Identifier:

Series 6

Dates:

1914-2017

Scope and content:

The Bureau of Buddhist Education was informally established by incarcerees at Topaz in 1944 and formally in February of 1959. The Bureau of Buddhist Education became the Department of Buddhist Education in 1963, with two sub-departments: the Sunday School Department and the Youth Department. The Sunday School department was under the direct control of the Ministers' Association until 1963. In 1981 it was renamed the Dharma School to better reflect the program of teaching the Buddhist Dharma. The bulk of the records span from the 1960s to the 1990s, with a few records dating as far back as the 1940s.

The Office of the Director, 1959-1990: Records of the Director span approximately 14.5 linear feet and document the administration of the BCA educational programs for children and adult members since World War II. Found here are the teaching guides and other educational resources, administrative correspondence and internal memoranda, meeting minutes, materials relating to BCA and non-BCA conferences and seminars, news clippings documenting BCA activities nationwide, and BCA printed materials.

Includes records from the following directors: Reverend Kenryu Tsuji (1959-1972), Reverend Hogen Fujimoto (1972-1978), Reverend Toshio Murakami (1978-1983), Reverend William Masuda (1983-1987), and Reverend Carol Himaka (1989-1995).

Reverend Kenryu Tsuji's files cover subjects such as seminars, regional conferences, scholarships, ministerial training, the building of a dormitory, BCA's 75th anniversary, and the Berkeley Study/Institute of Buddhist Studies. Reverend Hogen Fujimoto's files cover retreats, conferences, and Boy Scout Jamborees. Included here are copies of articles on Buddhist subjects and photographs of the BCA National Council Meeting in 1991.

Reverend Toshio Murakami's files consist primarily of printed materials. These include Japanese language journals, English language booklets about Buddhism, clippings from mainstream California newspapers, and BCA newsletters. Office files include financial reports, departmental reports, annual reports and meeting minutes. Pamphlets describing the Young Buddhists Association (1974-1975) are found here as well.

Reverend William Masuda's files consist of office files, conference materials, Sunday School teaching materials, and publications. Many records concern the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Other subjects covered include school prayer, Martin Luther King Jr., BCA/Hawaii/Canada Coordinating Council, and Hanada Sensei translations. Also included is the first draft of the Buddhist Education Program for Adults (1966).

Reverend Carol Himaka's records consist mainly of printed materials and meeting minutes. Printed materials pertain to Sunday School education (including gatha service books), temple newsletters, conferences, and seminars. Minutes include those from the Federation of Dharma School Teachers League (FDSTL), Western Young Buddhists League (WYBL), Buddhist Education Committee, BCA National Board, and National Council materials. Drafts of the 1994 service book developed for Japanese and English speaking members are found here as well.

Dharma School Papers: 31 linear feet of teaching resources and records related to the Dharma School. The Sunday School department (later called Dharma School) focused on teachers' needs and teaching practices. Among other activities, the department produced classroom materials, started the registration of Sunday School teachers, and issued 10 year service awards to teachers. Many items were produced by BCA ministers assigned to the task by the Ministers Association and later by the Bureau (Department) of Education. In 1980, Mrs. Steimetz was appointed materials coordinator for the BCA Sunday School Department to continue the production of teaching materials.

Most publications are geared toward Buddhist youth education and include handbooks, guides, and lesson plans for teachers as well as publications and reading materials for children. Sermons by ministers on particular subjects (published and manuscript versions) and articles/clippings on various subjects are found here as well.

Also found here are materials from conferences, including the Federation of Western Sunday School Teachers (FWSST) and directories from leagues within the FWSST: Northern California Dharma School Teacher's League (NCDSTL), Northwest Dharma School Teacher's League (NDSTL), and Southern District Dharma School Teacher's League (SDDSTL).

Language:

Most materials are in English.

Physical / technical requirements:

CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials are not currently available for access and will require further processing and assessment. If you have questions about this material please email spec-coll@library.ucla.edu.

Contents

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