Na Mu Myo Ho Renge Kyo

By Jehann El-Bisi

A summary of the intention of the walk for community members of Smith College on the eve of Nagasaki Day.

“ Instead of hypothesizing potential enemies, let us hypothesize this world as a potential heaven. Instead of suspecting others as potential murderers, let us believe in the Buddha nature of others, that they are children of God. Instead of looking at others with contempt, let us hold mutual respect and venerate one another.”

-Most venerable: Nichidatsu Fujii-Founder, teacher Nipponzan Myohoji

Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki

A Walk to Build a Non Violent World

August 2 to August 6

On a beautiful morning at the Leverett Peace Pagoda, walkers set out on a five day walk. On the morning of our first day, our prayers were shared and it was mentioned that an intention for the walk to acknowledge all forms of violence be recognized. We stated that the Boston Marathon tragedy be placed in a larger socio political context of American violence as exerted in rest of the world, particularly, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. We culminated our walk arriving in Harvard Square in Boston to remember Hiroshima.

We walked carrying four critical messages that were shared with city officials and community members in Worcester, Watertown, Dorchester, Cambridge and Boston. The messages included:

1. The introduction of H.R. 808 the Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013 by Democratic representative Barbara lee of Oakland, CA. Lee states; “peacebuilding refers both to activities that target the root causes of violence as well as the broad measures used to prevent violent conflict and create sustainable peace.

She said, “This culture of violence that we live in is unacceptable. On our streets and across the globe, the pervasive presence of violence has infected the lives of millions, and it is far past time we address it as a nation…We invest hundreds of billions each year in the pentagon, in war colleges, military academies, and our national defense universities all to develop war tactics and strategies. Now we need that kind of investment in peace and non-violence here at home.”

1. Resolution #56

Submitted by the Honorable Donald L. Plusquellic, Mayor of Akron Ohio

CALLING FOR U.S. LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND REDIRECTION OF MILITARY SPENDING TO DOMESTIC NEEDS.

1. Where as in April of 2009, President Barack Obama declared in Prague, “as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act.”

We presented: The petition to “Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now!” urging the United States to join in multilateral efforts to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons. The time is right. As [president Barack Obama] said in Berlin, “So long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not truly safe.”

1. As presented from a sharing Learning The Hard Way: Reflections on the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Tragedy, as well as signing a letter to Governor Duval Patrick at the Old South Church in Boston, on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

Where we quoted the governor as saying:

This community can heal if we turn to each other and not on each other.” We the Leverett Peace Pagoda requested that the people of Boston and the world, choose a different path of critical reflection, choosing love and not fear in our collective response to the tragedy. We spoke candidly of the violence inherent in a racist backlash for all Arab people, Arab Americans and specifically Muslim people of America and the world.

All of these issues and events are inextricably linked to what we remember on August 6 as Hiroshima Day and today on August 9 as Nagasaki day. We concluded our walk at the Premiere of the film;

HIBAKUSHA, OUR LIFE TO LIVE | A film of survival by David Rothauser

Creating a discussion: Article 9, A template for Peace

Featuring: Professor Akihiko Kimijima

And best quote, as it appeared on our walk:

“…We cannot repeat the sin.”

Abolish nuclear everything now. Please sign the petition for President Obama to attend the high level nuclear disarmament meeting at the UN on September 26, 2013. Thank you for your support to build a non violent world.

Na Mu Myo Ho Renge Kyo