LIHU‘E — A light rain, similar to that which fell in Lumbini Garden 2,500 years ago, blanketed the Kaua‘i Buddhist Council members that gathered for the issuance of the Hanamatsuri Week and Buddha Day Commemoration proclamation on Wednesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building.
“Various rites are observed during Buddha Day services, and are based upon events at the time of Prince Siddhartha’s birth in Lumbini Gardens,” read part of the proclamation announcing the Kaua‘i Buddhist Council, in association with all Buddhist temples on the island, commemorative celebration of the Buddha’s birth on April 9 at 9:30 a.m. at Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple in Hanapepe.
The week of April 2-9 is observed as Hanamatsuri Week with the commemorative service highlighting the birth of the Buddha.
More than 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism who later became enlightened as Shakyamuni Buddha, was born on the eighth day of the fourth month amid the light rain and colorful welcome by blooming flowers at the Lumbini Gardens, located near Nepal.
The proclamation states meditation is at the heart of the Buddhist way of life, an aspect of being a surfer, Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami alluded to.
“It’s like being in the moment,” Kawakami said. “Nothing else matters. You just focus on getting that wave.”
Meditation, in Buddhist way of life, develop love by positive actions, compassion and wisdom and experience lasting peace and happiness and is embraced world-wide, throughout the state of Hawai‘i, and here on Kaua‘i, the proclamation states.
The teaching of Buddhism reveal a spiritual path to lasting happiness and enlightenment and way of Buddha is simply to stay present. Its message stands today as unaffected by time and the expansion of knowledge.
Reverend Scott Daruma Mangis, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker at the Hanamatsuri service in Hanapepe.
Rev. Mangis is an American Zen Monk, who returned to the United States in 2019 after living in Tokyo studying and practicing Zen for more than 10 years.
According to a biography provided by the Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple, and based on a documentary From U.S. Marine to Zen Monk, his ordination was in 2013, nine months after his youngest daughter made her way into the world. It was also two months after he resigned from his career, returned his cellphone, gave up his company apartment, and dropped off his company car.
This all looked like a very sudden decision at the time, but looking back, he felt that this journey of study, practice, and meditation started more than 20 years earlier.
He spent the next six years with his daughter, at the temple, and standing in front of the train station near his Japan apartment doing Takuhatsu, chanting, and accepting donations.
Rev. Mangis currently lives in North Carolina with his family and shares the Dharma through is website, www.thesetsuna.com, opening the gates of wisdom and compassion to the world through consultation and energetic healing.
w Information: kauaisotozen.org.
