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About ABSC
The mission of the American Buddhist Study Center is to encourage scholarly research in the Great Wisdom of Buddhist Teachings and to foster compassion, mindfulness, and kindness to address social, economic, and environmental issues for a better world.
The American Buddhist Study Center (ABSC), originally the American Buddhist Academy, was founded in New York City in 1951 by Rev. Hozen Seki to promote Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion. It was a time when many Americans still harbored racist feelings toward the Japanese because of World War II. Seki wanted to show the kinder and gentler side of the Japanese people in their Buddhist faith, and that Buddhism is a universal religion that everyone can benefit from.
Today, ABSC is expanding his vision into the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. ABSC holds programs on gender and racial issues and discussions on Buddhism, psychology, and philosophy with renowned Buddhist theologians and scholars. ABSC also holds meditation sessions to relieve everyday stress. ABSC formed an LGBTQ+ group to support and nurture the community and address the difficulties of coming out.
ABSC is actively working with the head minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission to raise funds and help to comfort temple members suffering in the aftermath of the devastating fires that gutted their temple and the town of Lahaina on Maui.
The environment is another area ABSC is deeply concerned about. ABSC holds programs with a Buddhist perspective on zero waste and saving the planet so that people can better understand climate change and what we can do now to save the planet.
[Board Members]
Hoshina Seki - President
Josephine Seki - Vice President
Rev. Gary Jaskula
Dr. Gordon Bermant
Mr. Mark Sullivan
The ABSC is one of a few Buddhist publishing houses in the USA. Most ABSC books are Buddhist-related. Our Buddhist authors include Alfred Bloom, Koshin Ohtani, D. T. Suzuki, Arai Toshikazu, and others. ABSC has also published books on the social history of Japanese Americans and a book on the outbreak of WWII.
However, the treasure of the ABSC is the ABSC Library. It contains over 14,000 Buddhist textbooks in many languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Sanskrit, and English. ABSC invites scholars to view and study our rare Buddhist period books. Eventually, the collection will be digitized.
ABSC produces a weekly online newsletter and has many videos on its YouTube channel, some incorporating rare, historic audio recordings of Rev. Dr. Taitetsu Unno, D. T. Suzuki, and others.
The ABSC is now a global community reaching people in every part of the world, including many European countries, Australia, China, Japan, Russia, and others. ABSC wants to partner with people and companies with the same mindset of making a better world.