I was born fifty-five years ago—the moment I opened my eyes, I was already a Rissho Kosei-kai member, and three generations of my family were already actively participating in spreading the Dharma in Hawaii. Looking back, I had a great childhood, attending the Dharma center and visiting the airport to greet guests from Japan and the neighboring Hawaiian islands. However, at the time, I didn’t appreciate my family’s dedication to the Buddha.

Gradually, my attendance increased once again, and in October 2012, I was asked if I wanted to participate in a Prison Outreach Pilot Program that the Dharma Center was launching. I said “Yes.” I’ve been going to the Oklahoma State Reformatory at Granite, Oklahoma, every two weeks for nearly two and a half years. We have developed a strong sangha of ten to twelve core members, with others coming in out of curiosity from time to time.