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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 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.
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 (1173-12 [...]
Japanese Cinema at MBT – November 17
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 [...]
Special Workshops: NATTO and Japanese Knife Sharpening
The Midwest Buddhist Temple is thrilled to have Eien Hunter-Ishikawa conduct two Japanese cultural workshops: Japanese Knife Sharpening skills and a demonstration of Natto (fermented soy - considered a "superfood" in Japan). [...]
Mochitsuki on December 15
Our annual Mochitsuki will be held on December 15 starting at 8:30 am and ending around 1:00 pm. During Mochitsuki our temple's social hall transforms in to a noisy and joyful gathering centered around the tradition of pound [...]
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Services
At year's end MBT traditionally holds two services and everyone is welcome to participate. On New Year's Eve we gather to celebrate the outgoing year with a brief service followed by the "ringing of the Kansho bell". Each pa [...]
Legacy Garden Update 2018
It has been four years since the dedication of our Legacy Garden and we have just posted an update. Please visit our refreshed Legacy Garden page to see the latest photos and learn how we maintain this beautiful addition to [...]
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.