News

The Institute of Buddhist Studies is happy to announce that Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji has joined our core faculty this year. Rev. Miyaji teaches on Shin Buddhist doctrine, ethics, and history. Below, I ask him some quick questions about his […]

Views of the Human Beings in the Doctrines of the Buddhist Praxis 「仏教の修道論に見られる人間観」 Akira Yoshida, Associate Professor, Ryukoku University, Faculty of Economics How did the teaching of early Buddhism view human beings and their Buddhist praxis toward enlightenment in India? […]

On August 26, IBS faculty and staff were excited to welcome new and returning students during our fall orientation. Due to the new reality of the COVID pandemic, the orientation took place on zoom, but the event strove to foster […]

More information is coming soon.

Register for this webinar here. Please join us on Friday October 23, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., Pacific time, for our second 2020 Numata Lecture. Sculpture, Time, and Materiality in a Buddhist Cave Shrine This talk examines the dialogue between architecture […]

Register for this webinar here. Please join us on Friday October 9, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., Pacific time, for our first 2020 Numata Lecture. The True Teaching? Japanese Buddhists and the Quasi-Sectarian Politics of Public Schooling Secularist legal arrangements place […]

Whereas several Bay Area counties and the State of California are slowly reopening or ending shelter in place orders, and whereas several colleges and universities across the state and nation are planning on “business as usual” in the fall, we […]

Today voices throughout the world are proclaiming that “Black Lives Matter” and calling for an end to the systemic discrimination against black persons by police, governments and individuals. At this time we offer our support to the following statement by the Buddhist […]

Nalanda was an ancient Buddhist university in India that served as the site of invaluable learning and translation for hundreds of years. It is said that the earliest scholars passed through Nalanda, bringing sutras to China and aiding in the […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies is pleased to announce that it has been granted Initial Accreditation by the WASC Senior Commission of Universities and Colleges (WSCUC) for a period of six years. In the Commission Action Letter, the Commission commended […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies’ Admissions Committee has revised its application policies for all degree and certificate programs. Among the most significant changes are: reduced application fees: $40 for M.Div. and M.B.S. degree program applications; $15 for all certificate program […]

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled. Regrettably, due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the coronavirus/COVID-19 situation, and an overabundance of caution, CJS and IBS have made the difficult decision to cancel this event. The organizers sincerely hope to reschedule this […]

The 2019 Institute of Buddhist Studies Annual Memorial Service was held on November 14th at 7 p.m. at the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley, CA. The service was held to honor 137 dedicated supporters of the IBS. Four supporters were […]

Ryukoku University and Institute of Buddhist Studies present a Symposium on Approaches to Shin Buddhist Ethical Thinking November 1, 2019 1:00 – 5:00 pm Jodo Shinshu Center 1:00-2:45 Papers by: Mitsuya Dake James Fredericks Charles Hallisey Dennis Hirota Responses and […]

In the last few weeks, over six million people around the globe have protested climate disaster. On Friday, September 20, 2019 over two million people walked out of their schools or workplaces. On that day, my professor and schoolmates helped […]

Current student Akiko Rogers shares with us this piece on ordaining at Hongwanji in Kyoto, Japan. You can read more about her family and journey to become a minister here. In July, twenty international Jodo Shinshu ministerial aspirants undertook tokudo […]

I’m the Dean of Students and Faculty Affairs. This means I’m chiefly responsible for working with faculty and staff to design curriculum, decide which courses to offer, and support students through the program. I’m also responsible for licensing and accreditation, making […]

The Institute of Buddhist Studies, through the Offices of the President and Dean, has issued the following statement on our current human-created climate crisis. Four years ago, the Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective issued a statement to world leaders prior […]

I sat down with IBS alumnus Jamie Kimmel to discuss practice, chaplaincy, and how Buddhism can inform pastoral care. Tell us about yourself. How did you come to Buddhist chaplaincy? Like many others, it was a series of events in […]

Tadao Koyama graduated from IBS in 2018 with a Masters in Buddhist Studies. He is currently living and practicing Buddhism in Japan. We are delighted to share this update on his progress, and the challenges and rewards of training at Nishi […]