Stripping away the self with Shoda Douglas Kanai, Shonin

Rev. Shoda Douglas Kanai, Shonin, was raised Buddhist in America by his Japanese parents. His father Rev. Shokai Kanai founded the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada, but initially his son was not interested in following in the family tradition and went on to earn an MBA and worked in the back offices of a casino. But as his father neared retirement, Kanai began to reevaluated his path and decided to commit himself to the faith. He moved to Japan and spent 3.5 years studying and practicing at a remote mountain-side temple in northern Osaka Prefecture. During this time, he completed two separate 100-day ascetic training sessions, or Aragyo, which involved chanting the sutras, ritual water purification with cold water, eating two meals and only sleeping 2.5 hours per day. In 2015, he succeed his father as the new head priest of Kannon Temple and has taken on the task of making the Nicherin Shu path more accessible to an American audience.

You can find out more about his teaching by visiting his temple’s website at www.kannon-temple-nevada.org