Many rivers, one ocean - Shinnyo Lantern festival

Today is Memorial Day in the USA. Whilst the holiday was originally to remember soldiers lost at war, this Buddhist festival in Honolulu encourages people to honour loved ones who are no longer with us.

It is called the Shinnyo Lantern festival because ... "Shinnyo is reality, or the true nature of all things. It is the innate goodness, wisdom, and compassion inherently at the core of every living being. Shinnyo is the light that exists in all, without exception. Shinnyo also can be understood as external forces, vibrant and infinite, that compassionately lead us to moments of awakening - those serendipitous moments of feeling present and inspired. When we become aware of shinnyo existing in and warmly encompassing us all, we can appreciate how interconnected we are."

The ceremony was incredibly moving. It started with Taiko drumming, Hawaiian chanting, and a speech by Her Holiness Shinso Ito, of the Honolulu Buddhist movement. Then 7000 lanterns, with handwritten messages to loved ones, were lit with a candle and floated out on the ocean. It was amazing to be amongst such a huge crowd of people and to feel a strong interconnectedness. There was a real sense of the universal nature of love and suffering that we associate with the passing of those we love.

I went with Laurie and Ron, whilst poor Tiziano was at home feeling really unwell from the antibiotics. I had a lovely time with them, sharing a picnic dinner and the whole experience.