Gyomay Kubose

[5] After graduating from University of California at Berkeley,[2] Kubose moved back to Japan where, for five years, he studied under his spiritual instructor Haya Akegarasu,[5] who was in turn a student of Kiyozawa Manshi, a Meiji-era reformer of Shin Buddhism.

[6] Kubose was a non-sectarian Buddhist and followed Kiyozawa's message that Buddhism should be implemented as a personal voyage, and not merely a communal tradition as it had become prior to the Meiji era.

He also extended a great amount of influence in North America, and traveled much of the United States on his lecture tours.

Gyomay was a pioneer in American Buddhism, preaching Pureland Dharma while also conducting Zen meditation sessions.

Another focus of his was the extension of Kiyozawa's message, that Buddhism should be a personal experience and it is not sufficient to merely attend temple services and recite sutras.