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Salt Lake Buddhist Temple Welcomes Newly Ordained Minister

carmela_hirano.jpg
Dan Bammes
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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 the Institute 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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