Kawaguchi Ekai

A lay Buddhist who dedicated his life to spreading the faith
After devoting himself to Buddhism at an early age, Kawaguchi Ekai's doubt regarding the translated scriptures of the time prompted him to set out across the Himalayas in search of the true Buddhism at age 33. He gained entrance to the kingdom of Tibet, which was closed to the outside world at the time, and managed to amass a great collection of Tibetan scriptures and folk materials.

At the age of 47 he returned to Tibet and devoted the remainder of his life to spreading the faith as a lay Buddhist. His account of his experiences, Records of a Tibetan Journey, has been widely recognized for its academic merit as well as its value as an adventure story.