LIHU‘E — Buddha Day celebrates the birth of the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the Kaua‘i Buddhist Council celebrated the occasion Sunday at Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission. The celebration of Buddha Day, or Siddhartha Gautama Sakyamuni’s birthday, is celebtrated on
LIHU‘E — Buddha Day celebrates the birth of the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the Kaua‘i Buddhist Council celebrated the occasion Sunday at Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission.
The celebration of Buddha Day, or Siddhartha Gautama Sakyamuni’s birthday, is celebtrated on various dates by different streams of Buddhism, said Rev. Bruce Nakamura of Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission in a release.
In most of Asia, Buddha Day is observed on the first full moon date of the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, or usually around May. In other parts of Asia, the day falls a month, or more, earlier.
While the Buddha’s birthday usually falls on the same day as Vesak, or the celebration of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, Korea starts a week-long celebration a week ahead of Vesak. Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 19th Century and observes the Buddha’s birthday on April 8.
Despite the discrepancies about the date, the birth and appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha’s life and teachings are the starting point of historical Buddhism.
In Asia, the Buddha’s birth is a time of hanging lanterns and dragons, rejoicing in ceremony, parades and communal meals to thank the Buddha as spiritual guide, teacher and emancipator.
This practice was brought to Hawai‘i, Canada, North and South America by the Japanese immigrants, the occasion being celebrated each year on the closest day to April 8.
The celebration includes fresh floral offerings, symbolizing the spring bloom in the flower gardens of Lumbini where the Prince Siddhartha was born, and the ritual “Bathing the Baby Buddha,” or Kanbutsu-E, with sweet tea by all celebrants, symbolic of the sweet rain which poured down as if all in heaven and earth celebrated the birth.
The universality of Buddhism was preached by Bishop Yemyo Imamura as early as 1918, said Dr. George Tanabe, a professor emeritus in the Department of Religion at the University of Hawai‘i.
Tanabe was a featured speaker, Sunday, discussing the various Buddhist temples found around Hawai‘i.
During his tour, Dr. George discovered how the Islamic influence as well as those of India are worked into the architecture of the 90 temples around the state, a task which took him and his wife, Dr. Willa Tanabe, three years to complete.
Dr. George said the book he and Dr. Willa, a professor emeritus in the UH Department of Art and Art History, wrote talks about explaining what people look at, but do not fully understand, when looking at the different temples.
The various temples also chronicles the growth of the religion in Hawai‘i, and how some of the Hawai‘i adaptations have influenced structures in Japan.
During the service, Rev. Kosen Ishikawa of the Koloa Jodo Mission also presented appreciation certificates to Edith Ushio and Diane Fukuyama, whom he said have volunteered for more than 20 years at the Hanamatsuri services.
There are nine Buddhist temples which make up the Kaua‘i Buddhist Council, including the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission, the Kapa‘a Jodo Mission, the Kapa‘a Hongwanji Mission, the Waimea Higashi Hongwanji Mission, the Waimea Shingon Mission, the Kaua‘i Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Center, the Kaua‘i Soto Zen Temple, the West Kaua‘i Hongwanji Mission, and the Koloa Jodo Mission.
Visit or call any of these churches for more information on Buddhism.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
