Buddhist Collections Interactive Map
This map provides information about materials about 83 temples from the Buddhist Churches of America collection, as well as approximately 23 temples from digital collections of oral histories (Oral Histories: Buddhist Traditions in Los Angeles Area) and newspaper photographs (Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection and Los Angeles Daily News Negatives).
Clicking on a site will open a popup with descriptions from the finding aid and links for requesting the materials or viewing online.
Please note:
- The map does not contain every item within the Buddhist Churches of America collection. Only materials mentioning Buddhist temples in the descriptions are included. To view all materials, please see the finding aid link below.
- Archival materials from other collections related to Buddhism in North America are not included. Please see the finding aid links below for collections like the Ruth Strout McCandless and Zen Center of Los Angeles collections.
- The mapped locations of the temples in the Buddhist Churches of America collection reflect the current-day positions of the sites and do not account for historical changes.
- Materials from the digital collections are located at historically accurate coordinates whenever possible, and as a result, there are sometimes multiple locations on the map for the same temple (for example, Nishi Hongwanji Temple in Los Angeles).
Buddhist Archives Database
This database serves as a resource to help researchers navigate the Buddhist Churches of America finding aid by providing the ability to filter or sort by place, year, or collection series.
Buddhism in LA and North America collections
- Buddhist Churches of America Records
The Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) is a national organization of the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji sect in the continental United States. Formerly known as the Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA), the BCA is the largest Japanese American Buddhist organization and is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California. The collection includes correspondence between headquarters in the United States, Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji Headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, and individual temples, as well as meeting minutes and conference materials, education-related records, publications, financial records, and audiovisual materials in a wide variety of formats. - Buddhist Churches of America Records on the Digital LibraryThe Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) is a national organization of the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji sect in the continental United States. Formerly known as the Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA), the BCA is the largest Japanese American Buddhist organization and is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California. This digital collection includes 139 panorama photographs.
- McCandless (Ruth Strout) collection on Nyogen SenzakiThe Ruth Strout McCandless collection on Nyogen Senzaki contains materials related to Ruth McCandless's collaboration and association with Nyogen Senzaki and the American Zen Buddhist movement. Senzaki (1876-1958) was a Japanese Zen monk who left Japan for the United States in 1905. Senzaki lived in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s, and played an important role in the formative years of the American Zen Buddhist movement. Ruth Strout McCandless was a South Pasadena resident who in 1941 became a disciple of Senzaki and later became a major scholar of Japanese Buddhism studies in the United States. The collection consists of correspondence, photographs, ephemera, books, business records, artwork, and textiles. Also included are original manuscripts by Senzaki with transcriptions and edits by Ruth McCandless, correspondence from Senzaki to McCandless during his incarceration in the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, a traditional Zen Buddhist Kesa robe, and a decorative scroll used in Senzaki's ministry.
- Zen Center of Los Angeles RecordsThe Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA) was founded in 1967 by Taizan Maezumi. Associated with the Soto Zen sect, it provides Buddhist teaching and training to both lay people and monks. This collection spans 1937-2012 and primarily consists of teaching materials, which are both written materials and audio recordings. The collection also includes book manuscripts, Maezumi Roshi's notebooks and personal files, and ZCLA administrative records.