His work as a translator has been responsible for making many important Buddhist texts available to the English-speaking world and he is considered one of the leading authorities in the United States on Shin Buddhism, a branch of Pure Land Buddhism.
He published extensively on the subject of Pure Land Buddhism, his most famous works include: Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn Into Gold, River of Fire, River of Water, and Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic.
[2] During World War II, following the enforcement of Executive Order 9066, he spent three and a half years imprisoned in the Rohwer internment camp[3] in Arkansas, and Tule Lake in California.
From 1971 to 1998 he taught Buddhism and Japanese aesthetics and was the Jill Ker Conway Professor Emeritus of Religion at Smith College.
[5] After his retirement, he continued to travel as a lecturer on Japanese Buddhism, religion, and culture.