Founding members brainstorm Young Buddhist Editorial at a 2020 meeting at Seattle Betsuin Temple

Asian-American founders of Young Buddhist Editorial are building the online multimedia platform worldwide, and broadening its mission, just two years after launching it from a Seattle-area temple.

Young Buddhist Editorial, usually called YBE, grew out of a young adult minister’s assistant retreat organized by Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. This is the city’s oldest Buddhist temple, which for decades has primarily served the Japanese community, although membership has been broadening in recent years.

YBE President Devon Matsumoto leads a group brainstorm for the future YBE platform during the 2020 retreat.

During that winter 2020 retreat we dedicated the weekend to Buddhist practices, learning more about our tradition, and spending time with temple friends. I was joined by Seattle-area friends Devon Matsumoto, Mia Li, Trevor Yokoyama, Josh Mckinney, Alex Sakamoto, Marissa Wong, and Emily Ko, in discussing why young Buddhist voices had been disappearing from the community.

We talked about how we could stay connected with our Buddhist friends while away from home for college, or while following our career paths. For many of us growing up in a temple community, the teachings of the dharma and our sanghas are significant parts of our lives, which we would have to leave when moving from home.

For our generation we thought an online platform would be the most accessible way for anyone in the community, and other young people, to share their experiences and stories. Most of us have laptops and smartphones we use daily.

A March 2021 online YBE Book Club meeting of Seattle people discussing “Radical Dharma.”

In the dining room of Seattle Betsuin, we started to plan and visualize what has become the Young Buddhist Editorial.

Despite or perhaps because of the worldwide pandemic, YBE has grown exponentially, now including a website as well as social media platforms, book club groups, events, and virtual workshops.

The first and current YBE President Matsumoto is optimistic about the future.

“In the upcoming year, I hope YBE can continue to learn and grow internally to make sure that our movement is sustainable and can be passed on to future leaders,” he said. “I also hope we can build community with other Buddhist and non-Buddhist groups, to move toward solidarity and a world free of suffering.”

The website acts as a public space for young and diverse voices. We accept articles and art submissions about the news and happenings in the community, and discussions of Buddhist concepts. The website has become a forum for cultural conversations reflecting on intersections of identities, which may or may not include Buddhism.

Planning YBE team and Chenxing Han debrief after “Building Buddhist Communities” online Zoom retreat in May, 2021.

 “The reason I joined YBE is because this is a space that is focusing on an aspect that has never been focused on, to help normalize contemporary voices within Buddhism that are not generally understood. As well, YBE has close ties to the Seattle area,” said “B,” who prefers this name, and is a Seattle-based YBE volunteer and Social Justice Committee. “YBE is constructing a dialogue that allows Buddhists to speak up about contemporary issues, which Buddhists and other communities have not been as open to addressing.”

Through the YBE social media platforms we can directly notify followers of any new happenings, and can spotlight community members.

We have also hosted four book club sessions, opening up discussions about social injustice, marginalized identities, and Buddhism. Kayla Nodohara, Ko, Wong, and I started the YBE Book Club to address urgent issues by reflecting on our own experiences, and by learning from the leaders who inspire us.

For our first retreat YBE was fortunate to work with Chenxing Han, author of “Be the Refuge,” and co-organizer of May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial for Asian American Ancestors. With Han we hosted an online event called “Building Buddhist Communities,” focused on Asian-American Buddhist identities.

A July, 2020 YBE Book Club meeting of people from Seattle and Portland, discussing “So You Want to Talk About Race.”

Kevin Shen, who lives in Los Angeles, joined YBE and the Social Justice Committee after attending the “Building Buddhist Communities” retreat.

“I joined YBE to connect with young (Asian) Buddhists around the country that I otherwise would not get a chance to meet! YBE has been very welcoming, and it has been very enriching to see how people’s different upbringings have informed their relationship with Buddhism, and in turn how Buddhism informs their lives,” he said. “I think YBE (and the Social Justice Committee) have been very important spaces in which to reflect upon Buddhism and engagement in the world, and to think about what engaged Buddhism should and will look like in the future.”

The YBE Social Justice Committee has utilized a Buddhist lens to raise awareness and engage the community on social justice issues. Projects have included a Black Lives Matter workshop series on living a path to anti-racism, following the murder of George Floyd. In addition, the committee has issued statements against injustice, and has created a “Face-to-Face” event series that covered LGBTQ+ identities, abolition, post-colonization, and environmental justice, and their relation to the dharma.

YBE board members, a third of them from the Seattle area, meet online December, 2020.

Each of these YBE activities has built community, and uplifted voices needing to be heard. To watch previous events, visit our YouTube channel.

Along the way YBE has gained support from about 30 additional volunteers. Community members, temple ministers, and new friends have put time and effort into developing YBE as an organization. While first just a website, YBE has gained capacity to take on larger projects, while widening its network.

YBE has persevered and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, partly because so many activities being forced online during the pandemic fits YBE’s model. Online operations increase accessibility and invite anyone to participate within YBE.

YBE events, book clubs, and articles bring together individuals from across the North America, and also have been attracting people from Hawai’i, Japan, and as far as Brazil and Indonesia. YBE attracts people from multiple Buddhist traditions.

As YBE develops as an organization, we find ourselves serving more purposes than originally intended. YBE creates community by re-connecting Buddhist friends, educating young individuals about Buddhism, applying Buddhism to current societal issues, and providing people space to share personal stories about their identity.

I am immensely grateful for the experiences and opportunities that being a part of the Young Buddhist Editorial team has brought me over the past two years. Although we have reached many achievements, I believe we have room to learn and grow as a very young organization. In 2022 and the years to come, I hope to see YBE continue to establish itself as an organization, while fluidly responding to challenges that come its way. I see YBE uniting people across diverse Buddhist communities and lineages, as well as assisting local temples and organizations that are working toward common goals.

If you are interested in learning more about YBE or would like to submit your work, visit the Young Buddhist Editorial website.