A pair of Zen priests have been causing a stir with their campaign to spread a new interpretation of Buddhism in Japan that combines practices from separate branches of the ancient religion.

Issho Fujita and Ryodo Yamashita have been running workshops around the country based on their ideas, while a book they published last fall on how to update Buddhism in Japan has aroused strong interest, especially among young Buddhist priests.

Fujita, who was born in 1954, taught Zen meditation for several years in the United States.