This year marks the 25th anniversary of Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i. Thousands will gather at Ala Moana Beach on Memorial Day to honor and offer gratitude for the sacrifice of our fallen service members and to reaffirm and deepen our connection with loved ones, past and present. The ceremony will be led by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, head priest of the international Buddhist community Shinnyo-en, whose first practitioners in Hawaii date back to the 1960s.
They founded the first temple outside of Japan in Mililani in 1971, which was then relocated to Moiliili in 1973.
Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i is an opportunity to remember those who meant the most to us. But it is also a chance to acknowledge the many problems we face in this life while strengthening our determination to do so with wisdom, compassion and grace.
Participants on the beach, along with those who experience the ceremony from afar, share in feeling the absence of loved ones and a longing for connection with them. We experience Lantern Floating alongside those whose stories and perspectives are different from our own, yet we unite through our expressions of loss, grief and ultimately love.
It can be a starting point to see into the hearts of others so that we may move closer to resolving conflict and finding the courage, will and heart to surmount challenges. It is a chance to strengthen all that is good within ourselves, to renew our wishes for peace and happiness, and to share it with each other.
This year, the ceremony will take place against the backdrop of tragic events throughout the world, including the devastating Lahaina fires that weigh so heavy on our hearts. Almost daily, we hear news of the unfathomable cruelty of war, catastrophic natural disasters, and a growing culture of division and indifference. It can feel overwhelming.
It is precisely at times like these that coming together in a shared experienced such as Lantern Floating can renew hope within ourselves and rekindle belief in our shared humanity.
Her Holiness’ prayers are a focal point of the ceremony as she gathers the wishes and intentions of each participant while praying for all spirits, without exception. Some prayers are offered on behalf of spirits of indigenous peoples, as well as spirits of the land, water, flora and fauna. Others focus on healing for victims of discrimination, disease, famine, war and disasters. Another set of prayers stresses our need to be in harmony with nature, remembering the life-giving oceans, Earth and heavens. Behind these prayers is a resolve to contribute to a world where happiness prevails over suffering and that all beings find peace. At the ceremony, we offer this collective wish for the happiness and peace of those we have lost, those we continue to love in this life, and if we find the courage, even for those with whom we experience conflict.
Offering peace and goodness to people we disagree with is hard work — it takes practice. But it is our job to nurture the gift of love and pass it on, even to those we find challenging. The need for wisdom and tenderness is even greater in times of conflict and division. Only love can heal the anger that plagues our world — this healing starts in our own hearts.
We hope that you will join us at Ala Moana Beach, or in spirit or from afar, to create a moment of oneness with our loved ones and all who have been a foundation for our lives. Let us rekindle the light within ourselves and share it, until a sea of flickering lanterns illuminates the darkness all around.
Craig Yamamoto is community relations liaison at Shinnyo-en Hawaii.
