Are there published testimonies from former Zen Masters or advanced Buddhist Monks in general about their conversion to Christianity?

Question

Are there published testimonies from former Zen Masters or advanced Buddhist Monks in general about their conversion to Christianity?

To illustrate what I mean by "advanced Buddhist Monks", here are a few examples I'm familiar with (follow the links for details):

• Thích Nhất Hạnh
• Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
• Matthieu Ricard
• Shinzen Young

Note: Why do I think that Zen Masters in particular (or advanced Buddhist Monks in general) converting to Christianity would be remarkable? Because I struggle to see how a missionary could possibly go about converting someone like Thích Nhất Hạnh or Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche in an effective way. In my opinion, these gentlemen seem to be notable instances of virtuous pagans, with decades of training in advanced Buddhist techniques for personal development.

Are there published accounts of missionaries successfully converting virtuous Zen Masters or similar Buddhist Monks with decades of training? Or what about accounts of Zen Masters being visited by angels or encountering Jesus in miraculous ways, leading to their acceptance of the gospel?

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Related questions:

• How do Christians approach the evangelization of individuals who have had profound spiritual experiences in other religions?
• Are there Christian equivalents for the four sublime attitudes or brahmaviharas of Buddhism (metta, karuna, mudita, upekkha)?
• According to Christianity, to what extent can non-Christians develop and manifest the fruit of the Spirit?
• How does the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in Christians, as opposed to non-Christians who don't have access to this power?

Answer 1

The author of this article may know of some.

It's also important to remember that piety or righteous living is not exclusive to those with religious titles. Buddhist monks and Buddhist faddists may hold a view of self-righteousness that deafens them to hearing the Word of God. They must become aware that the message of Christ isn't "follow me so that your piety will be founded on truth." Christ message is, "follow me because you have no effective righteousness of your own."

The knowledge/peace/enlightenment that many Buddhists seek is rooted in one of two desires: A desire to achieve inner peace by building one's own righteousness through actions (i.e. "works-based salvation"), or a desire to achieve happiness by one's own means, rather than follow the path laid out by the Creator God.

Also remember: Many Buddhists do not see their spiritual journey as leading them to a relationship with a deity. Rather, they see it as a personal journey leading them to what only amounts to personal happiness or contentment by means of understanding something that non-Buddhists do not or cannot understand.