Practitioner’s Episode 8 - "What is Shin (Jodo Shinshu/True Pure land) Buddhism?" With Rev. Kenji Akahoshi

Hosted by filmmaker Yujiro Seki, Carving the Divine TV is a series of Q&A sessions with Buddhist scholars and practitioners. These Q&A sessions explore the basic concepts of Buddhism and the history of Buddhism so that when viewers finally watch Carving the Divine they will get the maximum value of the documentary.  In this special episode, we will have a Q&A session with Rev. Kenji Akahoshi from Buddhist Churches of America (known as Shin Buddhism or Judo Shinshu) The Q&A session explores the basic concept of Shin Buddhism and inform the viewers how it differs from other sects of Buddhism. 

We will ask important questions such as:

1. What is Shin Buddhism? How is it different from other sects of Buddhism?
2. What is the brief history of Shin Buddhism?
3. What is Amida Buddha? How does it differ from Historical Buddha?  
4. Is Shin Buddhism like Christianity and Amida Buddha is like Jesus Christ?
5. What is nenbutsu? How about namu amida butsu?

Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi is the resident minister of the Buddhist Temple of San Diego which is part of the Buddhist Churches of America, one of the largest and oldest Buddhist organizations in America. He has a Master’s degree in transpersonal psychology, which enhances his ability to convey Shin Buddhism in a modern, experiential context. He leads annual retreats on Shin Buddhism and has conducted teenage Buddhist Vision Quests. In an earlier career as a dentist, he spent 3 years in Japan as a captain in the US Air Force.