he said. And with that comes a responsibility to continue the traditions of compassion, culture, and community.

“It’s up to us to make all of these things alive. It’s up to us to make all of these things continue and without our conscious effort, they will not survive,” Rev. Matt said. “It’s only because so many people tried so hard to keep this temple going that we were able to make it for 125 years.”