A Message from our President

Devon Matsumoto | He/Him/His | Seattle Betsuin Minister's Assistant

Originally Posted: March 13th, 2020

Hello and welcome to the Young Buddhist Editorial (YBE)! I am so excited to be apart of a growing youth movement within the Buddhist community to revive our shrinking youth groups. The YBE was created as a medium for young Buddhists to express their experiences and understanding of Buddhism in efforts to build solidarity with other young persons and our advocates and allies across the country. We want our voices to be heard and recognized by the older generations in our temples and religious organizations. We feel that young people are the future of our religious institutions that many of our ancestors created here in America despite the prejudice, racism, and discrimination that they faced. If our voices are left out in the conversation of survival, then it is inevitable that our temples will begin to dwindle and die out.

As the president of the Young Buddhist Editorial, my term will focus on building a strong foundation for YBE to grow and thrive by bridging the gap between teens, college students, and young adults. We plan to do this by sharing our stories, Dharma messages, Buddhist art as well as connecting each other by sharing events and contact information of other young Buddhist groups. We will also promote interfaith dialogue between Buddhists and other faith organizations by actively sharing the experiences of other religions. In the future, I hope that YBE can become a space where young Asian Americans and Buddhists of color’s voices are uplifted and brought to the forefront of Buddhist discussion and where the intersectionality of identities between Asian American and Buddhist is recognized.

Our YBE board is comprised of college and young adult aged Jodo-Shinshu Buddhists who are currently living in the Greater Seattle Area and the state of Washington. Many of us grew up in California and have found community at the Seattle Betsuin. While we are geographically in Washington State, we hope that we can reach a larger audience within the BCA and Buddhist community. We are on the lookout for content contributors and would be happy to bring you on board as a contributor.

The potential for YBE is limitless and I ask that those who join us be patient and understanding of the growing pains we will go through. I, along with our Board welcome any suggestions and feedback that can help YBE become a vibrant organization.

Please contact youngbuddhisteditorial@gmail.com for any comments, questions, or concerns or if you want to be a contributor.