Leadership
Rev. Kurt Kyosei Rye
Rev. Kurt Rye was born in Anchorage, Alaska, but his early years were spent in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He moved to Washington state in high school and graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Evergreen State College in 1985. He started his career working with the chronically mentally ill population in Seattle. He then moved to Japan and for four years, taught English in Tokyo, where he was exposed to Buddhism. He attended the English Buddhist Academy in Tokyo and had the opportunity to take several courses on Japanese Buddhism at Taisho University.
Upon his return to Seattle, he became an active member of the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple under the guidance of Rev. Don Castro. During this period, he managed a housing program for homeless clients with mental illness to help them become stable and move on to more permanent housing. In the fall of 2003, he received his Tokudo ordination and started attending the Institute for Buddhist Studies (IBS) in January of 2004. He graduated in the fall of 2007, received his Kyoshi certification in December 2007, and his Kaikyoshi certification in April 2009. He joined the Fresno Betsuin as an associate minister in April 2008. In January 2013, he transferred to Ekoji Temple. In September 2015, he became the resident minister at the Placer Buddhist Church which he served until December 2018. He returned to the BCA ministry in 2022. He currently serves the New York Buddhist Church as the resident minister. He also serves the Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Fairfax Station, VA, and Seabrook Buddhist Temple in Seabrook, NJ, as the supervising minister.
Dharma Talks
See New York Buddhist Church, Youtube Channel, for Rev. Rye’s weekly Dharma Talks
Rev. Gary Shobo Jaskula
Rev. Gary Shobo Jaskula is an ordained Minister’s Assistant at the New York Buddhist Church, and Dharma Leader of Albany Buddhist Sangha. He is also a board member of the American Buddhist Study Center, supporting and working alongside Ms. Hoshina Seki leading programs and book discussions on general Buddhism, the Shin Buddhist tradition, and so on. Gary was an early participant in the lay-teacher program spearheaded by Rev. Dr. Taitetsu Unno. In 2007, Buddhist Churches of America officially certified Gary as a Minister’s Assistant to help the resident minister of NYBC in various capacities. He attended Buddhist Studies classes regularly through the Center for Buddhist Education of the Buddhist Churches of America and Minister’s Assistant Program (MAP) in Berkeley, CA, and the Eastern District MAP sessions. Gary received ordination (tokudo) as a Buddhist priest in Kyoto, Japan, at the Nishi Hongwanji Temple in 2012. After the resident minister of the New York Buddhist Church retired, Gary helped keep the New York Buddhist Church’s ministry going for over a year by providing regular religious services, including funerals, memorials, and community outreach under the supervision of Rev. Ron Miyamura. Since the installation of the current resident minister in NY, Rev. Earl Ikeda, Gary supports his work by leading weekly meditation sessions, teaching a beginner’s class, an adult education class, and providing religious services as needed. In 2018 Rev. Ron Miyamura asked Gary to also help out at Cleveland Buddhist Temple during a period where there was no minister there. He conducted services and classes for the Cleveland Buddhist Temple each month until July of 2019 when a local person was ordained. On the secular side, Gary is a fully trained law librarian, a graduate of Columbia University, and served as Director of Firmwide Management in major New York law firms for over 35 years. He retired from this work in 2017 and now devotes more time to the Dharma. Gary resides in Ghent, NY, located in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
Dharma Talks
“Not Just a Phase,” 2015 LGBTQ Seminar
Minister’s Assistant Rev. Gary Shobo Jaskula’s message on Shinran Shonin’s 850th Birthday at NYBC May 14, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/live/LaFAMxbR3Qs?feature=share&t=2694
See also the New York Buddhist Church, Youtube Channel, where Rev. Gary regularly delivers Dharma Talks
Rev. Dr. Aaron Shoken Proffitt
Rev. Dr. Aaron Shoken Proffitt is an ordained Minister’s Assistant affiliated with the New York Buddhist Church, co-founder of the Albany Buddhist Sangha, and Associate Professor of Japanese Studies at the University at Albany-SUNY. At UAlbany Aaron teaches classes on various topics related to Religious Studies, Buddhist Studies, and East Asian Studies. He also volunteers at the UAlbany Interfaith Center as the faculty advisor for the UAlbany Buddhist Student Association, where he teaches meditation, hosts workshops on various aspects of Buddhist culture, and leads field trips to diverse Buddhist temples in the Capital Region. Aaron and his wife Claire are the Dharma School coordinators for Albany Buddhist Sangha.
Selected Writings and Other Media
Interview in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, “Beyond Simplicity”
Minister’s Assistant Dr. Aaron Proffitt’s message on Buddhism and family life at NYBC on April 30, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/live/2LKzbDGSsmg?feature=share&t=1308
Introduction to Buddhism Series, American Buddhist Study Center