World Buddhist Women’s Convention – Calgary May 2015
Keynote Speakers – Rev. Usuki and Rev. Yanase
We are extremely honored to have Reverend Patricia Kanaya Usuki as the Keynote Speaker in English and Reverend Nana Yanase as the Keynote Speaker in Japanese.
Rev. Patricia Kanaya Usuki
Rev. Patricia Kanaya Usuki is a Sansei (third-generation Japanese Canadian) born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Since 2004, she has served as a Buddhist Churches of America resident minister assigned to the San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple located near Los Angeles, California. She received her B.A., Modern Languages and Literature, University of Toronto, a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa, and an M.A. at the Graduate Theological Union, Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) in Berkeley, California. She continued her education in Japan, attending Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin seminary in Kyoto before attending IBS, and received Kyoshi ordination in 2002. During that period, she served at the International Department of the Honpa Hongwanji, as a European language specialist (French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian); she was the English editor for Jodo Shinshu – A Guide (2002). In 2007, her master’s thesis was published as a book, Currents of Change: American Buddhist Women Speak Out on Jodo Shinshu. In a Tricycle- The Buddhist Review (Summer 2011) article titled “The Great Compassion: An Interview with Reverend Patricia Kanaya Usuki,” writer Jeff Wilson notes that “Even though Jodo Shinshu was the first Buddhist organization to ordain American women back in the 1920s, Usuki’s study was the first systematic exploration of women’s experiences in America’s oldest Buddhist tradition (Jodo Shinshu was first established in Hawaii in the 1880s, and California in the 1890s)…”
Rev. Nana Yanase
Singer – Songwriter
Rev. Yanase is the sixth generation resident minister of the Kyō On Ji Temple in Nara Prefecture. The temple belongs to the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-Ha denomination of Shin Buddhism.
Rev. Yanase debuted as a singer – songwriter in May, 2004 with her debut single “Kaero” (Let’s Go Home). Nana’s appeal is instantly recognizable with her eloquent melody and gentle, yet deeply heart rendering vocals and lyrics.
At the age of 30, Nana was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Through her life altering experience of dealing with her cancer, as well as her position of being a female minister, Nana experienced deep insight into “life and death”. It was her music which became the vehicle of healing for Nana. Through it, she was able to overcome her medical conditions, and her music continues to inspire all those who have encountered it. In March of 2011 Nana was the subject of a documentary aired on Nippon Television titled, “The singing nun – from the battles of cancer came the inspiration of life”. And in September, 2012, she was again the topic of an episode of the documentary series, “Grande Jete”, which focused on inspirational lives of individuals from all walks of life. It was aired on the NHK (Nippon Broadcasting Corporation).
Presently, Nana has a very full schedule with concert performances, writing of essays, as well as conducting her unique blend of presenting the Dharma through her music and talks at temples throughout Japan. She has spent time and effort in aiding with relief work for those affected by the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. Her song “Makenai Towel” (Towel of No Giving Up) was created as a fundraising effort for the relief efforts.mber, 2012, she was again the topic of an episode of the documentary series, “Grande Jete”, which focused on inspirational lives of individuals from all walks of life. It was aired on the NHK (Nippon Broadcasting Corporation).
http://www.wbwconvention.com/convention-program/keynote-speaker/
