On September 21, we participated in the 4th Annual "Ring Your Bell for Peace Day" online event. Together with hundreds of participants across the state, country, and world, we rang our bell at 9 am HST to celebrate International Peace Day.
Peace Day Walk in Kailua
3rd Annual Ring Your Bell for Peace Day
2nd Annual Ring Your Bell for Peace Day
Kailua Peace Day Walk
In celebration of Peace Day, which will be observed this year on Saturday, September 21, members of Windward Buddhist Temple held a Peace Day walk around Kailua. Peace Day cranes, which were folded by members during this month’s First Sunday activity, were shared with businesses and individuals around Kailua to inform them about Peace Day and share a message of peace.
Sunday Family Service & First Sunday Activity
Today was our first Sunday service after our summer break in August. Our Dharma Talk was given by our resident minister, Rev. Bert Sumikawa. Rev. Sumikawa spoke about importance of perseverance as well as dukkah, commonly translated as suffering.
As announced in the September newsletter, our monthly First Sunday family activity is back by popular demand. Following this morning’s service, we folded large origami cranes for International Peace Day, which we will observe on September 22, 2019. The cranes will be distributed by our Dharma school students to neighborhood businesses in hopes they will display them as part of International Peace Day.
First Sunday Activity: Peace Day Origami Cranes
"First Sunday" Family Service
Today’s Dharma Message was given by Prudence, who shared a story about a gumyocho, a two-headed bird.
One head was named Karuda and the other Upakaruda. The heads had differing desires, which often caused conflicts between Karuda and Upakaruda.
One day, Karuda feasted until he could eat no more, while Upakaruda slept. When Upakaruda woke, he found he couldn’t enjoy the food since their stomach was stuffed from Karuda’s feasting.
Feeling resentful, Upakaruda ate poisonous fruits, hoping to punish Karuda. As expected, when Karuda woke, the poison kicked in and he died. Of course, because they shared the same body, the poison that killed Karuda soon after killed Upakaruda.
Before dying, Upakaruda realized the interconnectedness of his life and Karuda’s. By harming one, they both suffered.
After the service, we celebrated August and September birthdays. After refreshments, we had our First Sunday activity (postponed from earlier in the month due to our 50th Anniversary celebration), assembling paper plate doves to hang on our Peace Day tree.
Peace Day & Autumn Ohigan Service
Rev. David Nakamoto delivering the Dharma Talk at the Peace Day Service on September 25, 2016
Today's Family Sunday Service recognized two important events: Peace Day in Hawaii, which was on Wednesday, September 21, and the Autumn Ohigan (Equinox), an observation of the seasonal change from Summer to Autumn.
