Press
Buddhists confront anti-Asian violence with peaceful perseverance
Los Angles Times
March 18, 2022
By Deborah Netburn
Photography by Jason Armond
One by one, the Buddhist priests bowed before the altar at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo, wearing robes of yellow, orange and black. Accompanied by the chanting of the Heart Sutra in Korean, they dipped a paintbrush into a bowl of golden lacquer to gently fill in the cracks of a white ceramic lotus that had been handmade for the occasion.
Repairing Generations of Trauma, One Lotus Flower at a Time
The New York Times
May 5, 2021
By Elizabeth Dias
Photography by Rozette Rago
Buddhists from many cultures and communities gathered to repair the nation’s racial karma. The ceremony was held at a Los Angeles temple that had recently been vandalized in an arson attack.
Rare gathering of world’s vast schools of Buddhism offers healing against racial hate
Los Angeles Times
May 8, 2021
By Teresa Watanabe
Photography by Jason Armond
One by one, the Buddhist priests, nuns and teachers silently entered the Los Angeles temple in similar robes of black and saffron hues, with identical gestures of hands clasped in prayer.
Funie Hsu and Chenxing Han Discuss “May We Gather” Ceremony
The Lion’s Roar
May 5, 2021
By Nancy Chu
Lion’s Roar associate editor Nancy Chu spoke with Funie Hsu and Chenxing Han about “May We Gather,” a ceremony held by Buddhist leaders and allies offering “spiritual community, reflection, and collective healing” in the face of rising anti-Asian American violence across the U.S.
“May We Gather” Buddhist memorial ceremony offers Asian American community space to heal
The Lion’s Roar
May 5, 2021
By Mihiri Tillakaratne
Lion’s Roar associate editor Mihiri Tillakaratne reports on “May We Gather,” the national Buddhist memorial Ceremony for Asian American ancestors that took place on May 4.
A NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
Rafu Shimpo
May 7, 2021
By Gwen Muranaka
Photography by Mikey Hirano Culross
Diverse Buddhist leadership mark 49 days since Atlanta shooting. On May 4 — the 49th day since a gunman killed eight in Atlanta, including six Asian women — Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo played host to a stirring memorial for the dead and those suffering from anti-Asian hate. “We the Sangha of the United States,” intoned Rev. Duncan Ryuken Williams of Zenshuji Soto Mission, “have gathered to recall our interconnectedness, feel the presence of those who have gone before and to get back up.”
For the Ancestors and for Peace: A Conversation with the Organizers of “May We Gather”
Buddhist Door Global
July 2, 2021
By Harsha Menon
Photography by Tenzin Kiyosaki. Image courtesy of Tauran Photography, tauran.com
Buddhist monastics and teachers from diverse lineages joined together on 4 May 2021 for the first national Buddhist memorial service in response to anti-Asian violence. The event, “May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial Ceremony for Asian American Ancestors,” which was held in person and shared via livestream, marked a historic collective experience in the history of American Buddhism. What began in tragedy, transformed over those few hours into an expression of solidarity and community.
Young Asian American Buddhists are reclaiming narrative after decades of white dominance
NBC News
July 9, 2021
By Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil
Image by Cinyee Chiu for NBC News
Asian Americans make up two-thirds of Buddhists in the U.S. but have long been marginalized in popular perceptions of the religion. A new generation is pushing back.