Diversity and a Buddhist Sect

And because the group is lay-run, African Americans and other minorities eventually took on leadership roles, swelling new waves of converts.

Following the lessons of a 13th-century Japanese monk, members of Soka Gakkai believe the Buddha's teachings can be boiled down to a single phrase, "nam myoho renge kyo" -- translated as "devotion to the mystical law of cause and effect." Chanting the phrase brings karmic benefits.

Members chant the phrase for 15 to 20 minutes twice daily in their homes while seated before a Buddhist mandala or shrine. They may also recite parts of the Lotus sutra, Soka Gakkai's foundation text, and study the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda, the group's charismatic president.

Phillip Hammond, a retired religion professor who published a study of Soka Gakkai in 1999, said members will often tout the benefits of chanting at monthly meetings.

"I remember a guy testified that he chanted for a better parking spot at work and he got it," Hammond said.

Members of other Buddhist sects, particularly those that place more emphasis on the Buddha's early teachings, were puzzled by such displays.

One of the first things the Buddha taught was that suffering is caused by craving. A key to enlightenment, or nirvana, is doing away with desire, according to the Buddha's Third Noble Truth.

Harris, a member of Soka Gakkai for 28 years and a leader of its Southeast division, said the Buddha's early teachings are outdated.

"It's almost like using a 1947 calendar in 2007," he said.

Like Harris, Richard C. Brown, 52, said the spiritual benefits of Soka Gakkai outweigh material concerns. As young African Americans growing up in the South, both said Soka Gakkai's message -- karma places your future in your hands -- resonated deeply.

A magistrate judge in Clayton County, Ga., Brown said he was initially skeptical of Soka Gakkai.

"I didn't see how saying some funny words to a box could make a change in your life," he said. But after a while, Brown said he realized chanting "is not an intellectual experience in and of itself. It's a spiritual experience."

Added Harris: "The typical African American person, no matter what kind of positive attitude we have, there are some subtle things and some blatant things we have to deal with because of the color of our skin.

"I had a very dim outlook on life, I felt no hope. I felt like my life was in someone else's hands in the white race," Harris said. "Now after practicing Buddhism, I feel totally different. I can accomplish anything I want."