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Find a treasure. Play for prizes. Enjoy something delicious. Our popular Yard Sale is back—and this year, there’s even more to enjoy! Join us for shopping, games, free children’s crafts, and freshly made treats. Bring your family and friends for a day with your neighbors. Free admission · Everyone welcome!¡Entrada gratis! ¡Todos son bienvenidos! Date: Sunday, November 8, 2026 9:00 AM–2:00 PM Venue: Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center (2707 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033) Pleas

Mike Sonksen Dharma Teacher, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center Los Angeles Author Rissho Kosei-kai is a down to earth Buddhism. Buddhism for everyday living means living in the everyday world. As incredible as it would be to meditate on top of a mountain, most of us exist in the everyday world with jobs and families. Considering this, one needs a value system that works for everyday life. Rissho Kosei-kai provides this with a simple everyday practice. Rooted in daily sutra rec

Kyohei Mikawa Yes. Just as people's questions propel the storyline of the Lotus Sutra, your questions are welcome. Well, let's be precise: not only welcome, they are an essential part of our learning and practice. The sangha’s questions make us strong, enrich our learning, and inspire our practice. Did you remember what happened at Sangha Sunday on October 11? After Dharma Teacher Doris walked us through the meaning of the symbols of our Buddha statue, our dharma family raise

Kyohei Mikawa Many of us, myself included, carry more questions about life than answers. We wonder: "Why did this happen to me?", "Why this year rather than ten years from now?", "Why me and not someone else?" There is nothing wrong with that. That is simply the nature of being alive. How would the Buddha's wisdom respond to these big "Whys"? The Buddhist teaching of dependent origination clarifies the distinction between where our thoughts and energies would not come to frui

If you are carrying a loss no one talks about Venue: Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles & Zoom Date: Sunday, October 4, 10:00-11:30AM PT Optional: Would you like to share for a quiet recognition? (Due: October 1, Thu) Early pregnancy loss happens in about one in ten known pregnancies in the United States. Roughly one in four women who are trying have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant. And almost none of them have ever been to a space to process and

Kyohei Mikawa In 1938, Rissho Kosei-kai was established by Founder Nikkyo Niwano and Co-Founder Myoko Naganuma (December 25, 1889 - September 10, 1957). In our tradition, on her memorial day, we revisit her stories and reflect on our way of living. This month, I would like to share with you her stories. Co-founder enjoying grapes during her dissemination trip to Kofu, Japan. She was born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on December 25, 1889. Her father was forty-one years old at

RKLA NISEI WEEK PARADE WEEKEND August 15–16, 2026 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: SUNDAY, JULY 26 Complete your payment. Your registration is NOT complete until payment is received. For over 30 years, marching in the Nisei Week Parade has been one of RKLA's most cherished annual traditions — and we want YOU to be part of it this year. What is Nisei Week? This is one of Los Angeles's most beloved annual celebrations, held every August in Little Tokyo. "Nisei" refers to the second gene

Kyohei Mikawa In my daily sutra recitation at home, I always return to this passage with a full heart: May these merits Extend universally to all So that we and all living beings Together accomplish the Buddha Way (KYOTEN, p.81) Buddhists understand that a single-mindedly offered sutra recitation is a prayer for all living beings — present, past, and future — whether known or unknown to us. Its purpose is simple and boundless at once: the end of suffering for all. Since

Kyohei Mikawa I am glad you can attend this year's NLT-National Leaders Training in June! Here is a list of study materials that are suggested to read/listen and discuss as part of preparing for your meaningful learning and attendance! If you have quesionts please let me know: info@rklabuddhistcenter.com 1) Buddha's Core Teachings Attend RKLA's biweekly online class (for recorded lectures and reading): https://www.rklabuddhistcenter.com/post/how-does-buddhism-work-class-sched

Kyohei Mikawa Cat wondering: "What is really happening in you when you listen to someone's emotion?" Offering fully and gently one's attention to someone's speech through listening to their emotion and thoughts is a Buddhist practice of "generosity" (a selfless act of helping other people to be free from suffering). This generosity practice can be undertaken in our everyday conversation and can create good habit that does not make us jump on things on impulse. Here is a conve

Dharma Talk by Rev. Takashi Maeda, Director, Rissho Kosei-kai International *This dharma talk was delivered at RKLA on March 29, 2026 Hello everyone, I’m technically a third-generation member of Rissho Kosei-kai, but if you look back at my family tree, things start to look a little... different. As it turns out, I’m actually a "third-generation entertainer," too! Here’s the deal: my connection to Koseikai started back in 1954 when my grandmother joined because she wanted to h

Kyohei Mikawa Zoom information: Meeting ID: 546 094 5127 Passcode: RKLA Class structure: reading, presentation & discussion (Dharma Teachers and I take turns to lead a class.) This class welcomes both newcomers and non-newcomers of Buddhist spirituality. Session 1 How Buddhism Works - Real Life Stories Date: April 14, Tuesday, 7-8:10PM PT We learned what "attachment" means in Buddhism, and how to recognize our attachments and transform them into seeds of awakening.

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles This blog post presents a slightly revised version of my dharma talk from Ancestor Appreciation day at Rissho Kosei-kai Los Angeles, March 29, where the sangha learned Buddha's teaching of Six Paramitas. -- Buddhism works. Today, let me show you how and why. I am going to talk about: 1) Buddha’s teaching of the Six Paramitas; 2) what the Lotus Sutra added to it; and 3) how I experienced what the Lotus Sut

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles In Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhism, attending various parades in your home sangha or others is one of the most spiritually fulfilling practices. Rev. Lee of RK San Francisco kindly invited RKLA members to attend their San Francisco city-wide parade this year (just as every year) to represent our Buddhist tradition. Through attending this weekend, you do not only learn how to use parade instruments and tools, yo

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai of Los Angeles Let us explore the final element of the Six Paramitas: wisdom. Buddha's wisdom is the emptiness of all things. According to Ani's The End of Suffering , emptiness means understanding that "all phenomena are interdependent, impermanent, and empty of fixed essence. (p.114)" Buddhists celebrate this wisdom because the absolute lack of a permanent essence in any phenomenon means that our experience of suffering and emotiona

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai of Los Angeles It's already Friday. Today let us explore the fifth element of the Buddha's teaching of the Six Paramitas: meditative concentration. As we learned on Monday, the first practice in this teaching is generosity , which is supported by the other three elements: ethical discipline , patience , and diligence . Through the practice of generosity supported by these elements, the fifth and sixth paramitas naturally unfold: medita

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai of Los Angeles Bodhisattva Leo Fixing Corolla I Borrow from RKLA This is a story that exemplifies the practice of diligence. On my way to my office this morning, I noticed that the vehicle I was driving started to shake a little, and the engine light on the dashboard began blinking. Sensing that something might be seriously wrong, I parked the vehicle and texted board chair Toshimi to report the issue. The vehicle I drive is his genero

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles Today let us explore the third element of the Buddha's teaching of the Six Paramitas: patience. How is the word "patience" used in our lives? When you are undergoing emotional pain from a breakup, your friend may say to you, "You’ve got to be patient until the hardest time after the breakup passes." When you teach something you are skilled at to someone who is learning it for the first time, you may thin

Kyohei Mikawa Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles Yesterday in this blog, we explored " generosity ", the first of the Buddha's Six Paramitas, based on Ani Lodro's recent book The End of Suffering . Before discussing the next element--"ethical discipline"--I would ilke to share a brief "field report" from my "generosity" practice last night: consciously spending time with my children, which is often challenging. It went well with a surprising turn. Befor