The Buddhist Study Center (BSC) was established in 1972 as a part of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii (HHMH).  HHMH is a statewide organization affiliated with the worldwide Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land Buddhism) Hongwanji-ha

Located next to the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus, the BSC has a close working relationship with UH faculty departments, in particular the Religion Department and the Center for Buddhist Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies (SHAPS).

The BSC works with other educational institutions, religious groups, and community programs.

The BSC also serves as the Hawaii office of Ryukoku University, a major Shinshu Buddhist institution of Japan.  The BSC also serves as the Hawaii branch office for the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies.

The purpose of the BSC is to serve as:

A Student Center
A place where students can relax, study and socialize.

A Religious Education Center
In addition to its emphasis on Jodo Shinshu, the BSC provides a broad range of religious education programs.

A Resource Center
Buddhist resource materials are developed and distributed. A Buddhist library is available.

A Ministeral Training Center
Candidates recieve preparation for the Jodo Shinshu Ministry.

Programs

Student Center
Students are welcome to use the BSC for studying, relaxing, counseling, socializing and other planned acivities. The BSC assists in student networking and providing information about Hongwanji programs. The BSC alos sponsors the BSC Fellowship Club for college students and young adults.

Religious Education Center
BSC Summer Session: Each summer, the BSC sponsors a two-week seminar for the general public with special guest teachers and clergy. Arrangements are also made to conduct weekend programs with visiting teachers on neighbor islands.

Adult Buddhist Education: Regularly Scheduled study sessions open to the public are available throughout the year. The classes offer a variety of topics pertaining to Buddhist studies.

Outreach Programs: The BSC reaches out to through its publications, get-togethers, interfaith projects and community education activits.

Resource Center
Traditional and contemporary Buddhist materials are developed, published and distributed. The BSC Press and the monthly newsleter, "Metta", are two major publication areas of local and international importance. The BSC Press publishes various writings on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in English, some of which have been used as college texts. Buddhist materials are available in the BSC library in various media formats (print, audio tape and video tape).

Ministerial Training Center
The BSC assists in the preparation for tokudo, the ordination for the Jodo Shinshu ministry. This is also the groundwork for further studies towards kyoshi, the full certification as a minister. The kyoshi program is offered through the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley California or at the Central Institute of Ministeral Training of the Hongwanji headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

For more information, please feel free to contact us,
or for upcoming events, take a look at our events page