Thursday, November 21, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, May 27, 2013
5,000 Candle-lit Lanterns Float Off of Magic Island
By News Release @ 11:00 PM :: 5428 Views :: Military

Shinnyo-en Hosts 15th Annual Lantern Floating Hawaii On Memorial Day

More Than 5,000 Candle-lit Lanterns Floated Off of Magic Island in Remembrance of Loved Ones

News Release from Lantern Floating Hawaii May 27, 2013

Today marks the 15th annual Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremony, one of the largest and most moving Memorial Day observances in the United States. At sunset, more than 5,000 candle-lit lanterns bearing remembrances and prayers illuminated the ocean off of Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park in Honolulu with tens of thousands of people in attendance. The Lantern Floating Hawaii theme is "Many Rivers, One Ocean," and is officiated by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, Head Priest of Shinnyo-en, an international Buddhist community. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, the Honorary Chair of Lantern Floating Hawaii, attended the ceremony along with Governor Neil Abercrombie and Colonel Daniel Whitney, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii.

 

Shinnyo-en first brought this contemporary adaptation of an ancient Buddhist fire and water ceremony to Hawaii in 1999. The ceremony was designed to help participants remember and honor those who have passed on, and to awaken compassion for all life – past, present and future. Shinnyo-en and Na Lei Aloha Foundation, their local partner, have nurtured the lantern floating into a community event that promotes cross-cultural cooperation, understanding, harmony and peace, engaging hundreds of volunteers and thousands of participants annually. The Shinnyo lantern floating ceremony has brought together more than 40,000 residents of Hawaii and visitors from around the world. At the conclusion of each event, all the lanterns are collected from the ocean and refurbished for use in the future.

This fall Shinnyo-en will bring a Lantern Floating for Peace to Central Park in New York City on September 22, 2013.

About Shinnyo-enShinnyo-en is an international Buddhist community dedicated to helping people realize greater self-awareness, happiness, and harmony for the good of humanity. Shinnyo-en began in 1936 as a community rooted in Shingon Buddhism, a lineage started in Japan more than 1,100 years ago. Shinnyo-en's founder, Master Shinjo Ito, was trained in the Shingon Buddhist Daigo School and worked to adapt the practice made available to monks. Shinnyo-en became an independent denomination in the 1940s. For more information, visit www.shinnyoen.org.

About Her Holiness Shinso ItoHer Holiness Shinso Ito (born April 25, 1942), the Head Priest of Shinnyo-en, embodies the principles of Shinnyo Buddhism and leads the community of close to one million practitioners.  Shinso Ito trained under Master Shinjo, Founder of Shinnyo-en, and is one of his few disciples who completed the Shinnyo Samaya Rite. When Shinjo Ito passed away in 1989, Shinso Ito became his successor.  She is one of the few women to be granted the title of daisojo, the highest priestly rank in Japanese Buddhism.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii