Sangha Members Call Beloved Minister a ‘Pillar in Community’ and ‘the People’s Rinban’ at Retirement Party Nearly 500 people packed the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin annex building on Nov. 1, 2025, to thank Rinban Rev. Gerald Sakamoto and wish him a well-earned retirement. Rev. Sakamoto, who served an unprecedented 39 years as a Resident Minister with the San Jose Betsuin, the last seven as Rinban, and overall more than 50 years as a Jodo Shinshu minister, leaves a legacy of patience,...

FYI For more information on the San Jose Betsuin Dharma Center, please visit: bit.ly/3OztOp5 Construction is expected to begin soon for a $15 million project to replace the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin’s antiquated six-decade-old Education Building with a state-of-the-art facility that will expand space for temple programs and also serve the wider Japantown community. About 200 people attended a ceremonial groundbreaking on Dec. 7 at the end of the Bodhi Day service as then-Rinban Rev....

In spring 2024, the Buddhist Church of Santa Barbara (BCSB) asked its 24 members a simple but gloomy question: “Shall we keep the church open with new leadership or close down the church?” Ten members replied. Five said to keep the church open and pledged their help; two said close it down; three expressed mixed feelings. The results were announced in the temple’s July newsletter. The temple would remain open. A little more than a year later, the 102-year-old temple is undergoing a...