Yoshiko Imai intimately knows the struggles facing two diametrically opposed leaders at the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii.

That's because she's married to the Rev. Shingyo Imai, the new resident minister, who wants to implement changes right away.

And she's the daughter of Bishop Joyo Ogawa, who believes that while change must occur, it should occur in its own time.

Father and son-in-law, while exceedingly respectful of one another, are struggling when it comes to the direction the temple will take.

Will it change in a methodical fashion, or is there a way to move it squarely into a place of relevance in this century?

"I'm sorry to say, the bishop doesn't see a crisis," Shingyo Imai said, sadly.

Coping with a radically changing world and the loss of young members is playing out in many places across the nation. Mainline Protestant denominations are seeing drops in attendance as evangelical Christian churches lure away younger members with contemporary worship services and music.

Here in Hawai'i, the changes are reaching other faith communities, including this Buddhist temple off the Pali Highway.

And smack in the middle of it is Yoshiko Imai. Raised on the Mainland, she knows how important it is for her husband to keep strong the foundation that their three daughters will need to find their footing in the world as young Buddhists. But the former flight attendant sympathizes with the issues facing her father.

Yoshiko Imai is philosophical when talking about what Ogawa has seen and how he's willing to trust that what will be, will be — in its own time.

"That's part of Buddhism," she said. "Being (pressed down), then flying out of the pit from the bottom."

NICHIREN'S PLACE

A century may seem like an eternity to young churches, but Buddhism goes back millennia, noted Ogawa, who's 71 and has seen a lot in his nearly 20 years at the temple.

"In Hawai'i, changes are slow ... I don't worry about anything," said the bishop, his wizened face turned knowingly in the Imais' direction as they shared a sofa in the temple's reception area. "Our effort will be (to) good effect in future."

Shingyo Imai agrees that Buddhism will roll with the punches, but says, "I don't want to see people dying with hopelessness."

Nichiren's place in Buddhist sects is a unique one, according to Byron Earhart's "Japanese Religions": It was founded by Nichiren Shonin (1222-1282), one of the most forceful personalities in Buddhist history. Followers believe Nichiren Shonin to be a messenger of the historical Buddha. Nichiren considered himself the only reformer who recognized the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra, which he called the essence of Buddha's teachings.

Nichiren eventually gave rise to new religions in Japan, such as Soka-Gakkai. And today, interestingly, Soka-Gakkai is growing. Its membership in Hawai'i, Guam and Saipan went from 7,955 in 2005 to 8,414 now, reports Bert Kawamoto of SGI-USA.

Ogawa explained in his accented English that he is fine with the idea that, someday, the seeds of Nichiren Buddhism may grow into something else. As he talked, he mimed the planting of seeds with his hands.

Imai, 47, would like to see those seeds planting and sprouting. Soon.

NEXT GENERATION

Shingyo and Yoshiko Imai have three daughters, and they are in Shingyo Imai's thoughts as he discusses the future of his sect.

He talks about the sleepover his eldest child attended not long ago. Lexie Imai, 13, was invited to worship at an evangelical Christian church, where teens gathered on a Sunday to listen to Christian rock and play games.

"She said, 'I enjoyed it,' " he recalled.

He encourages her to explore other faiths — Buddhism is not exclusive; many adherents believe in Buddhism as well as religions such as Shinto — and knows there's something to be learned in how different places of worship get their messages across.

But Imai, too, has heard the dire forecasts on the future of Buddhism in Hawai'i. He quotes professor George Tanabe, now retired as chairman of the Religion Department at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, who has spoken often of predictions that many Japanese Buddhists sects here will be gone in 20 years.

Imai's passion to propagate the religion is fueled by the needs of younger temple-goers, who want to see changes that will keep their temple going long into their own faith journeys.

"(Nichiren Buddhism) needs to be relevant to the young people," he said.

Indeed, Kapi'olani Community College student Kelly Flynn said he would further his Buddhist studies, even possibly consider ordination, if it were possible to do so here in Hawai'i.

He is resistant to studying Buddhism the way Nichiren ministers do in Japan — paying big bucks for travel and priestly accoutrements like robes, taking religion classes led by and filled with Japanese speakers — adding he'd prefer the organic creation of a home-grown minister who's learning what's important to the Island Nichiren community today.

Flynn, 38, said Buddhism needs to be explained in a way that current English-speaking temple-goers can understand, instead of rotely repeating phrases in Japanese-language services.

One innovation that Shingyo Imai is particularly proud of is that the temple's Japanese-language newsletter carries his English dharma messages (sermons, in the Christian vernacular), filled with humor and references to being a husband and father. These make it possible for temple-goers to relate Buddhist messages to their daily lives.

Flynn himself dreams of creating a beautiful English translation of the Lotus Sutra, which could be chanted in English as poetically as it is in other languages.

"When it comes to the dharma, many don't have an idea of the basic tenets of Buddhism. ... If we want to make it survive, people need to be able to analyze for themselves," said Flynn. "It has to come from inside of them."

But Flynn also knows of temples right here in Hawai'i that underwent such radical changes that rifts occurred. One Shingon temple went so far as to separate from its headquarters in Japan.

"On the one side, people may consider that progressive,"said Flynn. "On the other, it's heresy."

Even though Flynn calls himself "kind of a rebel," he'd prefer, as Shingyo Imai does, to work with headquarters to take Nichiren to the next level.

He sees the path out of the current crisis as threefold: a local path to ordination, usable texts in English and critical understanding of the core teachings of Buddhism.

IN THE PEWS

Roberta Kan and Douglas Cook, regular temple-goers, put down their plastic utensils from the lunchtime potluck last Sunday to talk about where they believe the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii is headed.

The challenge, said Cook, is that the Nichiren Mission must not alienate traditional members to appeal to potential outsiders.

"It's a fine line you have to walk," agreed Kan.

Longtime members of the temple find comfort in the old ways, Kan said, but added, "the younger members don't understand Japanese."

Kan likens her appreciation of the traditional Japanese text to the preference older Catholics may have for the Latin Mass.

"I admire Rev. Imai for trying to bring more English to the service," said Kan. "But I was raised with the old sutras, and that's comforting."

Even though his mother was nisei, Cook came to the faith through his spouse, and only understood a few words of Japanese. He acknowledges that those who understand the words of a doctrine, as children or adults, may absorb more of the beliefs than those who don't know what's being said.

The temple includes both Japanese and English speakers, but old age has taken its toll on the percentage of those who speak solely Japanese. Of the about 250 people who maintain paid membership, Imai said, only about 20 speak solely Japanese.

Regular worship is done in English and Japanese, so Imai has suggested to the bishop that some of his special ceremonies also be performed in English. Ogawa agreed they should, but declined doing it himself. (Ogawa has lived in California and Hawai'i. His English is good, though sometimes tentative.)

Cook, who serves as the temple's treasurer, calls himself a realist when it comes to the sociology and politics of temple membership. And he wishes the new leader well.

"You have to steer the ship," he said. "When you make a sudden change, there's a risk. I recognize the risk and in that fashion, I'm cautious. But the future is coming at us so quickly, a course correction is inevitable."