Buddhist flag flies at half-staff at Hawaii Betuin temple

May 28, 2022

Reflecting on the Tragic Incident at a Texas Elementary School

On the morning of May 24, a horrific incident occurred in Texas when an 18-year-old boy walked into an elementary school and opened fire. Among the 21 victims killed, 19 were children and 2 were adults. Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin would like to extend our deepest condolences to all those who lost their lives in this terrible incident and to the parents and families of victims. Lives which should not have been lost were lost. Young lives full of dreams and possibilities were violently taken away.

Thinking about the joy and happiness that could have been gives me tremendous pain. My heart is in pain when I think about the sorrow their families are going through. Why were their lives taken away in such brutal way? Why does this chain of grief never end? Why do these incidents keep happening in our society? Such things should never happen, not even once. As the organization which shares Buddhist teaching, we have a responsibility to the community and country to respond.

Buddhism teaches non-violence. This is because we know that violence creates fear, sadness, and hatred, and the Teaching reveals that the violence does not solve anything. Dr. Alfred Bloom, a well-known scholar of Jodo Shin Buddhism, left the following words.

To seek peace and non-violence not only means to look at social issues externally, but at the source of violence within ourselves. The social expression of prejudice, hatred, and violence is a magnification of that which exists in our own minds and hearts.

We all seek peace. We all wish to have a life without fear of violence. We all wish to have a peaceful night without fear. We must not look at this tragic incident as a problem of a society that is separate from our own, but as a problem of the society to which we belong. With that understanding, we are no longer bystanders, but people who are deeply involved with this incident. If the prejudice and hatred that comes from our hearts is manifesting itself in society and forming the violence, then it should be possible to create a peaceful society through our deeds, our words, and our wishes.

Our love and thoughts goes out to all victims of this tragedy. May Great Compassion shine upon you and relieve your pain. With our palms together, Namo Amida Butsu

Tatsuo Muneto, Rimban
Yuika Hasebe, Fuku Rimban
Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin

Statewide statement also available: A related statement from Bishop Eric Matsumoto and Rev. Blayne Higa (Chair of the Committee on Social Concerns) was released May 28. You may find it on the statewide Honpa Hongwanji website: HHMH issues a new statement on gun violence

About the Photograph

Buddhist flag flies at half-staff at Hawaii Betuin templeA Buddhist flag flies at half-staff at Hawaii Betsuin on Thursday, May 26 (photo by David Atcheson). The original design of the flag goes back to 1885 in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), with a modified design adopted in 1950 as the International Buddhist Flag. Starting with blue, the colors signify Compassion, the middle path, practice, purity, and Wisdom. At the outside edge, the combined colors represent the truth of the Buddha’s teachings. (source: Wikipedia)

We are not aware of a precedent for flying the Buddhist flag at half-staff. The suggestion was offered as a visible symbol of our sangha’s compassion for the victims of the recent mass shootings, including the families and friends of those lost. After the appropriate consultations, the flag was raised halfway.

Most of the photo was converted by the photographer to black-and-white to align with feelings of shock and sorrow. The flag was left in color to reflect awakening to the truth of the Buddhist teachings and finding the path out of suffering for ourselves and our society.