The Buddhist Faith Fellowship is a nurturing and independent spiritual community that embraces, practices, and promotes the blending of classical Buddhism with the heartfelt and practical Shin Buddhist (Jodo Shinshu) teachings. We acknowledge our deep roots in Mahayana Buddhism and adapt these tenets to the context of Western language and culture. Our fellowship is dedicated to upholding traditional Buddhist tenets and values found in our scriptures while maintaining a space free from politics and trendy ideology in order to help our congregants discover purpose, spiritual growth, and enlightenment.
Our central mission is to guide congregants on their Buddhist journey, helping them transform suffering (dukkha) into inner well-being in the present and provide the conditions for ultimate spiritual liberation in the future. We do this by focusing on and cultivating the 3Gs: Grace, Gratitude, and Generosity.
Our activities are open to the general public, requiring no prior experience or knowledge of Buddhism to attend our gatherings, courses, or retreats. Our approach to Shin Buddhist teachings is highly accessible and easy to follow, making them available to everyone.
Since our establishment in 2001, we have become one of Connecticut’s most established and revered Buddhist organizations. With the vision and guidance of our founding teacher, Rev. Daishin Senpai M.A., we offer a full array of spiritual programs and activities. We are also expanding to offer more online programming soon.
Our Story
Our community began on Hanamatsuri in April 2001, the Mahayana holiday celebrating the historical Buddha’s birth, with the mission to learn, practice, and share Shin Buddhist teachings with our generation and culture.
After studying under and receiving transmission from the Venerable Thich Tri Hoang, our founding teacher, Rev. Daishin Senpai M.A., became a student of the late Dr. (Rev.) Taitetsu Unno through his sangha and the NoHo Lay Teacher’s Program. With Rev. Unno’s percipient guidance, Rev. Daishin Senpai took a bold step in establishing the first and independent Shin Buddhist congregation in Connecticut. Our community started in Rev. Senpai’s small apartment in Bristol, Connecticut, but quickly outgrew the space. As a result, he moved our gatherings to the community room at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford and then settled at the College of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown in 2004.
Over the years, our fellowship has grown into a vibrant Shin Buddhist community, offering a variety of enriching programs, courses, workshops, and retreats. We expanded to include local chapters across the United States and Latin America, providing resources and support to a diverse range of practitioners. Although some of our special groups, such as the 12 Step Buddhist Group, the New England Institute of Buddhist Studies, the Stoa Buddhist Philosphy Group, and the Buddhist Family Practice programs and many chapters, have been phased out, their legacy of community and spiritual growth continues to inspire our mission.
For over a decade, our fellowship’s activities were held in Middletown, Connecticut. However, during the COVID-19 health crisis in 2020, we transitioned to an online format, leading to an unexpected boon of expanded national and international participation in our Practice & Talk Meetings. Post-pandemic, we have happily resumed our in-person activities in Middletown and amplified our presence on social media platforms such as Meetup.com, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
As of this writing, the Buddhist Faith Fellowship remains the only Shin Buddhist community in New England, encompassing the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Come as you are
For disciples and seekers. For individuals and families. For young and old. For men and women. For the highly educated and not so learned. For believers and non-believers. For saints and the wicked. For the lucky and for the less fortunate. For straight and gay. For any race and ethnic group. For blue collars, white collars and no collars. For liberals, conservatives, and any other political belief. For the healthy and the sick. For locals and from abroad. At Buddhist Faith Fellowship, labels do not matter; the Buddha’s message of transformation and supreme liberation is open for everyone. Come as you are.
Join Buddhist Faith Fellowship’s Facebook Group. This interactive open space is a great place to learn about Buddhism, share knowledge and experiences with the teachings, and keep in touch with the Fellowship’s activities. Click the Facebook icon to enter.