Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple

Rev. Dr. Kaz Nakata

 Rev. Dr. Kaz Nakata, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D., has served as a Kaikyoshi minister of Fresno Betsuin Buddhist Temple since August 2019, with ministerial responsibility for Kingsburg Buddhist Church. He began his ministerial path at Myoganji Temple in Hyogo, Japan, in 2000, and received both Tokudo ordination and Kyoshi certification in 2001. He completed the Kaikyoshi Overseas Minister Training Program at the International Department of Kyoto Hongwanji in August 2001.

 In the late 1990s, Rev. Dr. Nakata pursued advanced study in Jodo Shinshu at Ryukoku University in Kyoto under distinguished teachers including Dr. Risho Ohta, Dr. Ryusei Takeda, and Prof. Naoki Nabeshima.

 After coming to the United States, he continued his academic and professional formation in Buddhist studies, chaplaincy, crisis intervention, and institutional leadership. He studied English at Sacramento City College under Prof. Barbara Toupadakis and completed clinical pastoral training in chaplaincy and crisis intervention at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He also received further chaplaincy and emergency-response training through FEMA, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Joint Force Headquarters.

 In June 2014, he earned an M.B.A. from Strayer University’s Graduate School of Business, completing his degree with academic distinction and a focus on management strategies for religious institutions. In May 2016, he received a Master of Arts in Religious Studies with a concentration in Buddhist Studies from the University of the West, where he studied under Prof. Miroj Shakya and developed proficiency in Sanskrit through research on the Sukhāvatīvyūha, the Sanskrit Pure Land Sutra. He received his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of the West on May 16, 2026, with research focusing on the Aṣṭavītarāga, the Eight Bodhisattvas of the Newar Buddhist tradition.

 Rev. Dr. Nakata is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. He is currently pursuing further study in data science and artificial intelligence through a course offered by the Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory at the University of Tokyo.

Rev. Dr. Nakata’s ministerial career in the United States includes service at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento, Ekoji Buddhist Temple, and Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple as a BCA Kaikyoshi minister. He has also been endorsed by the Buddhist Churches of America to serve in chaplaincy roles, including as a campus chaplain at George Mason University, a community chaplain for the Fairfax County Department of Emergency Management, and an interim hospital chaplain at Inova Hospital.

 In 2009, at the request of Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Rev. Dr. Nakata offered a Buddhist perspective at the Interfaith Hearing on Universal Healthcare at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., representing the Buddhist community. In June 2014, he was invited as a special panelist to the Thai Buddhist Monk Conference in Boston. In October 2021, he was invited as a guest speaker to the General Congress Meeting of the Overseas Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

 In April 2025, Rev. Dr. Nakata was invited by the Gobind Charitable Trust to deliver a speech at the Humility, Kindness and Love Conference held at Fiere di Parma in Parma, Italy. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had originally been invited to the conference but was unable to attend, and Rev. Dr. Nakata was subsequently asked to participate and offer remarks. The event drew a live audience of approximately 3,500 people and was broadcast globally to more than 100,000 viewers.

 In recognition of his service, Rev. Dr. Nakata was nominated in 2012 as a candidate to serve as the first Buddhist chaplain at the National Institutes of Health. He currently serves on the advisory council of the International Buddhist Association of America. He also delivers Dharma talks sponsored by the International Buddhist Committee of Washington, D.C., in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. In addition, he makes periodic visits to Valley State Prison to share the Jodo Shinshu teaching with those who wish to hear the Dharma.