Ken Tanaka is author and editor of numerous scholarly articles and books, including Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America (Wisdom Ocean Publications); Engaged Pure Land Buddhism: The Challenges Facing Jodo Shinshu in the Contemporary World. co-edited with Eisho Nasu (Wisdom Ocean Publications); and The Faces of Buddhism in America, co-edited with Charles Prebish (University of California Press).

In this issue of Turning Wheel, he was interviewed by Alan Senauke and AJ Kutchins.

AJ: More than almost anyone I can think of, you've made a real effort to bridge the gap between the Euro American and ethnic Buddhist communities over the last couple of decades, and you've been remarkably persistent. Where has that great motivation come from for you?

Ken: I really don't know. Historically speaking, it's the first time ever that all these different Buddhist groups have lived in the same community, and that in itself is an appeal to get to know one another. And Buddhism is still a minority religion, so we have to band together and to learn from each other. That's one motivation.

Also, I think it goes back to my family background. My maternal great-grandfather immigrated to Hawai'i and my mother was born there. They always talked about this kind of very congenial, utopian working community that they lived in there. It was racially integrated, all kinds of people living in Honolulu, a wonderful community. That kind of openness has always been in our family, the impulse to reach out beyond just your own group. And so I think that has had an impact on me personally. I think that's working almost unconsciously.

Alan: How do you feel about that reluctance on both sides to explore or to acknowledge that there is Dharma practice in other contexts or other cultural settings or communities? How do you respond when you encounter that kind of resistance or non-interest?

Ken: Well, it's a whole host of things. For all concerned, I think pragmatically speaking, people are just too busy. They have just enough time to go to their own temples. That's one reason. Another, I think, may be that people don't have confidence in their own tradition, so they don't want to encounter another approach to truth...

Excerpted from Turning Wheel, Fall 2000