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| The SBF offers many social and educational activities |
The Shin Buddhist Fellowship
(SBF) is an independent and progressive lay Buddhist community in West Hartford, Connecticut, established in 2004. We are a member
community of the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut. We offer an open, caring, and nurturing environment for all
who seek the Buddhist experience. We see ourselves as spiritual pioneers of the 21st century, expanding the boundaries
of the Buddha Dharma and helping to create a new American Buddhism. Below explains the mission, inspiration, journey,
practices of our independent network of lay Buddhist congregations.
Our Mission: We are a Buddhist community for spiritual seekers of all ages. Our mission is to awaken to the heart
of Great Compassion, to live by its calling, to gracefully experience the unfolding of Life, to practice loving kindness,
and to share the blessings of this spiritual experience and the teachings with all.
Our Inspiration: We are dedicated to the teachings of the historical Buddha and the 13th century Japanese reformer,
the founder of Shin Buddhism or Jodo Shinshu, Shinran Shonin, and furthermore,
we deeply appreciate the meditative tradiition of the Soto Zen
School. We
are also open to all Buddhist traditions and the entirety of world spirituality and wisdom.
Our Journey: We are called to entrust ourselves to the heart of Great Compassion, symbolized as Amida Buddha. As a result,
we are spiritually transformed, experiencing a new life of joy, purpose, and gratitude and dedicated to promoting the welfare
of all sentient beings.
Our Practices: While our inclusion of Soto Zen practice acknowledges the value we place on meditation, the heart of Shin practice
is on integrating spirituality with daily living by developing deeper compassion; practicing monpo or deep hearing
(mindfulness); and voicing the Nembutsu (Namo Amida Butsu) as an expression of our trust in and gratitude for the ultimate
perfection of life. We engage in community service, support one another’s spiritual growth, and strive to remember that
we are all foolish humans doing the best that we can.
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| Saying the Nembutsu - namu-Amida-Butsu |
The Fellowship’s Guiding Principles
Our Fellowship honors the Six Principles of Harmony, taught by the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni over 2,
500 years ago in Northern India. These Six Principles are our organization’s
guiding values. The SBF diligently seeks to maintain a harmonious, friendly, and open-minded atmosphere. The Six Principles of Harmony
are:
1. Sharing similar
viewpoints and aspirations
2. Practicing the
same ethical precepts
3. Living and practicing
peacefully together
4. Abstaining from
quarrelling and bickering
5. Experiencing
the inner peace and joy that results from community practice
6. Sharing our
benefits so as to be a blessing to each other and to the world
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"Without my seeking, the Buddha seeks me;
without my asking after it, great compassion asks after me."
--Rev.
Koryu Kagai
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