2025 — the Year in Review

It’s that time of year again: gatherings with family and friends, holiday music, the fragrance of pine needles, fruit cakes and mochi, crisp cool and cold mornings and dark evenings, gift lists, wrapping paper with ribbons and bows, red and green as the season’s color schemes. 

Isn’t it amazing how quickly time passes? Particularly after Labor Day, the days and weeks seem to speed up to find us here in December wondering what happened to September, October and November. 

With Halloween and Thanksgiving in our rear-view mirror, we are in the annual rush to the end of the year. 

Have we set Dec. 31 as an arbitrary deadline to complete all the items we were to accomplish in the year and all the things that come with celebrating the holidays between Halloween and New Years Day? 

With that expectation comes stress and anxiety as we often feel that we are failing to do all the things that we need to do to enjoy the year-end holidays.

Let’s slow it down. Take a deep breath and hold for a count of seven and slowly exhale. Repeat three times. It’s a great tactic to take control of our restless, distracted “monkey” brain and reground ourselves to achieve greater equanimity. Try it! 

You will be amazed how this simple breathing exercise can relieve the anxiety and stress that has been building. And with that clearer consciousness, we can move forward and be present to truly experience this wonderful holiday season.

What Have We Accomplished in 2025?

December is also a great time to reflect on the past year. It is a time to take stock of what we were able to accomplish and what is yet to be completed.

Celebrating the Success of the Dharma Forward Campaign

Significant among the many things that were successfully completed in 2025 was the success of the Dharma Forward campaign. 

With the campaign ending on Dec. 31, it has been through the commitment to a shared future of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) and the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) that the generosity of donors has lifted the campaign to over $16 million — over $1 million above the campaign target of $15 million. 

We are also hoping to be able to say that every temple and church and affiliated organization across the BCA has participated in the campaign, investing in a future where current and future followers of Shin Buddhism can continue to hear the Dharma.

In addition to the success of the Dharma Forward campaign, other successes for 2025 include:

• Redefining the Zaidan Fund, approved at the 2025 National Council Meeting, honoring the original 1929 charter where the Zaidan process supported activities and initiatives that promote Shin Buddhism in America.

• Establishing the framework plan for BCA’s Vision and Strategic Plan, approved at the 2025 NCM that will continue to keep the Strategic Plan discussions at the forefront of the national dialogue on BCA’s future.

• Re-established the His Eminence Kosho Ohtani Building Fund as a low-cost source of funds to support local temple/church renovation and repair.

• Moved toward a Board Governance model that places responsibility for the operational success of BCA in the hands of the BCA Executive Director.

Reflections on a Term Almost Over

As we close out 2025, I am also nearing the end of my BCA presidency. I have come to realize how quickly time passes and yet there is so much to do. In my role as BCA president, my efforts have been guided by my desire to be transparent, to probe new areas of thinking about how BCA should operate more effectively and continue to connect and educate on how BCA leadership can create value to each and every local temple and church member.

What Is Yet to Be Done?

I have been aggressive on identifying initiatives that can change the conversations on a number of challenges around the BCA. These initiatives are not ones that will happen overnight; rather, they will take a constant and persistent effort to execute. 

For the ones that I will not be able to complete before the National Council Meeting in February 2026, I look forward to passing these on to my colleagues. 

I have complete confidence in their ability to continue to press forward and find new ways to tackle the challenges we face in 2025.

I have written about most of these items in previous messages in the Wheel of Dharma and I hope that each of you who read my articles will agree that these are relevant and important as we seek to move BCA forward:

• Providing guidelines for redefining who is a “member” to encourage our local temples and churches to add and expand their census counts.

• Developing a formal lay leadership development program to identify and nurture leadership talent in local temples and churches and at the national level.

• Decoupling census counts from temple dues assessments with a concomitant plan for supporting the annual operating expenses of the BCA.

• Continuing the philanthropic success of the Dharma Forward campaign to provide a sustainable revenue source for the future of BCA.

• Finalize an agreement with Ryukoku University on use and maintenance fees associated with Ryukoku presence at the Jodo Shinshu Center.

• Providing direction on the legacy BCA Pension Plan to ensure that we meet all future liabilities to our retired and future retiring ministers and their spouses.

• Continuing to flesh out strategies and specific actions that execute on the updated BCA Vision and Strategic Plan that will address the ever-changing needs of the BCA and our member temples and churches.

Yoi Otoshi wo — よいお年を

As I look at this time of year, I see a period of “Ending, Revival and Rejuvenation.” 

I encourage everyone to reflect on 2025 with that mindset and ring the kansho 108 times on New Year’s Eve to celebrate this year in passing. 

And as we begin 2026, let us remember that we can look forward to the second half of the 2020 decade, where causes and conditions may result in a new set of hope and opportunities for our shared future.

With gratitude for Amida’s compassionate vow,

Namo Amida Butsu