Vajrayana Foundation, 2013 Eureka Canyon Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076, US

When Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Church opened its doors in September of 1979, it represented one of the first footholds for institutionalized Buddhism in what was then 20-year-old Pacifica. The church, housed in a building once occupied by St. Andrew United Presbyterian Church, is but one branch of Tokyo-based Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhism, which has locations around the world. Kazuhiko Nagamoto, the minister at the Pacifica sanctuary, said that the organization focuses on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, one of numerous Buddhist texts. The Rissho Kosei-kai website rk-world.org says the Lotus Sutra is a "teaching of human respect, both the study and practice of a spiritual path that develops human potential, and a way of living that seeks peace for all people." Although the church's congregation of about 150 Pacificans and residents of surrounding areas is not heavily involved in the community through ministry or evangelicalism, Nagamoto says the church does participate in Pacifica's annual Fogfest and hosts a rummage sale every August. He said that his church primarily works to change the community through changing the individual, a strategy he believes sets Buddhism apart from religions such as Christianity.