Birth of Buddha celebrated

LIHU‘E — As strains of “Vandana Ti-Sarana” echoed through the hall of the Kauai Veterans Center on Sunday, a morning mist blew outside just as a sweet rain bathed the birth of Buddha in India approximately 2,500 years ago.

Several hundred people from nine Buddhist temples that make up the Kauai Buddhist Council converged in Lihu‘e for the annual Buddha Day celebration that is one of the more important celebrations in the religion.

There are many special, or holy, days celebrated throughout the year by the Buddhist community.

Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of bodhisattvas (those who, out of compassion, forgo nirvana in order to save others), or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar, with some days more specific to a particular Buddhist tradition or ethnic group.

But, the Buddha Day celebration, or the date of the Buddha’s birth, known as Hanamatsuri, is shared by all Buddhists.

Floral offerings were made, and sweet tea was poured, by representatives of the nine Buddhist churches that make up the council. These are long-standing traditions of the celebration.

Flowers were in bloom in Lumbini Garden, located on the border of India and Nepal, when Shakyamuni was born, and the infant was washed with warm and cool waters at birth from the rains that fell.

The Rev. Arthur Marutani was the keynote speaker for the celebration, noting that Hanamatsuri is indeed a time of celebration and appreciation for the Buddha being born among us, to help cope with the difficult times that surround us.

Marutani cautioned against greed obscuring personal judgment, using the parable of the monkey and crocodile.

“Vandana Ti-Sarana” is music depicting three refuges given in the Pali language to show the connection and unity of all forms of Buddhism.

Sports Editor Dennis Fujimoto may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or mailto:dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.