Dharma Schools at Buddhist Churches of America

A Spiritual Refuge for Youth and Families

As a Japanese American growing up in Anaheim, California, Joyce didn’t interact with many other Asian Americans or Buddhists in her local community. Her Sunday trips to the Orange County Buddhist Church were her only connection to her Japanese heritage and Buddhist faith. One of her most memorable experiences from her childhood was the Dharma School, a weekly Sunday school for children focused on the teachings of Buddhism.

The term Dharma signifies three essential aspects of Buddhism: the teachings of the Buddha, the practice of the teachings, and the attainment of enlightenment. It is both the path and goal and one of the foundational tenets of Buddhism.

Joyce attended Dharma School from preschool through high school, and today, she remains an active part of the temple community. Now a Dharma school teacher, she has watched her own three girls grow up in the same spiritual environment that shaped her.

“Finding a community that supports you and your family is really important in this day and age,” she said.

A Loneliness Epidemic

We live at a time when communities across the country are facing unprecedented levels of loneliness and isolation. Spaces for cultural and spiritual support are needed more than ever. The U.S. Surgeon General has highlighted the public health crisis of social disconnection, linking it to a rise in chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

For the Asian American community, these concerns are compounded by stigma surrounding mental health and limited access to culturally aligned care. According to recent studies, 41% of Asian Americans experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, with increased rates among youth following the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened anti-Asian racism. Asian American teens are even less likely to receive a formal mental health diagnosis, even though they report higher rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. Social isolation plays a key role in these outcomes.

For many, access to culturally and spiritually grounded communities can be life-changing, especially for communities that identify as a religious minority in the United States. In her book Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, author Chenxing Han explores the historical and modern-day landscape of Asian American Buddhism within the United States. She quotes an article from the Dharma Folk blog, which encapsulates why these spaces are essential:

“The real issue for young Buddhists in the Asian American Community is that there are very few Buddhist communities that they can go to without having to suppress part of their identity.”

The Buddhist Churches of America Dharma School is an example of one such community that offers both cultural support and spiritual nourishment to youth and their families.

Family-Focused Cultural Support and Spiritual Nourishment

The Orange County Buddhist Temple is a branch of the Buddhist Churches of America. It is rooted in the venerable Jodo Shinshu or “Shin” tradition practiced by Japanese American communities since the late 19th century. While the community is open to individuals of all faith and cultural backgrounds, it is especially meaningful for those who identify as Asian American and Buddhist and who may struggle to find shared cultural and spiritual spaces in their daily lives.

The naming of the Buddhist Churches and the creation of Dharma School, a Sunday school-like program, are an intentional choice. They are directly tied to the discrimination and persecution Japanese Americans faced during World War II.

“With the incarceration of the Japanese Americans during World War II, there were 120,000 people put into camps, including my family.” shares Reverend Crane, an ordained minister in the Jodo Shinsu tradition. “At the time, the Buddhist churches were called the ‘Buddhist Mission of North America’. During the war, they wanted to make us sound more American. There was a group of Buddhist leaders at the White River Camp, so they [decided] to change the name of the Buddhist Churches of America to sound more American. [That’s why] the word church is in our name. I think there is a movement to change them back to the word temple.”

Creating Safe Spaces for Budding Buddhists

The Buddhist Churches of America Dharma Schools mirror the structure of Sunday school, with weekly Sunday classes for kids of all ages. The teachings themselves are rooted in Buddhist spiritual practices, and the curriculum varies by age. Young children learn about friendship and gratitude. High school students engage with more complex topics, including the foundations of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Reverend Crane reflects on the importance of these spaces for young Asian Americans who identify as Buddhist.

“Dharma School helps adolescents to feel more confident about declaring that they are Buddhist and gives them some ways to talk about Buddhism to people who are curious. That’s what we try to provide for our students: A way that they can be proud to be Buddhist and not be embarrassed by that fact, particularly being here in America that is so Christian. Compared to how I grew up, we are much more accepting of all traditions and all peoples in ways that we never were back in the ’50s when I was going to school.”

The opportunity to celebrate the intersection between Japanese culture and Buddhism remains important for many Japanese American families who want to ensure the traditions they fought to preserve continue to be passed on to the next generation. Lisa Doi attended the Dharma School at the Midwest Buddhist Temple. She fondly recalls the activities she engaged in as a child that allowed her to fully embrace both her Japanese and Buddhist identities.

“Growing up, once a year, the Dharma school would do a pancake breakfast for the Japanese American senior building. Half of the group would cook, and we would serve breakfast to the seniors. It was cross-generational relationship building, and the seniors liked it. But it was also about – how do you show up for your community, and learning it takes a big effort from a lot of people to make things happen.”

Broadening Dharma School Impact

Orange County Buddhist Church (OCBC) has one of the most robust Dharma schools in the country, with over 100 students enrolled. Its success stems not only from religious education but also from a vibrant ecosystem of youth programs. Children can participate in Japanese cultural events such as taiko drumming, as well as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and basketball. These programs bring in children and families from the community who may not identify as Buddhist but are looking for ways to build community outside of school.

Many young adults, particularly those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, have taken a proactive approach to ensure this is a space that is welcoming to all. The OCBC church, in particular, is committed to ensuring LGBTQ+ members feel welcome – starting with displaying a rainbow sash and hosting seminars on the intersection of LGBTQ+ issues and Buddhism.

Leah Cohen, a recent graduate of the Dharma school, reflects on her own experience of how Dharma schools can impact the spiritual journey of adolescents and young adults.

“I’m a young adult, new to the workforce, and these lessons [from Dharma school] about how to approach the world and how to approach other people are really useful general pieces of advice or pieces of the Dharma. It has helped me feel more grounded.”

Leah acknowledges that she is unique in her passion for studying the philosophical aspects of Buddhism. She attended a minister’s assistant training program and encouraged her mother to do the same. While many of her Dharma School peers attended more for the social aspect, she appreciated the diverse ways the program engaged students — including annual youth conferences across Southern California.

“Junior Y (the youth program) would have a big conference meeting at the end of every school year for all the Buddhist Churches in Southern California. I think it’s a good way to make the Dharma fun. I remember planning those workshops, and that’s also a fun, project-based way to engage with the Dharma.”

Sparking Spiritual Hope for the Next Generation of Japanese Americans

While temples such as Orange County Buddhist Church are continuing to grow, many other temples across the country face declining membership and shrinking youth engagement. Similar to many other religious institutions, there is difficulty in sustaining new enrollment, especially for temples that are not active in outreach outside of the Japanese American community. For families juggling numerous demands on their time, the decision to spend their weekends attending spiritual programming may feel more challenging.

It’s an important tension that many Jodo Shinshu religious leaders are navigating to ensure their community continues to uphold the traditions from their Japanese lineage while growing and diversifying their membership outside of the Japanese American diaspora.

Doi reflects on this tension.

She shares, “There’s this ‘invisibilizing’ of Asian American Buddhism, which, on the one hand, is so silly, because if you imagine global Buddhism, it’s something people imagine as Asian. But within the U.S, I think people imagine Buddhism as white. To assert that there’s more than a century of tradition of Asian American Buddhism in America that is its own thing is celebrated, understood, and protected.”

In this moment in American history, with rising polarization and isolation, the lessons from the Japanese American Buddhist community can be a source of hope to all. The Jodo Shinshu lineage is a testament to this legacy of resilience, maintaining a spiritual practice in the face of persecution that is both a source of refuge and a way to continue passing on the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Japanese community.

Author Chenxing Han beautifully encapsulates this cultural sentiment when she says, “Japanese American Shin Buddhists are often erased from the history – and the current mediascape of American Buddhism. Despite this erasure, the multi-generation young adult Shin Buddhists [I interviewed] extend the sense of belonging that they feel in their sanghas to people of all backgrounds. In doing so, they continue of lineage of resisting erasure and building a truly inclusive American Buddhism.”

By Anu Gorukanti