Our Church

Our Mission Statement

The Placer Buddhist Church strives to nurture compassion, mindfulness, gratitude, peace, tolerance, inclusiveness, and spiritual exploration by providing a place where everyone is welcome.  Our mission is to continually learn and live the Buddhist Teachings to reduce suffering and support our lives and the lives around us.  We offer an open door to sharing these teachings, as well as friendship and community.

New PBC Office Hours

Every Thursday from 9:00am - 1:00pm

Buddhist education through the EVERYDAY BUDDHIST

If you sign up make sure you tell them you're from Placer Buddhist Church. 

PBC Annual Report's

The Placer Buddhist Church Annual reports are available for review.  Use the links below to download and review the document. 


A President's Reflection   

November 2024


Hi Everyone!

 

Can you believe it's already November? This month always makes me think about what I’m thankful for, and I want to encourage you to do the same! It's the perfect time to reflect on all the good things in our lives.

 

Growing up, I learned a lot about gratitude from my parents and grandparents. They taught me to work hard but also to play hard, and I think that balance has really helped me live a happy life. My family grew and packed our own fruit and, with no brothers, my sisters and I were like little "ranch hands" helping out. But we didn’t just work! We also played a lot. My dad was our basketball coach and drove us to basketball tournaments all over the state. My dad also loved toys like mini-bikes, motor scooters, cars and he built the mini-bike and scooters for us to play with. He liked to tinker with cars which is where my sister and I would watch and learn. Later we worked on our own cars and would race each other on our country roads. What a great childhood! Going to church was important to my family too, and my sisters and I had many years of perfect attendance. As with PBC, church life was an extension of family life. Looking back, I’m grateful for these experiences because they taught me valuable life lessons.

 

I’m also thankful for my career. As a school nutrition director, I was able to do something I loved and hopefully made a difference by making sure thousands of kids received nutritious meals at school. Now, as the PBC President, I am thankful to be part of such a hardworking and caring Sangha. I was reminded of how special our PBC community is during our recent Food Bazaar. People from out of town were so impressed — not just by the delicious food but by how many volunteers we had and how friendly the event was. This is all thanks to our amazing community members who step up and make things happen.

 

Speaking of gratitude, I hope you signed up for our special event to honor our Keiro members (our elders) on November 10th. We’re also celebrating Eshinni and Kakushinni, the wife and daughter of Shinran Shonin, on November 24th. These events are great opportunities to come together and show our appreciation.

 

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I hope you take a little time to reflect on what you’re thankful for. I know I’m thankful for all of you who come to PBC and help make it such a welcoming place. Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

 

In Gassho, 

Rene' Yamashiro, PBC President

Our Contact Information

Placer Buddhist Church

3192 Boyington Road

P.O.Box 349                      <-- New Mailing Address

Penryn, CA. 95663

(916) 652-6139


Our Church

The Placer Buddhist Church is located at 3192 Boyington Road in Penryn California, County of Placer. It is located at the scenic base of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains just off Interstate 80. It is approximately halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Nevada.

The Church was founded in 1902 in the small foothill town of Penryn. The original church was near the center of town approximately 3 miles from its current location. The church moved to its current location in 1963. The church is well known in the community for annual food bazaar which is typically held on the 4th weekend of September. The annual food bazaar  began in 1964, just after the church moved to  its new location.

The church supports organizations such as the Placer Buddhist Women’s Association (PBWA), Young Buddhist Association (YBA), Sierra Bonsai Club, Dharma School, and Placer Ume Taiko Groups. The church also holds various classes during the week including calligraphy, flower arranging, Tai Chi, Obon dancing and exercise classes. See the church calendar for class times.

Dharma services and group activities have been limited during the Covid-19 pandemic and will reopen when safe to publicly meet. 

Supervising Ministers

    Rev. Matt Hamasaki

    Rev. Yuki Sugahara

Minister's Assistants

    Rich Kawahata

    Michi Mitani

    Ed Nakamoto

2023 PBC Officers

    President

            René Yamashiro

    1st Vice President

            Tom Aust

    2nd Vice President

            Frank Perrott

    Recording Secretary

            Linda Dickerson

            Claudia Nakata

    Treasurer

            Kent Kawamoto

    Auditor

            Karen Takayama