Rev. Adams grew up in Minnesota and discovered his interest in Asian religions during a one-year high school exchange program in Chennai, India in 1995-1996. As an undergraduate student at St. Olaf College, he began his study of Buddhist scriptures and first considered pursuing the path to the ministry. After receiving an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Michigan in 2003, he moved to Miyazaki, Japan where he worked for the Miyazaki Prefectural Government from 2004 to 2007. In 2007, Rev. Adams moved to Kyoto, Japan to pursue his ministerial studies at the Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin Buddhist Seminary. Upon graduating from the seminary in March 2010, he began serving the Oxnard Buddhist Temple on April 1, 2010. His hobbies include swimming, cycling, watching movies, and cooking with his wife Shoko.