Shin Buddhism in Hawaii
In 1885, Hawaii was an upcoming sugar-producing powerhouse, which gave many Japanese an opportunity to leave behind their old lives in order to pursue a new one here on the island of Hawaii. During the early period of immigration, the Japanese government were recruiting immigrants from the over populated coastal regions of Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures. These new settlers brought courageous spirits to the islands and along with that essence, a new religion that would change Hawaii forever. Shin Buddhism is a school of Pure Land Buddhism that was founded by Hoenen, but continued by Shinran, and is now widely practiced here in Hawaii. This new form of Buddhism has created a lot of trouble since the beginning of its…show more content… One reason being the Nishi Honganji had gotten a bad standing because of the phony priests who had deceived immigrants and collected donations under false pretenses. Secondly, the Kyoto headquarters could not assist Imamura’s projects financially due to it being preoccupied with propagation in Korea and China. A third reason that challenged Buddhism’s success in Hawaii, was there was no local temple in the beginning, and it was difficult for followers of Shin Buddhism to find a place for dharma gatherings. Lastly, the biggest and most conflicting issue was that Buddhism was competing with Christianity. Christian churches were attracting settlers by offering them assistance in learning English. In the beginning of propagation efforts, it was difficult and tiring work for Buddhist ministers to gain the trust of settlers. The sugar plantation workers was a place made up of young, single, and adventurous men entertained themselves by drinking, gambling, and lusting over women. Great leaders even doubted their cause sometimes like Imamura, since he was often discouraged from his own failed propagation