Preparation

Here are some experiences that have prepared me to be a spiritual witness:

• Credentialed as a Unitarian Universalist Minister in 2012

This was the culmination of five years of seminary education, internships and other practicums, personal reflection, and formal evaluations. It was also a culmination of a life-time of spiritual inquiry. I want to thank the people in the following organizations and faith communities that supported me though this process: Starr King School for the Ministry, Alta-Bases Summit Hospital, Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, Interplay, Faith Action for Community Equity, First Unitarian Church for Honolulu, Unitarian Universalists of Puna, Unitarian Universalists of West Hawaiʻi, Interfaith Communities in Action, and the Unitarian Universalist Association.

• Ten Years as a Consulting Minister to Congregations on Hawaiʻi Island

What an adventure! From starting a new congregation, to trying to keep communities alive during the disruption of volcanic eruptions, to the recognition of the challenges of sustaining a small congregation on a rural island during a pandemic. We learned a lot together. And one of the things I learned is that I would rather be listening to you than preaching to you.

• Developing Listening Skills

It was an honor to be elected a Good Offices person, something like a minister for ministers, by the Black Indigenous People of Color Chapter of the Unitarian Universalists Minister’s Association (UUMA) in 2019. I’ve continued to serve as a Good Offices person for the UUMA ever since, and currently serve on a team that develops resources for Good Offices people. I have also been volunteering as a mediator in my local community. Both these roles require ongoing training as a listener. I remember my first training as a listener, in active listening, in the late 1980s!

• Ordained as a Soto Zen Priest in 2025

Meditation can be much more than a tool for stress reduction and self-care. It can be a spiritual practice of listening to what is real in ourselves and in the Universe. Although I’ve practiced meditation for decades on my own and in communities, I’m now a Soto Zen priest, training to become a teacher in this tradition. It is my way of being accountable to my ancestors and to a lineage of spiritual practice that keeps alive the possibility of an end to all suffering.

• Training as a Spiritual Director

Each listening profession has its nuances. I’m enrolled in a Spiritual Direction certification program at the Cherry Hill Seminary, so I may practice this distinct profession responsibly and competently. Although I’m not certified quite yet, I currently offer spiritual direction as part of my required training. I adhere to the professional standards of ethics as recommended by Spiritual Directors International, meet with my own spiritual director often, and receive supervision regularly.

• Straddling Cultures

I grew up in Tokyo, New York and London, and now live In Hawaiʻi. I went to school with students from all around the world. My mother raised me as an American, and my father raised me as a Japanese. I know deeply that there are many ways to be spiritual.