The Buddhist Temple of Salinas follows the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition and is part of a network of temples in the continental US called the Buddhist Churches of America, headquartered in San Francisco. The sect’s head temple is called Nishi Hongwanji and is located in Kyoto, Japan. The founder of the sect is Shinran, who started this tradition in 1272. It is the largest Buddhist sect in Japan.
The Buddhist Temple of Salinas was established in 1924 by Japanese immigrants, and it has been the center of Buddhist tradition in Salinas ever since.
The need for Agricultural labor in the rich Salinas Valley was the stimulus for a large number of Japanese immigrants arriving in Salinas in the early 1900s. They came to live in Chinatown because discrimination prevented them from living elsewhere. They developed a thriving community around Chinatown, and the temple was established to meet the religious and cultural needs of the Japanese community.
In 1924, for the Temple’s 10th Anniversary, a large Bonsho (Bell) was ordered from Japan and installed at the temple. This was the first and the largest bell imported from Japan at that time. The Bell Tower is featured in the photos above. The Bell and Bell Tower became an icon of the temple, and continue to be a source of pride for the Temple.
World War II and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during the war completely shut down the temple. It had a devastating effect on the temple, as very few members returned after the war due to strong opposition from the Salinas community to their return. It took a long time for the temple to recover from the drastic decline in its membership.
From the early 1960s, a new wave of Japanese immigrants began arriving in Salinas to start up the flower-growing business. Soon, they turned Salinas into a thriving flower-producing area in the country. Many of them joined the temple, completely rejuvenating the congregation. As a result, a new temple building and a new multi-purpose hall for gatherings were built.
Today, the Buddhist Temple of Salinas is focused on disseminating the teachings of Buddha, showing a wide range of audiences how Buddhism and our practice can be relevant in modern times.
