"The New Year for Buddhists is a serious time for re-determination — a chance to start over," said Carver, a computer-security specialist. "We pray for wisdom and to do the right thing."

Although the fact that he’s a Buddhist in the Bible Belt sometimes surprises people, Carver said his life is enriched through his practice of Nicherin Buddhism, which since 1873 has celebrated New Year’s on Jan. 1, using the solar calendar. Many other Buddhists in this area and around the world follow the lunar calendar and celebrate the coming of the new year in the spring.

"On New Year’s morning, my wife, Susan, and I will go to the cultural center on Oak Lawn in Dallas to meet with other Buddhists," said Carver, 51. "We will go through prayers, chant and read passages from the Lotus Sutra, a sacred text of Buddhism, which many believe is the key to happiness."

Glenn Murray of Clarkston, who runs the Zen Center of Georgia in Alpharetta along with Chris Britton, said most Buddhist centers will usually have a meditation retreat around the time of New Year’s, mainly because the holiday is part of the culture we live in.

While Zen Buddhism does differ from Nicherin Buddhism, the meditation and reflection aspect remains the same.

"Most centers will have some form of retreat around that time. A lot of centers will do a little something special for New Year’s itself, just because it tends to be a holiday that’s part of our culture," he said.

That’s one key aspect of Buddhism, he said — it adapts to the culture around it.

"Most Buddhism adapts to the culture its coming into, at least over time," he said. "Most aspects of Buddhism are not like Western religions in terms of ‘shall’ or ‘shall nots’ and the like. It tends to be a very personal journey in many ways and very little is dictated."

"New Year’s is our most important holiday because it gives us a fresh start," said Bill Aiken, national spokesman for Soka Gakkai International (Values Creation Society) U.S.A., the administrative arm of Nicherin Buddhists. He will spend time after Christmas with his wife, Nicoletta, looking at 2007 resolutions and seeing how well they carried them out.

"We will evaluate our whole lives — spiritual, married life, kids, grandkids, and set new goals for the coming year," said Aiken, who lives in suburban Washington, D.C.

New Year’s for Buddhists is a traditional time for cleansing, both literal and symbolic. "We will have a deep cleaning of our cultural center in Dallas on New Year’s Eve," said Robin Mowrer of Dallas, whose husband, Dale Mowrer, is leader of Nicherin Buddhists in Texas.

Carver, a former Methodist, first heard of Nicherin Buddhism in 1984 in Phoenix when a friend told him about its health benefits. He believes the practice has helped him overcome some health problems with asthma as well as giving him peace of mind.

The practice also appealed to him because there are no strict rules of diet and dress. Although he abstains from certain foods and drinks, he has Buddhist friends who "smoke, drink and eat beef."

"I like the fact," he said, "that you don’t have to go around in an orange robe and shave your head."

For his own New Year’s celebration, Murray plans to spend it with members of a nearby Akido school. After a meditation in the morning, members of the center will participate in a Japanese-themed New Year celebration.

"Usually we do a lot of cleaning, but this time I think we’ll just have some extra akido classes, and there will be food."