This is the first-ever in-depth study of the Soka Gakkai Buddhists in the United States of America (SGI-USA). Drawing on unprecedented access to the organization through surveys and interviews, it provides a definitive and revealing picture of one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. The authors shed light on contemporary American society and show how many members of SGI-USA are drawn from a growing `transmodern' subculture in America.

In addition the book traces the development of the organization in the USA, examining how it adapted to the peculiar circumstances of America's cultural life and showing how SGI-USA became a very American phenomenon.