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Spring Ohigan Service

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Our guest speaker for our Spring Ohigan Service was Rev. Koen Kikuchi, resident minister of Kaneohe Higashi Hongwanji. Watch his Ohigan Dharma Talk below.

COVID-19 Temple Advisory: As Prudence announced at the end of the service, to ensure the health and safety of temple members and guests and help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Windward Buddhist Temple will be suspending all services and activities at the temple from March 16 through April 30, 2020.

Please continue to visit our website as well as follow us on Facebook or Instagram for updates. Our YouTube channel will also continue to feature past special services and Dharma Talks.

COVID-19 / Novel Coronavirus Temple Advisory

“Let us go to the Buddha-Dharma for guidance to keep a balanced perspective. Do not let ignorance and fear overwhelm us and at the same time let us be very mindful of the interconnected and interrelatedness of all matters.”
— Bishop Eric Matsumoto

Remain Connected

The health and safety of our temple members and guests are of utmost importance. Rev. Sumikawa and the Board are monitoring the COVID-19 / Novel Coronavirus situation and will follow the guidance from Headquarters (Honpa Hongwanji COVID-19 Advisory Page).

Latest Updates

August 2, 2020:

  • Starting in August, we will be recording an Online Dharma Service. The video will premiere on our YouTube channel and Facebook page each Sunday at 9 am and will be available for playback anytime after that on YouTube, Facebook, or on our website.

July 19, 2020:

  • Read our Temple Reopening Plan in Prudence Kusano’s letter to members

  • We will be posting recorded Dharma Services with Rev. Sumikawa starting on Sunday, August 2nd. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube to receive notifications when new videos are posted.

May 24, 2020:

  • The City & County of Honolulu has announced that religious entities may reopen beginning May 23. Based on that, we will be able to reopen the temple office beyond Minimum Basic Operations and begin implementing plans for reopening.

  • With guidance from Headquarters, we have created a task force to develop plans to reopen WBT. We want to assure you that the temple will be safe for you and any new procedures will also follow CDC guidelines to ensure safety for all who use the temple.

  • The plan will be presented to the entire WBT Board at the June 10 Board meeting. Upon approval a detailed communication will be shared with you.

  • Keep safe in the meantime. We plan to see all of you at the temple in the very near future.

April 25, 2020:

  • With the extension of the stay-at-home orders by the State of Hawaii and the City & County of Honolulu through May 31, activities at Windward Buddhist Temple will remain suspended for the month of May. Keep saying the Nembutsu in gratefulness that we are being kept safe even if we cannot have our Sunday services for now.

March 28, 2020:

March 18, 2020:

  • Headquarters Update #3

  • In alignment with Headquarters Update #3, the previously announced suspension of activities at Windward Buddhist Temple has been extended through May 15, 2020 (extended through May 31, 2020).

  • The situation with COVID-19 is so fluid that matters could change anytime and very rapidly.

  • Please continue to visit our website and follow us on social media to remain updated.

  • Let us be safe, but not full of fear. Let us go to the Buddha-Dharma for guidance.

March 15, 2020:

  • Effective March 16 through April 30, 2020 (extended through May 15, 2020), the use of the temple for religious services, activities and meetings are suspended as a way to mitigate the transmission COVID-19 virus. Updates on when temple use will resume will be available on:

  • During this time Sunday services, Monday meditation, Tai-Chi, Ikebana and Japanese classes are cancelled. Adult Dharma Class will be cancelled for March 21, April 4 and 18.

  • Please use this opportunity to check out the WBT websites and the websites of our various Hongwanji temples to hear recorded Dharma talks, read Dharma messages and read books on Shin Buddhism.

  • This event provides us many opportunities to realize the Buddha’s teaching of impermanence, interdependency, and compassion as we all help each other through this global pandemic. Please follow the CDC guidelines and keep each other safe.

March 11, 2020:

March 7, 2020:

  • The Taste of Hongwanji at Hawaii Betsuin originally scheduled for Sunday, March 29, has been postponed due to COVID-19 / novel coronavirus concerns. A new date has not yet been announced.

March 3, 2020:

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Sunday Family Service & Dharma School

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Guest speaker Rev. Clarence Liu & Rev. Bert Sumikawa

We welcomed guest speaker Rev. Clarence Liu to today’s Family Service. Rev. Liu grew up in Kailua and pastored in several Central Oahu churches before finding his niche in clinical chaplaincy.

Rev. Liu shared what he has learned about the subject of death, something he has had a lot of experience with having retired as a hospice chaplain with Hospice Hawaii in 2012.

Dharma School

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Sunday Family Service & Intergenerational Activity

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Kuki spoke about our Founders Day which was celebrated last Sunday to honor temple leaders that came before us from over 50 years ago to present who helped make WBT what it is today. He also expressed his gratitude for the late Dorothy Ono for her generous donation to the temple that allowed us to build our beautiful temple.

We also celebrated March birthdays. After the service and refreshments, our intergenerational activity was making spring butterflies.

March Intergenerational Activity

Remembrance & Founders’ Day Service

In our Founders’ Day service, we remember the past members of Windward Buddhist Temple (Kailua Hongwanji Mission) and their efforts that helped make WBT what it is today. Today was also our monthly Remembrance Day service, where we remembered family and friends who passed away during the month of February in any year.

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Nirvana Day & Pet Memorial Service

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Rev. Sol Kalu

Rev. Sol Kalu, Associate Minister at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, was our guest speaker for today’s Nirvana Day Service. Nirvana Day commemorates the death of the Buddha and his achievement of Parinirvana, or complete Nirvana.

Watch Rev. Kalu’s educational and informative Dharma Talk about the Buddha’s final days prior to achieving Nirvana below or on our YouTube channel.

Pet Memorial Service

We also held our first pet memorial service at Windward Buddhist Temple. At the beginning of the service, Rev. Sumikawa and Rev. Kalu chanted the Sanbujo. Families were called up individually to offer incense as the names of their departed pets were called.

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Dana Day Service & Dharma School

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Today’s Dana Day service focused on the principle of dana, or “selfless giving.” Jean Fukumoto, the Windward coordinator for Project Dana, shared an update of the organization. Project Dana was founded in 1989 by the late Shimeji Kanazawa out of Moiliili Hongwanji. Today, it is a multi-faith coalition of 32 churches and temples across Hawaii with over 800 volunteers providing thousands of hours of services and support to the elderly. For more information, or to learn how to participate in Project Dana, please visit their website at www.projectdana.org.

We hold Dharma School on the second Sunday of the month during the school year. Today’s session continued the discussion of interdependence by investigating the interconnectedness found in nature in our local ecosystem.

Dharma School

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Sunday Family Service & Intergenerational Activity

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Today’s Dharma Talk was presented by Dr. Mike Jaffe. Mike, who also presented at the first Windward Interfaith Service last Tuesday, shared his knowledge of Jewish ethnicity, nationhood, and religion, which are all strongly interrelated, and interwove it with parallels in Buddhism, specifically Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.

After today’s service, we celebrated our February birthdays. Our intergenerational activity for February had a Valentine’s Day theme and the crafts were enjoyed (and modeled) by all.

February Birthday Celebration

February Intergenerational Activity