VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 2 • June 2025
PPG: Looking for a Few Great Projects
From peace parades to passports, books to internet access, the Propagation Program Grants continue to spread the Dharma
BY REV. TOMO HOJO
WEST KAUAI HONGWANJI MISSION
Propagation, noun: The process of spreading to a larger area or greater number; dissemination.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
For more than 30 years, the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii’s Propagation Program Grant has funded innovative and imaginative projects aimed at spreading the Dharma.
Using only the interest earned from the Buddhist Education Endowment Fund, the program annually awards grants of up to $10,000 for projects that may run as long as two years from their starting dates.
During the months when Covid-19 restrictions were in place, that two-year limit was extended to five years, but in 2024, that time limitation switched back to the two-year limit.
When the idea of a Propagation Program Grant first started three decades ago, committee members decided on two levels of funding: Special big projects on the state level and smaller local level grants available to any temple or organization.
A committee composed of seven laypersons and five ministers served for three years, some in deliberately staggered terms to ensure continuity.
Led by then-Executive Secretary Reverend Koho Takata, the new committee created guidelines for acceptable projects and determined their own responsibilities and deadlines.
Bishop Thom T. Nakanishi gave the project its direction: Funding had to be available to all districts; ideas had to be new and innovative; communication between the committee and the temples needed to improve when considering the proposed projects, and formulating long-range and short-range goals was important.
Monies had to be made available to fund state projects, he said, and after the 1989 Centennial, $500,000 was set aside as an endowment fund from the Centennial solely to the Commission on Buddhist Education.
Among the early projects funded by the committee was a Statewide Family Conference in Kauai in the early 2000s, according to Rev. Takata, currently assigned to West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple.
Today, the Propagation Program Grant Committee is one of seven standing committees in the Hawaii Kyodan and its guidelines are flexible:
First, while Jan. 31 and July 31 are the two deadlines for submitting applications, special consideration for requests is possible on a case-by-case basis.
Second, in special situations, the two-year time limit may be extended by the committee when extenuating circumstances exist.
And third, requests for major equipment purchases are not considered valid expenses, but reasonably small items and supply expenses are acceptable.
Recently, the committee revised its grant criteria from “New, innovative, creative ideas or activities focusing on Buddhist Education and the propagation of the Dharma” to “Priority will be given to innovative, creative ideas or activities focusing on Buddhist Education and the propagation of the Dharma.”
Between 2007 and 2018, under the chairmanship of Wailuku Hongwanji Mission’s Rev. Shinkai Murakami, the Propagation Program grants approved for funding ranged from narrowly-focused books like the well-received “The Buddha’s Gift to the World” and “The Golden Chain of Love” to an ambitious collection compiled by Dharma School Teachers from Wailuku Hongwanji Mission, “Thoughts, Poems, Aspirations and Art,” subtitled “Expressions of Dharma.”
Oahu’s Dharma School Teachers also received funding for its publication aimed at understanding Shin Buddhism by studying “Death and Dying,” a 2019 work distributed to all temples statewide. Even today, many temples have copies to help young people understand and cope with the subject of loss.
Starting in 2022, the Propagation Program Grant generally funded projects that had long-term impacts and reached wider audiences: Improving Internet access at and for temples and ministers, and creating the “Passport” booklets that encouraged members, non-members, visitors and anyone interested in Hongwanji temples to take the first step to explore other Honolulu District temples.
Inspired by Honzan’s Stamp Rally and other similar programs, the Passport program encouraged people to explore and participate in activities at various locations while gathering stamps as proof of their visits. It required only $3,000 to print the booklets, purchase stickers for each destination and gather keepsakes to incentivize participants.
More recently, the compilation “Sharing Your Nembutsu Moments” and the new “Praises of the Buddha” collection of 153 gathas from the Triple Celebration Music Committee were granted funding. Both are available now either from temples or through the Headquarters Bookstore.
But over the past two years, the number of applications and the scope of projects submitted has dropped significantly.
“Members who come up with ideas to help our Hongwanji, who think of projects with the potential of statewide implications can start by meeting with their ministers to discuss a budget, goals and objectives.”
Deadlines for submitting the two-page application form with a supporting budget proposal are the same every year: Jan. 31 and July 31, after which the current committee members meets in March and September to review applications.
While the selection process is confidential, once projects are approved, they may be shared on the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii website and they become the property of HHMH.
Questions may be directed to temple ministers who have details on guidelines, criteria, know the application process and the step-by-step requirements once a grant is awarded.
Both books funded by Propagation Program Grants in 2024 are available now.
“Praises of the Buddha” ($20) and “Sharing Your Nembutsu Moments” ($7) may be purchased from the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai‘i Bookstore.
For more information, call (808) 522-9202 or email hqbooks@honpahi.org.