Sunday, October 2nd, 2016 was Mahatma Gandhi Day in Hawaii. Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii Bishop Eric Matsumoto was one of the speakers at a celebration event outside the Honolulu Zoo in front of the Gandhi statue; we share his remarks here. Reflecting on the affairs of our world,...
The following message by Bishop Eric Matsumoto was distributed to all Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii ministers and temple presidents on July 9, 2016. Dallas, Orlando, Istanbul, Medina, Paris, Charleston, Oak Creek, San Bernardino and the list goes on and on. Each day, I start by watching the news...
Bishop Eric Matsumoto was a panelist at the 2016 Hawai‘i Book & Music Festival in a session entitled, “Japanese Buddhist Adaptations for the Future.” The session was one of seven offered at the Buddhism in Hawaii stage emceed by Dr. George Tanabe. Other sessions addressed Buddhist temples in Hawaii, meditation...
2016 Hawaii Buddhist Council Memorial Day Message by Bishop Eric Matsumoto of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii Today, as we gather for our Hawaii Buddhist Council Memorial Day Service, let us revisit the significance and purpose of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a time when we remember and honor...
Message from Bishop Eric Matsumoto on January 28, 2016 To the Family, Relatives and Friends of the late Colonel Ellison Onizuka and the Members and Supporters of Kona Hongwanji, As you gather at Kona Hongwanji, on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the passing of the late Colonel...
On Sunday January 17, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii Bishop Eric Matsumoto spoke at St. Andrew’s annual bell ringing ceremony in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here is his message. As we gather for this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Bell Ringing Ceremony, I am encouraged by the...
Bishop Matsumoto delivered the dharma message at Hawaii Betsuin’s Ho’onko service (Shinran Shonin memorial service) on January 9, 2016. In the message, the Bishop highlights the sense of a new beginning with the accession of our Spiritual Leader, the 25th Gomonshu, His Eminence Kojun Ohtani. He notes how the 24th...
The Gomonshu is the spiritual head of our denomination based in Kyoto, Japan. The current Gomonshu is His Eminence Monshu Kojun Ohtani, the 25th-generation descendant of Shinran Shonin to head the Hongwanji. Here is his New Year’s message. At the beginning of the new year, I would like to...
Namo Amida Butsu & Happy New Year! As we begin the New Year, let me express my warmest Aloha and Best Wishes to you for a meaningful and peaceful New Year. The new year 2016 is significant in that it is the beginning of “The Commemoration of the Accession of...
Change, Vision, and Engagement in 2016 We enter 2016 shaped by the theme: EMBRACE CHANGE: NEW VISION, and this vision for the future is to be borne out of our engagement with each other and our communities. Let me share two thoughts on this theme. First, let us be guided...