The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple is preparing for a busy spring season featuring several community-focused events. President Troy Watanabe noted that the temple will host the LDS Church's digital genealogy group, Roots Tech, in its main building from March 1 to March 7, utilizing the gym and kitchen facilities as a breakroom for conference workers.
In addition to these facility rentals, the temple is hosting various religious and social gatherings throughout the coming months.
A series of religious and educational programs are scheduled for March. The Nikkei Center Luncheon, hosted by the Salt Lake JACL Chapter, will take place on March 14 at 12:00pm. For those interested in spiritual study, a six-week Buddhist Doctrine class titled Tannisho: Spiritual Liberation for Ordinary Human Roaming will be led by Reverends Jerry and Carmela Hirano in the West Wing Kodo.
A one-day Spring Naikan Retreat, hosted by Dr. Carmela Javellana-Hirano, Dave Black, and Jorgen Olsen, is set for March 21 from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Following this, the Ichimi group will host a Spring Ohigan Breakfast on March 22 from 8:00am to 10:00am in the gym, offering a meal of rice, eggs, fruit, and pastry for $10.00.
The temple's Boy Scout Troop 442 is also preparing for upcoming activities. Following a successful food drive for the Utah Food Bank in February, the troop will host a Low Country Seafood Boil on April 4 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event features shrimp, crawfish, sausage, corn, and potatoes for $20.00 per plate.
Additionally, the troop recently completed a camping trip at Fremont Indian State Park in Sevier, Utah, where members worked toward earning their Indian Lore Merit Badge.
Looking further ahead, the Dharma School is preparing for the Hanamatsuri Service on April 5, 2026. The temple also announced a Japan Tour scheduled for November 4 through November 14, 2026, organized by Kintetsu International Express.
