Nichidatsu fujii biography channels
Buddhist monks walk through Fairfield County to promote peace
Their peace walk, called "Walk for a New Spring," began in Boston on Jan. 17, and will end in Washington on Friday, Feb. 15.
The walkers met at the Quaker Meeting House on New Canaan Road for a potluck meal, a discussion of the walk's goals and to watch the movie "Call of the Peace Pagoda," which is about the Japanese and American Buddhists who live at the first Peace Pagoda constructed in the United States in Leverett, Mass.
The monks walk about 15 miles each day, said Brother Towbee, who is one of the monks in the walk. Towbee, or Toby Keyes, was an auto mechanic in Western Massachusetts before he converted to Budhism in 1992 from Congregationalism.
He said a tragic day in American history prompted the monks to begin the annual walk seven years ago.
"It's our response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001," said Towbee. "Our government's response to that has been to wage more war and cause more suffering and create more fear among Americans."
There has to be more attention paid to developing a peaceful society, said Towbee, and the walk is one way to do that. It's up to citizens of all faiths, he said, to stand up and work for peace.
"We're the people who are the only ones who can make the change," said Towbee.
Madeleine Wilken, a Wilton Quaker, said the walk may not make an immediate change in thinking, but believed it can make a long-term change.
"Every individual's individual act makes a difference even though you may never see the result," said Wilken. "We can't ever foresee the exact consequence of what we do but what we can do is choose to act
Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling or Darjeeling Peace Pagoda is one of the Peace Pagodas designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds to help unite them in their search for world peace. It is located in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Like most of the other Peace Pagodas, it was built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji Buddhist Order.
The foundation stone of the pagoda was laid on 3 November 1972 by Nichidatsu Fujii, and was inaugurated on 1 November 1992. The pagoda was designed by M. Ohka, and it took 36 months for constructing it. It houses the four avatars of Buddha including Maitreya Buddha. The height of the pagoda is 28.5 metres (94 ft) and diameter is 23 metres (75 ft).The Pagoda is situated on the slopes of the Jalapahar hills of Darjeeling, a few kilometres from the town of Darjeeling.
Form of Buddha at Peace Pagoda
Peace Pagoda
Morning View of Peace Pagoda
Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling
Japanese Peace Pagoda, Darjeeling
The Peace Pagoda
How to Reach:
By Air
Bagdogra, 90 K.M. (via NH 110) away from Darjeeling, is the nearest airport connected by flights from major cities like Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati.
By Train
Apart from Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Station (88 K.M. from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station) the two closest railway stations are Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri. These railway stations have direct railway connections with Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, and other major cities of India.
By Road
The major access to Darjeeling by road is via Siliguri, 77 K.M. (via NH 55), which is connected to all the major cities of India. Bus service is available from Tenzing Norgay Bus Stand, Siliguri. Smaller vehicles are also available on seat-sharing/ hire from airport, railway station, motor syndicates / police motor stand. Facility of Pre-paid taxi stand from NJP Railway station & Bagdogra airport ca A tribute to the great compassionate, reformist monk, Bhante Maha Ghosananda Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Bhante Maha Ghosananda was one of few Cambodian monks to survive the brutal purge instigated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, he studied under numerous Buddhist masters from every tradition, and helped tend to the spiritual and material needs of the Cambodian refugee community. Following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Maha Ghosananda became the leader of the gradually recovering Cambodian Sangha (his title is "Sangha raja", which is variously translated. "Supreme patriarch"). << Bhante Maha Ghosananda (1929-2007) Maha Ghosananda was born in 1929 to a farming family in the Mekong Delta plains. From an early age he showed great interest in religion, and began to serve as a temple boy at age eight. He greatly impressed the monks with whom he served, and at fourteen received his parent's permission to ordain as a Buddhist monk (bhikkhu). He went on to study at monastic universities in Phnom Penh and Battambang, before going to India to pursue a doctorate in Pali at Nalanda University in Bihar. Before the age of 30, Ghosananda was granted the title "Maha" in recognition of his skill at the monastic Pali language exams. He went on to study under a variety of teachers, including the Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii and the Cambodian Patriarch Samdech Prah Sangha Raja Chuon Noth. From Nichidatsu Fujii, Maha Ghosananda received training in mediation and nonviolent resistance (Fujii was an associate of Mahatma Gandhi), and by studying under the Cambodian Sangha Raja was marked as a rising star of the Cambodian monastic community. The picture of the Pagoda below is not a holiday snap (unfortunately, I have not yet been lucky enough to visit the Far East!) Believe it or not, this beautiful structure is in none other than London’s Battersea Park… Officially known as the ‘London Peace Pagoda’, this sacred place was unveiled in 1985, its construction being undertaken by monks, nuns and followers of ‘Nipponzan Myohoji’; a Buddhist religious order dedicated to promoting world peace. This order of Buddhism was founded by The Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii. The Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii (also known as ‘Guruji’) Born on a remote Japanese island on 6 August 1885, Nichidatsu Fujii embraced peace from an early age, becoming a Buddhist monk at the tender age of 19 and shunning the military career which was expected of him. During the 1930s, he travelled to India, where he became friends with Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi, who with his doctrine of non-violence, proved to be a huge influence on the Buddhist Monk, bestowed his wise friend with the gracious nickname, ‘Guruji’; Guru or course meaning teacher, and ‘ji’ being a term which people in India attach to names and titles in order to denote respect. Mahatma Gandhi, an indirect influence on Battersea’s Peace Pagoda It was a name which stuck, with Nichidatsu Fujii’s followers happily referring to their mentor as Guruji for the rest of his life. * On the 6 August 1945, Guruji, Nipponzan Fujii turned 60. However, this milestone would prove to be a fateful anniversary for a far different reason… That same August day, the world changed forever when the atomic-bomb known as Little Boy was exploded over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This event was followed a few days later on the 9 August by a second nuclear blast; this time over the city of Nagasaki, forcing a rapid but horrific conclusion to WWII. A pocket watch from Hiroshima, the hands melted at the time the ato The "Gandhi of Cambodia"
Source: Unknown, Published on the Buddhist Channel, March 15, 2007
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