Impermanence and the Cleveland Buddhist Temple

Bishop Leads Hanamatsuri Service, Performs Kieshiki Ceremony

Bishop Rev. Marvin Harada honored the Cleveland Buddhist Temple (CBT) by leading its 80th Hanamatsuri service on April 20. 

He also performed the Kieshiki ceremony for 15 of its members, one via Zoom from Ecuador. The 43-member Sangha heard a memorable Dharma talk on the Nembutsu and truly enjoyed hearing a new perspective on the Buddha-Dharma by Rev. Harada’s friend, Freddie the Frog.

The CBT, now in its sixth home, has survived relocations, the Hough riots of 1966, fundraising campaigns for two different buildings, untenable maintenance costs and no resident ministers for the past 33 years. 

Its newest location, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, attracts a diverse Sangha made up of many religious and socioeconomic backgrounds and ages. The CBT has seven Minister’s Assistants, five of whom are enrolled in the BCA Correspondence Course and two on the wait list. 

This vibrant Sangha is collaborative in its monthly Zen Shin Sangha, Jodo Shinshu Buddhist service and Sangha gathering.  Their philosophy of being participatory and engaged in the Shin service is a connection to Sangha as the third jewel in Buddhism.

The CBT meets once a month as an in-person service, with many driving long distances to attend. It’s a young Sangha and new to Shin Buddhism. 

I hope that a minister or certified Minister Assistant will be assigned to the CBT after I retired at the end of 2025.  

It is time to take the CBT Sangha to the next level of growth from the handful we started with when we moved to Shaker Heights a little over six years ago. Having a dedicated person working with this new Sangha will ensure not only its growth but its survival as a BCA Sangha. The CBT demonstrates propagation of Shin Buddhism is simple and doable. This welcoming model for an American Shin Sangha is easily embraced by so many people seeking a way to understand this life, this world.

The Buddha Post, the newsletter of the CBT, engages readership from around the world, and its new website contributes to the growth of the Sangha. The Buddha Post will continue to be published by me, Rev. Kazarian, after I step down as the Tokudo minister for the CBT.