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Please have patience while we update and expand aspects of our website. Thank you.
Welcome to the homepage of Karuṇā Tendai Dharma Center / Jiunzan Tendaiji and the Tendai Buddhist Institute, (est. 1997). Karuṇā Tendai Dharma Center is a branch temple of Enryakuji, Mt. Hiei, Japan (the administrative center of the Tendai School and the birthplace of Japanese Buddhism), and an official North American representative of the Tendai School of Japanese Buddhism. We are also the first fully authorized Tendai Buddhist training center for the education of priests and the establishment new Tendai Buddhist Temples and Dharma Centers in North America and beyond.
As Compassion (karuṇā) is a central virtue of the Mahayana Buddhist path, the name for our village temple in East Chatham, NY is “Karuṇā Tendai Dharma Center.” As an branch temple of the Tendai Buddhist lineage, we also have an official Japanese name, registered with Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, which was given to us by Rev. Shōshin Ichishima: “Jiunzan Tendaiji.” This name means “Compassionate Cloud Tendai Temple,” and reflects the natural surroundings of the Berkshires. The name Tendai Buddhist Institute refers to the educational wing of our organization, which oversees the training and education of priests and the establishment of new Sanghas.
Find here a copy of the Daily Service.
Weekly Meditation
Buddhist meditation services are held on Wednesday evenings, and are free and open to the public. You do not have to be a “Buddhist” to join our service. All are welcome. There is no fee and reservations are not required.
06:00PM, we gather in the main house for a Dharma talk and discussion.
Schedule of topics may be found in our newsletter, The Shingi: Newsletter of the Tendai Buddhist Institute.
07:00PM, meditation service in the Hondo (Main Hall).
08:00PM, potluck dinner in the main house.
Other Regularly Scheduled Events
Sutra Study classes are held on the first Saturday of every month.
Dharma School and Family Service is held once a month.
Special services such as weddings, memorial services, baby blessing ceremonies, refuge taking ceremony, retreats, and annual events and holidays are held throughout the year.
Please contact us if you would like more information.
December Wednesday Meditations and Discussions
5 Shaka Jōdō-e (Bodhi Day) – The observance of Shakyamuni Buddha’s awakening is December 8th. We will discuss the nature of awakening and the hagiography, as well as the sutra presentations about this important event.
12 Dhammapada – The work is included in the Khuddaka Nikaya (“Minor Collection”) of the Sutta Pitaka, composed about 250 BCE. The slim anthology of verses constitutes a compendium of the Buddha’s Nikāya teaching, selected from forty-odd volumes of the Pali canon.
19 Amida Nyorai The Buddha of the Western Paradise, Buddha of infinite light, makes this figure a natural to examine as the shortest day of the year approaches.
26 Buddhism, Commodification and Overcoming Insatiability – A major focus of Buddhism regards our attachments and how they lead to dukkha. We will discuss the challenges of living in a consumer driven society while seeking a non-materialist way of life.
31 O-Shogatsu (New Year’s) Service – This is a Monday evening – We begin to assemble about 10:30 PM in the house, the Meditation Service in the hondo begins at about 11:15 PM. Following the service, (about 12:30 AM), we gather together for a New Year’s celebration in the house. Please bring finger foods, appetizers, and drinks that you would like to share. We will have sake and non-alcoholic sparkling beverage, as well as soft drinks. The emphasis on the evening is bringing in the New Year with equanimity and celebrating with sangha, friends and family. All are welcome. We will not have a regular Wednesday Evening service this week.
Other Events in December:
1 Sutra Class and Morning Service, 8:30 – 10:30 AM – The Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra (Heart Sutra) is the most often chanted, cited and best known sutra in the Mahayana canon. We will read and discuss two different translations and commentaries (Mu Soeng’s and Red Pine’s) as a set throughout the classes.
8 Family Day, 10:30 AM Join the families and children for a Bodhi Day celebration. There will be a service and meditation for adults while children will be treated to a program that is appropriate for them. The little one’s will join with the adults in the Hondo at the end. We will finish with a pot-luck lunch.
NOTES:
Food Pantry at Jiunzan Tendai-ji – Gratitude is best shown by extending to others the thoughtfulness we have received. Please bring non-perishable food items to the Tendai Buddhist Institute on Wednesday’s. We contribute these items to the Chatham Silent Food Pantry.
Website Guide
For more information about our temple, lineage, and recommended reading list, please see our About Us page.
For more information about Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Mahayana Buddhist Tradition, see our Buddha Page.
For more information about the teachings and practices of Buddhism, see our Dharma Page.
For more information on temple life, and to see if there is a temple near you, see our Sangha Page.
To learn more about the priests and trainees affiliated with the Tendai Buddhist Institute, please see our Tendai Buddhist Institute Page.
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Jushoku’s Thoughts
This is the month of many holiday practices. December into January in Japan there are three distinct periods. We incorporate some of these ideas into our end of year and New Year holidays with some North American adaptations. As we approach the holidays in North America it might be worthwhile to reflect on these.
Throughout Japan in December there are bonenkai or "Forget-the-year Parties". These are not family gatherings. They are related to work, school and other social groups. Shogatsu celebrations are from the 1st to 3rd of January, and Shinnenkai or "New Year Parties" are held in January.
Bonenkai have both a Buddhist and a totally secular meaning. In a secular context they are an opportunity for a group to gather and deliberate on the events of the last year, at the same time to blow off a little steam from the pressures of work, school, etc. A necessary, healthy activity. In a Buddhist context these "parties" are an opportunity for reflection about the last year and a kind of penitence to rededicate one's life for the year to come. This year this function seems especially appropriate. Not only should we observe penitence and rededication, but also recognize that there are times of darkness and times of light, relish each for what they provide us. This year my mantra is 'Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst". Each day requires Smŗti (authentic mindfulness).
Shogatsu or "Observance of the New Year" is celebrated during New Year's. In the days leading up to New Year's there is a kind of Japanese "spring cleaning", so the New Year will be a fresh start, clean and orderly. This has its origins in Buddhist purification. Offerings of mochi (pounded rice cake) and sake are made to the temples. Families usually get together and attend assemblies at Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrines during this period. The ringing of a gong 108-times on New Year's Eve and Buddhist services are observed from December 31st until the morning of January 1st. This is a family and friend time.
Shinnenkai is usually work related and is more dedicated to a show of gratitude to one's co-workers and to join one together without the hierarchical system that normally dominates work gatherings. Often, they are company sponsored, though there may also be more casual get-togethers.
Taken together these periods are about observing our relationships with each and striving to improve are shared understanding of each other. We will gather together on New Year's Eve and sit into the New Year, followed by finger foods, drink and conviviality. Let us use our time this holiday season to be mindful of our interrelatedness and our shared humanity. Enjoy our friends and family relationships.
Shumon and I wish everyone, family, friends, acquaintances and strangers - they very best for a joyous season and New Year..
Love and Gassho ..... Monshin
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