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Our temple, affiliated with the Buddhist Churches of America and the Nishi Hongwanji in Kyoto, Japan, follows the teachings of the Jodo Shinshu, or The Pure Land School. LEARN MORE
Join us at our Sunday services and recite the Nembutsu to become one with Amida Buddha and transcend the petty selfishness of the individual. LEARN MORE
Bring your children to learn the basics of Buddhism and how life experiences and our religion relate. LEARN MORE
Visit our MBT Legacy Garden, which honors the Japanese-Americans who founded the temple in 1944 after their release from the U.S. internment camps of World War II. LEARN MORE
What’s happening at MBT
The Spring 2019 Creative Writing SCREENWRITING sessions will be held on April 27, May 18, and June 1. Anyone high school age and older may participate.
The first Sunday of each month is the Monthly Memorial Service. As a part of our regular Shin (Jodo Shinshu) Family Service we take a moment to remember and express gratitude to loved ones who have passed away. During Service, children’s classes are also available. Everyone is welcome to attend and for more information please visit our 
The Women’s Association and Golden Agers hope you’ll come to our next New Life for Old Bags gathering. Join us as we recycle old plastic bags and turn them into something useful – sleeping mats for the homeless. NLOB is open to all ages – women, men, girls and boys. Come out to cut, make plarn (plastic yarn), crochet mats and chat. Meet others and visit with friends while volunteering for a worthwhile cause. 
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What kind of temple are we?
The Midwest Buddhist Temple is a temple of the Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism, with roots in the Pure Land Buddhist tradition. Jodo Shinshu, also referred to as Shin Buddhism, was founded in Japan by Shinran Shonin (1173-126 [...]
Japanese Cinema at MBT – April 20
Saturday Afternoon at the Japanese Cinema is a monthly event showcasing Japanese movies. The movie and snacks are free courtesy of the MBT Sangha (temple members). Movies are shown each month except when the temple's Social H [...]
Yard Sale – May 4
Come to MBT's Yard Sale and look for hidden gems! Where: MBT - Front Steps When: MAY 4, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Open to the public date posted: [...]
Contested Histories exhibit and discussion program
MBT will continue to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a special visit from Los Angeles’ Japanese American National Museum (“JANM”). Key museum staff will be in Chicago Friday May 17th to Sunday May 19th to present CONTESTE [...]
Come to MBT’s Used Book Sale – June 8-9
Coinciding with the neighboring Old Town Art Fair every June, MBT’s Used Book Sale attracts hundreds of passersby and serious book-lovers with tables filled with books, CDs, records, and this year we have vintage baseball ca [...]
MBT’s 75th Anniversary
July 10, 1944. South Parkway Community Hall. Southside Chicago. Rev. Gyodo Kono holds the very first service. Seventy-five years on, such are the humble beginnings of MBT. It’s easy to hear a milestone like this, remark mome [...]
Fundraiser for New Projector Screen
Our Temple building was built in 1971 and at that time a projector screen was installed in the Social Hall. At first the screen was used to project slide shows and old film movies. More recently we have upgraded some of our [...]
2019 MBT Membership Pledge Drive
Help us keep the many programs at MBT going by supporting our Annual Pledge Drive.
Creative Writing 2019 – Spring Workshops
Kick-start your story: Start writing the story you’ve always wanted, but didn’t know how to start. This spring we have expanded our Creative Writing workshop offerings. In addition to our Prose and Poetry workshops, we have [...]
Women’s Association Fundraiser
Women's Association Spring Bulb Sale Since our Fall Bulb Sale was so successful, we thought we would welcome spring by, again, adding a little color to your garden. We have a special page on the GROWING GREEN fundraiser [...]
Ask Reverend Ron
Is there something about Shin Buddhism or our temple that you’ve been wondering about and would love to have some one-on-one time with Rev. Ron Miyamura to ask him? Now you can by following his blog: Ask Rev. Ron. Each month [...]
Acknowledgements
Thank you for visiting the Midwest Buddhist Temple website. Whether you are just beginning on your journey seeking knowledge about Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism or you have long been a friend of the Midwest Buddhist Temple, we hope that you find the site to be an engaging, informative resource. That is our goal.
We are grateful for the support of our Sangha (the temple members), many of whom contributed thoughtful suggestions, articles and photography. We are also grateful to the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), with which our temple is affiliated and from whose publications we have drawn.