Where:
Buddhist Study Center,
1436 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96822
(map)

When:
April 6, 2024, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm

Nurturing Mind and Body at the Buddhist Study Center Spring Festival On April 6, 2024, the Buddhist Study Center will host our first ever Spring Festival grand re-opening of the BSC to the larger Manoa/Moiliili/McCully/Makiki community. The purpose of this event is to showcase the Hongwanji and BSC offerings to the community, and increase awareness of the facility to encourage participation and use. All – students, faculty, community members, and families – are welcome.

The event will kick off at 9:30 am with live entertainment performances in the downstairs Buddhist Study Center parking lot. There will be booths with food, games, and activities, hosted by various Hongwanji-affiliated groups. Notable activities, which are being planned, include a travelling bookstore by Honpa Hongwanji, Matcha with a Minister talk story tea time with Rev. Bert Sumikawa and Rev. Blayne Nakasone Sakata, flower arranging with Irene Nakamoto, and children’s games by Debbie Kubota and Susan Oshiro. Emi Hashi, the Youth Specialist for Honpa Hongwanji, will also lead a Buddha in Your Pocket mini butsudan craft for students and community members to take home and set-up a reflection space of their own. We hope to encourage new members to join the Buddhist Study Center Fellowship Club.

Health and wellness workshops will be held upstairs in the BSC lecture hall. We will start with a workshop on coping skills at 10:00 am by Rev. David Nakamoto. At 11:00 am, Lisa Yanagi, who also holds weekly classes at the BSC, will lead a yoga class for interested attendees. At 12:00 pm, a healthy cooking demonstration will be taught by Carolyn Uchiyama and Wahiawa Blue Zones. Finally, a bokashi healthy living workshop with Chikako Nago, will be held at 1:00 pm to promote the sustainable practice of composting. These workshops are centered around our Spring Festival theme of “Nurturing Mind and Body,” and are aligned with our Hongwanji Buddhist values of mindfulness, reflection, and interdependence.

We hope that those on Oahu will attend our inaugural event. Attendees will receive a free eco bag and reuseable cup (while supplies last). Free parking will be available next door at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, with overflow parking at the UH Manoa parking structure ($5 per day). For questions or more information about the event, contact ehashi@honpahi.org.