Sonrise Center 2005 UPDATE Transformation

Journal of a Young Buddhist Radical Volume I:1971 Who’s the young Buddhist radical? James C. Stephens from 1970-1984. In 1970, while attending California State University Northridge, I made a decision to become a member of the Soka Gakkai, a Japanese Buddhist sect. The following entries represent a slightly edited and shortened version of the journals I kept over the fourteen years of my practice. They represent an honest reflection of my spiritual journey as an idealistic young Buddhist practicing in Santa Monica, California during the expansion of Nichiren Shoshu Academy, a radically ‘evangelistic’ Buddhist movement established in the United States by Masayasu Sadanaga, aka “George M. Williams” as a student at UCLA in 1960.

I felt that if I waited to write a book based upon my journals that I wrote as a young seeker that people would be waiting a long time. So, I've decided to write excerpts on a daily basis as part of my personal writing discipline. I haven't given away the ending, so readers will have to wait and see what happens.

It's raw, it's honest, and provides an insider's view of what it was like to be a young radical student leader practicing Soka Gakkai Buddhism in the most aggressive phase of its' expansion in America.

JYRBR 1971. Here's Chapter One that covers 1971 of my practice. For Hugh K. I've annotated it as well although the footnotes didn't seem to register properly~you'll have to look towards the end of the article. I'll get it changed asaifio (as soon as I figure it out). .

Reba, the "Christian" actress confesses her belief in reincarnation. James' our Director responds.
Introductory Overview of "Who is the Dalai Lama? One Christian's Perspective
What are the real views of the Dalai Lama on Islam? Two Perspectives.
An Interview with the Trimondi's on the Second Anniversary of September 11.
Cross & Lotus Digital Project
Link to "Buddha Rising" Buddhism in American Pop Culture.
Enroth's A Guide to New Religious Movements
Guided Tour of Sonrise Center's Website
Maitreya Project
Blogs

The Cross and Lotus Digital Project. As a hybrid course it systematically integrates a historical understanding of the Buddhist faith in its various contexts and Christianity’s missional efforts in that regard. It utilizes audio files, video, photos, digital texts, and k-maps to guide students through the maze of resources found on the internet. We are presently in process of editing nearly 100 teaching tapes which will be available in a MP3 format. Testimonies, cultural lessons, and a variety of lessons for those working in Buddhist contexts will also be incorporated into the Cross & Lotus, a survey course on the historical interaction between Christianity and Buddhism.

Dr. Ronald Enroth, Professor of Sociology at Westmont College invited me to write a chapter on the “Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism” for his excellent resource A Guide to New Religious Movements. Intervarsity has made a copy available on its' website for review. If you find it helpful please consider purchasing the entire guide from Sonrise Center for a donation of $25 to assist us in serving you and others with critical information and training. Enroth's Guide is an excellent resource for understanding New Religious Movements. http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/toc/code=2381

Maitreya Project. Imagine living before the opening of Islam’s Mecca which annually hosts 6 million Moslem pilgrims from around the globe during its two month hajj (pilgrimage). In 2005, a Buddhist equivalent, the Maitreya Project began the construction process in Uttar Pradesh, India with an estimated price tag of over US$250,000,000. This Buddhist complex will be replete with a 500’ tall statue (50 stories) of the Maitreya (Messiah) Buddha seated on a 17 story throne (Ratio: Our Statue of Liberty would come up to Maitreya's knees), along with schools, temples, hotels and hospitals and will annually host millions of Buddhist pilgrims and religious seekers in India from all over the world. It will also house over two million Buddhist idols and is slated to be completed in 2010. http://www.maitreyaproject.org/nav/index.html

Unfortunately, the Christian community is woefully under prepared to handle what could be one of the greatest evangelistic opportunities and challenges in the history of Christian mission to Buddhists. We must equip laborers for the upcoming harvest.

Other Blogs

Cynical Prophet is my blog on troubling issues that I occasionally feel compelled to address. I hope that you take a moment and visit the site and if you find it helpful, leave a comment and let others know.http://cynicalprophet.wordpress.com/

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