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The Ghana 2001 Report

By Anthony "Amp" Elmore Sr.

Greetings to those of your who read information from the "Proud Black Buddhist"
website. It has been months since I last posted information on this website. I do not
know how I missed it but the January 2001 Nichiren Shoshu monthly magazine had a
Ghana Hokkeji Activity Report that I just read months after the magazine came out.
I find it very interesting that the Nichiren Shoshu monthly would publish a Ghana
report. Perhaps I am being a bit overreaching but I do not recall the Nichiren
Shoshu Monthly covering activities of other countries. The bottom line is this; no
matter how you may put it the Ghana Temple is very significant to Nichiren Shoshu
and I believe the Ghana Temple is very significant to the growth of Buddhism in
America. Please understand, this is a hunch, this is a guess and this is my Buddhist
spirit talking to me. As an African/American or Black man born in America two
things have played a very spiritual role in my life. The first spiritual thing to over
take my life was my going to Africa. I first went to Kenya to Premier my self-made
movie "The Contemporary Gladiator" in 1990. I remember sitting in my hotel
room crying and at that time I felt the spirit of my deceased Mother Mrs. Irene
Elmore and my Grandfather Frank Johnson and other ancestors embrace me and
thank me for coming home. In 1990 I promised my ancestors that I would bring
others back home and that I would tell the story about Africa to everyone. As I look
over my life I am married to an African woman and I am up to my neck promoting
African culture.

Going to Ghana this past February 2001 was a very, very spiritual experience.
Whenever I get real spiritual I have a tendency to isolate myself because I cannot
delineate the line between spiritually and lunacy. One African/American that I
really hate to discuss these matters with is Alan Billups who often writes lectures on
this "Proud Black Buddhist" website. Alan by profession is a physical Therapist,
however for the last four years Alan has invested perhaps $100,000.00 at attending
an "Energy Healing Science School". If you sit back and listen to Alan Billups
sometimes you may think that you are in the "Twilight Zone". Alan always spouts
off concepts and theories that will blow your mind. On top the theories Alan has an
immense knowledge of Buddhist concepts integrated with his lectures. As far as I
am concerned I kind of watch Alan closely just shaking my head. It was in February
of 1998 that I first met Alan Billups in Ghana. Alan had spent money for budget
advance tickets and I believe it was Pan Am that had gone out of business and Alan
had to use his American Express card to purchase expensive non-advance tickets
costing him nearly $4000.00. Alan did not get into Ghana good before he began
doing his Shakubuku routine. I remember Alan bringing a young man in Ghana to
the temple. Also during our visit Alan was all over the place introducing Buddhism
to everyone he met in Ghana. Please read prior Ghana reports and you will see
Alan Billups in action.