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Salt Lake Buddhist Temple Welcomes Newly Ordained Minister

Dan Bammes
Dr. Carmela Javellana in the KUER studio

  Monday, December 8th, is Bodhi Day, when some traditions of Buddhism celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment.  This Bodhi Day, the 102-year-old Salt Lake City Buddhist Temple is also welcoming a newly ordained minister.

Doctor Carmela Javellana is a psychiatrist who grew up in the Phillipines.  She connected with Reverend Jerry Hirano, the minister of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, through a personal ad.  They married, and she became his assistant.  Doctor Javellana then studied to become a minister herself through theInstitute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California.  This past month, she traveled to Kyoto, Japan for the tokudo, or ordination ceremony, and she is now a fully-qualified priest in the JodoShinshu tradition.  Doctor Javellana sat down with KUER's Dan Bammes to talk about that transformation.

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