Aloha Buddha (2011)

This is a story of how Japanese people came to Hawaii in the late 1800's and adjusted their culture and religion to fit in a foreign land. Japanese Buddhism in Hawaii may be the most unique form of Buddhism in the world. Brought over by immigrants who came to work on the sugar plantations, the pressure of politics, Americanization, and Christianity reshaped Japanese Buddhism in surprising and unique ways. In Hawaii, Japanese Buddhists built Indian style temples, filled them with Christian church pews, and sang modified hymns that praised the Buddha instead of Jesus. It was all done as part of the "American Way". Aloha Buddha is an epic journey that chronicles how one religion found a home in Hawaii.