Saturday, March 15, 2025
1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Tanaka
Professor Emeritus
Musashino University, Tokyo
We welcome you to join us in person at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple for this timely Dharma Session.
We are taught that one of the core Buddhist teachings is “non-self.” For many American Buddhists, that seems to go against our spirit of “individualism,” self-esteem, and “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Some, therefore, think Buddhism is too pessimistic and passive. Also most people consider self-esteem to be a good thing, so we try to nurture it in our children. How, then, should we think about these seeming contradictions? This seminar will attempt to answer these pressing questions as Buddhism continues to make inroads into contemporary American society.