BCA includes over 60 temples and fellowships throughout the United States and approximately 12,000 members. National Headquarters are based in San Francisco. We are affiliated with the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha tradition, whose head temple is in Kyoto, Japan.

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BCA envisions that Shin Buddhism is a flourishing tradition that shares the teachings through an engaging ministry where inclusive communities cultivate peace, understanding, and compassion for everyone.

The Jodo Shinshu International Office (JSIO) propagates Shinran Shonin’s teaching to the world with the support of BCA, Hawaii, Canada and South America regions. JSIO also offers the Jodo Shinshu Correspondence Course, a two-year, online program for students who wish to gain basic knowledge of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and build community with other students.

The Center for Buddhist Education cultivates an engaged, dharma-centered community with activities for the public and our membership throughout the United States:

Annual workshops, conferences, and special events

Temple Leadership Training

Minister's Assistant Program

Summer Youth Retreats & Exchanges

Gatherings for Japanese speakers

Seminars on diversity and inclusion, arts and culture, health and wellness

A nexus for Buddhist education and community in Berkeley, California

2140 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

The Federation of Dharma School Teachers Leagues is affiliated with the  Buddhist Churches of America(BCA) and the Honpa Hongwanji of Kyoto, Japan and follows the traditions of Jodo Shinshu founded by Shinran Shonin.

The Buddhist Women’s Association (BWA) was founded in Japan in the early 20th century by Takeko Kujō (1887–1928), the daughter of Koson Ohtani, a prominent religious leader of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition. In her early twenties, Takeko Kujō established the Fujinkai—the original name for the organization—as a way to encourage women’s participation in Buddhist practice and community service. In addition to her religious work, she also founded Asoka Hospital, one of Japan’s first modern medical centers. She passed away in Tokyo after falling ill while doing relief work in the city’s slums following the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.

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As the organization grew, local BWA chapters were established in Jodo Shinshu temples across Japan. In time, as many Japanese immigrants settled abroad in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, BWA chapters were also formed in the United States and other countries. Today, the BWA in the United States is an affiliated organization of the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), the mainland U.S. branch of the Nishi Hongwanji tradition of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.