This suite of materials offers an immersive, multi-dimensional experience centered on a Jōdoshinsū Pure Land Buddhist service. Combining 360° videos, expert interviews, and a virtual tour of Senshin Temple in Los Angeles, these resources work together to illuminate ritual elements, sacred spaces, and the cultural meanings that shape the worship of Amida Buddha. Informational overlays, learned commentary, and interactive features help connect visual details with historical context and lived experience, making it easier to understand how artistry, community, and devotion come together in a vibrant ritual tradition.
The recitation of the Golden Chain expresses the values and shared commitments of the Jōdoshinsū Buddhist community.
The Shishinrai gatha (hymn) reflects central themes of Pure Land Buddhist practice.
The Shijūhachigan, or Forty-Eight Vows, remember the core structure of the Amida Buddha’s teaching.
The Nembutsu is a central feature of Pure Land Buddhist practice.
The reading of the Enkokū is a part of the weekly Buddhist service at Senshin Temple.
Each service a section of a sutra, here the Mahayana-Abhisamaya Sutra, is read.
Our 360° videos place viewers within a Jōdoshinshū Buddhist service, offering an immersive perspective on the chants, readings, and rituals that shape communal worship. Together, these resources help students and educators move beyond observation to a deeper understanding of how gratitude, community, and the teachings of Amida Buddha are expressed through the lived practice of Pure Land Buddhism.
Click and drag the screen (or move your phone) to explore the full 360° view. For mobile viewing we recommend using the YouTube app.
Coming soon, our enhanced interviews will provide scholarly context for understanding Jodo Shinshu and the practices featured throughout this resource suite. Short, focused conversations will explore the foundations of Pure Land Buddhism, the role of Amida Buddha, the meaning of the Nembutsu and the Forty-Eight Vows, and concepts such as shinjin, self-power, and other-power. Additional interviews will examine chanting, incense offerings, the role of the priest, and the structure of the service, while considering how Jodo Shinshu has developed within Japanese American communities and the Buddhist Churches of America. Together, these interviews will help connect the rituals encountered in the 360° videos and virtual tour to the beliefs, histories, and lived experiences that give them meaning.
📍 Los Angeles, CA, USA
Explore a virtual tour of Senshin Temple above. Click and hold to ‘grab’ the screen, dragging in any direction to see the full 360° view. Use the nodes or menu to move through the space, and click the hotspots to learn more about the temple’s features.
For a VR accessible experience, follow this link.
Take a self-guided virtual tour of Senshin Temple, a religious space of the Jōdoshinsū tradition of Pure Land Buddhism in Los Angeles, CA. Informational hotspots highlight key features of the temple’s architecture, the shrines housed within, and the significance of different areas for worship and community life. This tour offers students and educators an accessible way to connect visual details with deeper meanings, bringing the temple’s living context into focus.
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