29th Anniversary of the New England Peace Pagoda

September 11, 2014January 17, 2015 / leverettpeacepagoda

NA MU MYO HO REN GE KYO

YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO
The 29th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
of the NEW ENGLAND PEACE PAGODA
Sunday, October 5, 2014
11 am

11:00 am: SACRED CEREMONY BEGINS
Nipponzan Myohoji Ceremony
Interfaith Prayers for World Peace
12:20 pm LUNCH OFFERED

1:10 pm MUSIC

1:20 pm: KEYNOTE ADDRESS: David Hartsough, Peace and Justice Activist
co-founder: Non-Violent Peace Force;
co-author: Waging Peace, Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist

1:50 pm SONGS

2:00 pm: BRIEF SHARINGS:ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES AROUND THE WORLD
POSITIVE NEWS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Pagoda Walks 2014 Past and Future

Climate Change Mass Rally in NYC

Okinawa: Demilitarization Walk, Japan
Jeju Island, Korea
“Springfield: No-One Leaves”
Mass Slavery Apology

2:20 DANCE for Gathered Company

2:50 CLOSING PRAYER AND SNAKE DANCE – LED BY WAMPANOAG FRIENDS,
at the Stupa honoring the Spirits of the Indigenous People’s Ancestors.

From Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii:
“Religious faith is not (merely) a personal matter…It is a great beacon that illuminates the darkness of the modern civilization. In religion, purification through the transformation of evil transcends any merits found in competing doctrines. It is the cardinal prohibition against the greatest tragedy of all tragedies in the human world: murder. The absolute and fundamental prohibition against murder is humanity’s ultimate civilization, which is yet to be heeded by science, economics, or politics. The cardinal prohibition of murder is the paramount issue that extends throughout and beyond politics, economics, and science. It is the imperative of all times, one that must be unequivocally embraced in order to liberate humankind from extinction. Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo.” (1956)

“To protect and emancipate humanity from the terror caused by the conflagration, war and bloodshed of the non-virtuous modern age, and to bring tranquility, every person must be taught of the presence that is to be intrinsically venerated…People are the very ones who are intrinsically sacred.” (1975 )

New England Peace Pagoda from the front terrace of the New Temple

Walk Through The Valley

February 21, 2014January 17, 2015 / leverettpeacepagoda / 1 Comment

13^th ANNUAL “WALK FOR A NEW SPRING”
A WALK FOR COMMON UNITY, PEACE BUILDING, AND DEMILITARIZATION
LEVERETT, MA to WASHINGTON, DC
February 21- 2014 – April 8, 2014

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A THREE DAY SEND-OFF!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21 to SUNDAY, February 23, 2014

The New England Peace Pagoda would love it if you would come and participate with us
for an hour, a half day, a full day or as many days as you can.
You are welcome to bring our own signs and help send THE WALK from Western Mass to Washington D.C.!

ITINERARY FOR FIRST THREE DAYS

DAY ONE -FRIDAY, February 21, 2014

8:30 am: Opening Circle at the New England Peace Pagoda
10:30 am: Visit to Leverett Town Hall
1:15 pm: Begin walking from the Survival Center, North Amherst to Town Common, Amherst
3:00 – 3:30 pm: VIGIL on Town Common
5:00- 6:30pm: Potluck and Presentation at the Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk
7:00 to 9:00: Walk for a New Spring participants will attend and view a student production of PROJECT UNSPEAKABLE, at the Commonwealth Honor College, UMASS (the new building located near the Mullins Center)

DAY TWO – SATURDAY, February 22, 2014

8:30am: Opening Circle at Amherst Town Common and then begin Walk to Northampton 12:30: POTLUCK LUNCH AND PRESENTATION, First Churches, Northampton
1:30 pm: Begin Walk to Holyoke
5:00 pm: Arrive 101 Pearl St, Holyoke
5:30pm: Potluck and Presentation/Community Discussion

DAY THREE – SUNDAY, February 23, 2014

11:00 am: Meet at Nuestras Raices Community Garden site on route 5 across from Mount Marie to walk into Springfield, southward on route 5 to West Springfield
12:30 pm: Brown Bag Lunch at West Springfield (Location TBA)
1:30 pm: Walk over the West Springfield Bridge to Springfield
5:00-6:00pm: Potluck Dinner, Wesley Methodist Church, 741 State Street, Springfield 7:00 pm: Panel and Community Discussion
Speakers
Roberto C., Springfield No One Leaves
Michaelann B., Arise for Social Justice
Sheldon A., Justice For Ayyub
Jorge S., Just Communities Comunidades Justas
Tim B., New England Peace Pagoda
For more information call Tim Bullock 413-485-8469 / email- walk4newspring@gmail.com

The 13th Annual Walk for a New Spring

February 14, 2014February 21, 2014 / leverettpeacepagoda / 2 Comments

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Photos from the 2013 Walk for a New Spring, “Walk for the People, Walk for the Earth”

2014
Common Unity
Peace Building & Demilitarization
February 21, 2014 – April 8, 2014
Leverett, MA to Washington D.C.
A 47 Day Peace March to the White House
MA-NH-RI-CT-NY-NJ-PA-DE-MD

Diplomacy Not War
An Economy That Uplifts All
Renewable Energy
Jobs Not Jails
Commit to Ending Racism
Move Resources from Military to People’s Needs
Respect for the Earth
Immigration Reform

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. identified extreme Materialism, Militarism and Racism as the “triplets of evil” which we must transform. They exist both within us and external to us.

Materialism – viewing human beings and nature as exploitable for profit, regardless of consequence. Leads to large scale societal impoverishment and destruction of nature.

Racism – Artificial and pernicious construct of thought and social organization that some human beings are inherently superior to others. “It separates bodies, minds and spirits, descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide on the out group.” (Martin Luther King)

Militarism – The belief that armed violence is the way to control perceived threats. The US spends more on our Military arsenal than the rest of the world combined. Domestically the number of guns is roughly equivalent to every man woman and child in the US. Also our police forces are being armed with ever more lethal weapons. Let us build a culture that posits faith in hu-manity and dissolves the intensifying cycle of fear and violence.

Walk Schedule

Tentative walk schedule, subject to change
Join the walk when we come through your community!

Please Consider Supporting These Bills & Initiatives

Uranium Exploration and Mining Accountability Act, A Bill to Ban Uranium Mining in the US and to clean up the thousands of abandoned uranium mines on Native American land
H.R.808 A Bill to establish a Cabinet-level Dept of Peace-Building
Continue the Funding of the SNAP Program – NO CUTS
Petition to support Jobs Not Jail for Non-violent Offenders (Massachusetts)
Support for Initiative of Fairfax, CA to establish an International body of experts to oversee the care of the damaged and dangerous Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

More to come
We welcome your suggestions

“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For more information or to join or support the walk when it comes to your community please fill out the following form:

or contact

Tim Bullock 413-485-8469 | walk4newspring@gmail.com | Facebook

The 28th Anniversary Celebration of the New England Peace Pagoda

September 17, 2013 / leverettpeacepagoda / Leave a comment

YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO

The 28^th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

of the NEW ENGLAND PEACE PAGODA

Sunday, October 6, 2013

11 am

                                11:00 WELCOME
                   o Buddhist Sacred Ceremony begins
                  o Prayers from various faith traditions
                  o Dharma Talk by Ven. Shanti Shugei, Elder monk from Japan

LUNCH OFFERED

MUSIC

GREETINGS FROM SPECIAL GUEST, Dennis Banks
Co-founder of the American Indian Movement

MESSAGE FROM DEFENDERS OF THE BLACK HILLS

NEWS FROM JUSTICE /PEACE EFFORTS

SOCIAL DANCE, led by the WAMPANOAG NATION

The crises which we are together facing both in our human society – the degradation of humanity through war and massive impoverishment, and in the natural world – catastrophic disasters and the poisoning of water, earth, and air – all are caused by the extreme materialism of our culture. This materialism was forcibly imposed over the spiritual civilization of the Original People of this continent. We must return to a spiritual civilization to find the way to live in peace.

“If the minds of the people are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of people’s minds. It is the same with a Buddha and a common mortal. While deluded, one is called ‘a common mortal’ but once enlightened, one is called a Buddha. Even a tarnished mirror will shine like a jewel if it is polished. A mind which presently is clouded by delusion is like a tarnished mirror, but once it is polished, it will become clear, reflecting the enlightenment of immutable Truth. Arouse deep faith and polish your mirror night and day.” “On Obtaining Buddhahood,” by St. Nichiren, 13^th Century Buddhist monk, founder of the practice of Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo.

“The religious faith that Native Americans have carried to this day will be the source for forging lasting peace in the times to come. “excerpt from the Dharma talk given by Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii at the culmination of The Longest Walk, July 16, 1978, Washington DC.

ALL WELCOME!

Peace Walk Presentation

May 4, 2013February 13, 2014 / leverettpeacepagoda / Leave a comment

Gathering today at the Pagoda.
Supporters and walkers came out to share and listen to stories of the 2013 Walk for a New Spring.

For those of you who were interested in some stories told today:

U.S. Navy Vets sick from radiation

Remember Fukushima

March 12, 2013February 13, 2014 / leverettpeacepagoda / Leave a comment

Indian Point

For the two year anniversary of the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Prefecture the Walk for a New Spring & the No More Fukushimas walk gathered at Indian Point reactor for a vigil and ceremony praying for safety, sustainability, peace, and a nuclear free future.

A local man came out screaming that it was too early for this kind of activity, and threatened to call the police.
The group continued to drum and chant the prayer softly for about a half hour and each person came up to offer peace cranes.
After the ceremony the landlord of the house came out, an older Irish man who was incredibly friendly and understanding and apologized for his tenant.
Miki, a walker, offered peace cranes and he accepted graciously.

The walkers headed back to Stony Point Center where they had a beautiful breakfast before driving forward to Manhattan to participate in another ceremony to remember Fukushima.

In the city the peace walk met up with the World Network For Saving Children From Radiation, a network dedicated to making sure no more children grow up with the threat of deformities, cancer, and death from radiation.

There was a walk from Times Square to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and a ceremony and vigil in front of the United Nations. Three women from Fukushima shared their stories of displacement and illness following the meltdown. They currently live in New England.
Charmaine White Face a representative from the Great Sioux Territory and coordinator of Defenders of the Black Hills sent a solidarity message which was read aloud in English and Japanese.

Activists came out from all around New York and New Jersey including activists working to shut down Oyster Creek reactor in NJ, and Indian Point in NY.

More photos from the days events can be found on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drvonskillet/sets/72157632981462168/

March 9: Croton on Hudston to Indian Point

March 10, 2013February 13, 2014 / leverettpeacepagoda / Leave a comment

Mayor Leo A. W. Wiegman comes out to support IPSEC and a Nuclear Free Future

This morning the two walks converged at Croton on Hudson for a press conference and short gathering before marching on to Indian Point Nuclear Facility.

About 50 people turned up for the event which was organized by the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition in conjunction with Grafton Peace Pagoda and the New England Peace Pagoda.

The mayor offered his support and made all participants honorary peace walkers and honorary citizens of Croton on Hudson.

Next up was a presentation by Maurice Enis and his fiance Jamie Plym, two former Navy sailors who were irradiated in their time serving off the coast of Japan. The two of them explained what it’s like now without any insurance since they honorably separated from the Navy, and their serious health ailments.

They will be coming to Stony Point Center tomorrow afternoon after the walk to share their story during the “Fukushima Fallout” conference [http://www.ipsecinfo.org/].

After the gathering at Croton on Hudston train station the group walked down about 6 miles to the Indian Point Nuclear Reactor where they had a vigil and offered peace cranes before gathering in a circle for a short ceremony.

Walking to Indian Point

The walk route has been changed tomorrow. Rather than beginning at Indian Point Nuclear Reactor, the walk will begin at First Presbyterian Church on 34 S. Highland Ave in Ossning, NY.
Sorry for any inconvenience, this route is much safer.

Vigil at Indian Point

Feb. 17 Seabrook

February 18, 2013February 13, 2014 / leverettpeacepagoda / 1 Comment

Sunday
A cold and windy morning when the walkers left Amherst, MA and drove to Seabrook New Hampshire, home of Seabrook Nuclear Reactor.
After leaving Seabrook the walk shuttled ahead to Amesbury MA where they walked a short distance from the center of town to the Amesbury Friends Meetinghouse.

On the road to the Meeting there was a small gallery that had up an exhibit commemorating the 50th year of JFK’s assassination during President’s Day.

Local artists welcomed the walk warmly and graciously before we departed for the Meetinghouse.
Stop by their gallery to check out the JFK exhibit!
The walk continued on to the Meeting. after a lovely potluck offered by members of the Meeting and community we heard “America’s Secret Chernobyl” presentation by Charmaine and stayed the evening at the Meeting. The walk leaves Amesbury for Newburyport to walk into Ipswich.