I firmly believed, as taught in chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra, that I was born into this world to serve as an emissary of the Buddha for the purpose of guiding others to awaken to their buddha-nature.  It was my life mission. I had been studying zoology at the University of Texas and working in the veterinary field. However, it had always been clear to me that I was going to ultimately enter Rissho Kosei-kai’s Gakurin seminary in Tokyo in hopes of becoming a Buddhist minister

As a yoga teacher myself, I was also interested in Buddhism, so I visited the center. The chapter leader, Mrs. Kayo Murakami, and the members warmly welcomed me. Every time I visited, I enjoyed the solemn and calming ritual. I felt my heart being purified in the sutra recitation. “To ever dwell in the city of nirvana, / And to be peaceful with a clear heart, / You must recite the Great Vehicle sutras / And bring the mother of bodhisattvas to mind.”

by Mr. Masayoshi Imura New York Dharma Center, USA   Mr. Masayoshi Imura This spiritual journey was delivered during the   Ceremony of...

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.