(Photo above by Jess Loiterton / Pexels)
Today we’re speaking with Krystal Kalima, a 22-year-old college student from Hawai’i who started practicing SGI Nichiren Buddhism when she was in high school.
Krystal’s story is a lesson in what it takes to overcome shame and become proud of where you’re from. Growing up, she and her mom experienced extreme financial hardship, which led her to feel ashamed about sharing her circumstances with other people.
Around this time, she started chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to address the deeper feelings she held about her circumstances, and one by one, she tackled each thing that made her feel less than, turning each one into fuel for her dreams.
Krystal with the Maui community to rally against the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea, which is the highest peak, in Hawaiʻi. Photo courtesy of Krystal Kalima.
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Cheat Sheet
1:28 Introduction to Krystal
2:07 How she started chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
5:48 The financial challenges she faced growing up
12:58 The epiphany that helped her change her perspective
15:48 How she began to tackle feelings of shame through her Buddhist practice
21:14 How her family’s situation started to change
24:55 What it means to transform family karma
26:08 How she decided what to challenge next
30:29 Battling her own self-doubt
35:05 Battling stigma in her environment
42:58 How being part of a Buddhist community has helped her become who she is
47:46 Advice for anyone struggling with feelings of shame or powerlessness about their background