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I virtually visited the Mountain View Buddhist Temple in Mountain View, CA for their usual Sunday Service

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For the online services, there are very few members of the sangha in attendance. The host begins the service by introducing the itinerary of the service. Following the introductions, the kansho is rang and two members of the host group take up the gassho pose and recite the Junirai sutra in unison to enter a meditative state.

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Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha Chant Along Series [Junirai]

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Following the ringing of the kansho to end the sutra recitation, the Young Adult Buddhist Association (YABA) recite the Eight-Fold Path of Buddha (Right Views, Thought, Speech, Conduct, Effort, Livelihood, Mindfulness, Meditation), ending with the gassho pose. (Members of YABA/BWA/ABA)

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Following the reading of the Eight-Fold Path, minister's assistant John Arima recites the short wasan, or hymns, of Shinran, the founder of Pure Land Buddhism. He then reads a Dharma message, emphasizing the importance of being a good person as well as accepting the self as imperfect. He closes the service by praising Amitabha Buddha, saying that his "compassion fills the entire world" in order to help people relieve and ultimately end suffering. The service fully ends with the recitiation of the Nembutsu sutra.

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The Junirai sutra is chanted in the beginning of the service, created by one of Shinshu's Masters, Nagarjuna, to express his gratitude for Amida Buddha.

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The most important thing religion does is address the question of, "How should we live in this world?" (12). John Arima answers this question, emphasizing the importance of being a good person, to show that you are deserving of being released from samsara. This goes along with the question, "What is our ultimate purpose?" (12). For Buddhists, the ultimate purpose is to recognize the imperfection in humans and be released from desire.

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Brodd, J. (2022). Chapter 1: What Religions Do. In Invitation to world religions. essay, Oxford University Press.

Brodd, J. (2022). Chapter 5: The History of Buddhism. In Invitation to world religions. essay, Oxford University Press.

MVBT, S. (n.d.). Services. Mountain View Buddhist Temple. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://mvbuddhisttemple.org/about-mvbt/services/.

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During Mountain View's service, several rituals take place, such as the recitation of sutras. These rituals are very important, especially within Buddhist traditions because they "involve an inner aspect that is inaccessible to anyone who is not sharing the experience," (21). Normally, the recitation of Junirai is by the entire sangha, emphasizing the unity and support found within Buddhist communities.

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Along with reaching the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, this particular school places emphasis on "enlightenment for all beings," as well as "compassion and serving others," (168). John Arima tells the story of Shinran's spreading of Buddhism through wasan, saying that "they were created to help non-scholarly people. . .hear the Dharma." This shows the compassion he held for everyone having the chance for nirvana, and ultimately, parinirvana.

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The Pure Land school of Buddhism is from a sect of the religion called the Mahayana schools. A large area of focus is the Amitabha Buddha, and this school is best known for "its practice of reciting the Buddha's name as a way of guaranteeing entry into his Pure Land at death" (165). The nembutsu sutra is repeated throughout the ceremony, which is the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name.