Welcome to the San Jose

Buddhist Church Betsuin EcoSangha Website

We hope that you will find useful information about our organization and our role in helping to propagate Buddhism.

Who We Are

The EcoSangha is an organization operating within the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. We attempt to understand and share knowledge of our interdependence with all life and the environment, and promote ecological-friendly behavior. We support protection of the environment by conserving resources and eliminating waste through recycling, reusing, reducing, and rethinking. We sponsor an annual Earth Day activity at the temple with information, displays and activities related to ecology and the environment. The national Buddhist Churches of America recently adopted our EcoSangha principles and encourages the establishment of EcoSangha organizations, throughout the member temples.

Mission Statement

As Buddhists, the EcoSangha of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin recognizes that we are interdependent with all life. From this position of Oneness, we ask what we can do for our environment.

Our goals are to promote:

• Understanding of the inherent ecological nature of Buddhism;
• Ecologically friendly behavior through the established guidelines; and
• Recognition of the profound implications of our behavior on future generations.

Guidelines For Facilities Use

We encourage:

1. Use of paper products rather than styrofoam or plastic;
2. Use of compostable utensils and non-plastic bags;
3. Use of bamboo chopsticks rather than wood;
4. Use of tap water rather than bottled water (pitchers available in temple storage);
5. Recycling items in appropriately labled containers;
6. Reducing use of non-recyclable products (e.g use washable plates and utensils available in temple kitchen);
7. Use of eco-friendly cleaning products.