IBS Reopens Dorm, Dedicates to Rev. Yamaoka

The Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) is excited to announce the reopening of the IBS Haste Street Dorm. The pandemic lockdown highlighted that the dormitory required major renovation and repair. The IBS Board of Trustees did not believe the IBS could afford to fund this capital project and reluctantly prepared to sell it. Larry and Vickie Yamaoka, long-time supporters of IBS, stepped forward and offered to fund the entirety of the $3 million renovation. Their generosity has led to a reimagined building revitalizing and maximizing living, meeting, and cooking spaces. New appliances, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, closet and storage spaces as well as a fire sprinkler system for health and safety have been installed. New floors, windows, walls and, of course, fresh paint make the building interior sparkle. Also, new furniture and bedding have been purchased through the generosity of other donors and supporters who have named rooms and donated money. Throughout the project, Larry Yamaoka has overseen the work being performed and helped to bring it to completion.

The Haste Street building was purchased in the mid-1960s to house what was then called the BCA Study Center. Under the leadership of Rev. Kanmo Imamura, the Study Center was incorporated as the Institute of Buddhist Studies in 1969. For the next three decades, the Haste Street Dorm was the heart of the IBS, housing generations of students and teachers. For many years, classes were held in the common room until the Jodo Shinshu Center opened in 2006. Throughout, IBS students have continued to live at Haste Street creating strong bonds of friendship until its closure in 2023.

In recognition of the late Rev. Dr. Seigen Yamaoka’s decades of service to the IBS and the Buddhist Churches of America, the IBS Board of Trustees have proudly moved to name the building in his honor. The Rev. Dr. Seigen Haruo Yamaoka Memorial Dormitory will officially re-open for IBS students in March 2026.

Rev. Dr. Yamaoka was most recently the Vice President of Development at IBS raising millions of dollars in support of our programs. He was also a member of the Core Faculty where he was instrumental in the education of and spiritual development of ministerial and chaplaincy students, teaching the Issues in Buddhist Ministry course for well over a decade. Prior to his time at IBS, Rev. Dr. Yamaoka was a kaikyoshi minister at the Buddhist Church of Oakland and served as the Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America, a position he held for fifteen years. Under his leadership as Bishop, when he also served as IBS President, Rev. Dr. Yamaoka brought the IBS and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) together in conversation, creating a partnership that has lasted more than forty years. After receiving accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – Senior College and University Commission in 2020, strongly championed by Rev. Dr. Yamaoka, IBS became the 8th member school of the GTU after years as an affiliate member. Rev. Dr. Yamaoka passed away in 2023.

Everyone at the IBS, present and past, are proud and pleased to know that a new generation of IBS students will once again bring life to the Rev. Dr. Seigen Haruo Yamaoka Memorial Dormitory. We are deeply grateful to Larry and Vickie Yamaoka for their unprecedented generosity that brought this renovation to fruition and to the other donors and supporters who have assisted in furnishing the dormitory.

All IBS students, alums, friends, and family are invited to celebrate the reopening and dedication of the dorm at a special event on Friday February 27, 2026. Please see our website for additional information.