Got on Amtrak in Sacramento and took a ride to Oakland to attend the Nichiren Shu service and lecture put on my Rev. Ryuei McCormick. I’m writing this on the train ride back to Sacramento.

I met Ryuei McCormick back when I first switched to Nichiren Shu in 2015. I would attend Sunday services at Myokakuji Betsuin in San Jose occasionally. At the time, Ryuei McCormick was an assistant priest. Now he has his own Sangha in Oakland.

Ryuei McCormick is a scholar monk. Not sure he would agree with me, but that is how I describe his depth of understanding of the foundations of Buddhism. He has written a number of books. Among the ones I have here are Lotus Seeds: The Essence of Nichiren Shu Buddhism, Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon, and Lotus in a Sea of Flames, a biography of Nichiren Shonin.

I would take the long drive to San Jose more for his lectures than the actual service. Today’s hour-long lecture following the traditional Nichiren Shu service made me wish it were easier to attend his Oakland sangha events.

The journey isn’t the problem — easy Amtrak to Oakland, half-mile walk and return. Problem is really the conflicting service schedules between Sacramento and Oakland.