The Buddhist Temple of San Diego, a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist community with roots in the city’s Japanese-American population, marked its 100th anniversary over the weekend with ceremonies, prayers, a procession, and gatherings bringing together several generations of temple members.

The centennial celebrations culminated on 20 September, following two weeks of commemorative events. Sunday’s program included a Kieshiki Buddhist naming ceremony, a group photograph, an Ochigo children’s procession, a centennial religious service, and a community luncheon. The Kieshiki ceremony, led by Buddhist Churches of America bishop Rev. Marvin Harada and the temple’s resident minister Rev. Sterling Davenport, allows participants to affirm their Buddhist path and receive a Buddhist name.

The temple traces its formal establishment to May 1926, when it opened at a temporary location near downtown San Diego. It moved to its present home at 2929 Market Street in 1930. The community belongs to the Jodo Shinshu tradition of Pure Land Buddhism and is a member of the Buddhist Churches of America, which is affiliated with the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha in Kyoto.

The temple’s origins extend to gatherings among Japanese immigrant families in the region before its formal establishment. Ralph Honda, a longtime temple community leader whose grandfather helped found the temple, said Japanese immigrants, many of them farmers, began gathering for religious services after flooding in the Otay Valley claimed lives: “That was kind of the starting point of families gathering in homes, to have religious services and to remember the loved ones who passed away.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The community subsequently survived the Great Depression and the upheaval of the Second World War, when Japanese Americans on the West Coast were forcibly removed and incarcerated under US government policy. The San Diego temple closed during the war, and a fire in 1943 damaged its main worship space. Honda expressed gratitude for the generations that preserved the community through those difficulties.

“I have a lot of appreciation and gratitude for that generation, because they went through a lot to establish the temple,” Honda said. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Today, the temple serves a more diverse congregation while retaining close ties to its Japanese American heritage. LuAnn Lee, who led planning for the centennial, said the community had worked to preserve its traditions while also adapting to changing circumstances. Members now include people outside the Japanese-American community, including Spanish-speaking practitioners.

“Our hundredth anniversary isn’t just the recognition of a really old building,” Davenport said. “One thing we really strive for is to dedicate ourselves to recognizing compassion, embodying compassion, and putting it into practice.” (NBC 7 San Diego)

Among those participating in Sunday’s Kieshiki ceremony were Genevieve Zzyzyx and her 10-year-old daughter Cassia. Zzyzyx received a Buddhist name meaning “cloud that teaches,” which she said served as a reminder of impermanence, while Cassia described the Buddhist name “shadow of light.” (NBC 7 San Diego)

AsAmNews reported that descendants of several of the temple’s Japanese-American founding families returned for the anniversary, highlighting the continued connection between the temple and generations of local families.

For Lee, however, the centennial was intended to look forward as much as backward.

“The centennial is a great feat,” Lee said, “but it’s not to stop. It’s to continue. It’s a launchpad. It’s our turn now, to make it last, so my grandkids and their grandkids, and their kids, can carry it on and have a place where they can gather, as our ancestors did.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Davenport similarly emphasized the potential impact of Buddhist practice at the community level.

“We can’t change the entire world, but we can change our little part of it and hope that spreads out a little bit farther.” (NBC 7 San Diego)

See more

With prayers, procession and historic photo, San Diego’s Buddhist Temple celebrates 100 years (San Diego Union Tribune)
A century of compassion: Buddhist Temple of San Diego celebrates 100th anniversary (NBC 7 San Diego)
San Diego Buddhist temple celebrates 100 years (Asian American News)

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