Buddhist Temple of Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Buddhist Temple of Chicago (BTC) was founded in October 1944 by Gyomay Kubose,[1][2] a minister of the Higashi Honganji branch of the Jōdo Shinshū ("True Pure Land School") sect, along with several laypeople who had been released from the Japanese American internment camps.[3][4][5] Although the temple is administratively independent, the teaching lineage reflects the progressive Jōdo Shinshū thought of Manshi Kiyozawa and his student, Haya Akegarasu, who was Kubose's teacher.
| Buddhist Temple of Chicago | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Independent with informal ties to Higashi Honganji branch of Jōdo Shinshū |
| Location | |
| Location | 1151 West Leland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60640 |
| Country | United States |
 Interactive map of Buddhist Temple of Chicago | |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Gyomay Kubose |
| Completed | 2006 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The temple was originally called the Chicago Buddhist Church and was located in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's south side. In the mid-1950s, the temple relocated to the Uptown neighborhood on the north side.
In 2006, the temple dedicated its new building.[6]
The membership base continues to be Japanese American, but from early on in the temple's history the number of non-Japanese members has steadily increased. Today the active membership includes a diverse congregation of Asian, European, Latino and African members. The temple also accepts those who identify as LGBTQA+.[7]