Berkeley Buddhist Priory

Specialties

Buddhist meditation, Dharma talks, Buddhist services and spiritual guidance.

History

Established in 1973.

The Berkeley Buddhist Priory is a temple following the

Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition. It is a branch of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, an international Buddhist Order, and is affiliated with Shasta Abbey, located in Mt. Shasta, California. The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives and the Berkeley Buddhist Priory were both founded by the late Rev. Master Jiyu-​Kennett.

The Berkeley Buddhist Priory was established in 1973. It offers a

regular schedule of meditation, classes, Buddhist services, day retreats and spiritual counseling.

The teaching of the Priory, the Serene Reflection Meditation

tradition, was known as Soto Zen in Japan and as Ts’ao-Tung

in China. This teaching and this practice emphasize meditation and mindfulness, guiding our lives by the moral Precepts of Buddhism, and awakening the heart of compassion and expressing it through selfless activity.

Meet the Manager

Kinrei B.

Manager

The Prior of the temple is Rev. Kinrei Bassis, who is a disciple

of Rev. Master Jiyu-​Kennett. Rev. Kinrei was ordained as a

Buddhist monk in 1979, and was named as a Master in 1987

by Rev. Master Jiyu-​Kennett. He has been at the Priory since 1997.