“Dialogue… is the collective compassion for the common good. It is meeting with meaning, participation and purpose, speech in the service of others… we might not get the correct answers, but we get closer to asking the right questions…”
— from ‘What If’ by Amanda Gorman, 2019

YOU ARE INVITED to the inaugural meeting of the Hawaii Betsuin DIALOGUE Project! If you are interested in exploring social issues with others through a Buddhist lens, then the Hawaii Betsuin DIALOGUE Project is for you!

WHEN: Thursday, September 2, 2021, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, and alternating first Thursdays thereafter (i.e., November 7, January 6, etc.)

WHERE: Hawaii Betsuin, 1727 Pali Highway, where we hope to dialogue in person, room TBA!

WHAT: Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, by Chenxing Han, will be the subject of the September 2 dialogue. Brief readings (not whole books!) will prepare us for each dialogue. Future subjects and readings will be decided by you, the DIALOGUE Project participants.

Author Han says of Be the Refuge, “The book is very much built on conversations, and my hope is that it will spark conversations on issues such as culture, history, representation, and race in American Buddhist communities.” See also https://readingreligion.org/books/be-refuge.

Note that Ms. Han will be the featured speaker for Betsuin’s 22nd Annual Bloom-Futaba Memorial Lecture on October 16, 2021, so you don’t want to miss this September 2 dialogue!

TO REGISTER: Please go to https://forms.gle/m67PxJ4xov4BeXvSA and complete the Google Form to receive the readings and meeting location or (if necessary) a Zoom link.

The DIALOGUE Project is an initiative of the HHHB Social Concerns Committee.