The full text and video of my Dharma message reflecting on the power of imagination, bravery, and standing in solidarity with Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde in speaking truth to power guided by our faith at the 39th Annual Ellison Onizuka and Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial Service held at Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on January 26, 2025.
Good morning! Mahalo to Colonel Fincke for joining us again this year. It’s always good to see you. We are truly grateful to you for being so willing to share your experiences and insights into space exploration and the hope it offers our troubled world.
In our tradition, light is a symbol of wisdom which dispels the darkness of ignorance. In our sacred scriptures, the Pure Land of Enlightenment is described as the “Land of Immeasurable Light” and the “Land of all-knowing wisdom.” Light and wisdom go hand-in-hand, and we need even more light and more wisdom in our world today as we face the creeping darkness of greed, anger, and ignorance which threatens to consume us all.
Shinran Shonin writes in the Hymns of the Pure Land,
The light of wisdom exceeds all measure,
And every finite living being
Receives this illumination that is like the dawn,
So take refuge in Amida, the true and real light.
Many spiritual traditions view light as a powerful symbol of hope and renewal. This is why in Winter, during the darkest season of the year, there are so many holidays celebrating light and the promise of new beginnings. We need this hope even more today.
When we look at the night sky, we see lights in the vast darkness of space. Through our imagination we have drawn connections between these stars to create constellations which resemble an object, animal, or person.
Cultures around the world have had different names and numbers of constellations depending on what people thought they saw. It is said that today, there are 88 officially recognized constellations.
There is great power and potential in the realm of the imagination. Every achievement or advancement begins with a simple idea which is inspired by a sense of wonder, curiosity, or a sense of responsibility for solving a problem. It takes imagination and bravery to see how profoundly connected we truly are.
In our world today, it has become difficult to see our connections to each other. The numerous wars and conflicts around the world and the deep political divides which have led to hatred, violence, and unjust policies here in our country are the result of this loss of imagination to see how we are connected in the vast constellation of life.
In the Buddhist tradition there is the spiritual concept of Indra’s Net which describes our universe as a vast cosmic net, and at each knot of the net is a jewel which emits light and reflects light from all other jewels around it. This beautiful image is said to represent our interconnected lives where each of us is a jewel and what we do matters and affects the lives of those around us. I am a link in Amida’s Golden Chain of Love. This also teaches us how we are responsible for cleaning and polishing our jewel so we can share light with others.
I can’t help but think about Ellison’s words to future generations:
They are the adventurists, the explorers, the doers of this world.
When they see a wrong or problem, they do something about it.
When they see a vacant place in our knowledge, they work to fill that void.
Rather than leaning back and criticizing how things are,
They work to make things the way they should be.
They are the aggressive, the self-starter, the innovative,
And the imaginative of this world.
I also reflect on Lorna’s commitment to promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, and her dedication to advancing space exploration for the benefit of future generations.
Whether we journey to the stars, or into our own heart and mind, we should always strive to live with this sense of curiosity, awe, and responsibility. This is what Ellison Onizuka continues to teach us all these many years since his birth in the Pure Land. He is asking us to be brave, to speak our truths, and to imagine a world that should be.
Earlier this week, we witnessed an example of this kind of courage so needed in our world today. At the National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde shared a message of mercy and love with our nation’s leaders and the world. Guided by her faith, she spoke truth to power embodying her Christian values.
I am grateful for Bishop Budde’s bravery and stand with her as a Buddhist priest, as an American, and as a person of faith. Her courageous and gentle words resonated with so many in our country and has inspired hope reminding us of our own agency to speak truth to unjust power guided by our own faith.
In her book, How We Learn To Be Brave, she writes,
The courage to be brave when it matters most requires a lifetime of small decisions that set us on a path of self-awareness, attentiveness, and willingness to risk failure for what we believe is right. It is also a profoundly spiritual experience, one in which we feel part of something larger than ourselves and guided, somehow, by a larger Spirit at work in the world and in us.
Like Bishop Budde, Ellison and Lorna Onizuka, can we be brave to see the connections between us like we do with the stars?
Brave to see the humanity in all people— regardless of national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation or gender identity, economic class, religious belief, political affiliation, each of us is worthy of dignity, compassion, and respect.
Brave to stand up for those who are being marginalized and hurt by unjust policies.
Brave to give voice to our values in the face of criticism and threats of violence.
Brave to live our innermost truths that no one can demean, diminish, or destroy for we are always embraced by Amida’s light of all-inclusive wisdom and all-embracing compassion.
Brave to embody the vows of a bodhisattva saving all from suffering.
Guided by the Buddha’s Teachings, let us be brave together, imagining and building a world that should be.
Please join me in Gassho to recite Amida’s Name in gratitude, joy, and awareness.
Namo Amida Butsu.
Mahalo!
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