Events

On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, students, faculty, trustees and friends of IBS gathered at the Jodo Shinshu Center to celebrate our graduating students Dr. Thomas Calobrisi delivered the commencement address. Faculty and staff also led a memorial service for Camille […]

 On Saturday, April 12th, IBS hosted a chaplaincy workshop featuring three speakers who offered diverse viewpoints on the topic of “Humble Healing: Narratives, Story, and Silence in Spiritual Care.” The hybrid event was well-attended in-person and on Zoom by students, […]

On Friday, April 21, to a packed crowd at U.C Berkeley, Zen priest and acclaimed author Ruth Ozeki delivered the 2025 Unno Memorial Lecture. Opening with an anecdote about scholar Taitetsu Unno, who Ozeki met at her time at Smith […]

On November 16, 2024, in a day full of reflection, gratitude, and joy, the Institute of Buddhist Studies celebrated its 75th year and annual memorial service. The Kodo was adorned with flowers and offerings, and students led attendees in a […]

From March 27- March 29, 2024, chaplains and scholars from around the world gathered at IBS for Foundations of Buddhist Chaplaincy: A Japan-US Dialogue. The event was a moving and thought provoking three day discussion of chaplaincy, spiritual care, the […]

On Saturday, June 15th at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, friends of the IBS and the BCA gathered to celebrate the career and retirement of Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto as President of the Institute of Buddhist Studies. The service began with reflections […]

We are excited to announce that Dr. Paula Arai will be offering a class on women in Zen next fall on Tuesdays from 2:10pm-5pm, beginning the first week of September and running through December 15, 2024. The full title is […]

On May 24, 2023, Dr. Scott Mitchell, Chenxing Han, and Rev. Harry Bridge met online to discuss the release of his newest book, The Making of American Buddhism in a book launch entitled “Race, Place, and Religious Labor.” Below is a […]

On Friday, May 2023, faculty, students, trustees, and friends of the Institute of Buddhist Studies gathered to celebrate the graduating class of 2023. This event was also a chance to honor Dr. Richard Payne, who is retiring this year, and […]

Our 2023 Ryukoku Lecture is now available for viewing (in Japanese), featuring Profressor Nakanishi Naoki. His talk is on women’s propagation of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in modern Japan. A translation of the lecture is available below.   近代⽇本の真宗⼥性教化の展開  Development of […]

On Friday, December 9th, students, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate Rev. Dr. Daijaku Kinst’s teaching career at IBS. The event began with speeches and toasts by President Matsumoto and Dean Scott Mitchell, as well as IBS faculty Dr. Nancy […]

  Last Friday, Dr. Paula Arai joined Dr. Nancy Lin, Vanessa Sasson and Mutsumi Wondra for a compelling talk on gratitude, healing rituals, and the role of women in Buddhism throughout history. The talk was followed by a rousing discussion […]

Joy and relief at being able to celebrate in person was a theme resonating throughout the Institute of Buddhist Studies’ commencement, held at the Jodo Shinshu Center on May 20th, 2022 in Berkeley, CA. Joy, but also grief and sadness […]

On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Institute of Buddhist Studies alumni gathered online for a panel entitled “Buddhist Spiritual Care for Our Times.” Rev. Jo Laurence, Blayne Higa, and Trent Thornley work in ministry and chaplaincy in a variety of settings, […]

This spring, the Institute of Buddhist Studies will be offering a staple of our Buddhist Studies curriculum, taught by Dean Scott Mitchell: “Buddhism and the West.” It is scheduled to be offered in person, at our campus, Thursdays 2:10pm-5pm. This […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the fragility of the human body to the forefront of our minds and imaginations. What tools does Buddhism offer us in confronting health and illness? This spring semester, we are excited that Dr. Courtney Bruntz […]

This fall, IBS is excited to offer Buddhist Japanese I, the first of a four-course sequence. Students will begin with basic Japanese grammar and build up their skills and knowledge of kanbun (Chinese characters) to eventually tackle more complex Buddhist […]

This fall, the Institute of Buddhist Studies is pleased to have Dr. Nancy Lin join us as full-time faculty member in support of the Buddhist chaplaincy program. Dr. Lin joins us after four years at Vanderbilt University, where she taught […]

Former Bishop Rev. Dr. Seigen Haruo Yamaoka had never planned on his amazing path — which has now nearly spanned 60 years — with the Buddhist Churches of America. He wanted to become a journalist, a newspaper reporter.  But he […]

On Friday, May 21, faculty, students, trustees, and friends of the Institute of Buddhist Studies gathered online to celebrate the graduating class of 2021, along with the class of 2020, who was not able to celebrate last year due to […]