One month to the day following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii’s Office of the Bishop and the Committee on Social Concerns have released a joint statement on gun violence.

The statement includes some positions on policy, including support for allowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence as a public health crisis and support for sensible and responsible restrictions on guns. The statement also serves as a way to explore Buddhist teachings through their application to the crisis. Buddhist teachings cited in the statement include causes and conditions, Right Understanding, the Middle Path, all-embracing Wisdom and Compassion, interconnectedness, and self-reflection.

The complete statement is available on the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii website in two formats:

header photo by Alan Kubota