11 am--English (Children's Dharma School on 2nd & 4th Sundays and Buddhist holidays through mid-June)

12:30 pm--Japanese, usually 1st Sunday of the month (except Oct 14, 2007).

Please contact the Temple office at 773-334-4661 for other schedule changes.

Please send requests for general information to info [AT] budtempchi [DOT] org.

New Visitor? Please contact our new visitor guide coordinator, to request a guide for 11 am Sunday services. Please specify which date you will be coming. Please use this link for Sunday 11 am visits only. For ALL visits at other times, please contact the Temple office at 773-334-4661 to make an appointment. There is no email service available for arranging visits on days other than Sundays.

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The historical Buddha (also referred to as Gautama Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha, in reference to his family and clan names respectively) was born Siddhartha Gautama approximately 2550 years ago in what is now Nepal. "Buddha" was not his name but a description of his attainment. "Buddha" means one who is awake. Everyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood. It is the condition of transcending selfishness and seeing life as it is, not as one wishes it to be, while retaining compassion for all beings.

The Buddha depicted above is called Amida Buddha (also Amitabha), and is regarded as an idealized depiction of Buddhahood to which all beings can aspire. "Amida" means "without measure" and is also translated as "unlimited wisdom and compassion." At our temple you will hear us recite the Nembutsu, "Namu Amida Butsu." It means, "I bow in gratitude to the unlimited wisdom and compassion of life as my enlightened teacher." This is not to say that we bow in worship of a statue or even of an historical figure, rather that the statues and other images are artistic representations of the beauty of life-as-teacher, in the case of images of Amida Buddha; and in memory of a great teacher, in the case of images of the historical Buddha. (See also: Buddhist Symbols)

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"Dharma" has many translations in English. In Buddhism, "Dharma" can mean specifically the system elaborated by Gautama (a.k.a. Shakyamuni) Buddha for coming to terms with life, and also the teachings each being receives from living his/her own life. It can also mean truth or reality. Buddhism is a tricky word because there is no "ism" about it. There is no rigid dogma, only a set of guidelines which may or may not be useful to an individual for figuring life out as it is. The preferred name for what is called Buddhism in the West is Buddhadharma, i.e. "awakening to reality" or "teachings of enlightenment."

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Report on Rev. Taitetsu Unno's 2005 Ho-On-Ko Seminar

Buddhist Educational Center Schedule changes.

Buddhist Holiday Observances

On-line calendar

Buddhist Symbols

Children's Dharma School information

The Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths

The Golden Chain

Hannya Shingyo (Heart of Wisdom Sutra)

Japanese language services

Kubose Dharma Legacy

The Six Paramitas

The Three Treasures

12 Principles of Buddhism

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The Sangha, in the broadest terms, is the universal community of beings who consciously seek enlightenment, whether they define themselves as Buddhists or not. The term "Sangha" is used in the Theravadin tradition to mean only Buddhist monks and nuns, or -- in the Mahayana tradition -- all wisdom seekers who identify themselves as Buddhists, or -- colloquially -- congregations of Buddhist temples.

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The Three Treasures

Website Credits

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