Search Buddhist Channel
Visalia Buddhist Church marks its centennial anniversary
By David Castellon, Visalia Times-Delta, Oct 20, 2007
Visalia, CA (USA) -- In the late 1800s, a Japanese immigrant community began to grow in the Valley, initially to farm or work for railroads.
<< Jo-Ren MacDonald of Visalia Buddhist Church
Eventually, a Japanese business community grew in Visalia along what is now East Center Avenue.
Buddhist priests from Japan occasionally traveled through Visalia to perform weddings, funerals and other events for the Japanese immigrants. But worship services occurred only occasionally and often without priests, said Jo-Ren MacDonald, 66, the kaikyoshi, or priest, for the Visalia Buddhist Church.
This month, the church is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Services were held in several buildings on Center as the priest split his time between congregations in Visalia, Corcoran and Hanford. In January 1941, a temple was built in the 500 block of Center.
Eleven months later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor led the U.S. into World War II. The following May, Japanese Americans in Visalia and all along the Pacific Coast were sent to internment camps for the duration of World War II.
Many stored their belongings in the temple, MacDonald said, watched over by hakujin, Caucasians who also took care of farms, homes and businesses.
When those interned returned to their homes after the war, MacDonald said, the temple became a "social place of safety," as many people of Japanese descent developed isolationist attitudes that lasted years after the war.
The temple, office and priest quarters were rebuilt in the late 1960s on the same land.
Whether its members met in homes or meeting halls or an actual temple, over the past century this church has been vital to the Japanese and Buddhist community here and around Visalia, said Ellen Tanimoto, 68, of Porterville.
A tragedy — the death of her second child during birth — first brought her to the Visalia temple. But she soon found it a good place to connect with her Japanese roots.
"The only reason I joined the temple was there weren't that many Japanese people in Porterville," she said. "And I wanted my children to meet other Japanese."
It was for similar reasons that the Japanese immigrants first began meeting together in the early part of the last century, MacDonald said.
Certainly, religion was part of it, she said. But not everything.
"It is a social gathering if you think of people who speak the same language from another country and like the same foods and their children could marry each other," she said. "I think what it meant was you could find a husband or a wife; you could practice your spiritual beliefs."
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)
For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:
Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB
The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118
Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.
Dear Friends in the Dharma,
We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.
Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:
One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.
How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.
For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:
Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB
The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118
Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.
Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.
Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.
Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.
Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.
Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!
May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,
With deepest gratitude,
Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team
Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau
We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.
If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv